Women Celebrating Women: Inside The Her World Women of the Year 2023 Gala Dinner
Everything that went down at the Women of the Year awards, from the winners to the inspiring guest list
On the evening of 13 October, Her World Singapore celebrated its annual Her World Women of the Year awards at the JW Marriott Singapore South Beach with a gala dinner and awards ceremony. Every year, two outstanding women are awarded two prestigious titles: the Her World Woman of the Year award and the Young Woman Achiever award. The former was established in 1991 while the latter, honouring women under the age of 39, has been awarded since 1999. These awards honour Singaporean or Singapore-based women who have made remarkable contributions to society at large through their impressive achievements.
Elizabeth Lee, editor-in-chief of Her World; Her World’s Woman of the Year 2023 Professor Jackie Ying; Minister Grace Fu; Ignatius Low, Editor-in-Chief for Lifestyle and Entertainment Media, SPH Media; Her World’s Young Woman Achiever 2023 Caecilia Chu; Joanna Lee, Editorial Director for Lifestyle Media, SPH Media.
This year's event saw some 200 guests in attendance including the two award recipients, Professor Jackie Ying (Her World Woman of the Year 2023) and Caecilia Chu (Young Woman Achiever 2023), the guest of honour, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, as well as past winners of the awards including businesswomen Jennie Chua, poet, playwright and lawyer Amanda Chong and film director Kirsten Tan.
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Actor and comedian Xixi Lim, a Her World cover star in January 2023
Spotted in the crowd were a mix of familiar faces that have graced the covers and pages of Her World magazine, and game-changing creatives and entrepreneurs. They included singer Iman Fandi, actor and comedian Xixi Lim, actor and comedian Munah Bagharib, poet Pooja Nansi, writer Amanda Lee Koe, Skin Inc's CEO and founder Sabrina Tan and Velda Tan, founder and creator of Our Second Nature.
Singer Keyana performed two songs at the gala dinner
Other highlights of the evening including an address by Minister Fu. She lauded the importance of celebrating women's achievement in the workplace and announced the launch of a new garden dedicated to women in the Dhoby Ghaut area. There was also a musical performance by model and singer Keyana, who performed two original songs "Shelter from the Rain" and "Say Ooh".
Related article: Iman Fandi, Keyana And Jean Seizure Open Up On Creating Work With Art And Soul
Host and comedian Munah Bagharib, a Her World cover star in July 2023
Her World's editor-in-chief, Elizabeth Lee also unveiled the new look Her World magazine that was launched with three cover stars: actor Janice Koh, comedian and host Preeti Nair and singer Shye. Lee also introduced three new pillars of the magazine's content; money, career and wellness, and highlighted the inaugural Her World mentorship programme that is geared towards helping women achieve in the workplace and beyond, through curated pairings of mentors and mentees.
Related article: BAZAAR Power List 2023: Munah Bagharib
Preeti Nair, one of three cover stars featured for the relaunch issue
The evening ended with the main event, the presentation of the two awards — both recipients notably thriving in traditionally male-dominated fields of fintech and biotech. Chu, is the co-founder and CEO of YouTrip, a mobile fintech company that revolutionises multi-currency travel. She was lauded as the Young Achiever of the Year for her innovation and successful partnerships that have propelled the business forward. Meanwhile, Professor Ying, founder of A*Star’s NanoBio Lab and co-founder of Cellbae, was celebrated for her pioneering achievement in the field of nanobiotechnology in an outstanding career that spans over 32 years.