Asia continues to cement its position as a global growth engine, and at the forefront of this momentum are women leaders rewriting business playbooks across sectors. The Asia’s Power Businesswomen 2025 list, compiled by Forbes Asia, highlights 20 visionary women transforming industries ranging from AI and semiconductors to finance, retail, and hospitality. These trailblazers represent the next era of growth, innovation, and leadership excellence across the region.

The honorees span 12 markets, signaling that gender-driven business transformation is taking place across Asia’s diverse economies. More than half are high-performing executives with decades of industry experience, while others represent new-age founders building billion-dollar technology platforms. Several are ushering legacy family businesses into the next generation, blending tradition with new corporate strategies to thrive in a rapidly changing economic landscape.

Below is a closer look at several standout figures from the 2025 list, each representing a unique milestone for women in leadership across Asia.

Driving Infrastructure and Growth in Southeast Asia

Mybelle V. Aragon-GoBio, President and CEO of Robinsons Land in the Philippines, represents a historic shift in one of the country’s biggest conglomerates. As the first woman and first non-family leader of the company, she has charted an ambitious five-year expansion plan worth 125 billion Philippine pesos (Forbes Asia). Her strategy includes doubling net income to 25 billion pesos by 2030, expanding mall presence, and growing office and hotel portfolios. Starting as an administrative assistant in 1993, her ascent showcases a powerful merit-driven leadership story.

In Malaysia, Sarena Cheah, Executive Deputy Chairman at Sunway, is steering the conglomerate into aggressive overseas expansion. Sunway recently closed its largest-ever acquisition, a S$740 million deal for Singapore developer MCL Land, while delivering 56% profit growth in 2024 to 1.2 billion ringgit (Forbes Asia). Her vision? Build the next 50-year blueprint for the group founded by her father.

Representing Indonesia, Lani Darmawan, CEO of Bank CIMB Niaga, has delivered four consecutive years of record profits, with 2024 net profit reaching 6.8 trillion rupiah, and pushed the bank’s shares up 75% during her leadership (Forbes Asia). Her strategy focuses on boosting SME and retail lending, sectors driving Indonesia’s economic grassroots momentum.

Tech Titans Fueling AI and Semiconductor Growth

Asia’s position at the center of the global tech supply chain is also reflected in the list. Emily Hong, Chair and CSO of Wiwynn (Taiwan), has built one of the world’s fastest-growing AI server suppliers. Wiwynn posted 166% revenue growth in the first half of 2025, reaching NT$391.4 billion (Forbes Asia). Hong anticipated the shift toward cloud computing early, positioning the firm as a key partner for hyperscalers like AWS and Oracle.

Another Taiwanese leader, Margaret Kao of Marketech International, has established a critical presence in semiconductor manufacturing. With customers including TSMC, ASML and Micron, her company recorded NT$60.7 billion in revenue in 2024, its fifth consecutive year of growth (Forbes Asia). Kao's company plays a crucial role in expanding global semiconductor capacity, a vital priority amid rising geopolitical competition.

Singapore-based Jamie Khoo, CEO of DayOne Data Centers, is building digital infrastructure powering AI adoption across Asia. The company operates 14 data centers with 350MW capacity, with plans exceeding 2GW by 2030 and an expansion into Europe (Forbes Asia). With backing from global investors including SoftBank, DayOne is accelerating the region’s AI infrastructure build-out.

Finance and Consumer Leaders Breaking Barriers

In Thailand, Kattiya Indaravijaya, CEO of Kasikornbank, has overseen a doubling of the lender’s market value since taking the helm. Despite economic headwinds, the bank continues expanding digitally, serving 23 million users via its mobile Bank-as-a-Platform strategy (Forbes Asia).

In India, Ruchi Kalra, CFO of Oxyzo and co-founder of OfBusiness, has achieved what few founders globally have done, co-building two profitable unicorns. Oxyzo reported 3.4 billion rupees in profit for FY2025, while OfBusiness posted 6 billion rupees (Forbes Asia).

Consumer powerhouse Priya Nair, CEO of Hindustan Unilever, became the first woman to lead Unilever's India operations. Her mandate: accelerate digital transformation for India's 9-million-store distribution network and revive growth across core FMCG categories (Forbes Asia).

Luxury, Logistics, and Rare Earths, New-Age Growth Stories

Hospitality heiress Kuok Hui Kwong, now CEO of Shangri-La, is steering the group through China’s travel slowdown by accelerating global expansion and asset-light management models.

Meanwhile, Amanda Lacaze, CEO of Lynas Rare Earths (Australia), stands at the center of global critical minerals strategy. With China tightening rare earth exports, Lynas has become a key alternative supplier, supported by strategic partnerships and government agreements, including an $8.5-billion critical-minerals pact between Australia and the U.S. (Forbes Asia).

Asia's Power Businesswomen 2025 represent a powerful movement, from boardrooms to data halls, from retail floors to semiconductor fabs. Their collective influence demonstrates that the future of Asia’s economic and technology expansion will be shaped not only by innovation and capital, but also by inclusive leadership and gender-driven progress.

These leaders aren’t just breaking ceilings, they’re building new floors for future generations to stand on.