In celebration of International Women's Day, Porsche collaborates with entrepreneur Zaireen Iskandar, restaurateur Jen Tang and fashion designer Celest Thoi who share their experiences on pursuing their passions and making their dreams come true

What does it mean to be an empowered woman today? What is the definition of female empowerment? And what can one do to empower women?

It begins with a dream, connecting with it, and boldly driving it to take to where you want to go.

To get some insights on this subject, Tatler has rounded up three women who are celebrated in their respective fields—entrepreneur Zaireen Iskandar, founder 'KIN Jewellery; restaurateur and owner of Beni and Ultime Atelier and Boulangerie Jen Tang; and fashion designer Celest Thoi. 

See also: Speaking Up and Embracing Challenges: 3 Female CEOs Who Walk the Talk

Each a strong independent woman at the top of their game, they juggle different roles with panache and manage their busy, productive lives with seemingly effortless ease. These bold, powerful and stylish ladies talk about weathering challenges and letting their passions forge their own paths to become leaders in their respective fields.

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Zaireen Iskandar

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What does it mean to be a leader in your field?

'KIN Jewellery is the first demi-fine jewellery brand in Malaysia when we launched three years ago and we'd like to think that we're now a leader in our category. To be empowered is to have the ability to reflect, the ability to be creative and see it all come to fruition, to be able to make decisions and to follow your own direction.

What do you hope to achieve to inspire women out there? 

Like any business owner, I am passionate about my business succeeding. Not only for my own personal growth but also to prove that mothers can also build something that they love doing, even with minimal sleep and time, and more importantly having to prioritise your family always. I hope it can prove the perseverance of a woman.

How do you juggle your day to day wearing different hats? 

With extreme difficulty (laughs). But seriously, some days are more difficult than others especially as I am mostly working from home. My hat changes every 20 minutes, from entrepreneur to cook, then to driver, and back to being an entrepreneur.

I’m super grateful for the help at home and the support from my husband and family. Without them, it would have been impossible to achieve what my business partner (Athiya Hamid) and I want to achieve with ‘KIN.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #BreakTheBias. What is your take on this and how do you define it? How do you see yourself being a part of this?

#BreakTheBias to me is striving towards equality on all levels in the workspace and also equal opportunity to be able to contribute to society. Education is key to continuously break the bias when it comes to gender equality, and I want to continue to educate my children on the importance of diversity and inclusion.

What is your message to all the women out there?

Do what you love, do it well, and do it smart.

See also: 7 Inspiring Female Photographers Making a Social Impact

Jen Tang

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What does it mean to be a leader in your field?

When dealing with your team, it's important to handle it with integrity, trust and communication. Listen to them with open mind, speak with transparency, and treat everyone equally.

What do you hope to achieve to inspire women? 

My personal philosophy is to do what you love, love what you do. My goal is to create more F&B opportunities.

See also: Tatler Dining Awards 2022: Meet the 3 Award Winners

How do you juggle your day to day wearing different hats?

Being a mother and an entrepreneur isn't easy but thank goodness I have a good team. It's boils down to communication and trust.

As a mom, I will spend every precious moment with my kids. I love driving them to school in the morning; the journey to school is the greatest because we would talk, sing and pray. I will also make dinners and eat and chat with them about their day. Kids grow up very fast and you wouldn’t want to miss a single moment. 

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #BreakTheBias. What is your take on this and how do you define it? How do you see yourself being a part of this?

Once upon a time, married women are confined to being the housewife while the husband is the breadwinner. But women today have proven to be more than capable in business. I believe every woman deserve equality and respect. We should have 50/50 gender allocation in the workplace to create awareness and diversity.

What is your message to all the women out there?

Do not be afraid to step out from your comfort zone. It's never too late to chase your dreams. Always believe in yourself and your capability.

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Celest Thoi

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What does it mean to be a leader in your field?

I am blessed to be thought of as a leader in my field. Well, I hope to inspire other women by saying that if I can do it, so can you. Just believe in yourself; you have no idea how powerful that is!

What do you hope to achieve to inspire women out there? 

I hope to show that as a woman, wearing different hats in a day, is never easy but it is achievable. Don’t be too hard on ourselves, just do the best to our ability. We will feel more fulfilled that way. 

In the past, I used to be a real perfectionist and I get disappointed if it isn't perfect. It really stressed me out, which was not healthy. I gradually learnt to let go bit by bit and I realised that I’m in a better place now.

How do you juggle your day to day wearing different hats? 

My mantra is, if you must do anything, make sure you do it well. I try to be strong and positive in all that I do. Wearing different hats can be challenging at times especially being a working mom. I feel torn as I am often put in the position to have to choose but with genuine will power and determination, you will be surprised how things pan out at the end of the day. Ask for help when you need it; there’s nothing wrong in seeking help as we cannot do it all.

See also: Celest Thoi on Launching Her First RTW Collection

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #BreakTheBias. What is your take on this and how do you define it? How do you see yourself being a part of this?

I hope women everywhere will rise up to challenge this bias and spark change little by little. I've witnessed and met many strong and capable women, some of them even surpassing their male counterparts.

If there’s a will, there’s a way. As a woman, we understand how hard it is to be one so we should never tear each other down. It’s imperative that women support women.

What is your message to all the women out there?

Never walk in the shadow. Be brave and strong to create your own path.

Tatler Asia

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For more information, visit here or the nearest Porsche Centre.

Credits

Photography  

Imran Sulaiman

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