What drives these Front & Female Awards winners to uplift women and girls?

Coming from a background of actuarial science and business, Lean in Malaysia director Abir Abdul Rahim realised that many women were held back from reaching their true potential in the workplace and in life by stereotypes and limiting beliefs. Despite making up more than 50 per cent of graduates, women still fall behind when it comes to senior leadership positions in the corporate world.   

Abir and her team at Lean In Malaysia hope to address this by curating tailored programmes for both men and women with the goal of breaking stereotypes and empowering women to succeed and thrive in the community of other like-minded individuals. 

“When I came back to Malaysia years ago, I realised I was coming back to a society that told me what I should and should not do as a woman,” says the Bayes Business School London graduate. “The most rewarding aspect of my work with Lean In Malaysia is witnessing the tangible impact on women’s empowerment. Every positive change we catalyse, every shattered stereotype, and every life positively impacted reaffirms the significance of our efforts. It’s the satisfaction of moving the needle on women’s empowerment and creating lasting, positive change in everyone’s lives.”

When it comes to thinking out of the box, Juliana Adam doesn’t disappoint. The young CEO and co-founder of impact-driven enterprise Biji-biji Initiative, Juliana is also the director at Me.reka, an alternative education space she co-founded that nurtures creativity and sustainability in STEAM-centric education.

Recognising the challenges faced by female startup founders particularly in raising funds for their businesses, Me.reka kicked off its inaugural Women in Entrepreneurship programme in 2023, empowering women-led organisations with funding, know-how and mentorship to grow their businesses.

Five female-led businesses selected for this programme were given seed funding of around US$20,000 each, enabling them to continue leveraging their businesses using technology and other resources.    

“It is hard for me to see women who don’t truly realise their worth or what they bring to the table,” says Juliana, who is an Acumen Malaysia fellow. “I can see that they are the ones who are able to take the wheel and make that change beyond just wishing for it to happen. This pushes me to want to help them take ownership of their journey,” she adds.   

Present and future generations of Malaysians and their families will benefit from the work that Professor Datin Paduka Dr Teo Soo-Hwang and the team at Cancer Research Malaysia have been doing for over 20 years. The retired chief scientific officer at Cancer Research Malaysia embarked on a mission to fill the gaps in cancer research within the Asian population, a demographic long neglected by global cancer research.

Thanks to Cancer Research Malaysia’s efforts, researchers and healthcare providers now have valuable insights about the genetic loci associated with the risk of cancer in Asians, as well as more targeted ways to predict and treat breast cancer from destroying lives in the nation’s most vulnerable communities. 

“What obstacles have I not addressed?” Teo remarks when asked about her biggest challenges in her career path. “From money to lack of manpower, to negative perceptions and stigma—but each challenge has given us an opportunity to learn and grow.”

“I never dreamt I would be able to go university, let alone to Cambridge. I never thought I would do a PhD, let alone win the top prize. Sometimes, we ask the question ‘Why me?’ when something bad happens. I ask the same question when something good happens. Why was I given these opportunities, and how can I give back?” says Teo. 

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