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Promoting D&I, empowering individuals, and championing work-life balance are all contributing to accelerating gender equity in the workplace. Continue to gain insights from leaders representing Bitsmedia, Epson, Marina Bay Sands, and more.
– Story by Tracy Chan, with inputs from Colette Wong, Priya Sunil, Sarah Gideon, and Umairah Nasir.
Welcome to the second part in a series on the measures organisations are taking to accelerate gender equity.
A thriving workplace is one where every individual, regardless of their identity and gender, can bring their best selves to work and have equal opportunities to succeed.
While we have seen improvements in gender representation in many workplaces and boardrooms, there is still much work to be done to create a better world for everyone.
In this process, every organisation, group, and individual worldwide has a role to play.
So, as suggested by the theme of this year's International Women's Day (IWD), it’s time for all of us to #AccelerateAction collectively.
In this edition of our IWD 2025 special feature, leaders across Asia continue to share with HRO the actions their organisations are taking to make an impact.
Jasmine Chiu, Real Estate partner and Co-chair of the Gender Equality Network, Johnson Stokes & Master (JSM)
At JSM, we advance gender equity by empowering our people for career advancement with equitable support for all genders, and recognising the need to impose measures to retain and advance female talents as they become more senior.
Top-down commitment: Celebrating our women champions and promoting women to leadership roles; engaging senior male management as male allies; implementing gender equality initiatives and policies through the work of DE&I Committee and networks.
Inclusive culture: Training on unconscious bias and anti-harassment; workshop and internship opportunities for underrepresented groups; solicit feedback through internal survey.
Empowerment and support: Breastfeeding counselling; flexible working arrangements; in-house counselling service; training on stress management for caregivers; coaching for new parents; mentorship and career guidance for women lawyers.
Tsu-Shien Teoh, President, Henkel Malaysia
At Henkel, we are committed to advancing gender equity through targeted mentorship programmes and comprehensive training on unconscious bias. We also focus on providing clear opportunities for career advancement and promoting diverse representation in leadership roles.
Additionally, our 'Smart Work' concept and gender-neutral parental leave programme offer flexible work arrangements and support a balanced approach for all employees. Through these efforts, we aim to foster a supportive, inclusive culture where everyone can thrive.
Siti Zahidah, PR Manager, Bitsmedia (parent company of Muslim Pro)
Leaving teaching for PR mid-career felt like a leap into the unknown. Would my skills translate? Would I get a real chance? At Muslim Pro, potential is valued as much as experience.
Today, I drive global brand engagement for 170mn users while balancing motherhood, because I’m in a workplace that empowers women to grow and lead. Here, flexibility and support aren’t perks, they’re the standard, proving that when women are given opportunities, we rise.
Penny Lo, Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Legal, Marina Bay Sands
Together with like-minded female leaders, I co-founded EmpowHer, an all-women employee resource group, in 2022. Our self-initiated group grew from small networking sessions to a mentoring programme and regular events spanning lunchtime talks to workshops.
This International Women’s Day, EmpowHer is organising our inaugural community event, with activities such as a fireside chat on embracing life, as well as self-defense and wellness classes. These opportunities allow our female employees to connect, learn from each other and grow as a community.
Sharon Tan, HR People Partner Principal, Telstra
Telstra is accelerating gender equity with our 40:40:20 aspiration – 40% women, 40% men, and 20% any gender, across all levels by 2030.
We support women in leadership through mentorship, development programmes, and equitable recruitment. Our inclusive policies, like gender-neutral parental leave and superannuation on unpaid leave, remove barriers to progress. 'Rise', Telstra’s Gender Equity Employee Representation Group, helps employees connect, collaborate, and advocate for gender equity.
By fostering accountability and continuous improvement, we empower all genders to thrive.
Hiromitsu Ota, Human Resources Director, L’Oréal South Asia Pacific, Middle East & North Africa (SAPMENA)
L’Oréal’s conviction is that company policies promoting diversity and inclusion enable everyone – regardless of gender, ethnicity or background – to give their best. We approach gender equity holistically and at all levels and functions.
In SAPMENA, women are 54% of our employees and similarly 54% of our leadership. We promote pay equity with equal classification and equal pay for equal skills. We support parents with full pay during parental or adoption leave, and ensure job security and wage increases when they return.
Helen Chen, People and Culture Country Lead, Greater China, Allianz Partners China
Allianz Partners is making significant efforts to accelerate gender equity, including in China and Hong Kong. For example, we have obtained the EDGE Move certification, recognising our commitment to gender equality.
Within Greater China, we also have initiatives in place to help female employees balance work and life and career development, such as employee assistance programmes and our global female talent development programme, 'PowerUp'. Today, 70% of our workforce is female, and over 60% of managers are female all levels.
Laura Houldsworth, Managing Director (MD), Asia-Pacific, Booking.com
Aligned with our mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, diversity and inclusion have been core to our culture from day one.
As the first female MD in APAC at Booking.com, I hope to further inclusivity by ensuring opportunities are available to all through initiatives like our Employee Resource Groups, progressive employee policies, partner training programmes and more. I’m also proud to see that our APAC leadership team reflects this commitment with a balanced gender split.
Kevin Zhang, Chief Human Resources Officer, APAC, Havas Group
At Havas, fostering gender equity isn’t just a priority – it’s a commitment we actively uphold through our Havas All In (DEIB) framework. We believe in creating an inclusive culture where everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, LGBTQ+ identity, disability, or age, has equal opportunities to grow and succeed.
Our approach to gender equity is also grounded in our fair hiring practices, where we prioritise qualifications and merit to ensure equal opportunities for all candidates. We also conduct an annual global compensation review, benchmarking salaries against global standards to ensure competitive and equitable pay across our network.
Additionally, through initiatives like 'Femmes Forward' and 'Femmes Forward Frida', we provide the support and resources needed for our women in Havas to advance in their careers. These initiatives provide critical professional development resources to help them excel and advance within our organisation, fostering an environment where gender equity thrives.
These efforts are not just policies – they are part of who we are. We are committed to driving real change, shaping a workplace where every individual can reach their full potential.
Lynn Lim, Senior Operations Manager, ICFM
We promote fairness and inclusivity in the hiring process by prioritising relevant experience and work qualifications over gender. This ensures that candidates are selected based on their skills, knowledge, and ability to perform the role, rather than being influenced by gender biases.
A recent example is our hire of a female candidate for a pest control technician role. Despite pest control being traditionally seen as a male-dominated field, we were thrilled to welcome her to the team. Her expertise, dedication, and eagerness to contribute made her the perfect fit for the role. We believe in hiring based on skill and passion rather than outdated stereotypes, and her addition has only strengthened our commitment to diversity and excellence in our services.
Gaylynne Neill, Senior Vice President – People – Asia Pacific, DP World
At DP World, accelerating gender equity is not just a commitment – it’s a business imperative.
As a signatory of the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles, we are working to increase female representation to at least 20% of our global workforce within this year. We also empower our women colleagues through initiatives such as our APAC Women’s Learning Series and Global MentorHer Programme, thereby fostering an inclusive workplace and championing diverse leadership.
Angie Tay, COO and EVP, TDCX
At TDCX, gender equity involves having targeted initiatives that meet the unique needs of different groups and in doing so, enable access to opportunities for growth and development.
To accelerate progress, we focus not just on broad policies but also on the finer details that truly impact gender equity in the workplace. For example, how do we assess employees on maternity leave for promotion opportunities? Can those pursuing further studies continue growing their careers while working? By addressing these critical touchpoints, we ensure that our commitment to gender equity goes beyond policies – it’s embedded in our everyday decisions and workplace culture.
Through such efforts, we have achieved a balanced male-to-female leadership ratio over the past three years, with women leaders making up 49% of leadership positions at the end of 2024.
Robyn James, Director of Gender and Equity, Asia-Pacific, The Nature Conservancy
Climate change and environmental loss are not gender-neutral – women are disproportionately affected yet underrepresented in decision-making. Through initiatives like Nature’s Leading Women, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) aims to strengthen women’s leadership in conservation by connecting women to networks, influence, and resources.
We implement policies and practices that support and enhance capacity building for women, for example funding women-led research. This ensures their big ideas are published and can shape future climate and conservation strategy.
Jessie Cheing, Chief Human Resources Officer, Manulife
At Manulife, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace where everyone can thrive. We take concrete actions to accelerate gender equity, including setting clear representation goals, providing leadership development programmes for women and ensuring equitable hiring and promotion opportunities.
Our flexible working guidelines, employee resource groups and time off policies, further support gender equity and enable all employees to balance career and personal responsibilities. We believe diverse teams drive better outcomes, and we are dedicated to making meaningful progress.
Lin Lin, Vice President, Human Resources, Asia Pacific, Johnson Controls
At Johnson Controls, our success is driven by our talented workforce. We believe the variety of experiences and perspectives our employees bring to our company are key to fulfilling our mission of building smarter, healthier, and more sustainable tomorrows.
We are accelerating action by fostering a rich culture of inclusion where employees are empowered to thrive. Our Women's Global Network engages women and supporters, enabling everyone to thrive, grow and contribute – realising their professional dreams and super-charging the company’s success.
Lee Yen Ling, Senior Regional Director, Corporate Services, Epson Southeast Asia
Gender equality is important to Epson Southeast Asia. Currently, our employee gender ratio is 45% female and 55% male, while our leadership team is 42% female and 58% male.
Beyond fair hiring, we’ve introduced training on unconscious bias and DE&I, further cultivating inclusivity in the workplace across all levels. We believe in going beyond policies to create an equitable workplace for all, and I’m proud to help drive initiatives that create an inclusive environment at Epson Southeast Asia.
Cindy Tan, Chief Executive Officer, GMO Singapore
At GMO, we are committed to driving meaningful progress on gender equity. As a founding signatory of the CFA DEI Code for Singapore, we actively champion inclusive hiring, female representation in leadership, and mentorship programmes to empower women in finance.
We foster a culture of equity through transparent policies, equal pay initiatives, and flexible work arrangements. GMO supports and provides career mentoring to members of professional affinity organisations, supporting members’ career growth and improving our ability to hire more diverse employees. By embedding DEI into our core values, we strive to create a workplace where women thrive and contribute meaningfully to an important industry.
Quek Li Ling, Head of Human Resources, Cathay United Bank
At Cathay United Bank, our hiring policy has always been based on merit our hiring policy has always been based on merit, and we aim to be as unbiased as possible by reducing potential indicators of biases during the hiring process. Our open mindset to hiring not only helps us to ensure gender parity within the organisation but also opens up equal hiring opportunities across genders and age groups.
As we increase headcount and remain committed to talent retention, we ensure that employees have equal access to opportunities for development and training.
Nupur Mehta, Regional HR Director, Asia Pacific & Japan, Pure Storage
At Pure Storage, gender equity goes beyond numbers – it’s about meaningful action.
We prioritise transparency with biannual pay equity analyses and invest in initiatives like the Catalyst Sponsorship Programme to empower women with mentorship and leadership opportunities. Our Inclusive Leadership Index ensures senior leaders actively drive diversity, while our employee resource Groups foster an inclusive culture.
By equipping women with the resources, influence, and support to thrive, we’re building a workplace where everyone can succeed.
Mark Tan, Vice President & Country General Manager, Tech Data Singapore
At Tech Data, we back our commitment to promoting allyship and inclusion in the workplace with a DEI strategy that affects positive change. Our goal is to create a culture where women feel valued, supported, and empowered to achieve their full potential.
We are expanding our female employee base so that 40% of our leadership will be women by the end of this year and 50% of all employees will be women by 2030. This links with our hiring policies, which we constantly reassess to ensure balanced representation in candidate pools and interviewers. We are also ensuring fair and unbiased compensation decisions globally through industry-leading pay equity tools.
ALSO READ:
- Let’s #AccelerateAction this International Women’s Day 2025
- Watch: Heartwarming stories from leaders on the 'superwomen' in their lives this IWD 2025
- Facing the mirror: How leaders are confronting their own unconscious biases [IWD 2025 special]
- Accelerating gender equity in the workplace: 19 leaders share their affirmative actions
All photos / Provided
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