Amazing Women 2019 Wonder Women

For decades, we have made it our mission to celebrate women’s triumphs everywhere, and for our 25th anniversary, we are highlighting 25 strong, influential women who undeniably owned 2019. These warriors are challenging paradigms and leading the shift in innovation and global progress, while shaking up the status quo, especially at positions where men still outnumber women. Feel inspired and empowered to climb up alongside them

CHERYL TAN ACTRESS, PERFORMING ARTS

As a true thespian, Cheryl began her journey cultivating her love for the performing arts at a very young age. Her parents’ love for music and through the carousels of soundtracks was what gave her the inspiration to practice and hone her vocal talent that she is now well known for. So it came as no surprise that when Cheryl hit her adolescent years, she immediately signed up for various auditions leading to her spending a lot of her time in The Actor’s Studio and more recently, the Kuala Lumpur Performing Art Centre. On the small screen, Cheryl is perhaps most known for her role as Young Yehenara, a concubine in the award-nominated musical Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress. Off the screen and stage, you can often find her spending her hours teaching vocal mastery as she strongly believes in educating and mentoring the future generations.

SALENA AHMAD FOUNDER OF SURI LIFESTYLE

When technology advanced in the new millennium, Sally found her business of selling caller ringtones failing along with her marriage. After her divorce was finalised, she decided to move back to her home town. It was there that she discovered the huge community of single mothers struggling to make a living while caring for their children. Her encounter with these single mothers inspired her to give her sons a better life, instead of just sitting back and living off the funds provided by the government. She first started off building a business of up-cyling old denim. Her vision for Suri Lifestyle only sparked when she received a huge order from a corporate business and she was forced to recruit other single mothers for help. It was then that she joined a special social enterprise course held by MaGIC so she could learn to further build a business to give fellow single mothers a better life.