Eight businesswomen holding prominent executive roles in leading companies listed in the Asia-Pacific region have been named as winners in the WeQual Awards.
The eight WeQual Awards Winners APAC 2021 are (clockwise from top left) – Kendra Vant, Jo Egan, Farrah Losper, Anita Bhat-Zutshi, Manjaree Chowdhary, Srimathi Shivashankar, Wan Norashikin (Nonie) Mohd Nasir, and Nadene Serman.
The WeQual Awards identify and recognise world-class women executives, one level below the group C-suite, and WeQual works with the largest companies in the world to promote diversity, equality and inclusion within group executive committees. The winners were selected from a shortlist of 24 finalists.
Founder of WeQual, Katie Litchfield, commented:
“The glass ceiling has been an issue for decades, and the drop-off is steepest just below Group C-suite level. That’s why it is vital we champion gender equality at the top.”
The winners of the APAC WeQual Awards 2021 are:
− Manjaree Chowdhary, Executive Director and GC, Maruti Suzuki – Business Security category
− Kendra Vant, Executive General Manager – Data, Xero – Business Transformation
− Srimathi Shivashankar, Corporate Vice President, HCL Technologies – Business Turnaround
− Jo Egan, General Manager Product and Portfolio, AGL Energy – Commercial Innovation
− Anita Bhat-Zutshi, VP Commercial Experience, Unilever Operations, Unilever, Finance
− Wan Norashikin (Nonie) Mohd Nasir, VP, Global Risk Management & Business Continuity Management, Indorama Ventures- Leadership Excellence
− Farrah Losper, Senior Director: Head HIV, Tender & Government Affairs, Cipla – Operational Performance
− Nadene Serman, Group Head of IT Transformation, The a2 Milk Company – Technological Impact
The 24 finalists were assessed against specific criteria and neither their name nor the name of their company was shared with the assessors. The eight winners were chosen after being interviewed by one of our executive judges. The judges were:
– Shelley O’Connor, Chairman and CEO, Morgan Stanley Private Bank
– Tulsi Naidu, CEO APAC, Zurich Insurance Company
– Ashu Suyash, CEO, CRISL
– Dame Inga Beale, Chair, Mediclinic
– Pier Luigi Sigismondi, President, Dole Sunshine Company
– Ron Kalifa OBE, Chairman, Network International
– Tamara Box, Managing Partner EMEA, Reed Smith
– Zoran Bogdanovic, CEO, Coca-Cola HBC
More than a quarter of WeQual Award winners (UK and US) have been promoted to executive level in FTSE and Fortune 500 companies. There are now 144 women members of WeQual globally.
