Over the years, Forbes has been releasing their lists of successful people within a certain age range; Forbes 30 Under 30 as well as Forbes 50 Over 50. Earlier this week, the global media company published this year’s 50 Over 50: Asia list on their website and we’re ecstatic to see that our people have made it onto the list.
So if you think you have long passed your prime then think again cause these 3 Malaysian women certainly have proved that you can reach success at any age. In alphabetical order, let’s learn more about these women and what they’ve achieved to earn their spot on this year’s Forbes 50 Over 50: Asia list:
Ambiga Sreenevasan (67 years old)
Ambiga is a prominent Malaysian lawyer and human rights advocate. Last year, she earned the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Medal of Honor and the Gandhi Memorial Trust Public Service Award. As the second female president of the Malaysia Bar Council, she orchestrated the “March for Justice” and chaired Bersih 2.0, advocating for free and fair elections. She was a founding member of the Women’s Aid Organization and is currently the president of the Pure Life Society, a nonprofit that provides a home for the poor and orphaned.
Tunku Mona Riza (57 years old)
With only 2 film credits to her name, she has become one of the most well-known filmmakers in Malaysia. Mona Riza won Most Promising Director for “Redha”, a movie inspired by a true story about the challenges of raising an autistic child, at the Malaysia Film Festival 2017. The film was also selected as the country’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards.
In 1999, the director started her own production house, Current Pictures. “Rain Town,” her latest project back in 2023, is the first Chinese-language movie made in Malaysia by a Malay female filmmaker. It was previewed at the International Film Festival of India in Goa and the Vancouver Asian Film Festival the previous year, ahead of its February 2024 premiere.
Tan Sri Dr Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria (65 years old)
Rebecca Fatima was appointed the executive director of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat back in 2019 and is the first woman to lead the 21-member inter-governmental economic advisory body. Before promoting the whole region, she worked for ten years to shape Malaysia’s contributions to the global economy, first as deputy secretary-general and then as secretary-general and chief trade negotiator for the country’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry. She has also represented the region at the World Economic Forum and previously was a non-executive director for RHB Bank.
Source: Forbes
