Rahiyah spent over 20 years in the financial sector, mainly as a corporate banker with one of the largest banks in Asia, CIMB Bank and a further 13 years as a Principal Officer of one of the largest Asian Asset Managers, PNB (UK) Ltd in London. During this time, she was also the Chairperson and independent trustee of the Malaysian Rubber Research Centre pension fund in Brickendonbury, in the UK, trustee for CIMB (previously Bumiputra-Commerce Bank) London branch staff pension fund, director of CIMB London branch Nominee company and director of CIMB GK Goh Ltd, the UK stock broking arm of CIMB group. She is currently a Director of Dricopax Capital Ltd and a trustee for PAWA.
Betty is a Charter Member, Trustee and Founding Chair of PAWA. Born in Hong Kong, educated in Switzerland and the US. She worked in publishing, television and promotion of Asian arts and culture. She is currently touring an international exhibition.
My Phuong has been a trustee of PAWA since its inception in 2009. Born in Vietnam, raised in California, she has lived in Paris, New York, London, and Zürich. My Phuong was educated at Columbia University, the Ritz Escoffier and SOAS where she earned a Masters in Asian Art. She divides her time between Switzerland and the UK.
Of Malaysian Chinese origin. Mei Sim Lai is the Founder; Principal of LaiPeters; Co. Since 2006 she has been the Queen’s Representative in Brent. She holds and has held several Government, City, private, charity/not for profit appointments including being Chair of CWN, IWF UK, Mulan Foundation Network and a Trustee of Womankind Worldwide. Mei Sim is also a director of IWE and AIWF.
Clare is a Founder Charter member of PAWA and has been a Trustee since 2019. She was born and grew up in Malaysia. She studied Pyschology and Industrial Relations at University College London and The London School of Economics. Clare has had a long career in consulting working with WTW across industries and regions. Currently located in Hong Kong, Clare combines her PAWA trustee commitments with her role as co-founder of a HK Senior Womens Leadership Program- ACcelerate and as an executive coach.
Kamalakshi Mehta is a former journalist and editor, with experience at Reuters, Euromoney and the World Economic Forum (WEF). She is now a freelance writer and a Trustee at a girls’ school in India. She was Chair of PAWA’s Management Committee for 2 years.
Azlinda is a senior corporate lawyer and a Consulting Partner at an international law firm based in London. She also sits as a trustee for a large UK charity focused on international education.
Zehan was born and grew up in Malaysia. She studied architecture in London at University College London and the Architectural Association and has worked in architecture, design and property in London and Kuala Lumpur. She is now based in London with her husband and two sons. She is a Founding Charter Member of PAWA and is now the Projects Trustee for PAWA after 8 years as the Chair of the Management Committee and 2 years as Chair of Trustees. As well as PAWA, she has been actively involved in the third sector through the Heritage of Malaysia Trust, British Malaysian Society and recently as President of FIWAL (Federation of International Women’s Associations in London).
Asmihan Ibrahim (Ash) is a Head of Legal at CIMB London focusing on real estate financing. Prior to joining CIMB London, Ash worked as a solicitor with 2 city law firms. She earned an LLB from University of Aberystwyth and LLM from University of Niigata, Japan. As a result of her LLM thesis that criticised “Too Big To Fail Banks” (pre-Lehman Brothers), she was invited as a Fulbright scholar with Georgetown University Law Centre to study the FDIC structure. Ash is licensed to practice in England & Wales and Malaysia.
Born in Shanghai, China, Ying came to UK in the late 90s. Having studied Computer Science both in China and UK, she now works as a Business Engineer at Zurich Insurance.
Giana joined PAWA in December 2022 as a volunteer and is a member of the events team.
Originally from Singapore and of Bangadeshi descent, Giana is now based in London having recently completed her postgraduate studies in Creative and Cultural Industries. Working with young girls in Asia and making education and the arts more accessible is something Giana is very passionate about spreading.
Effie is an Architect who has particular experience in managing complex projects. Effie was born in Malaysia and is passionate about helping the next generation in South East Asia
Mandy has international experience running successful businesses working alongside the British Museum, M&S, and currently focusing on the well established London Lodge Hotel in Kensington. Having two girls of her own, she truly believes in the power of education.
Mari was born in Sri Lanka prior to coming to the UK for her secondary education. She is now retired but worked with the Youth Offending Service as their Restorative Justice Co-ordinator bringing together the young offenders and their victims. She is excited to be involved with PAWA in educating teenage girls in South East Asia
A seasoned marketing professional with extensive experience spanning from Asia to U.K. with both startups and multinational companies. Jessica enjoys cinema, theatre and tennis in her spare time.
Tia Andrea Guttensohn is a multicultural actor, educator, and entrepreneur. Being of Singaporean and Austrian heritage, and having grown up in Singapore, Switzerland, and Hong Kong, she finds a piece of home wherever she goes. Tia is a fresh graduate from the MA Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship: Theatre and Performance programme at Goldsmiths, University of London, and is in the process of establishing a social enterprise to empower multicultural youth through drama-based techniques. She takes a keen and urgent interest in sustainability, and finds joy and inspiration in the diversity of Southeast London.
Born in Hubei, China, and grew up in Guangdong, China, she works in a real estate marketing role in London currently. She has a strong passion for young children and helping them thrive. In pursuit of this passion, she has gained many volunteer experiences reaching and communicating with children. She believes that girls are the ones who need more care and support, and she hopes to see more young people achieve self-realization.
Wing Lau is a graphic designer. She studied design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. To pursue her creative dreams, she relocated to London for 2 years.
What drives her to be part of PAWA is that it relates to her own experience. Her family’s financial situation did not allow her to continue her university studies when she was 18 and she had to fight for it through scholarships and government subsidies. She want every girl to have the same opportunity to be educated as she did.
Yasmin is an aspiring author, currently working on her first novel, with previous experience in PR and has been volunteering with PAWA since Spring 2021. She is of Malaysian heritage and has a passion for teen fiction and encouraging young peoples’ love and enthusiasm for reading.
Tessa recently finished her MA in museum studies at SOAS and is currently working in the heritage and charity sector. Originally from the sunny island of Singapore, she has been working at Pawa since 2022, as a part of the comms team. In her free time, she enjoys reading a good book and cooking for her friends.
Carol is the Founder and Managing Director of Comms8, a London-based integrated communications agency specialized in working with brands in the UK and Asia to engage their customers locally and globally.
We don’t know what we don’t know – and education is one way to change this. Only then, future can be altered. This is why I join Pawa as I believe we can make a difference.
Hailing from a small village in India, I had the first-hand experience of how education can change girls’ lives. I strongly believe in PAWA’s mission. Systems Engineer at Euroclear keeps my passion alive.
Joanna has relocated back to the UK, after over 20 years of progressive experience in finance operations within the legal sector (and other professional services) supporting offices in the Asia Pacific and Middle East region. Now, she manages her own consultancy providing Financial Management and Accounting Services within Herefordshire.
I advise PAWA Trustees on impact evaluation. I worked extensively in higher education both as a lecturer in English literature at the University of Wolverhampton and as Pro vice chancellor for academic planning and widening participation. As a member of Action on Access I helped develop national evaluation strategies for widening participation initiatives.
I lived in Malaysia for 19 years where I ran the library at the British School and set up the library at Kolej Tuanku Jaafar, a Malaysian Public School. Then moved to Indonesia and finally back to England where I worked on the private collection of Chef Anton Mosimann’s cookery books and ran his cookery school. The PAWA projects are very close to my heart and I am so glad of the opportunity to maintain ties with Malaysia through the work of PAWA.
After having spent more than 30 years building my career in the financial services industry covering European and Asian markets, I have decided to start dedicating more time helping young women build confidence to achieve their potential and gain their independence financiallly and mentally, wherever they are in the world, and whatever their circumstances.
Worked in financial management in various settings. Born in Singapore. Interests in gardening and the arts.
Mayumi is a Director at Gemsstock Ltd. She has 17 years’ experience in the hedge fund industry. Prior to that, she covered Asian equity sales in Asia including at Goldman Sachs.
Sheila worked in arts management and now volunteers as a play therapist in a local primary school. She lived in Hong Kong and was fortunate to travel widely in Asia in her twenties.
I am chair of the PAWA Projects’ Committee and have been a part of PAWA for five years. I used to teach and have lived in Asia for many years
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