“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 of working as an actress in the Philippines, as well as taking up side hustles to support her children, the single mother found success on the world stage playing Abigail in Triangle of Sadness. De Leon was nominated for best supporting actress at the British Academy Film Awards and the Golden Globe Awards, while the film won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Her latest project, Between the Temples, a comedy starring Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and was screened at the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival in 2024.

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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. Apart from optimising bikes for women using thousands of data points, Liv also promotes women in the sport by sponsoring three professional teams. In 2023, Liv athletes Linda Indergand and Ronja Blöchlinger secured wins at the Swiss Bike Cup and the Mountain Bike World Cup Series, respectively.

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“My designs are inspired by the rich archipelago of Asia and Malaysia with our many gorgeous islands and beaches, and I hope to bring a unique perspective to the fashion world,” said Alia Bastamam of her New York debut. In September 2023, the Malaysian fashion designer presented her fall/winter 2023 and spring/summer 2023 collections at Doors NYC in New York. Featuring jewel-tone pieces with twist drapes, string details and pleats, her Odyssey: Act 1 and 2 collections are dedicated to women on a journey of self-discovery and will lead to her Act 3 collection in 2024. In addition to her New York show, her designs appeared on the 80th Venice Film Festival red carpet, as worn by Malaysian style icon Scha Alyahya.

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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. Cheng’s Rosewood continues to expand, opening New World Taishan and New World Guangzhou in China, and announcing its newest development, Rosewood Bermuda in the Caribbean Islands. Adding another feather to its cap, the hospitality group’s Rosewood Hong Kong landed at No 2 in The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2023. Of the property, 50 Best highlights its interiors, a “...masterful work of Taiwanese-born designer Tony Chi, with contemporary art pieces lining its every room, hallway and marble-clad lobby”.

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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), in particular, 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.” IIX has already issued the US$100-million WLB6, the sixth and largest bond in the series.

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At her two-Michelin-starred restaurant Tate Dining Room, chef Vicky Lau 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”. Outside of Tate, Lau, who was named Asia’s Best Female Chef in 2015, is a proponent of the Asian ingredient soy, launching the French-Chinese restaurant Mora  and homemade soy line Ān in 2022. 

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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 the Mental Health Law, Safe Spaces Act and the SOGIE Equality Bill.

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With every moment captured and shared with her nearly 800,000 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). In the same year, the fashion leader 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”.

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In March 2023, Chryseis Tan made waves in Malaysia as the mother of two was appointed as executive director of Berjaya Corp Berhad’s all-female board. But beyond her prominence in the country's business landscape, Tan also enjoys immense popularity as an Instagram celebrity and as successful entrepreneur in her own right. She has 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 December 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 overcame the odds—including discrimination against women interested in a sport typically associated with male athletes—to become the Philippines’ first Olympic gold medallist, having won the women’s 55kg weightlifting category at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. As she trains to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she will compete in the 59kg weight division, the champion is also nurturing future athletes through the Hidilyn Diaz Weightlifting Academy. “This is just so important to me, as I prepare for the Paris 2024, 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 academy, which broke ground in 2023.

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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. Celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2023, Trend Micro launched CTOne, its subsidiary focused on safeguarding organisations in 5G network environments. In 2024, the company continues its commitment to digital security, partnering with Interpol’s Operation Synergia to tackle ransomware, banking trojans and phishing attacks. 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 no one had done before. Today, its research and library collections, which are open to the public, have gathered a trove of more than 120,000 records, including sketchbooks, notebooks, photos and exhibition catalogues. In October 2022, AAA held an auction of works by Asian artists such as Takashi Murakami, Maria Taniguchi and Izumi Kato, the proceeds of which were directed to the digitisation of its archives. The following month, its home at Sheung Wan’s Hollywood Centre, an important resource for historians, curators and students, reopened after months of renovation.

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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. Reinforcing its commitment to high-quality early childhood education, EtonHouse recently announced its collaboration with Reggio Children, the international centre that promotes the famed Reggio Emilia Approach, in Singapore and China.

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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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