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.
Based in Hong Kong, Clare is responsible for driving business growth and leading WTW’s client and colleague experience across its business segments in Asia. Clare brings diverse experience to this role having spent 30 years in human capital consulting, serving clients and leading large, multi-disciplinary teams across various international markets, including Asia Pacific, Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East, and Latin America. Clare is Malaysian, born and brought up in KL with further education in London. Clare holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of London and a Master of Science in Industrial Relations from the London School of Economics.
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.
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).
Sophie Zwick is a final year BA politics and international relations student at SOAS, London. Sophie grew up in Germany and Thailand. She volunteered for a year as a German language teaching assistant in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. To continue her support for better access to good education, Sophie is working for PAWA alongside her studies.
Born in Kampala, Uganda. Educated in India. Arrived in England as a Ugandan Refugee in 1972. Worked from 1972 at Alcan Foils/ London Transport/ Global forwarding / Steel company of Canada and from 1984 till 2020 with Samac Steel Supplies / Stemcor Holdings as operations Manager dealing with Chatering / Ligistics/ Insurance / Credit Control and Quality claims. Currently retired. Winner of ISTA LOGISTIC and Merit Awards. Hobbies- Indian classical and folk music/ dancing / drama /swimming/ reading .
I am a stay-at-home mother and a part-time tutor, with a background in Computer Science. I joined PAWA in 2019: initially serving as the Social Media Manager, and now as the Supporters’ Secretary.
Mara is part of the PAWA Development Committee. After an executive level international marketing career in media and entertainment with companies like Warner Bros., Disney and ITV, Mara became a Careers Consultant for UCL School of Management and Queen Mary UoL Law School helping students from all over the world gain their careers aspirations. This is what makes supporting an organization like PAWA so relevant and important to her.
Diana Chan, PAWA supporter since 2011, is former CEO of financial services firm EuroCCP. She was one of the Financial News 100 Most Influential Women in Europe for 9 years.
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.
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
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.
An Indonesian living in London, Tigana is currently working as a product analyst in the fintech sector. She has been a PAWA volunteer since March 2022 as a web administrator. In her spare time she loves cooking and cycling around East London.
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.
Spaniard from the South of Spain who fell in love with London 8 years ago. Charity World has always been an area of interest in my life that I was involved with since I was a teenager.
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.
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.
Shwetal is an International Technology Partnerships Manager at MediaCom Global. Outside of her day-to-day role, she is a Trustee at Volunteer Centre Camden, Grants Committee Member at Youth Futures Foundation, a Nominations Committee Member at The Royal Institution and Board Member at Leeds Beckett University. Passionate about increasing diversity within STEAM industries, Shwetal launched and manages The Change-Makers Initiative giving £200 in funding to young people aged 11-19 to work on STEAM social action projects. Her outreach initiatives over several years have led to her being recognised in the Yahoo Finance 2020 Role Model, a 2019 UK Exceptional Talent Tech visa, the Financial Times’ 2018 top 100 BME in Tech list, and a 2017 Dalai Lama Compassionate Leader. She was born in Mumbai, India and currently funds girls education through a school in India.
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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