How Asia’s Most Influential women are paving the way for future female leaders

Anita Fam has dedicated over two decades to shaping Singapore’s social service landscape. As president of the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), she drives initiatives that strengthen Singapore’s social safety nets and promote sustainable philanthropy.

The social services leader advocates for systemic change in philanthropy, emphasising long-term, sustainable philanthropy over traditional, reactive giving. Under her leadership, NCSS launched the Sustainable Philanthropy Framework, guiding businesses and donors toward long-term, high-impact giving. “We need to invest in the organisations that are doing the service delivery because their services can really be optimised when these organisations are strong, well and efficient,” she said to Tatler.

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Annie Cheung’s journey to Paralympic success began at Hong Kong Red Cross Princess Alexandra School, where she discovered boccia, a precision ball sport requiring strategic acumen. At 14, she joined the Hong Kong team, and by 2022, she clinched a bronze medal at the Boccia World Championships in Brazil. The following year, she secured silver and bronze at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou.

Born with arthrogryposis, causing joint stiffness and limited mobility, Cheung’s resilience and dedication led her to win two silver medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympics in both the Women’s Individual BC4 and Mixed Pairs BC4 events. The athlete continues her journey, aiming for gold at the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics.

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A key figure in Vietnam’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, Nguyen Lan Anh empowers high-impact startups, equipping them with the resources and mentorship needed to scale through Endeavor. Under her leadership, the Endeavor Catalyst Fund has backed local ventures, including the software testing solution Katalon and the English pronunciation app Elsa, reinforcing country’s position as a rising innovation hub.

Committed to a more inclusive and forward-thinking business landscape, she also champions initiatives that uplift young entrepreneurs and women in business while advocating for investments in transformative technologies that tackle climate change.

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In response to almost 2,000 civilians prosecuted in military courts after the 2014 coup in Thailand, Sirikan Charoensiri co-founded Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, the organisation that provides pro-bono legal and litigation assistance to individuals whose civil and political rights have been violated. Since then, Sirikan has worked to improve the state of human rights in the country, fighting for democracy activists and defenders, as well as championing the People’s Amnesty Bill, which seeks to grant amnesty to victims of political prosecution.

For her work, Sirikan received a Lawyers for Lawyers Award in 2017 and an Albie Award, the honour given by fellow human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and her husband George, in 2023.

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“I believe that my children need to be inspired by what they see in me. And for me to stick to what makes me happy, they would see that as an inspiration and it would move them also to do what they want,” said Filipino actress Dolly de Leon at the 2023 Front and Female Awards. After decades as an actress in the Philippines, the single mother gained international recognition for her role as Abigail in Triangle of Sadness (2022), earning Best Supporting Actress nominations at the Golden Globe Awards and the British Academy Film Awards.

In 2024, De Leon returned to the stage in the silent play Request sa Radyo, an adaption of Franz Xaver Kroetz’s Wunschkonzert. In 2025, she received an honourable mention in Gold House’s Gold List, a prestigious recognition celebrating Asian excellence in film and media. The acknowledgment highlighted her standout performance in Ghostlight.

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Bonnie Tu is behind the world’s largest bike manufacturer Giant. Established in 1972, the global company offers a complete ecosystem of bikes, gear and cycling services in more than 12,000 stores in the world. Under Tu’s leadership, Giant has been at the forefront of innovation, introducing, for example, lighter and stronger aluminium frames and making carbon fibre bikes widely available.

Tu has also made cycling more inclusive with Liv Cycling, the women’s brand that designs bikes with ideal sizes for female bodies. Liv also advances women in cycling by sponsoring professional teams and cultivating emerging talent through its Grassroots Programme, which equips female cyclists with essential resources, expert coaching and development opportunities to excel in the sport.

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“My designs are inspired by the rich archipelago of Asia and Malaysia, with its stunning islands and beaches, and I strive to bring a unique perspective to the fashion world,” said Alia Bastamam of her New York debut. In 2023, the Malaysian fashion designer showcased her collection at Doors NYC, presenting Odyssey: Act 1 and 2—a tribute to women on a journey of self-discovery. Featuring jewel-toned pieces with twist drapes, string details and intricate pleats, the collection captured the essence of empowerment and transformation.

The designer continues to expand her global presence: In 2023, her designs appeared on the red carpet at the 80th Venice Film Festival Malaysian, as worn by style icon Scha Alyahya, while in 2024, she made her debut at Dubai Fashion Week.

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Under the leadership of CEO Sonia Cheng, Rosewood Hotel Group offers some of the most luxurious accommodations in the world, from its properties by Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, New World Hotels & Resorts and Khos to the iconic institutions such as the Carlyle in New York and Hôtel de Crillon in Paris.

Rosewood continues its global expansion, with several highly anticipated openings: Rosewood Miyakojima opened in Japan’s Ryukyu Islands in March 2025, while the 50-acre Rosewood Punta Cana will debut in the Dominican Republic in 2029. The group has also announced Rosewood Exuma, a private island resort in the Bahamas, featuring 33 beachfront suites, a fully serviced beach club and two marinas.

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Professor Durreen Shahnaz founded Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) to bridge the gap between financial systems and underserved communities. Its Women’s Livelihood Bond Series (WLB) mobilises private capital to invest in enterprises that empower women. Reaching full maturation in 2024, the Women’s Livelihood Bond 2 (WLB2) has supported the sustainable livelihoods of over 250,000 women and girls across Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

“The maturation of IIX’s WLB2 is a testament to the power of gender-lens investing to create positive social and environmental impact,” said Prof Shahnaz in a statement. “We are proud to have pioneered this journey, growing the WLB Series from strength to strength and we look forward to continuing to create positive social and environmental impact through innovative financial solutions.”

In 2025, IIX will launch WLB7, a US$134 million bond—the seventh in its series—featuring a diverse portfolio of companies dedicated to empowering women and girls while driving economic resilience and climate action.

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“It’s all about the food in Hong Kong,” said chef Vicky Lau to Tatler. “People do not mind sitting at a small table or on a plastic chair on the street as long as the dish quality is there.”

At her two-Michelin-starred restaurant Tate Dining Room, the chef transforms the familiar flavours of Hong Kong into a revelatory experience, with its “Ode To” series deconstructing, say, the seaweed, kumquat or blue lobster into expressions of creativity. In 2022, Tate Dining Room celebrated a decade of innovative cuisine by refreshing dishes from the past 10 years, creating what the chef described as “…something more simple, more concentrated”.

Apart from Tate, Lau, who was named Tatler Dining’s Chef of the Year in 2023, is a proponent of the Asian ingredient soy, launching the French-Chinese restaurant Mora and homemade soy line Ān. In 2024, Mora was awarded its first Michelin star.

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A long-time champion of gender equality and social justice, Senator Risa Hontiveros fights for the rights of marginalised groups, particularly women, children and the LGBTQ+ community. The lawmaker, who is currently the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, has advanced critical laws that grant more benefits to mothers, including the Expanded Maternity Leave Law, which notably provides 105 days of paid maternity leave for working moms, and the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act.

The public servant has also advocated for the Mental Health Law, the Safe Spaces Act and the SOGIE Equality Bill.

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With every moment captured and shared with her 820,000 followers on Instagram, style maverick Molly Chiang is changing the face of fashion, incorporating diversity and Asian representation in the fashion capitals of Paris, Milan, New York and beyond.

At Paris Fashion Week 2023, the Taiwanese social media star demonstrated her diverse personal style at the presentations of Louis Vuitton (where she met Zendaya), Loewe (where she met NCT’s Taeyang), Vivienne Westwood (where she met Jared Leto) and Valentino (where she met Brooklyn Beckham). The fashion leader has also appeared on the cover of Tatler Taiwan, a “recognition that has touched me deeply, fueling my determination to strive even harder in the days ahead”.

In February 2025, she launched the second edition of her collaboration with Studio Doe, which featured standout pieces like a wide-shoulder blazer, a backless cutout dress and a mid-rise denim skirt.

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In 2023, Chryseis Tan made waves in Malaysia when the mother of two was appointed executive director of Berjaya Corp’s all-female board. Beyond her prominence in Berjaya, Tan is also a successful entrepreneur in her own right. She founded diverse businesses, including the affordable skincare line Lumi, which she launched during the pandemic, and hospitality company The Curate Group, which specialises in Japanese dining concepts (Sushi Ryu, Park Grill, Bar Shake).

Never one to rest on her laurels, Tan and her husband SM Faliq SM Nasimmudin also established boutique firm CF Capital, the partner of the Michelin Guide, whose Malaysian edition launched in 2022.

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Lifelong philanthropist Betty Chen knows the true essence of giving: “Any contribution is worth giving, whether alone or with friends. Contributing money to a charity is indeed welcome. Nevertheless, contributing your time and effort will have longer-lasting value.”

Chen, who served as president of the Chinese Women’s Association (the oldest women’s association in Singapore) for 26 years, was inspired by the generosity of another great woman, her mother May Wong, who had been involved in the care of at-risk women and the elderly. She continues her mother’s legacy, supporting in-need communities and critical causes such as the Jurong Dementia Prevention Programme, St Andrew’s Mission Hospital and NTUC Eldercare.

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Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz defied the odds—including discrimination against women in a sport traditionally dominated by men—to become the Philippines’ first Olympic gold medallist, winning the women’s 55kg weightlifting category at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

As she continues to excel in the sport, the champion also nurtures future athletes through the Hidilyn Diaz Weightlifting Academy. “This is just so important to me... I have a place to train together with the kids who dream to be in the national team, be a world champion and Olympic medallist,” she said of the school, which was inaugurated in 2024.

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As CEO of Trend Micro, Eva Chen is one of the most powerful women in tech. What started as a company known for its antivirus software has now become a global cybersecurity leader that protects digital information across clouds, networks, devices and endpoints.

In 2024, the company continued its commitment to digital security, partnering with Interpol’s Operation Synergia to tackle ransomware, banking trojans and phishing attacks. Speaking at the GovWare Conference and Exhibition 2024, the CEO urged businesses to adopt a proactive cybersecurity approach by gaining full visibility of their attacks, enabling them to innovate confidently while staying resilient against emerging threats.

Of note, Chen also champions diversity in the IT industry with Trend Micro’s Close the Gap programmes providing mentoring and support to women in cybersecurity.

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With her impressive catalogue of roles and string of acting honours, Michelle Yeoh trains the spotlight on Asian talent in entertainment. Already known for memorable turns in Hollywood films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) and Crazy Rich Asians (2018), the Malaysian actor earned more acclaim as Evelyn Quan Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), a role that would give her top honours for best actress in the 80th Golden Globes and the 94th Academy Awards.

“For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof that... dreams do come true. And ladies, don’t let anybody tell you you are ever past your prime. Never give up,” Yeoh said in her Oscars speech.

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Claire Hsu co-founded Asia Art Archive (AAA) in 2000 to document and preserve the recent histories of art in the region—important work that had never been done before. Today, its public research and library collections house over 120,000 records, including sketchbooks, notebooks, photos and exhibition catalogues.

In 2024, the organisation held its annual fundraiser, featuring over 50 donated works, with proceeds supporting AAA’s digitisation lab—a state-of-the-art facility set to open in July 2025 to preserve, archive and share materials on Asian art while training the next generation of archivists.

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Education advocate Ng Gim Choo has transformed childhood learning in Asia with EtonHouse International Education Group, which has 120 schools in 11 countries, all dedicated to instilling a love for learning in children through encouragement, respect and even fun. Its curriculum views students as critical thinkers and thus supports their curiosity. “If we just drill [a syllabus], students will score in exams, but eventually, they may not do well in life. Knowledge changes so fast now. What is studied today can become obsolete tomorrow,” she said to Tatler.

In 2024, the founder was honoured at the Serica AAPI Women’s Gala, describing the achievement as “a testament that learning and growth know no age limit”. She continued, “I started EtonHouse in my 40s when most people think of slowing down! It is never too late to start, and don’t let anyone stop you from achieving your dreams.”

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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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