Women are shattering age and gender norms all over the world.
On Wednesday, Forbes and Know Your Value released its second annual “50 Over 50: Asia” list.
The list recognizes women in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s — and beyond — who have found significant success later in life, often by overcoming formidable odds or barriers. It comes on the heels of the U.S. list, which was released in October.
The honorees come from 15 different countries and territories and work across 28 different sectors.
Notable list makers include:
Aya Komaki, 63 (Japan)
Komaki joined Sanrio (creator of Hello Kitty) after earning a Masters in Education at Tokyo University but quit to raise a family in 1984. After the loss of a child and a divorce, Komaki returned to Sanrio in 2003. Once back, she survived breast cancer and a hysterectomy to become a board director in 2015 at Sanrio’s amusement subsidiary. She was charged with Puroland theme park, also known as Hello Kitty Land, and it reached a historic high of 2.19 million visitors in less than four years. Komaki was appointed President and CEO in 2019 at age 60. She moved operations online during the pandemic, streaming parades and online meetups. Komaki advocates for cervical cancer awareness and women’s health, hosting Let’s Talk, an event themed on menstruation at Puroland in July 2021.
Anita Dongre, 58, (India)
Dongre founded House of Anita Dongre in 1995 with her sister and two sewing machines in her Mumbai apartment. House of Anita Dongre now includes four brands, AND (western wear), Global Desi (contemporary line), Grassroot (sustainable luxury brand), and Pinkcity (jewelry). The fashion house has 280 exclusive brand stores, and Dongre opened Grassroots in Manhattan in 2017 at age 53. Her fans include countless Bollywood stars such as Alia Bhatt and Priyanka Chopra, royals like Kate Middleton and international superstar Beyoncé. Dongre is a vegan and member of PETA, and is often referred to as the “Queen of Prêt” by Indian media.
Doris Hsu, 61 (Taiwan)
Hsu leads GlobalWafers, one of the world’s largest suppliers of silicon wafers used in making chips. In June the company announced it would invest up to $5 billion in a new wafer plant in Sherman, Texas, that would create as many as 1,500 jobs. The plan, seen as a strategic move, came two months before the U.S. enacted its $52 billion CHIPS and Science Act to attract investment and boost domestic production of semiconductors.
Hsu took the helm of the Hsinchu-headquartered firm—which was born as a spinoff from Taiwan’s Sino-American Silicon Products (SAS)—in 2011. Prior to her top role as chair and CEO, she had been a sales engineer for an equipment supplier to SAS and then joined the company in the same role in 1988.
With a passion for semiconductors made clear by frequently arriving at work by 5 a.m., Hsu has led GlobalWafers to become a publicly-traded company on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, with a market capitalization of nearly $6 billion, backed up by sales of $2.3 billion in 2022. To Hsu, sky’s the limit. She is now eyeing a push into the U.S. solar energy market Fan Daidi,56, (China) Fan became a billionaire in November after listing Giant Biogene Holding on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in a nearly $500 million IPO. The company, which Fan cofounded in 2000, is built around her scientific research on collagen in facial products and especially masks. In 2021, these products constituted the majority of the company’s $220 million in sales. Fan leads both research at the Xi’an-based company and as a dean at Xi’an’s Northwest University. The list was revealed as Forbes and Know Your Value gears up for the upcoming “30-50 Summit” in Abu Dhabi, which will take place March 7-10 over International Women’s Day. It will be the greatest global event for women in history. Speakers include Hillary Clinton, Gloria Steinem, Malala Yousafzai, Ayesha Curry and more. The summit focuses on creating cross-generational alliances to provide guidance and insights to women at every stage of their career, while also offering diverse perspectives and rich cultural immersion. “We’ll talk professional success, personal fulfillment and especially impact,” said Know Your Value founder and “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski. “We’ll spend time with true icons, including Hillary Clinton, Gloria Steinem and Malala Yousafzai. And, we’ll network and build relationships and connections that can change the world.” Click here to see the entire “50 Over 50: Asia” list. And go here to get more information about Forbes and Know Your Value’s “30-50 Summit.”
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