Meet The Four M’sian Women Who Made It On Forbes’ 50 Over 50: Asia 2023 List

By Lara Kramer  •  18 Jan 2023 in Features

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In the words of Forbes themselves, the 50 over 50 Asia 2023 list introduces 50 Asian-Pacific women above the age of 50 who are breaking new ground in their fields and motivating the region’s youth.

Meet the 4 Malaysian women who are evidently proving that success can happen at any age in their respective fields, as featured in the renowned list produced in collaboration with Mika Brzezinski and Know Your Value:

1. Beh Gaik Lian

In 2022, at the age of 69, Chef Beh received a Michelin Star for her Baba Nyonya restaurant in Penang, serving a traditional array of Chinese/Malay fusion cuisine dishes.

She is among the first Malaysian chefs to be awarded the accolade. Beh, a fourth-generation Nyonya of Peranakan Chinese descent from Malaysia, began developing the distinctive cuisine at the age of 12.

Beh worked as an in-house cook in Motorola’s canteen while she was in her 20s before launching a catering business that provided meals to large corporations. Beh honed her expertise under the tutelage of Master Chef of Chefs Datuk Lim Bian Yam.

Then, in 2013, Beh and her son opened the Baba Nyonya eatery.

2. Asma Ismail

Ismail is a top-ranked scholar in Malaysia with scores of articles and patents in the field of microbiology to her credit.

At the age of 63, she received the nation’s National Academic Laureate award in March 2022.

Prior to that, she held the first female vice-chancellor position at Universiti Sains Malaysia from 2016 to 2019. She has also held a number of other esteemed professorships throughout her career, namely chair of the educational oversight body Malaysian Qualifications Agency and a scientific advisor position to COP15.

The widely used TYPHIDOT typhoid fast diagnostic test is one of Ismail’s most notable inventions.

3. Karina Robles Bahrin

At the age of 52, Robles Bahrin wrote her first book. The Accidental Malay, which envelops issues of race, religion and feminism, made her the second Malaysian and the first female Malaysian to win the Epigram Books Fiction Prize 2022.

Through this, she was awarded RM78,000 and signed a publishing deal with Epigram Books.

After a 20-year career in public relations, Robles Bahrin, who was born and bred in Kuala Lumpur, relocated to Langkawi to establish a hotel and eatery.

4. Ambiga Sreenevasan

Sreenevasan, who was born in Malaysia to a well-known urologist, commenced her legal career in England in 1980 before being admitted to the Malaysian Bar two years later.

Her work tended to concentrate more on business and commercial litigation throughout the ensuing three decades.

She earned recognition in 2007 when she organised a march of 2,000 attorneys demanding for judicial reform while serving as president of the Malaysian Bar.

She led a campaign for election reform in 2011 and has been a steadfast supporter of Malaysian women’s rights. Her work as an advocate has continued apace.

Additionally, the United States International Women of Courage Award was presented to Sreenevasan in 2009.

Congrats to these astounding women, and may they continue empowering and inspiring others!