Author: AsiaOne

BRIGHT LEADER

What greater testament for success would one need than to be the President of Intel India? However, Intel happened to Kumud Srinivasan by chance, as her husband was shifting base to Albuquerque and there was no other employment option for Kumud. She decided to join the company for the initial years, but soon got so engrossed in the work that Intel proved to be her only employer till date.

Having served Intel for 28 years, this avid reader strongly believes that success has to be defined on one’s own terms, nobody else can define it for you.
Her success story is pillared on persistence, prioritization and support. She thinks that because she was determined towards her career, she was able to judge the need of the hour in the best manner. She never fails to pay her gratitude to her family and husband who stood by her in her prospering years.

This Economics graduate also chairs the position of General Manager in the Intel Architecture Group, and engages with the community in several ways. She likes to shares her own experiences with other women to inspire them, so they may also come forth and pursue their career with zeal.

ERUDITE JEWELLER

Being the first Chairwoman of the World’s biggest watch company, Swatch, speaks volumes about Nayla Hayek. This lavishing beauty took over Swatch after the death of her father in 2010. Instrumental in attracting and retaining the best watch designs in the industry, she plays an important part in the growth of the Swatch Group.

She has evolved the concept of watches from being a necessity to collectible items. Luxury watch makers are slowly taking over the market, and understanding the need of the hour Swatch has teamed up with several ventures in a deal worth $1billion, enabling it to serve the upmost class with refined watches.

Nayla Hayek has built these luxury timepieces an item of panache and premium mechanism to give the users best-in-class time-keepers. Under her leadership, Swatch plans to grow from 20 Harry Winston boutiques to 30 by the end of 2015. Believing in the ideology of her father that if you are not sure don’t buy, last year she picked up the world’s largest immaculate blue diamond in her hand with utmost surety to nurture the big stone for life.

A PEOPLE PERSON

Most of us know her as the wife of Lee Hsien Loong, the third and the current Prime Minister of Singapore, though she is much beyond that; a caring mother, a doting wife and as they call her – ‘the strength of the family’.
Internationally known to be the Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings, she has served as a public servant for many years. She took Temasek Holdings from being a domestic firm to an emerging investor across Asia. She completed her Masters in Science from Stanford University, kick-started her career as an Engineer at the Ministry of Defence, Singapore in 1976, and climbed the success ladder until she became the Chairperson of the Singapore Institute of Standards and Industrial Research. As of 2013, under Ho’s leadership, Temasek had a principal investment portfolio worth USD 173 billion.

When her father-in-law, Lee Kuan Yew, passed away at the age of 91, this 62-year-old woman was seen calming her husband in the assembly, and comforting her son, Li Hongyi, when he broke down at the cremation service.
She stood strong not only for the family but in support of various social services as well. She ensures funding for education, health, sports and community welfare through her charitable organizations.

ACCIDENTAL BILLIONAIRE

Fate turned Chen Jinxia, a wife and a former accountant at several trust and investment companies, into an owner of an investment firm, Hunan Yongjin Group, after her husband Wei Dong’s suicide in 2008. He was one of China’s most flourishing financial entrepreneurs. Jinxia used to help her husband in his transactions and stock trades. Jinxia’s plight of losing her husband is all the more painful as she had witnessed him jumping to death from their ninth-floor of the luxury apartment at Beijing. Since then, the lady has tried her best to pick herself up and move on with life.

At present, she is one of China’s largest investors given the stakes of Chinese companies purchased by Shanghai Yonghua Investment Management, a subsidiary of Hunan Yongjin Group.

She inherited a momentous amount of share in the companies of Hunan Yongjin Group, which also includes shares in Zhuzhou Qianjin Pharmaceutical, Jiuzhitang, and the brokerage firm Sinolink Securities. Her total net worth is $1.2 billion. She likes to keep a low profile and is media shy.

VIBRANT ENTREPRENEUR

Aisha de Sequeira is the Managing Director and Head of investment banking for Morgan Stanley in India. With a working experience of 20 years, Aisha has achieved great heights!
Described as the ‘master of investment banking’, Aisha’s tenure with Morgan started with a summer internship. Thereon, she went ahead serving for 11 years in the mergers and acquisitions section to set up Morgan’s presence in Mumbai, India.

Aisha had turned down the opportunity to work in India where she grew up, stating that she was happy and content in New York. Years later, when she stepped closer to home, she had the responsibility of laying the foundation of Morgan Stanley in India as well as taking it to great heights. Aisha succeeded remarkably when Morgan Stanley India was able to shepherd 17 transactions in just nine months of its existence, becoming the number one firm in India’s capital market.

The vibrant entrepreneur is said to be one of the most influential women in India’s financial industry. Under her headship, Morgan Stanley worked on 10 transactions in 2012. Aisha’s zeal has helped Morgan reach the top of the success ladder.

MAGNIFICENT MARY

Growing up in a conservative culture, MC Mary Kom has struggled her way out of orthodoxy and into the world of boxing. She first stepped into the boxing wing to earn bread and butter for the family, but it soon turned into a passion. Being a quick learner, she took a mere two weeks to learn the basics of boxing.

To put her accomplishments into perspective: Mary Kom is a five-time world champion in amateur boxing, and the first-ever woman to receive the Arjuna award – conferred by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India – in the year 2003. Mary Kom strongly feels for the society and works hard to help budding talents in the field of boxing. She has started giving boxing training in Manipur to around 37 children who are poor but are no less in ardour towards the sport. Observing her efforts, the government has come to her support with land and finance.

She believes that any hurdle in life can be overcome, if you show utmost dedication and work hard towards eliminating it.

LADY OF NUMBERS

Chua Sock Koong is a typical case of luck favours the prepared! A trained accountant, Sock Koong started her career with the Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) as a treasurer and worked her way up to become the CFO and then the Group Chief Executive Officer, thus being one of a few women in the world to head a communications company. The phenomenal rise in her career graph is worth inspiration.

SingTel, Asia’s leading communications group, is the largest listed company on the Singapore Exchange by market capitalisation. SingTel connects 550 million mobile users across 20 countries and has won numerous accolades under her leadership. Sock Koong also sits on the Boards of Bharti Airtel Limited, Bharti Telecom Limited and key subsidiaries of the SingTel Group, and is the member of the Singapore Management University Board of Trustees and the Public Service Commission.

Making a bold move in the recent past, she urged regulators to give carriers such as Optus the right to charge rivals such as WhatsApp and Skype for use of their networks or risk a major decline in network investment. Sock Koong believes the future of the telecom industry lies in the digital space, smartphones, apps and cloud computing, which she plans to brighten further under her broad exposure, significant experience and proven leadership.

HUMBLE AND POWERFUL

As the founder of HTC and VIA Technologies, Cher Wang has an extensive knowledge in the field of Technology. Created in 1997 and based in Taiwan, HTC is a Taiwanese multinational manufacturer of smartphones and tablets. Cher Wang is considered to be the most powerful woman in technology and wireless segment. Cher started her career with hawking motherboards in 1982 for First International Computer, which was co-founded by her sister Charlene.

The year 1987 saw the advent of VIA Technologies, an integrated chipset maker and was co-founded by her husband Wen-in-Chen. HTC came into existence 10 years later as a contract manufacturer of notebook computers just before the telecom industry was hit with smartphones.

Cher strongly believes that it takes humility to realize that we don’t know everything, we should not rest on our laurels, and we must keep observing and learning always. Wang is an eager philanthropist who prefers to stay away from the limelight despite her many accomplishments.

CHASING EXCELLENCE

Aruna Jayanthi, the CEO of Capgemini India believes that there are no glass ceilings for people working in the IT sector of our country; it’s a mere myth. The IT department is growing so fast that there is no room for such inhibitions today. She believes in the fundamental principle of men and women bringing different strengths to the table. Aruna, leading one of the largest business units of the Capgemini group, is a woman of broader pictures, and thinks that it all depends on an individual and not on the industry.

A Pioneer in the IT industry, Aruna has worked with both multi-nationals and pure play companies. Having developed a fascination for technology, she is focused to increase the integration and performance of over 40,000 plus employee base. The strongheaded Aruna has also been the Chairperson of Board of Governors of National Institute of Technology Calicut, and a speaker at numerous events, where she regularly highlights her belief in gender transparency in her segment.

A tireless promoter of equality in her sector, Aruna Jayanthi is at the forefront of positive change in the IT sector.

THE GIFTED MIND

When the H5N1 virus made a dramatic appearance in Hong Kong in 1997 in humans, Dr. Margaret Chan was at the helm of the affair. Such a leap by a viral strain was never seen before. The bird flu outbreak took several lives and seemed difficult to contain. But the manner in which Dr. Chan handled the whole event shot her into the limelight, and in due course of time she was appointed as the Director General of the World Health Organization. The lady had exhibited commendable intellect and diligence while battling against world’s worst epidemic that was capable of wiping out the human race from the face of the earth.

Born in Hong Kong in 1947, Dr. Chan never intended to study medicine. She wanted to be a teacher and spent a year teaching English, Geography and Mathematics. But fate had planned it so that she not only ended up studying medicine but also went on to become one of the best health professionals till date. In the past, she has introduced new initiatives to improve communicable disease surveillance and response, enhance training for public health professionals, and establish better local and international collaborations.

With an experience that extends beyond three decades, Dr. Chan has successfully altered the landscape of medical care through her initiatives.