Madonnas and Mavericks Power Women in Singapore

There is a saying that women hold up half the sky. This cannot be more true than in the Singapore context where women form more than 50% of the workforce.This book is a tribute to the women who have contributed to the growth of Singapore. The women have been selected across varying fields ranging from legal, financial, medical, fashion, sports, arts to even the now ubiquitous "social media".These women have demonstrated their ability to rise above the ordinary and to push the margins as frontier. Unlike the Forbes' list that holds a definitive annual audit of the foremost heads of state, CEOs and celebrity role models ranked by money and media momentum, our list of Madonnas and Mavericks are determined by their spheres of influence, dedication and commitment to their craft and industries as well as their somewhat elusive nature. These women may not be always in the limelight but they certainly have contributed to our nation's growth and success.

Loretta Chen cuts a prominent figure in both academia and the entertainment arena, having topped her Masters' cohort at the prominent Royal Holloway College, University of London, and being the first doctoral scholar in Theatre Studies from UCLA-NUS. She is also a creative consultant and director of high-profile theatrical productions and marketing campaigns, as well as a seasoned host, corporate trainer and consultant.

Featured Personalities

Chan Heng Chee (Politics) Ambassador Chan was the first woman ambassador from an East Asian country to be assigned to the United States in 1996. She is now Ambassador-at-Large with the Singapore Foreign Ministry, Chairman of the National Arts Council and sits on the board of many other notable establishments including the Board of Trustees of the National University of Singapore and a Member of the Yale-NUS Governing Board.

Halimah Yacob (Politics) A member of the country's governing People's Action Party, she is currently the ninth Speaker of Parliament, having assumed office on 14 January 2013.

Sylvia Lim (Politics) Currently a member of the opposition Workers' Party (WP) and an elected Member of Parliament (MP) representing Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (Aljunied GRC), she previously served in the Singapore Police Force and subsequently joined Temasek Polytechnic as a law lecturer. She also a senior associate in Peter Low LLC, helmed by former Law Society president Peter Low.

Janice Wong (F&B) Named "Asia's Best Pastry Chef” for the second year running by the prestigious San Pellegrino and one of Asia's 50 Best Pastry Chefs by World Gourmet Summit Awards of Excellence for the 3rd year. The imaginative, inventive chef opened 2am:dessertbar in Singapore, a haven of masterfully created progressive plated desserts.

Nichol Ng (F&B) The co-founder of Singapore's first and only food bank, The Food Bank Singapore and a founding member of Support for Eating Disorders Singapore, she has been featured in Singapore Women's Weekly as a nominee for the Great Women of Our Time in the year 2013. She is also a recipient of the Spirit of Enterprise Award 2010, given to entrepreneurs who have shown resilience and tenacity in building businesses.

Jennie Chua (Business & Enterprise) Named one of Forbes Asia's “50 Women in the Mix” in 2013 and received three Singapore National Day Awards in 1984, 2004 and 2008, she is crowned as “Singapore's Grande Dame”. She is also known as the first woman in history to assume the positions of chairman of the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce and general manager of the prestigious Raffles Hotel.

Cynthia Chua (Lifestyle) Founder and CEO of the Spa Esprit Group, she is known as a lifestyle entrepreneur in Singapore, and was awarded the Singapore Tourism Board's “Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year” in 2012.

Odile Benjamin (Fashion & Retail) The Divisional CEO and Co-Creative Director in F J Benjamin Holdings, she is known for the development of Singapore-based fashion brand Raoul.

Tjin Lee (Fashion) The founder and managing director of Mercury Marketing & Communications, she founded the Audi Fashion Festival in 2009 which was renamed the Singapore Fashion Week, and helms it as chairman. She is also the co-founder of social enterprise CRIB, which raises awareness for the empowerment of women through entrepreneurship.

Olivia Lum (Pharmaceutical) Best known for being the founder, group CEO and president of the Singapore-based Hyflux Group, she also heads the Research and Development function. By 2005, she had a net worth of over US$240 million, which earned her a place as the only woman on Forbes' “Southeast Asia Rich List”.

Ivy Singh-Lim (Organic Farming) A strong soul who calls herself “The Gentle Warrior”, the co-owner of Bollywood Veggies, a farming collective and organic growing education centre, was a former president of Netball Singapore before stepping down in 2005 after 13 years at the helm.

Fanny Lai (Wildlife Conservation) A retired corporate executive without formal training in art or cartoon illustration, she is now a cartoon artist. She was the Group CEO of Wildlife Reserve Singapore, taking care of Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, Jurong Bird Park and the development of River Safari.

Geh Min (Environment/Conservation) The former President of Nature Society in Singapore and a Nominated Member of Parliament from January 2005 to April 2006, she now heads the Environment and Health Functional Committee of the South-West Community Development Council. She is a Board Member of the Nature Conservancy's Asia Pacific Council; the Water Network of the PUB; and the Singapore Environment Council.

Theresa Goh (Sports) A Singaporean swimmer and Paralympic medallist with a bronze in the SB4 100m breaststroke at the 2016 Summer Paralympics. She holds the world records for the SB4 50 metres and 200 metres breaststroke events.

Janice Koh (Performing Arts) Stage and television actress and a former Nominated Member of Parliament in Singapore.

Xiang Yun (Performing Arts) A Singaporean actress, television host and Mediacorp artiste, she is commonly referred to as Mediacorp's first "Ah Jie" (senior actress) for being among the first locally trained artistes and has been in the entertainment industry for more than 30 years.

Siow Lee-Chin (Performing Arts) Praised for her “electrifying” performances and ability to “seduce listeners” with her charismatic stage presence, Lee-Chin, Gold medal winner of the Henryk Szeryng International Violin Competition, is “a distinguished cultural asset of international stature” (American Record Guide).