Published: Friday March 15, 2013 MYT 5:27:00 PM
Updated: Friday March 15, 2013 MYT 5:33:04 PM
Five women shortlisted for Women in Leadership Achievement Awards
By LOH FOON FONG
KUALA LUMPUR: Five Malaysian women have been shortlisted for the Women in Leadership (WIL) Achievement Awards as among the most accomplished, dedicated and determined business women in Asia.
The Most Innovative Entrepreneur of the Year category would go to a Malaysian as all short-listed were Malaysians.
Among them are, A Cut Above founder and chief creative director Winnie Loo, Natural Wellness Holdings managing director Shanaz Oli Mohamed and Myagri Group of Companies group managing director Hayati Taib.
The patron of the WIL Forum, Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor will present the WIL Achievement Awards to winners on March 28.
The organiser of the forum, Naseba's Asia Pacific general-manager Adam Fletcher said that the award would highlight the best that women could achieve while acknowledging men for their role in promoting diversity.
“The change happening between now and 2015 reveals that there are more reports supporting the theory that companies with more women are more profitable,” he said during a press conference on Friday.
For the category Leading Woman in Public Sector, Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry secretary-general Prof Datin Paduka Dr Khatijah Yusoff and SME Corp Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Hafsah Hashim had been short-listed.
For the category Leading Business Woman of the Year, nominees came from Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore.
Asked the reason for more Malaysian women being short-listed than women from other countries, Fletcher said that Malaysia had one of the strongest support for women in senior management positions.
“The work that the Government is doing in supporting women in business raises enough awareness and that in turn, creates more opportunities,” he added.
In total, 18 Asian countries were involved in the awards and candidates were selected through recommendations from corporations, government agencies and the United Nations, he said.