Leadership in Action: Dividends and Interest - Malaysia's Financial Sector is Banking on Women

KEEPING GUARD

Is it a coincidence that Malaysia's financial sector has a number of women in key leadership roles? What enables these women to make such a significant contribution to the vibrant economy of this progressive, multiracial Islamic society? To find out, I spoke with Pat Chua, a Malaysian whose family hails originally from China. Pat has worked as a senior business leader in Malaysia, the United States, and Hong Kong. According to her: “It is not at all unusual to find Malaysian women CFOs, since there is a widely held cultural belief in Malaysia that when it comes to keeping hold of the purse strings and ‘guarding the money,’ women excel. This is why we find comparatively large numbers of high-ranking women not only in finance positions ...