Front & Female community news: Women's Directorship Programme expands; FutureGen Young Women Leaders Award launches; It's A Girl Thing returns, and more

On May 28, Front & Female Awards Hong Kong 2022 winner Jennifer Yu Cheng announced the launch of her FutureGen Girls Foundation's FutureGen Young Women Leaders Award. 

The new Award will recognise teenage girls who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to realising their full potential through the development of future ready skills and leadership experiences. 

“The FutureGen Young Women Leaders Award not only recognises teen girls’ accomplishments—it is also an extensive ecosystem community: a cross-industry network committed to opening doors for youth to support their development,” said Yu Cheng, at the launch ceremony for the award. “The Award will also become an innovative platform that serves as a conduit of talent recruitment for industries today and in the future, and build a strong talent pipeline of future women leaders for a diverse range of industries.”

The first phase of the Award will see advisors from across 20 industries provide participants with insights into the opportunities that await them in various fields, careers, and development programmes. In the second phase, participants can use the Award's online platform to connect with industry partners, mentors, future employers and resources post-secondary school graduation.

In addition to the Award, the Foundation is launching a new DreamTeller interview series on YouTube featuring discussions with inspiring luminaries from various fields, including entrepreneurs, artists, industry professionals, thought leaders, and changemakers. Janice Lee, managing director of PCCW Media Group and CEO of Viu; chef Vicky Lau of Tate Dining Room, and cross-media artist Kearen Pang are among those who will be sharing their stories.

On The Rise, a Malaysia-based community for female entrepreneurs launched The Rise Summit on May 16 at the Asia School of Business. The Rise Summit is designed to help women level up on their financial and business acumen in the world of finance and funding. 

The impressive line-up of speakers and thought leaders included Front & Female Awards Malaysia honourees Project Girls 4 Girls International’s Izzana Saleh, MadCash’s Nuraizah Shamsul Baharin, Wahine Capital’s Rejina Rahim, and Kiddocare’s Nadira Yusoff as well as Raja Teh, Sasibai Kimis and many others. 

There was also a Funding Corner led by event sponsor PitchIN, where active business fund-seekers were able to elevate their funding game and foster meaningful relationships with the Summit’s funding partners including Antler, Epic Angels and more. Additionally, two marketplaces featured new products and services by several women-led businesses. 

“If you are looking to educate yourself or just gain insights on gaining financial confidence and network, the Summit is the place to be” said Front & Female Awards Malaysia 2024 nominee Rejina Rahim, founder of Wahine Capital, an official partner of the summit.

With a goal to "inspire, empower and connect young women worldwide", It's A Girl Thing returned to Singapore for the first time since 2016, when the inaugural entertainment-meets-education festival first launched. It has since taken place in Manila, Turkey and several cities across India, triumphantly returning to Singapore once more as part of Creator Week 2024 in May. 

It's A Girl Thing is dedicated to uplifting young women, encouraging them to be bold and courageous, and inspiring them to pursue their passions. The May event was comprised of It's A Girl Thing Talks, for which Front & Female was the event's media partner, and Girls' Night Out. The Talks took place at the new Singapore Edition hotel and saw a range of inspiring individuals share their stories, insights and advice on topics ranging from living deeply, to dreaming big and using creativity for good.

Speakers included Singapore's leading comedienne Preeti Nair, better known as Preetipls; content creators Elizabeth Boon and Yashora Samaradivakara; athlete Natalie Dau, just prior to embarking on her Project 1000 run from Thailand to Singapore; Singaporean musician Inch Chua; and Miss Universe Singapore 2023, Priyanka Annuncia. A number of musicians also took to the stage to speak prior to their performances at Clarke Quay that evening, including Hong Kong singer-songwriter Joya, Mumbai-based singer-songwriter Mali, and Singaporean-Filipina singer-songwriter and mixed media artist Marian Carmel, who closed the the all-female bill of music in the evening.

Uma Thana Balasingam and Gen.T honouree Jingjin Liu announced their new initiative Elevate, which brings together companies with a shared goal of driving social justice and inclusion for women. 

“Elevate is more than an enterprise venture; we are led by our theories of change and committed to driving meaningful and bold actions. We will offer a diverse range of initiatives and services tailored to advance women at every stage of their professional journey,” wrote Balasingam of the new undertaking, which will engage corporates and schools, while also putting out content including a fortnightly newsletter featuring insights and inspiration to empower women personally and professionally. “From redefining societal norms to transforming organizational cultures and empowering individual growth, Elevate is dedicated to rebalancing the power.”

For more information, visit elevateasia.org

The FemTech Association Asia is launching a two-day roundtable event in Singapore to showcase and celebrate the femtech landscape—the point at which women's health and technology converge—in Asia and to consider the future of the field. FemTech Connect will see thought leaders, entrepreneurs, investors and femtech followers gather, alongside co-CEOs of the FemTech Association Asia Maaike Steinebach and Lindsay Davis, for talks, workshops, panels, learning sessions, showcases and more on June 20 and 21. 

For further details and ticketing, visit Eventbrite.

The Cartier Women's Initiative Awards took place on May 22 in Shenzhen, China, recognising trailblazing female social impact entrepreneurs from around the world across 11 categories, bestowing nine regional awards and two thematic awards: the Science & Technology Pioneer Award and the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award.

First place winners from Asia included Jiwon Park of sexual wellness brand Saib from South Korea (East Asia category) and Mansi Jain of water management startup DigitalPaani from India (South Asia and Central Asia category).

East Asia's runners up included Emily Yu of Ginger Ah (second place), which tailors intimate apparel for breast cancer patients, and Xintong Du of therapeutic and rehabilitative service provider for speech-impaired children, VoiceChanger (third place), both from China. South Asia and Central Asia runners up were India's Ira Guha of Asan (second place), which has developed a menstrual cup to address period poverty and pollution; and Vietnam's Marina Tran-Vu of Equo (third place), which provides sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics. 

Singapore's Dr Lynne Lim was named first place winner of the Science & Technology Pioneer Award. Her company, NousQ has designed a medical technology device to drastically improve treatment for adults and children suffering from Otitis Media with Effusion or glue ear. 

Second place in the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award also went to an Asia-based awardee, India's Akshita Sachdeva of Trestle Labs, whose Kibo device converts text-based content to audio in real time and in multiple languages for, though not limited to, the blind and visually-impaired.

The awards ceremony also looked forward to next year's awards, which will take place on May 22, 2025 and tie in with the Women's Pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan and will recognise former fellows and the impact their initiatives have made in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Front & Female Awards Hong Kong 2022 winner Alicia Lui has just released the second edition of her 2019 book Sporty Girl Journals. Proceeds from all sales of the new edition will go to her charity Women In Sports Empowered HK, which uses sport as a tool for the empowerment of women and girls. 

The book highlights the stories of ten diverse athletes in Hong Kong, including cyclist Sarah Lee Wai-sze, who won Hong Kong’s first Olympic medal in cycling; karate athlete Jennifer Tsang Yee Ting; open water swimmer Edie Hu, mountaineer Ada Tsang, and Olympic gold medal-winning windsurfer Lee Lai Shan, and features illustrations from ten artists from or based in Hong Kong. It aims to inspire young readers to find the meaning and joy in sports participation. 

“Each story shares a lesson learned from sport, while the challenges encourage readers to get physically active,” says Lui. “There are also facts about sport and its history in Hong Kong. The belief is that everyone's sporty in their own way, and we hope the book will support readers to find their own definition of "sporty".”

Order a copy of the Sporty Girl Journals and support WISE HK here

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