Asia's Power Businesswomen 2019: Meet 25 Outstanding Leaders On The Rise In Asia

This story is part of Forbes' coverage of Asia's Power Business Women 2019. 

 

Welcome to the rebooted Power Businesswomen list for 2019. In 2012, Forbes Asia launched its inaugural list, a compilation of 50 outstanding business leaders who are transforming their industries and the region. Since then, the list has gone through its own transformation: in 2013, the name changed to Women In The Mix and last year the Emergent 25—refocused on up-and-coming businesswomen. Such changes were necessary to reflect the rise of self-made entrepreneurs, particularly in sectors such as technology and retail.

This year’s list restores the original title but is refreshed in presentation. The goal remains to highlight accomplished women in business in the Asia-Pacific region. We have, however, limited the list to 25, and excluded anyone from previous years’ lists.
 
Selected for their achievements and track records of success, the women on this list represent the diversity within Asia’s business landscape by highlighting entrepreneurs, investors, high level executives as well as those transforming their family enterprises. Regardless of their backgrounds, these women are defying stereotypes and breaking down barriers across industries.
 
Entrepreneurs on the rise
Many women on the list embody the entrepreneurial spirit which Forbes is synonymous with, and the risks they’re taking are paying off. Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao has made history as the only woman to start and run a major commercial airline, Vietjet Aviation. Her success has also made her very wealthy. She is Vietnam’s first self-made woman billionaire and the wealthiest self-made woman in Southeast Asia, with a net worth of $2.5 billion.
 
Another entrepreneur on the list is Tan Hooi Ling, the cofounder and COO of Southeast Asia’s first decacorn, super app Grab, which has a valuation of $14 billion. The 35-year-old Harvard MBA has led the company alongside her cofounder Anthony Tan in raising over $9 billion dollars since launching in 2012. As chief operating officer, Tan focuses on growing market share in the eight countries and 336 cities where Grab operates.
 
In Japan, a country where the average proportion of women in managerial posts stands at just 7.7% according to a recent report by business intelligence research company Teikoku Databank, 34-year-old Akiko Naka has carved her own path by founding job-search site Wantedly and in late 2017 successfully listing it on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s Mothers board for startups. Since then, Wantedly’s share price has tripled, giving the company a market value of 29 billion yen.
 
Venture capitalists are also represented on the list. Known for identifying promising entrepreneurs, Jenny Lee is one of the highest-ranking women on the Forbes 2019 Midas list. Her portfolio at U.S. and China-based GGV Capital -- where she is managing partner -- includes 11 unicorns, with some valued as high as $56 billion.
 
A former fighter jet engineer with Singapore’s ST Aerospace, Singaporean Lee has taken 11 of her portfolio companies public, including three IPOs in 2018. Her 2012 investment in Chinese social network operator YY netted GGV a 15-fold return.
 
Another star in early-stage investment is Anna Fang, CEO of Chinese VC firm ZhenFund, which has backed more than 700 startups, including unicorns such as AI firm Yitu Technology and online education company VIPKid. A graduate of both Columbia University and Stanford University, Fang started her career in New York at JPMorgan as an investment banker to consumer and retail companies. Her success in overseeing one of China’s largest early-stage funds also earned her a spot on this year’s Forbes Midas List.
 
Added to the mix are descendants of Asian business families whose accomplishments shouldn’t go unnoticed, like Indonesia’s Teresa Wibowo, who has transformed her family’s 65-year-old corporation’s focus from brick-and-mortar retail to include e-commerce.
 
The list also features high-achieving executives like Nina D. Aguas, Executive Chairman of Insular Life Assurance Company from the Philippines, and Kamonwan Wipulakorn, CEO of Thai property developer One Origin. Both women have climbed the career ladder in the corporate world and are paving the way for more women to do so.
 
With 25 new names every year, we hope to expand this community of outstanding business leaders playing a significant role in shaping Asia’s business landscape in the next few decades. They are an inspiration to everyone.
 
By Forbes