Perspectives of women in business

CHEW Gek Khim is optimistic that more women will helm businesses in the near future. Pointing to the pool of female and male graduates each year, she says "it's a matter of time that we will see equal numbers" of men and women heading companies.

"My grandmother was modern for her time," Ms Chew says of her granny who studied up to Senior Cambridge - the O Level examinations-equivalent of her time. "My mother was modern because she was a doctor. My point is each of them was modern for their time, but it takes almost a generation to make that big change.

"I didn't think it was acceptable during my mother's generation for a woman to be seen to be so aggressive. So, I think it's just a matter of time that the generation after me, maybe 10-15 years younger, will be heading businesses. The landscape is very supportive of women today, far more than ever."