Top positions in The 2025 list highlighting Asia's most influential female executives. are now held by leaders from finance and technology, driven by the AI surge and evolving financial landscapes that are creating new prospects. For the leading female executives in the region.
This year, the most influential businesswoman in Asia is DBS CEO Tan Su Shan, who took over leadership at Southeast Asia's biggest bank in March. Upon assuming leadership, she has navigated the bank through a resurgent trade conflict and the re-emergence of substitute financial instruments such as cryptocurrencies.
Tan remarked in the latest edition of Fortune magazine that he informed his colleagues, "This year is going to be unpredictable, so prepare yourselves."
Grace Wang, founder of Chinese tech manufacturer and Apple supplier Luxshare, secured second place. Notwithstanding intensifying U.S.-China tensions, Luxshare is successfully acquiring new customers, including, as reported by media reports, OpenAI, while the creator of ChatGPT considers the production of It operates independently and expands its reach to new clientele.
Following her is CFO Meng Wanzhou, who has recently commenced a six-month tenure as the tech titan's rotating chairperson. Ren Zhengfei's son, Meng Wanzhou, is set to lead Huawei's initiative to bolster China's self-reliance in cutting-edge technologies, especially given the current geopolitical climate.
At fourth place, Bonnie Chan, CEO of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), leads the Chinese city’s stock exchange as it bounces back following a year of slowdown. Economic downturn This year, Hong Kong has seen the world's largest and second-largest IPOs: battery manufacturer CATL's listing in May and the September debut of Chinese mine Zijin's gold holdings.
Kathy Yang, who assumed the interim CEO position at Foxconn in May, completes the top five. With more than thirty years in logistics, Yang is ideally situated to manage the global manufacturer’s supply chains. Foxconn's revenue from server assembly for companies such as Nvidia now surpasses its income from iPhone production for its long-standing client, Apple. The original text is not provided. Please provide the content you would like me to rewrite.
The largest representation in the MPW Asia ranking comes from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, collectively accounting for 34 executives. India and Thailand each had eight executives, with Singapore following closely with fifteen. This year, approximately 40 leaders are new to their roles, such as Sony CFO Lin Tao, Ping An CFO Fu Xin, Prudential's regional CEO Angel Ng, and Vingroup's vice Chairwoman Le Thi Thu Thuy.
Beyond business: Introducing Fortune’s Most Influential Women Asia
Influence doesn'stop at the executive suite, especially in a varied and rapidly expanding area such as Asia. This year, the Asia team at Fortune’is spotlighting numerous women leaders beyond the corporate world, celebrating achievements and impact in areas such as academia. And influences in the realms of sports, popular culture, and the creation of policy.
Asia's rising international stature is now being propelled by its vibrant pop culture. Global audiences are increasingly embracing Asian cinema, television, music, and video games, with south Korea, the birthplace of K-pop, exemplifies this phenomenon exceptionally well. also seeing significant growth in popularity. The record-breaking girl group Blackpink is continuing its global takeover with yet another world tour. The group's members—Lisa, Jennie, Jisoo, and Rosé—are also forging their own unique careers within a highly competitive industry, which has historically been controlled by major entities. Recruitment firms.
Beyond that, we have politics and the creation of policy. The continent of Asia only has a handful of female heads of government. Josephine Teo of Singapore is advocating for the city-state's goal to transform into an "AI nation," concurrently with Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike's efforts to position Tokyo's role as a nexus for worldwide finance and innovation comes at a critical juncture, as the title of "Asia's financial center" remains unclaimed.
Asian women are also increasing their impact in the realm of professional sports. Many of Asia's leading, impactful, and commercially successful athletes demonstrate that identity and ancestry can transcend geographical boundaries. Although Naomi Osaka and Eileen Gu were raised outside of Asia, they have embraced their Japanese and Chinese roots respectively, attracting new admirers in their Nations that have adopted them.
Here are the individuals featured on Fortune’s first-ever list of Asia's Most Influential Women (and find out more in our takes on each woman here)
Arts and Culture
- Blackpink (Lisa, Jennie, Rose and Jisoo—Global, fashion-forward K-pop powerhouse
- Oscar-winning, trailblazing Malaysian screen icon
- —Winner of the 2025 Venice Film Festival for Best Actress in The Sun Rises on Us All
Public Leadership and Policy
- Tokyo's governor for three terms and a key reform advocate
- Josephine Teo—Singapore’s Minister responsible for Digital Development & Information, Cybersecurity, and Smart Nation initiatives
Sports
- Filipina tennis pioneer, the first from the Philippines to secure a Grand Slam main-draw singles victory (U.S. Open 2025).
- Eileen Feng Gu—A two-time Olympic gold medalist in freestyle skiing for China, also recognized as a prominent figure bridging fashion and sports.
- —An iconic figure in motherhood, activism, and a four-time Grand Slam tennis champion
- Zheng Qinwen—China's premier tennis player, a finalist at the 2024 Australian Open, and the winner of the singles gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics