Chinese business visionary Mio Ho aims to help women thrive in traditionally male-dominated industries
A consultant to over 500 startups and mentor to over 1,800 entrepreneurs is just the tip of the iceberg for Chinese business visionary Mio Ho’s packed resume. She’s a leading voice for women entrepreneurs with over a decade of experience in financing, IPOs, and M&A in the consumer and new technology sectors.
Her latest accomplishment? Transitioning from investment banking to lead the China mainland-based Onion Global, then taking the firm public on the New York Stock Exchange in just a matter of years. It wasn’t her first time leading a company to an IPO, but as Onion Global’s co-founder, the experience of leading her own brand to public backing was certainly the most meaningful.
“You have to move beyond your comfort zone to pioneer new trends in how brands operate,” Ho said in a recent interview. “My background in market, production, and sales gave me the tools to make strong judgment calls and steer my company towards the expectations of investors.”
Then, Ho made a major, perhaps unexpected, foray by using her expertise in investment management and capital operations to focus on fashion and sexual wellness. She founded fashion brand Sylph along with sexual wellness marques Sexrose and Soulove, in her words, to shatter stereotypes and break down barriers. And now, she’s on a mission to take her brands global.
A woman-first mindset
Ho has based her career on committing to gender equality and progressive thinking in both the workplace and at home. Through Onion Group and her new projects, she wants to offer professional support for women, but also advocate for their sexual and mental well-being.
As a woman working in the male-dominated investment banking industry, Ho said she often ran into stereotypes that created unnecessary barriers. The age-old tropes that women create anxiety and obstacles inspired her to look on the flip side: empowering fellow women and encouraging them to consider what they’re capable of.
“There was this one time at Onion Global that really opened my eyes,” Ho explained. “We brought on a young woman who’d had trouble finding work because she had a disability. The woman learned the ins and outs of business through our platform and before long was marketing goods online.”
Despite being in a wheelchair, Ho’s new employee was soon running her own show and supporting herself financially.
“That made me see how I could help women be independent and tap into their own power.”
With that feel-good example in mind, Ho discovered her inspiration for Sylph, founded on the idea of making looking and feeling good possible for all women. The brand is about fashion that's not too pricey but still top quality. It allows women to improve their confidence without breaking the bank.
But yet, she wanted to do more. She also wanted women to fully enjoy their personal lives. That’s where Sexrose and Soulove came in. The pair of sexual wellness brands go beyond fashion to encourage women to feel confident and happy in their own skin. A big part of that, Ho said, is women being able to understand their own sexuality as something that's for themselves, not just to please someone else.
Asked why she’s taking the brands global, Ho said she believes it's important to spread the word about sexual education and understanding, especially in an age of female empowerment. Ho confidently confesses to her goal of “shaking up the old ways,” and encouraging women to “embrace what they really want.”
Guided by passion and equality
Ho cites former General Electric CEO Jack Welch, particularly his goal to do business in areas of passion, as a source of her inspiration. She pursued an executive MBA degree at Beijing’s prestigious Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, where she focused on creating organizational resilience, then shared these insights with her teams to foster a dynamic work culture.
Ho hopes to extend her Chinese-based companies’ values beyond fashion, sexual wellness, and workplace empowerment. That starts with making her own brands shining examples of the dynamics and cultures she hopes to promote around the world.
To Ho, the idea of “female empowerment” also includes being welcoming to diverse gender identities. It’s not just a slogan, but a sign of helping people “reassess their value,” she said. At Onion Global, Sylph, Sexrose, and Soulove stereotypical ideas that women are fragile, delicate, and only praised for their appearance have no place.
Instead, she encourages her staff to embrace a work-life balance, and most important, focus on being self-aware. In setting out to break traditional stereotypes, she encourages her female employees to challenge the traditionally negative stigmas by overcoming them.
“Women possess infinite potential and are vital to societal contributions and progress,” Ho said. “Nearly a third of all executive positions across the world are now held by women. Whether in their careers or as homemakers, every role played by women deserves the highest respect.”
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