East and Southeast Asian Heritage Month

For ESEA Heritage Month and this year’s theme, ‘Evolving Threads,’ we are pleased to share a piece by Shelly Lau, Senior Transport and Chartered Town Planner at Mayer Brown Ltd. Shelly’s reflections trace how identity and belonging are shaped not through grand gestures, but through everyday interactions — conversations over coffee, moments of advocacy, and the quiet cultural cues that influence how we show up at work and with one another. Her story highlights the role of Cultural Intelligence: the ability to recognise different cultural norms, adapt our communication, and build genuine connection across backgrounds. In exploring collective versus individualistic mindsets, championing others, and creating space for people to be heard, Shelly shows how these small acts become the evolving threads that strengthen community, open doors, and help us carry each other forward.

As part of this 2026 ESEA Heritage Month theme, ‘Evolving Threads,’ we are delighted to share a personal reflection from Jiyoung Jo, Senior Cities Specialist at ING Media. In her piece, Jiyoung traces how food becomes a vessel for memory, migration and identity – revealing the ways our cultural threads shift, adapt and take on new meaning as we move through the world. 

As part of ESEA month, we are thrilled to have Haziq Ariffin, share his reflections on this year's theme: Changing Seasons.

As I find myself at a unique crossroads, it feels like the theme for this year’s ESEA Heritage Month, “Changing Seasons”, couldn’t be more apt.

This time last year, I wrote about Roots and Routes, reflecting on a short trip back to Southeast Asia. Now, I write this from my new home in Singapore, having relocated after seven years in the UK. Personally, I’m really excited to be expanding ING Media’s international presence, particularly in Asia.

At PREACH Inclusion, we are marking East and Southeast Asian Month 2024, by sharing experiences from our ESEA members based on this year’s theme: Changing Seasons.

To kick this series off, we are featuring Jessie Leung a Chartered Surveyor, born and raised in Hong Kong. Here she shares with us the impact of adapting to British life, while holding onto her unique cultural identity and values.