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Awards
for outstanding women
Within
the UN,
she holds the position of undersecretary-general, and heads its Economic
and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Escap). She is a champion of
women's issues. And she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 for her
efforts. These constitute an impressive resume. But they are just the tip of the
iceberg.
 
Dr
Heyzer:
Her World Woman of the Year for 2007. She heads the UN
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific |
For these reasons and more, Noeleen
Heyzer, 59, has been crowned Her World Woman of the Year for 2007.
Accepting the honour at last night's gala dinner, Dr Heyzer said she
believes it is 'not acceptable' that women make up 70 per cent of the
world's 1.3 billion poor, and that leadership by example is the way
forward.
'Many fundamental changes must be
made. One of the things I've tried to do in my life is to look for the
light and the best in human beings, and to make sure that all of that
light becomes the leadership for the world,' she said.
This annual award is in
its 17th year. Given out by Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) Magazines under the banner of Her World,
it recognises outstanding Singaporean women who have made outstanding contributions to society, and who can act as role models for other
women to emulate. |
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Dr Heyzer was chosen for her
accomplished track record of global achievements in women's rights.
From 1994 to 2006, she promoted
gender equality in her role as executive director of the UN Development
Fund for Women (Unifem). Under her leadership, Unifem assisted countries
to formulate and implement policies, notably the inclusion of women as
full citizens in the Constitution of Afghanistan in 2004.
Minister for Foreign Affairs George
Yeo agrees female empowerment is no idle cause. 'Societies which honour
their women are strong while those that dishonour them must eventually
break down,' he said at the dinner.
Dr Heyzer's impact is wide-ranging.
Since her arrival in 1994, Unifem has strengthened its strategic
partnerships between women's groups, governments and bilateral donors.
The other award - Her World Young
Woman Achiever - went to Melissa Kwee, 35. She was recognised for her
work in initiating programmes and forming organisations to assist
teenage girls to find inspirational role models.
She initiated unprecedented projects
against the commercial sexual exploitation of women, and for the
financial education for migrant woman workers.
Ms Kwee believes that society needs
to move from a short-sighted mindset of charity to a 'much broader'
vision of compassion.
'If every person gave one per cent
more time and effort to care for someone around them, I am quite sure we
would have a positive revolution and witness a transformed world.'
- 2008 March 6 BUSINESS
TIMES
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Outstanding
Asian Women
Some are sophisticated and
charming. Others are feared and respected. Each one, in her own way, is
immensely powerful.
While Westerners have traditionally topped
the list of successful and powerful women worldwide, the Forbes gallery of the
world's most powerful women has four Asian faces amongst the top 10.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel heads the
list as the world's most powerful woman, having taken on the Chinese leadership
by receiving the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in her office in Berlin.
Ms Merkel, who has spoken up on issues such
as China's human rights record and environmental protection, heads the list
because she has understood how to effectively use her power and strengthen her
base.
Closely following Ms Merkel is Wu Yi, China's
Vice-Premier.
Ms Wu is the face that the US sees most
whenever economic talks between the two countries are held.
In her talks with Henry Paulson, US treasury
secretary, Ms Wu refused to succumb to US pressure to revalue the renminbi or
reduce China's US$232 billion trade surplus with the US.
She also withstood American criticism that
China keeps its currency undervalued to make its exports cheaper and stall
imports.
Ms Wu responded by saying that US exports to
China have nearly doubled since 2001, making China the fourth largest
destination for US goods last year.
She also argued that American exporters in 24
US states have netted US$33 billion in new orders from Chinese companies, aside
from the US$8 billion order that China has given the US for nuclear gear.
Close on Ms Wu's heels at No 3 is Singapore's
Ho Ching, the chief executive of Temasek Holdings.
Ms Ho, wife of Singapore's prime minister,
generally keeps a low public profile but she has demonstrated her prowess at
mergers and acquisitions across the globe.
Indeed, she has been the key figure in
transforming Temasek from an inward-looking company to one of Asia's leading
companies, eyeing corporate assets in India and China.
In effect, Temasek's portfolio has jumped 27
per cent to an incredible US$108 billion, up from US$80 billion.
Miss Condoleezza Rice, US Secretary of State,
is ranked No 4.
Ms Rice fares even better than President
George W Bush in opinion polls, a result that hardly surprises any American,
considering the problems for which Mr Bush is held responsible.
The third Asian is US- based Indra K Nooyi,
who hails from India and is ranked fifth among the top 10 women. Ms Nooyi, who
is chairman and chief executive of PepsiCo with some US$35 billion in annual
revenue and a US$105 billion market capitalisation, has steadily built up her
powerbase in the company.
Sonia Gandhi at No 6 is the president of
India's Congress Party. The daughter-in-law of former prime minister Indira
Gandhi, was initially reluctant to enter politics, having lost her husband Rajiv
Gandhi in a suicide bomb attack.
But once there, she seems to be enjoying the
power play.
While declining to become the prime minister
herself - she would never be accepted by the people because of her Italian
origin - she has succeeded in placing important allies in key positions.
The appearance of these four Asian women in
the Forbes list is remarkable, especially when one considers that they were
pitted against many established names in the American political, business and
cultural landscape.
One such name is Oprah Winfrey, who at No 21
ranks far behind the four Asian women in the top 10. --2008
March 1 BUSINESS
TIMES
Who says Chinese women are not capable? Some more
strong than others, of course. They carry a lot of responsibilities,
especially fiscal ones. They are often the stability in
family households. An example of Matriarchial influence in
Hong Kong - Kwok's.
17 Asians on Fortune's 50 most powerful
business women list
HONG KONG (AFP) - Seventeen women
from China, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines were among Fortune
magazine's 50 most influential women in international business.
Four Asian women were ranked in the top 10 --
including Mary Ma, CFO of China's Legend Group Holdings at five, followed by Ho
Ching, executive director of Singapore-based Temasek Holdings, Lien
Siaou-Sze, senior vice president of Hewlett-Packard Services Asia Pacific in
Singapore in eighth place and Eiko Kono, president of Recruit (Japan) in 10th
place.
Marjorie Scardino, chief executive officer of
Britain's Pearson, was ranked the number one woman in international business,
followed by Belinda Stronach, CEO and president of Canada's Magna International,
Anne Lauvergeon, executive chairman of France's Areva, and Patricia Barbizet,
chief executive of France's Artemis.
In compiling the list, Fortune said although power was
difficult to quantify, women are indeed a force to be reckoned with in the
traditionally male-oriented business arena.
Fortune said however that "female corporate power
is still spread unevenly across the business world," adding "many
cultural, social and logistical issues conspire against women's development in
business, from stereotyping to maternity leave."
Other Asians on the list include Xie Qihua, vice
chairman and president of Shanghai Baosteel Group, ranked 18, Nita Ing, chairman
of Taiwan High-Speed Railway Corp. who was ranked 23, followed by Juliet Wu
Shihong, vice president of China's TCL Holdings and Chua Sock Koon, CFO of
Singapore Telecommunication.
Pansy
Ho, managing director of Shun Tak Holdings in Hong Kong was in 31st place,
while Nina
Wang, chairwoman of Chinachem (Hong Kong) came in at 35 followed by Marjorie
Yang, chairman and CEO of Hong Kong's Esquel Group.
Teresita Sy-Coson, executive vice president of
Philippines-based SM Prime Holdings was in 39th place and Vidya Chabria,
chairwoman of Jumbo Group of India took 44th place, while Naina Lal Kidwai,
executive vice chairman and CEO of HSBC Securities and Capital Markets in India
was listed as the 50th most influential woman.
- Yahoo!
Asia 2 Oct 2002
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