International Women's Day 2026
Posted: 6 Mar 2026
In advance of International Women’s Day on Sunday 8 March, we take a moment to celebrate our past women President’s of the IAFL. The trailblazer was Jacqueline Leong QC, SC who became President in 2004. Not only was Jackie the first woman President but she was also the first IAFL President who was not from the USA or Europe. In her home jurisdiction of Hong Kong, Jackie was the first women silk, she was the first woman to sit on the High Court Bench as Deputy and then Recorder. She was also the first woman President of the Hong Kong Bar Association and the first woman President among all the Commonwealth Bar Associations. Currently she is the only woman to have been made a Life Member of the Hong Kong Bar Association. In the words of our President Elect, Suzanne Todd, Jackie “smashed the glass ceiling”. Jackie has been followed by an equally impressive slate of other women Presidents, Cheryl Hepfer, Nancy Berg, Mia Reich-Sjögren, Marlene Moses, Rachael Kelsey and Heather Hostetter. On International Women’s Day, the theme of which is Give to Gain emphasizing the power of reciprocity and support, we thank each and everyone of them for their dedication, service, enthusiasm and commitment. Their giving has very much been to IAFL’s gain.
