SINGAPORE — The fourth annual Women of the Future Awards Southeast Asia – the only movement of its kind to recognise and nurture the pipeline of young female talent across the region – in association with NTT, announced 12 winners across the region via a virtual ceremony held live online for the public.
The winners from each category are:
- Arts & Culture: Nandini Balakrishnan – Lead Producer SAYS, REV Media Group, Media Prime (Malaysia)
- Business: Sarah Voon – General Manager, theAsianparent Malaysia (Malaysia)
- Community Spirit & Public Service: Ruby* – Survivor Leader, International Justice Mission (Philippines)
- Entrepreneur: Abetina Valenzuela – Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Equilife Medical (Philippines)
- Media & Communications: Panha Theng – Producer, 606 Digital (Cambodia)
- Mentor: Mikaela Luisa Teves – Executive Director, Spark! Philippines, (Philippines)
- Professions: Busayapa Srisompong – Human Rights Lawyer & Founder of SHero Thailand (Thailand)
- Property, Construction & Infrastructure: Mei Tan – Executive Director, Asia Green Group (Malaysia)
- Science, Tech & Digital: Nur Adlyka Ainul Annuar – Astrophysicist/Associate Professor, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (Malaysia)
- Social Entrepreneur: Huong Dang – Founder & Chief Executive Officer, HopeBox (Vietnam)
- Sports: Huyền Bùi Thanh – Kim Boi Area Manager, Kim Boi Project Management Board (Vietnam) and Nicole Tiamzon – Founder & Managing Director, Spike and Serve Philippines (Philippines)
The awards ceremony began with a keynote speech from Ms. Indranee Rajah, Singapore’s Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and National Development, on inspiring female talent and empowering women in the region.
Other special guests who presented included Former Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, famed shoe designer Jimmy Choo, DBS Group CEO, Piyush Gupta, and British High Commissioner to Australia, Vicki Treadell.
Pinky Lilani CBE DL, Founder, Women of the Future (WOF) Programme said: “It never ceases to amaze us how year after year these boundary-pushing young women keep proving what we’ve always known – that female talent in the region is deserving of recognition for their incredible achievements and the key role they play in spearheading change.”
“Collectively, the judges had a very difficult time in determining the winners this year, as so many of the 61 shortlisted candidates had achieved significant and ground-breaking progress in their career journeys to date. What was made clear to us all was that despite the immeasurable challenges these women have faced during the pandemic, there is a groundswell of talent who are here to make a difference and can influence, encourage and motivate other young women in the future to do the same,” she added.
CEO Asia Pacific of NTT, John Lombard said, “As a long-standing supporter of the Women of the Future Awards Southeast Asia, we are immensely proud to see a thriving community that supports the ongoing success of both winners and finalists by providing a pathway to opportunities they wouldn’t normally have access to.”
Our own inclusive hiring practices have shown the tangible and intangible benefits of hiring women, and we hope for a future where all individual’s talents and contributions are valued equally,” added Lombard.
The judges were leaders from a variety of fields and include Peta Latimer (CEO, Singapore, Mercer), and Wincel Kaufmann (VP, Blackrock Asia). The Chair of the Judging Panel this year was Piyush Gupta, CEO of DBS Group.
The winners of each category will gain access to many different opportunities, including the Women of the Future (WOF) network – a global and collaborative network of women who support and inspire each other to further professional and personal success.
