Friends of WIMLER
We largely work with volunteers. We are fortunate that many Filipino migrant workers help us in conducting the migrant capacity building programs. WIMLER Hong Kong has no paid staff at the moment.
We thank our regular donors who support our Send a Child to School Program, which helps us sustain our yearly commitment to send hundreds of underprivileged children in the Philippines to school.
Board of Directors
Richard Rispens
Chairman
Richard Rispens is currently working as Customer Support Engineer for New Payments Platform Australia at SWIFT. He earned his bachelor’s degree in International Business & Business Economics at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam, The Netherlands and Master in Asian and International Studies at the City University of Hong Kong.
Richard is co-founder of WIMLER Philippines.
Emily Veringa
Vice Chairman
EMILIE VERINGA has lived for 23 years in Hong Kong. She is an active Filipino community leader and co- founder of WIMLER Foundation Hong Kong and has organized many successful fund-raising events. She was a member of the Philippine Association of Hong Kong (PAHK) in 2012 and served the Board of Directors from 2014 to 2017.
In 2011, she founded Nueva Vizcaya Association for Filipino Migrants and served as a chairperson from 2011 to 2013. Her work experience includes being a staff member of Eton Properties, Marketing Manager of Hatari Express Money Transfer, and bookkeeper of Synthetic Solutions Limited.
Katherine De Guzman
Secretary
Katherine de Guzman works as Manager of PNB HK. Formerly she was the Business Development Head of PNB Global Financial and Remittance Company (HK) Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Philippine National Bank. She spearheaded the project with EPSCO HK Ltd. that allowed the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong to remit through the outlet stores of Circle K, VanGO, and Vanguard. She conceptualized and developed with HSBC HK the facility that allowed OFWs, with savings account maintained with the same bank, to remit through HSBC’s Internet banking facility and through all of their ATMs located in the Hong Kong territory. She was part of the core team that launched the 7/11 remittance service plus. A tie-up with Citibank HK that facilitated the use of the 7/11 stores in Hong Kong to accept remittances bound for the beneficiaries in the Philippines.
Kathy was formerly a Credit Officer of PNB Hong Kong branch where she structured loan facilities; participated in loan syndication; analyzed, evaluated and reviewed corporate clients’ financial and operational structures; and, drew up credit proposals for approval of relevant credit committees.
Kathy graduated Cum Laude from The University of St. La Salle (formerly La Salle College), Bacolod City where she completed her Bachelor of Arts in Economics. She earned a Postgraduate degree in Education major in Liberal Studies from The University of Hong Kong in 2008.
She sits as Board of Directors of the 2015 Philippine Association of Hong Kong and is Secretary and Director of Wimler Foundation, HK.
Leila Rispens-Noel
Treasurer
Leila Rispens-Noel is a co-founder of WIMLER Foundation Hong Kong Ltd. (established in 2011), WIMLER Philippines (founded in 2006), and contributed to the creation of WIMLER Charity USA. Additionally, she established Xabukid Trading, a social enterprise.
Until 2012, she served as Senior Advisor for INAFI International, which is a network comprising over 300 microfinance institutions in Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
Leila also held the position of Program Manager for the Migration and Development Program at Oxfam Novib in the Netherlands. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce, majoring in Accounting, from the Holy Cross of Davao College in the Philippines and received a diploma in Rural and Agricultural Project Planning from the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, Netherlands. She completed her Master’s in Migration Studies at Miriam College in Manila.
Her areas of interest include migration, remittances, development, microfinance, and capacity building. She has authored and edited award-winning publications on diaspora issues.
Luz Tan
Asst. Treasurer
Luz Tan is the Honorary President of Club Filipino HK and Director of Wimler Foundation HK. She holds a degree in Bachelor of Science in Commerce, Banking & Finance at the University of Santo Tomas. She is married to K C Tan and they have three children, Frederick, Catherine & Alexander. Her focus as Director of WIMLER HK is to raise funds to support Send a Child School project. She organizes social events for Club Filipino HK to foster camaraderie between residents and OFWs. She loves to bead natural stones and strings pearls.
Ferdinand Ng
Director
Heda Bayron
Director
Heda Bayron is a seasoned marketing and corporate communications specialist. She currently works as a vice president in the marketing and communications department of PineBridge Investments. Over the last 10 years, she has held various marketing and communications roles with State Street Global Advisors, CFA Institute, and the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group. Heda started her career as a reporter for Manila’s leading business newspaper, BusinessWorld and later worked at Asiamoney and The Asset magazines. She joined Voice of America (VOA) as an assistant editor in Hong Kong covering the Asia-Pacific region. At VOA, she received the Meritorious Honour Award from the US Department of State. She has a master’s degree in Asia-Pacific Studies from the University of Leeds (UK) and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of the Philippines.
Dr. Ju-Chen Chen
Director
Dr. Ju-chen CHEN obtained her BS in Psychology from National Taiwan University in Taipei and MA and Ph.D. degrees in Anthropology from Rutgers — the State University of New Jersey in the USA. She is a lecturer at the department of anthropology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong since 2009. Her scholarly interests cover a few topics and geographic locations. First, she studies female migrant workers in China and their desperate efforts to obtain better houses for their sons. Second, she examines Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong and the wishes they realize through participation in beauty pageants.
Finally, she looks at independent musicians and music event organizers in Hong Kong and Taiwan with a focus on their non-accumulative lifestyles. On the one hand, she is interested in the relationship between migration and the realization of motherhood/womanhood. On the other hand, she uses aspiration as the keyword to analyze the very different pursuits of her various research subjects.
Myrna Pama-Hill
Director
Myrna Pama Hill has resided in Hong Kong for 33 years. She serves as the Social Secretary for the Cruiser Owners Association in HK, a yachting group comprising members from the Aberdeen Boat Club, Hebe Haven Yacht Club, Discovery Bay Marina Club, and Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. Her role involves organizing yacht races between HK and Macau and handling immigration procedures for all participating sailors in both locations.
She joined the Philippine Association Hong Kong (PAHK) in 2003 and was elected as a Director from 2007 to 2010, where she was responsible for organizing events. In 2010-2011, she held the position of PAHK Vice Chairman, overseeing the Annual Ball. She was re-elected as PAHK Vice Chairman from 2013 to 2014, and then she became the PAHK Chairman from 2014 to 2015. From 2016 to 2018, she served as a PAHK Adviser.
Since joining Wimler as Director, Myrna is one of the fundraising organizers, especially for Send a Child to School program.
Manuela D. Lo
Director
MANUELA D. LO is a singer/musician. Since the age of 17, she traveled and performed in various countries in Asia and Europe. From 2013 to 2021, she served as chairperson of the Hong Kong Musicians Union. She has been with Heliservice HK Ltd. since 1990 as Controller/VIP Ambassador. Ella is skilled in organizing events for private parties, corporate, and non-profit organizations. Presently, she is the Managing Director of Ellavelle Company, an event organizer and entertainment provider.
Wennie O. Taylor
Director
WENNIE OMBROG TAYLOR has lived in Hong Kong since 1992. She is actively involved in various Filipino communities, especially in Mui Wo where she lives. For nine years, she served as chairperson of Mui Wo Filipino Community. Wennie is a public servant and an entrepreneur.
Anna Martinez
Director
Anna Martinez has 29 years of experience in the banking industry, primarily with the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Corp (HSBC) playing key roles in human resource areas of training and development as well as front and back office operations, customer service, and corporate account management. She is adept at working with diverse, multi-cultural teams in varied geographical settings, meeting international standards of performance. She is a founding director of Phoenix Alliance Limited in Hong Kong where she works as a business partner and consultant on human resource development strategies to enable companies to step up to the challenges of doing business in the 21st century. Anna also serves as a director AND Vice chairman of Wimler Foundation, Hong Kong.
Joji Lopez Hui
Director
Joji Hui is a seasoned professional with over 40 years of experience in the interior products industry, leading Vescom Hong Kong Ltd / VHK Interior Products Ltd. as Director. Under her guidance and supervision, the company has flourished for 25 years, becoming a success story in the supply and merchandising of high-quality interior products, including wall coverings, furnishing fabrics, curtains, carpets and other related building materials.
Joji’s expertise has been instrumental in delivering exceptional interior solutions for prestigious commercial buildings, hotels, hospitals, and other projects. She has a proven track record of success, having led a segment of a 300-employee company for 20 years.
Beyond her professional achievements, Joji is deeply committed to giving back to the community. She serves as a Board member of the Philippines Hong Kong and Macau Chamber of Commerce and has been given the role of the Philippines Project President. She also serves as a Board member of the Wimler Foundation of Hong Kong Ltd., a “Send a Child to School Program”. The program is dedicated to providing educational opportunities for underprivileged children in the Philippines, a cause close to Joji’s heart.