Fortune unveils its list of the ‘most powerful’ women in Asia

Fortune unveiled its 2024 Most Powerful Women Asia list, featuring 100 influential women from diverse industries such as finance, energy, food and beverages, transportation and hospitality. The 100 women, including 53 CEOs, 26 chairpersons and 11 CFOs, are recognized for redefining leadership, driving innovation and inspiring future leaders. It includes 20 leaders from China, 14 from Thailand, nine each from Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong and many more from other nations.

Who’s at the top?: Grace Wang, who cofounded Shenzen-based Luxshare in 2004 with her brother after a decade at Foxconn, has taken her company from startup to powerhouse in just 20 years. Luxshare is now a top player in making some of Apple’s bestselling gadgets, such as AirPods, Apple Watches, Vision Pros and iPhones, giving Foxconn a serious run for its money. Under Wang’s innovative leadership, Luxshare made its debut on the Fortune Global 500 list in 2023, and this year, it’s sitting pretty at No. 488 with a whopping $32.8 billion in revenue.
Breaking barriers: Other women in the top 5 are Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation CEO Helen Wong, Suntory Beverage and Food CEO Makiko Ono, Macquarie Group CEO Shemara Wikramanayake and Japan Airlines’ first female CEO, Mitsuko Tottori. Like many women on the list, Tottori’s journey highlights the significant strides female leaders are making in traditionally male-dominated industries across Asia, even in countries like Japan where gender equality in corporate leadership remains a challenge. To improve this, experts recommend policies to enhance parental leave, increase access to childcare, foster family-friendly environments, ensure equal pay for equal work and the promotion of women to leadership positions.

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