“I am happy that my work can help to make the world a better place, even if it only affects a small number of people,” Cheah Phaik Yeong told Tatler. The professor of global health at the University of Oxford has certainly impacted the world through her scientific work: As a bioethicist and researcher, she recently released a paper on the private versus public ownership of individual-level health data, suggesting a focus on data governance to balance the two. And as the head of Bioethics and Engagement at the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, she has led scientific initiatives in Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

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To improve women’s access to higher education, Marianna Zobel de Ayala joins the non-profit organisation U-Go as a director. The non-profit, with the help of NGOs in Asian countries, grants financial scholarships to help students from in-need communities create better futures. Together with the Ayala Foundation, it recently launched a scholarship for young Filipino women attending public or state universities (applications are ongoing until 15 November 2022). Apart from philanthropic roles, Zobel is a business leader who holds a number of positions at the Ayala Group of Companies, including director of Ayala Land and senior vice president of the Bank of the Philippine Islands. 

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“Institutions are moving into crypto, and there are plenty of women in traditional finance who want to know about it,” cryptocurrency advocate Vivien Khoo told Tatler in this 2022 interview. With a mission to give women equitable access to knowledge and opportunity in cryptocurrency, Khoo founded SatoshiWomen. The organisation bridges the gap through educational webinars on, for example, digital asset adoption and networking events that foster collaboration. The crypto leader, who also set up the Asia Crypto Alliance and Web 3 Women, was among the speakers of the recent Hong Kong Fintech Week 2022, joining a panel to discuss how to embrace innovation, as well as moderating a fireside chat about the metaverse. 

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Lily Kong is the president of the Singapore Management University (SMU), the world-class education hub that sees over 12,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students in seven schools. Among her many duties, Kong leads Vision 2025, the university’s strategic plan that prioritises digital transformation, sustainable living and growth in Asia. In October 2022, SMU added a seven-storey sustainable building that houses the School of Social Sciences, the College of Integrative Studies and several research centres to its campus. “This new building encompasses hardware and software that are aligned to SMU’s Vision 2025. It is a wonderful new addition to our campus, as our university continues to respond nimbly to a world of new challenges and opportunities,” Kong was quoted as saying in a press release from the university. 

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Tatler Asia's Most Influential is the definitive list of people shaping our world today. Asia's Most Influential brings together the region's most innovative changemakers, industry titans and thought leaders who are driving positive impact in Asia and beyond. View the full list here.

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