Help for Children Asia Expands Corps of Volunteers From the Hong Kong Alternative Investment Community; Renews Pledge to Raise Funds to Fight Child Abuse

Dr. Clifton Emery Selected As HFC Academic Expert In Social Welfare to Help Guide Grant-Making for HFC Asia

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Help For Children (HFC) today announced the expansion of its HFC Asia (formerly known as Hedge Funds Care Asia) affiliate group of finance industry professionals from the Hong Kong Alternative Investment community. The volunteer corps is dedicated to helping HFC carry out its mission to prevent and treat child abuse, under the leadership of new Affiliate Board Chair Vanessa Hemavathi of Privium Fund Management, who took the helm in January 2020.

HFC Asia is led by its Affiliate Board that interlocks with the HFC Global Board, and includes a Committee of Hearts, responsible for fundraising and events, and a Grants Committee, responsible for determining which child abuse prevention and treatment organizations receive the funds raised for HFC grants. The reinvigorated HFC Asia leadership will propel the organization to better serve vulnerable children who are at an even greater risk during COVID-19.

“I am delighted to see the incredible talent of our expanded HFC Asia membership come together under Ms. Hemavathi’s dynamic leadership to help children in need,” said Ms. Effie Vasilopoulos, a founding board member of the HFC Asia Affiliate Board and an Executive Committee member of Sidley Austin LLP. “With the impact of the pandemic acting to heighten domestic violence against children, the need for support by Help For Children, our Government agencies and the wider community has never been more urgent or important. I look forward to working with Ms. Hemavathi and our Committee members to help children in need.”

As part of HFC’s rigorous grants process across all locations, HFC Asia added Dr. Clifton Emery as its academic consultant and social work expert to help guide grant-making decisions for the organization. Dr. Emery is an associate professor of social work and social administration at the University of Hong Kong, and his research and practice focus on populations made vulnerable by domestic violence, child maltreatment, human trafficking, and refugee status. Dr. Emery’s expertise, training in social work and statistics, and familiarity with the local culture and NGOs, will guide the local Grants Committee and provide oversight and evaluation on HFC Asia’s funded prevention and treatment programs throughout the grant year.

“I am excited to join HFC Asia at this critical point in time when child maltreatment is on the rise and children are more vulnerable than ever,” said Dr. Emery, HFC Asia Academic Consultant. “Working with such an engaged and energetic group of finance professionals who are so personally committed to preventing and treating child maltreatment gives me hope and confidence that together we can mitigate and even one day eliminate the destructive effects of the crisis on children.”

“I am very pleased and inspired by the enthusiastic response from my peers in the alternative investment industry to step up in a big way to fight child abuse with Help For Children,” said Ms. Hemavathi, HFC Asia Affiliate Board Chair and Head of Investment Services (Asia) for Privium Fund Management. “With Dr. Emery’s expertise and knowledge of the East Asian culture, we have the ability to transform innocent young lives by uniting the finance sector behind this cause, especially during and after this precarious time for children.”

HFC ASIA LEADERSHIP DETAILS

Below is a list of the current HFC Asia network of volunteers:

HFC Asia Affiliate Board Members Vanessa Hemavathi, Chair, Privium Fund Mgmt Deanna Liu, Affiliate Secretary, Sidley Austin LLP Basil Godellas, Interlocking Director, Winston & Strawn Elliott Shadforth, Treasurer, Ernst & Young Carlyon Knight-Evans, PwC Effie Vasilopoulos, Sidley Austin LLP Denise Wong, Walkers Global	HFC Asia Grants Committee Vanessa Hemavathi, Chair, Privium Fund Mgmt Eric Chow, Ogier Elliott Shadforth, Ernst & Young Effie Vasilopoulos, Sidley Austin LLP Denise Wong, Walkers Global
HFC Asia Committee of Hearts Vanessa Hemavathi, Chair, Privium Fund Mgmt Cora Ang, Hillhouse Capital Management Michael Bugel, AIMA Adelene Chan, MullenLowe Profero Margaret Davidge-Pitts, Goldman Sachs Daniel Dellavalle, RSM Carlyon Knight-Evans, PwC	Martin Giggins, Willis Towers Watson Amelia Hall, Walkers Global Alex Howarth, J.P. Morgan Rebekah Pang, Industry Executive Diane Raposio, KKR Lin Shi, HKEX Jason Yau, RSM

About Help For Children
Help For Children (HFC), a not-for-profit established by the hedge fund industry in 1998, is a global foundation dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse. Formerly known as Hedge Funds Care, today HFC is supported by the broader alternative investment community and operates in 10 locations, including HFC Asia (since 2014). To date, HFC has transformed the lives of more than 1.1 million children by investing over USD$53 million in the fight against child abuse thanks to the support of the hedge fund, private equity, venture capital, and real estate investment corporate sectors. HFC makes grants across four major impact areas – decreasing risk, strengthening families, reducing trauma and building individual strengths – with the goal of making the world a safer place for children. Visit www.hfc.org.

HFC 2020 Global Sponsors
Astonishing Heart: Ellington Management, Ernst & Young; Outstanding Heart: Citco, Deloitte, KPMG, PwC; Triumphant Heart: Goldman Sachs, Wheelock Street Capital; Golden Heart: Maples Group; Grand Heart: Aspen, GlobeTax, HC Global, Schulte Roth & Zabel; Great Heart: Agecroft Partners, Align, Cole-Frieman & Mallon LLP, EisnerAmper, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, Marcum LLP