KUALA LUMPUR – Making the country proud, three prominent Malaysian women have been named on Forbes’ 50 Over 50: Asia 2024 list for attaining unprecedented success in their respective fields and serving as sources of inspiration for the upcoming generation in the region.
They are Tan Sri Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria, executive director of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat; Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, an attorney; and Tunku Mona Riza Tunku Khalid, a film director and founder of Current Pictures.
According to Forbes, Sta Maria, 65, who was appointed executive director of the APEC Secretariat in 2019, is the first woman to lead the 21-member intergovernmental economic advisory body.
It was reported that she spent a decade shaping Malaysia’s contributions to the global economy, serving as deputy secretary-general and then secretary-general and lead trade negotiator for the country’s International Trade and Industry Ministry.
She has also represented the region at the World Economic Forum and was previously a non-executive director for RHB Bank.
Prominent lawyer and human rights advocate, 67-year-old Ambiga, earned the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Medal of Honour and the Gandhi Memorial Trust Public Service Award in the past year, securing a spot on the list, Forbes said.
As the second female president of the Malaysian Bar, she also orchestrated the influential March for Justice and chaired Bersih 2.0, advocating for free and fair elections, it added.
After co-founding the Women’s Aid Organisation, she is also currently the president of the Pure Life Society, a charitable institution dedicated to supporting orphans and the underprivileged.
She holds a law degree from the University of Exeter, the United Kingdom.
As for 57-year-old Tunku Mona Riza, Forbes said she had won Most Promising Director for her film Redha at the Malaysia Film Festival 2017, earning her a spot on the list.
Inspired by a true story, the film depicts the challenges of raising an autistic child and was selected as the country’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards.
Tunku Mona Riza established her production house, Current Pictures, in 1999.
Her 2023 film, Rain Town, is Malaysia’s first Chinese-language film by a Malay female director.
The film, which is set to be released next month, was screened at last year’s Vancouver Asian Film Festival and the International Film Festival of India in Goa.
According to Forbes, the women on the third annual 50 Over 50: Asia list hail from 14 countries and territories and more than two dozen work sectors.
Their influence spans fashion, pharma, finance and beyond.
Meanwhile, 112-year-old environmentalist Saalumarada Thimmakka, who is lovingly referred to as the “mother of trees,” is the eldest on the Forbes list.
After being diagnosed with infertility at 40, a humble initiative to build a legacy with her husband grew into planting over 8,000 trees in India, including 385 banyan trees lining the highway between Hulikal and Kudur.
Thimmakka’s environmental dedication won her India’s National Citizens Award in 1995 and a Certificate of Honour from the World Book of Records in 2022.
Indonesian actor Christine Hakim has also made the list.
Her notable roles include Eat Pray Love (2010), Perempuan Tanah Jahanam (2019), and her latest appearance in episode 2 of HBO series The Last of Us (2023).
She was also a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival and assumed the role of FFI Ambassador in 2023.
Beyond the silver screen, Hakim served as Indonesia’s goodwill ambassador for Unesco from 2008 to 2020.
The complete list is available on Forbes.com and in the February/March edition of Forbes Asia. – January 17, 2024