The sHero Asia-Pacific Summit was a celebration of women’s empowerment and sustainable leadership to mark the launch of the platform’s Asia Pacific chapter

Liu invited sHero advisory board member Andy Bentote, regional managing director at PageGroup, to the stage, where he highlighted the importance of empowerment, but also shared some statistics from recent research carried out by Michael Page Singapore, which revealed that 70 per cent of respondents believe their workplace is not inclusive, highlighting how far there still is to go. 

The first session of the day was led by Charlene Ree, CEO of EternityX, an AI marketing platform connecting global conglomerates to Chinese audiences. She explored strategies for connecting with female demographics and highlighted the latest trends—which include a growing interest from women in health and wellness, balancing career and individuality, and embracing minimalism and sustainability—as well as sharing her own journey balancing her multiple roles as a founder, influencer and mother of three. She closed her speech by stressing how women leaders have a responsibility to lift each other up. “Let’s be a shero for each other,” she said.

Moderator Deric Wong then led a fireside chat with Cheryl Goh, the founding chief marketing officer of Grab and the sixteenth employee after the company was founded by Anthony Tan in 2012. Currently group VP of marketing and sustainability, Goh captivated attendees with her story of helping build the company from the ground up, highlighting Grab’s strides in empowering women drivers, particularly through the use of female-centric technology-driven safety features and community-building initiatives. Goh’s stories demonstrated how real change comes from understanding specific cultural contexts and continuously refining solutions to meet diverse needs. This commitment to inclusivity and representation is core to Grab’s mission, setting an example of tech-driven solutions that support women.

The first panel of the day saw Tatler Asia’s regional content director for Front & Female, Rachel Duffell, Aptar Asia’s Xiangwei Gong and Jenny Yeo of Sephora come together to share how they are supporting women leaders in their careers and fostering sustainable practices. 

Dr Serene Koh, Singapore’s director of The Behavioural Insights Team then took to the stage to discuss practical ways to empower women, drive inclusive growth and bridge gender gaps in workplaces in Asia Pacific, sharing innovative methods to reduce bias in hiring and to normalise flexible work, while also emphasising the gap between intention and action in creating equitable workplaces. Drawing on global research, she encouraged organisations to adopt transparent, supportive policies, setting a path for real impact in the workplace.

The second panel and final session of the day explored how a new generation of women leaders are redefining business and bringing fresh perspectives to encourage innovation and offer bold approaches to sustainability and social responsibility. Speakers included Mina Yu of family office Oneness Capital; Poppy Chen of stationery company Shanghai M&G Stationery; and Charlotte Chen of Orbitel International, which produces a range of consumer-ready bubble teas. 

Liu brought the powerful event to a close with some inspiring final words. “The journey towards empowerment is not just about breaking barriers, but building bridges, which is exactly what we are doing today,” she said, highlighting the closer collaboration, creativity and support she wants to encourage with the establishment of sHero’s Asia-Pacific women’s chapter. “We’re building a stronger, more inclusive and empowered future.”

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