Herbert Smith Freehills takes action to enhance cultural inclusion in Asia business

Leading global law firm Herbert Smith Freehills has established a new multicultural network in Asia, to ensure all cultures and background can thrive within its growing regional business.

"Asia's diverse cultures, histories and languages have moulded its companies and communities, and our people and our business need to mirror that diversity," said Asia Managing Partner Justin D'Agostino. "To attract the very best regional talent to our own teams, we need to ensure all cultures and backgrounds can thrive in our workplaces."

The new Asia Multicultural Network sits proudly alongside Herbert Smith Freehills' existing LGBT+ and gender equity networks, and will ensure best practice is 'business as usual' for the firm's business in Asia.

The new network will provide coaching, mentoring and training for the firm's people, and will run events with, and for, its clients on cultural diversity and inclusion, The network will tackle hard issues too, calling out unconscious bias and supporting diverse promotion and resourcing.

"Cultural diversity is rarely a question of a single ethnicity, nationality, language or religion, said the Network's head, partner Hew Kian Heong.  "We're all a blend of different backgrounds, experiences and cultural understanding, and much of it is hidden from others at first glance."

To celebrate this new initiative and to challenge stereotypes, the firm asked seven of its people in Asia that familiar icebreaker question: "Where are you from?" Their answers are captured on video here. We hope you enjoy their stories.