Find out how these ladies are empowered by innovation and collaboration

Izzana Salleh of Girls for Girls International and Faeznur, ‘Benny’ Farok of SheFights Gym, talk to us about how innovation and collaboration drive them forward

Women in leadership positions have progressed in the past decade, but they still face significant barriers and challenges in achieving equal representation and influence in various sectors. According to the latest data from 2023, women hold only 10.4% of leadership positions at Fortune 500 companies.

However, in Malaysia, there are some inspiring examples of women who are working to change the status quo by empowering more women through their individual organisations. Izzana Salleh and Faeznur ‘Benny’ Farok are two individuals pushing for change.

Izzana is the co-founder and global president of Girls for Girls International, a non-profit organisation that provides mentoring, training, and networking opportunities for young women leaders around the world. Meanwhile, Faeznur is the co-founder and fitness and martial arts instructor at SheFights Gym, an all-women martial arts fight club that teaches self-defence skills to women.

As leaders and innovators in their respective fields, both women shared their insights on defining innovation and its application in their work, the challenges they encounter in their collaborative endeavours and the importance of diverse perspectives and experiences in cultivating inventive solutions.

Izzana believes that innovation is the key to solving problems and working effectively. She says, “It goes beyond the usual norms and requires constant learning, adaptability and creativity.”

She says that innovation means adapting to the changing trends of leadership and women’s empowerment and being digitally savvy. “We need to promote a holistic approach to foster innovation. It involves engaging with the world, understanding the challenges others face and creating solutions that make a difference,” she explains.

Above Izzana Salleh co-created a global platform that connects 10,000 mentees and 1,500 mentors across over 30 countries

Faeznur knows that innovation is the key to success in her field. She says, “At SheFights Gym, we always look for ways to improve our self-defence and martial arts programs for women and children. We want to make them more effective, engaging, and fun.”

She explains that she gets her inspiration from the feedback and needs of her participants, as well as from the latest trends and research in her industry. She also collaborates with other experts and draws on the broader context of empowerment and education. Faeznur says, “We are not just teaching skills; we are also creating a community of strong and confident women and children who can face any challenge in life.”

Regarding collaboration, Izzana admits that working with diverse cultures can be challenging. She says, “Sometimes, we have different values, approaches, communication styles and problem-solving methods. This can cause misunderstandings and conflicts.”

She shares how she overcomes these obstacles by setting clear expectations and goals from the start, communicating openly and finding common ground. She says, “We make sure that everyone involved in the project has a clear and comprehensive understanding of what we want to achieve, how we want to achieve it and why we want to achieve it.”

Photo 1 of 2 Faeznur started SheFights Gym to empower women to overcome life’s challenges and gain confidence and self-reliance

Photo 2 of 2 For Faeznur, collaboration brings innovative insights and solution

Faeznur believes collaboration is a key to innovation, as it brings together diverse perspectives and experiences. She says, “We are always open to dialogue and cooperation with our network and community across different disciplines and sectors. This way, we can enrich our programs and amplify our impact on the safety and empowerment of women and children, making it more inclusive and comprehensive.”

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Echoing Izzana’s sentiments, Faeznur acknowledges that collaboration is not without its challenges, with resistance to change being a prominent one. She asserts, “We tackle this by cultivating a culture of receptivity to new ideas and by demonstrating the benefits of innovation and collaboration through successful pilot projects. Effective communication and flexibility play pivotal roles in overcoming these challenges.”

Stay tuned as we continue this three part series in collaboration with Oppo where we speak to six young leaders from various industries discuss their respective approaches to innovation and how collaboration forms the cornerstone of their success.

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Credits

Videography

The Dots Factory

Photography

Chong Jinn Xiung

Topics

Izzana Salleh Faeznur Farok Oppo

Tatler Asia

Find out how these ladies are empowered by innovation and collaboration