Cover Women on the go: Meet HY Tan, Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam and Fildzah Zulkifli, the Rising Champion nominees for the Front & Female Awards 2026
Women on the go: Meet HY Tan, Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam and Fildzah Zulkifli, the Rising Champion nominees for the Front & Female Awards 2026
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Meet the astounding women under 30 who are championing the next generation through advocacy, education and mentorship, empowering young people and women to build safer, more equitable futures
Now in its fourth edition, the Front & Female Awards continues to honour women who are shaping a more equitable future for women and girls. The initiative recognises individuals whose work and lives are advancing progress, whether through breaking barriers, championing rights and representation, narrowing gender gaps or serving as role models whose example empowers others to follow.
Nominations for the 2026 awards opened to the public in January and drew more than 120 submissions from across a wide range of sectors. In addition to public nominations, Tatler Malaysia also invited recommendations from its Front & Female Tribe, an expert voting committee comprising women who have distinguished themselves in their respective fields, alongside past recipients of the award. This year’s Tribe includes Dato’ Dr Hartini Zainudin, Professor Dato’ Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman, Professor Dr Chong Pei Pei, Fiona Tan, Aida Zunaidi, Aisya Rahman, Suri Kempe and Dr Premitha Damodaran, as well as other respected professionals who were approached to contribute their nominations and insights.
Following the nomination period, submissions were reviewed internally to create a shortlist spanning six categories: Business Leadership, Innovation, Founders, Rising Champions, Social Impact and Wellbeing. The shortlisted nominees were then presented to the voting committee, and votes were tallied internally to determine the winners of the Front & Female Awards Malaysia 2026.
The winners will be revealed at a live ceremony on March 12 at Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur. The evening will feature a fireside chat and awards dinner presented in partnership with official car partner Chery, Sime Darby Property, Cartier and Lladro, and will centre on the theme “Unstoppable”, a reflection of the extraordinary women who continue to create positive change within their communities.
What’s the greatest lesson a woman should learn? That since day one, she’s already had everything she needs within herself. It’s the world that convinced her she did not
This year’s discussion will explore what it truly means to be unstoppable, with a candid discussion on menopause as a universal experience connecting women across sectors and stages of life. Dr Premitha Damodaran, obstetrician-gynaecologist at Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur, and Dr Bharathi Vengadasalam, psychiatrist at Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur, will share insights on the challenges women face during perimenopause and menopause while balancing professional, family and leadership responsibilities. The chat will be moderated by Emma Chong, Managing Editor at Tatler Malaysia, highlighting a topic often overlooked in women’s health and professional lives.
The evening will culminate in a celebration of the award recipients, individuals whose work over the past 18 months has created meaningful impact. Their achievements not only advance opportunities for women and girls in Malaysia, but also demonstrate how redefining what is possible can spark enduring and transformative change.
Three nominees have been shortlisted for this year’s Rising Champion category, which recognises an individual aged 30 or under whose work inspires and supports the advancement of women and girls.
HY Tan
Above HY Tan is a content creator and co-founder of DoitDuit
HY Tan is a content creator and co-founder of DoitDuit
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HY Tan is the founder and co-founder of DoitDuit, a Malaysian financial literacy community focused on making investment knowledge simple, practical and accessible. As a licensed stockbroker and Gen-Z content creator, she works to break the perception that financial education is a privilege reserved for the highly educated, when it is a basic life skill that everyone deserves equal access to. Through her content and community, she hopes more young Malaysians can learn how money works and make informed decisions to protect themselves from scams and financial vulnerability.
With a small team that includes young women working in content and operations roles, she is particularly passionate about supporting financial independence among women. She believes financial literacy is a form of empowerment, giving women the freedom to make life choices, build resilience and avoid dependence on others.
Her work reflects the philosophy that change is necessary for growth. By encouraging continuous learning and consistent financial education, she hopes to help more young women build confidence in managing, investing and protecting their own financial future.
Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam
Above Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam is a gender equality advocate and founder of Pocket of Pink
Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam is a gender equality advocate and founder of Pocket of Pink
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Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam is a Malaysian youth advocate and founder of Pocket of Pink, an organisation advancing gender equality, sexuality education, and safer learning environments. She first gained public attention through her #MakeSchoolASaferPlace campaign, which highlighted the urgent need for schools to address gender-based harassment and protect students’ rights.
Since 2025, she has expanded her advocacy to regional and global platforms. She joined the UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Young People’s Action Team, contributing to programmes and policy guidance on gender equality under the Sustainable Development Goals, and serves as Community Structure Advisor for the Global Resilience Fund, supporting youth-focused crisis response and feminist grantmaking.
Through Pocket of Pink’s Express to Empower programme, she has raised over RM100,000 for art-based sexuality education, benefiting more than 400 young people since 2023. Her efforts earned her a spot on the WikiImpact 100 Changemakers list (2023) and coverage by BBC News, Al Jazeera, and Reuters. Her research includes examining the social impact of AI on gender polarization through Altorithm, a feminist research and narrative initiative exploring how AI-driven algorithms shape the digital experiences of gender powered by Pocket of Pink.
Fildzah Zulkifli
Above Fildzah Zulkifli is the deputy country lead of Project Girls4Girls Malaysia and the editor of MillionaireAsia
Fildzah Zulkifli is the deputy country lead of Project Girls4Girls Malaysia and the editor of MillionaireAsia
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Fildzah Zulkifli works to close the gap between opportunity and potential for women and girls in Malaysia. As deputy country lead of Project Girls4Girls Malaysia, she supports programmes that connect young women with mentors who can guide them through education, career development and leadership. Her commitment stems from witnessing how many capable young women lose confidence simply because they lack encouragement or access to supportive networks.
Through the Girls4Girls initiative, she has seen how mentorship can transform self-belief. From young women learning to advocate for themselves in professional settings to graduates who go on to create their own mentorship spaces, she believes empowerment has a powerful ripple effect across communities and generations.
Alongside her advocacy work, Zulkifli serves as editor of MillionaireAsia, where she highlights stories that amplify women’s voices and achievements. Over the next five years, she hopes to expand Girls4Girls Malaysia’s reach from hundreds to thousands of women annually while strengthening initiatives that channel resources to grassroots organisations supporting women across the region.
Be sure to check out the other nominees shortlisted for the Front & Female Awards 2026:
- Front & Female Awards 2026: Meet 3 changemakers driving impact in education, pay transparency and disability advocacy
- Front & Female Awards 2026: Meet 2 pioneers championing women’s health and empowerment in Malaysia
- Front & Female Awards 2026: Meet the trailblazing women redefining innovation from technology to healthcare
- Front & Female Awards 2026: Meet 3 women founders transforming communities through craft, opportunity and compassion
- Front & Female Awards 2026: Meet 3 powerhouse women championing leadership, equity and impact
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