Front & Female Awards Malaysia 2024: Meet the winners

Given to an individual working to promote the financial sustainability of women, either by enabling them to earn their own income, become more financially secure, and take ownership of their financial wellbeing

What she does: Nuraizah is the CEO and founder of MADCash, a fintech company that helps women entrepreneurs who struggle with access to funding to achieve greater financial security by providing them with the capital, business and financial acumen to grow their micro-businesses. MADCash’s Program Aspirasi Wanita is available across 12 states in Malaysia, designed to facilitate greater digital financial inclusion for women business owners.     

Why it matters: Almost 60 per cent of all micro-small enterprises in Southeast Asia are helmed by women, and yet many of them do not qualify for traditional financial services. “We work with ladies who do not have access to mainstream finance, with the goal of uplifting their business and helping them be bankable in two years,” Nuraizah says. “I have met such amazing women on this journey so far and have seen how these ladies bring impact to the people in their lives after joining our programme.”

Learn more at getmadcash.com

Given to an individual driving progress for women and girls or advancing the female agenda in a particularly visionary, innovative or unusual way

What she does: Amanda is the writer and director of the award-winning film Tiger Stripes, an arthouse horror about a girl who transforms into a monster after she hits puberty.Tiger Stripes most famously won the grand prize at the 62nd Cannes’ Critics Week, making Eu the first female Malaysian filmmaker to receive this honour in the 13 years since a Malaysian film was invited to Cannes.         

See also: How ‘Tiger Stripes’ director Amanda Nell Eu found her voice as a filmmaker

Why it matters: Through her production company, Ghost Grrrl Pictures, Eu aspires to tell more stories from diverse perspectives in an industry where women filmmakers are still finding their voice. “We deal with the fear that society has of the female body as well as women in general. While certain topics are seen as taboo, our films are how we want to dispel this fear and misunderstanding towards women.”

Learn more at www.instagram.com/ghostgrrrlpictures

Given to an entrepreneur or founder breaking ground for other women and helping to close the gender gap  

What she does: Juliana Adam is the CEO and founding partner of Biji-biji Initiative and the director at Mereka. Mereka’s Women in Entrepreneurship bootcamp programme, launched in 2023, aims to address the challenges that female entrepreneurs face in accessing the support and funding needed to grow their businesses. The programme includes six-month mentorship sessions, a pitching process, and a shortlisting selection that will ultimately see five winning teams receive seed funding from a pool of US$100,000.

Why it matters: “I believe women bring a certain balance to the workforce, working in beautiful symphony with our male counterparts,” Juliana says. “I work to help individuals see the deep-rooted potential in themselves, providing them with a platform to develop their skills and encouraging them to try, reinstating that it is okay to fail because that is the only way to find their path to success.” 

Learn more at wie.mereka.my

For an individual supporting underserved, overlooked, vulnerable, underprivileged or minority women and girls, and/or seeking to drive human rights and equality

What she does: As the executive director of Sisters In Islam (SIS), Rozana Isa and her team actively speak out against injustices experienced by Muslim women. Under her leadership, SIS has made a profound impact through Telenisa, its mobile legal clinic providing free legal consultation on Islamic Family Law and Syariah Criminal Offences Law. Telenisa has helped approximately 15,000 individuals (90 per cent of whom are women) with support to fight for their rights in the Syariah Court, from cases of husbands who fail to provide financially for their families to polygamy issues, divorce and child custody.

Why it matters: “My drive is knowing that women are so much more and can do much more than what society limits them to be,” Rozana says. “Women are still not seen and recognised as persons of equal worth and dignity. They are not seen as persons who are capable of their full agency, who deserve to achieve and fulfil their potential if only they are given the rights and opportunities to do so.”

Learn more at sistersinislam.org

For an individual whose work addresses the well-being of women and girls, whether physical, mental, social, or sexual

What she does: Professor Datin Paduka Dr Teo Soo-Hwang and her team at Cancer Research Malaysia spearheaded the largest and most comprehensive study of genomic profiles on Asian breast cancers, providing key insights into treatment and survival for Asian women at a time when genetic predisposition to disease in Asian populations was largely unknown. She is the principal investigator of the Malaysian Breast Cancer Genetic Study, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2023.   

Why it matters: “Because of the Malaysian Breast Cancer Genetics Study, we now have very robust publications that demonstrate the prevalence of the different genes that are associated with the risk of breast cancer, and we developed a tool called the Asian Genetic Risk Calculator, that helps breast cancer patients figure out their own likelihood of being a BRCA carrier,” Teo says. “Our dream is that these tools will transform the access of genetics to the Asian population and empower individuals to make the right decisions about prevention of the disease.”

Learn more at www.cancerresearch.my

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