TOP 20 BUSSINESSWOMEN OF 2022

Introducing to you the female trailblazers of our region. In this patriarchal society women are breaking the boundaries and paving their way for success. Let’s get ahead with this newsletter and learn more about the top 20 business women of 2022.?

SOMA MONDAL- Chairperson Steel authority of India

Mondal, who became a company director in 2017, launched an 80,000-million-rupee effort to expand production capacity this year while growing the steelmaker’s distribution network in smaller Indian towns and cities. In fiscal 2022, she also oversaw the rollout of 11 new products across the railway and construction industries. SAIL is among a select club of 11 state-owned companies called “maharatnas,” which are given more autonomy compared with other state-owned firms. After graduating in 1984, she joined state-run National Aluminium Co. and climbed the ranks to become a director there before joining SAIL.

MUTIARA- President Director of Murli Sadar?

Mutiara believes the key to her success is an appetite to continue to gain knowledge. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in medicine from Jakarta’s Christian University of Indonesia, then a master’s degree in tropical medicine and a Ph.D. in medical science from the University of North Sumatra. As a result, Murni Sadar’s revenue in the first nine months of 2022 dropped almost 24% to 600 billion rupiah from a year ago. With the new hospitals opening, Mutiara expects Murni Sadar’s full-year revenue to hit 858 billion rupiah, down 13% from 2021, then double in 2023.?

HERJATI- President Director of Sillo Maritime Perdana?

The owner of the largest number of offshore vessels for Indonesia’s oil and gas industry embarked on a $100 million expansion drive in 2022, largely to accommodate higher demand for the country’s reserves of natural liquefied gas (LNG). In September, Sillo Maritime acquired a 145,000-cubic-meter LNG tanker through its subsidiary Golden Prima Maritim—with plans to buy more in the next few years, Herjati said at the time—bringing the firm’s total fleet to 23.?

JULI COATES- CEO and Managing Director of CSR?

As a result of Coates' restructuring, the 167-year-old company is now benefiting from an increase in construction materials demand and leaner operations. CSR’s net profit before exceptional items jumped 20% to A$193 million ($126 million) in the year ended March 2022, surpassing pre-pandemic levels, while revenue rose 9% to A$2.3 billion.

AKIKO AMANO- Director of Souke Hanabi Kagiya?

Upon succeeding her father at the Tokyo-based company in 2000, Amano became the 15th generation to become a director. To prepare herself at 29 years, she reportedly demanded to learn her craft at other fireworks makers, so she wouldn't be treated differently than other fireworks makers.

Her other accomplishments include being a former member of Japan's national judo team and serving as the first female referee in Olympic judo at the 2008 Beijing games. The family also runs a judo school, where her father and she are directors, where she has attained the ranking of seventh dan black belt, one of the highest levels of judo mastery.

Although Amano says the decision is up to her daughter, who is now at university, she hopes her daughter will become the 16th-generation head of the company. There's more to fireworks than entertainment, says the chief. "Fireworks are symbols of peace," she says. I don't want our people to forget that, whether it's 20 or 30 years later."

GHAZAL ALAGH- Cofounder and Chief Innovation officer of Honasa Consumers?

The inspiration for Mamaearth came from Alagh's desire to find a chemical-free alternative for their infant son, who had a skin condition. She said that they couldn't find products that were both effective and affordable in India. So, they decided to create a baby-care line that was made without harmful chemicals. The company, which initially launched with seven products, has since expanded into other skincare and cosmetics.?

In the past year, it invested in Momspresso, BBLUNT and Dr. Sheth, a women's content platform. Honasa Consumer's year-end revenue reached nearly 10 billion rupees ($121 million), a close double the previous year. The Honasa brand, composed of the words "honest," "natural," and "safe," made a profit of 250 million rupees in fiscal 2021.?

KRISTY CARR- Founder and CEO of Bubs Australia?

A few months into motherhood, Carr struggled with her daughter's food allergies, which prompted her to create Bubs Australia in 2006. Her daughter was transitioning from breast milk to goat milk formula, developed by the former Cathay Pacific marketing executive. Bubs, now a top seller at Australian retailers such as Coles and Woolworths, is also making waves in China and the U.S. Bubs’ revenue is forecast to jump over 80% to A$162 million in the year ending June 2023, and reach A$217 million the following year, Australian brokerage PAC Partners said in a research note in August.

CHOI SOO-YEON - CEO of Naver?

Prior to joining Naver in 2019, Choi worked at one of South Korea's largest law firms, Yulchon, before earning degrees from Harvard Law School and Yonsei University Law School. Choi is the second lawyer to lead Naver after Kim Sang-hun, a former judge who preceded Han, even though lawyers rarely run major tech companies as CEOs. NHN split into two companies in 2013: Naver and NHN Entertainment, which made online games. Choi was previously a communications and marketing professional at NHN.?

ROBYN DELHOLM- Chairperson of Tesla?

Denholm, who has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Sydney and master’s in commerce from the University of New South Wales, is the operating partner of venture capital firm Blackbird Ventures and chair of the Technology Council of Australia.?

DORIS HSU- Chairman and CEO of GlobalWafers?

She leads GlobalWafers, one of the world’s largest suppliers of silicon wafers used in making chips. In June the company announced it would invest up to $5 billion in a new wafer plant in Sherman, Texas, that would create as many as 1,500 jobs. The Taiwan native received a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. GlobalWafers has plants in the U.S., mainland China, South Korea, Malaysia, Japan, Denmark and Italy.?

PARK JEONG RIM- Co-CEO of KB Securities??

Blazing a trail in South Korea’s male-dominated brokerage industry, Park in 2019 was the first woman to helm KB Securities, the brokerage arm of KB Financial Group (Korea’s largest financial services firm by market cap). Since then she has led the firm to record profits alongside co-CEO Kim Sung-hyun, with KB Securities posting a net profit of 594 billion won ($519 million) last year, up 130% from 2019.?

NAMITA THAPER- Executive Director of Emcure Pharma?

A business leader, entrepreneurship coach, reality show judge and author—45-year-old Thapar dons many hats. As executive director of Emcure Pharma she oversees the India business of the 61 billion rupee ($730 million) Pune-based company that her father, Satish Mehta, founded over four decades ago. Thapar joined the maker of HIV antivirals, cardiovascular and other drugs in 2007 as chief financial officer after a six-year U.S. stint at medical devices developer Guidant, where she worked in finance and marketing.

WALLAYA CHIRATHIVAT- President Director and CEO of Central Pattana?

To promote environmental sustainability, Central Pattana this year issued a green bond, the first of its kind in Thailand’s real estate and retail industry. About 2 billion baht has been raised so far and will be channeled into wastewater management, renewable energy and other green initiatives, the company says. Wallaya has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and an M.B.A. from the University of Hartford.

WANG YING- Chairman of Chengdu Easton Biopharmaceuticals?

Wang founded Chengdu Easton Biopharmaceuticals in 2009. The company, which develops, manufactures and sells a wide range of generic drugs including pain relievers and heart disease medication, started trading on the Shanghai STAR Market in September 2020 and has continued to grow under Wang’s leadership.

SINEENUCH KOKANUTAPORN- Managing Director of Thai Eastern Group Holdings

Sineenuch, the first woman to head her family’s agribusiness, took Thai Eastern Group Holdings (TEGH) public in September, raising 1.3 billion baht ($33.9 million). Her plans: to add the group to the ranks of the country’s top five block rubber producers next year by ramping up production capacity by over 45%. It’s hitching a ride on the tire industry’s post-pandemic recovery and global demand for rubber, as net profit climbed over 42% to 367 million baht in the first half of this year.

PEARLYN PHAU- Group CEO of Singlife with Aviva?

Tackling common customer frustrations, like countless insurance forms and jargon, is a priority for Phau and her team of 1,500. That’s alongside a sharpened focus on digital services—a full circle return for Phau who kicked off her previous job at Singapore’s DBS Bank as head of its online banking arm before moving to roles in wealth management and consumer banking.

ANNA NAKAJIMA & MIZUKI NAKAJIMA- Cofounders of Coly?

In the fiscal year through January 2022, the company posted revenue of ￥6.5 billion and ￥1.5 billion in operating profit, with a 23% operating profit ratio. Before starting Coly, Mizuki worked at Tokyo-based Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities and Anna was at Sankei Shimbun newspaper. They each have a 7.3% stake in the firm and a combined 50.5% stake through a jointly owned asset manager.

KWEE WIE LIN- President of Singapore Hotel Association?

Singapore fully reopened in April after the pandemic was over, and visitor numbers inched up to hit 1.5 million in the first six months of the year. At the current pace, the Singapore Tourism Board anticipates as many as 6 million could visit by year’s end. With international events such as the Singapore Grand Prix in full swing again, occupancy rates at Pontiac Land’s hotels in the city-state have returned to over 80% of pre-pandemic levels.

FEBRIANY EDDY- President Director and CEO of Vale Indonesia?

She was hired by PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she was assigned to energy and mining clients. Eddy is a big advocate for more women in mining, an industry she labels “so crucial for human life.” She wants others to take on the challenge, and see more men “motivated to support more women to work in mining.” Last year the company reported $953 million in revenue, a 24% jump from the previous year, while net profit doubled to $165 million.