Winners of 30th edition of Her World Woman of the Year picked for their international contributions

HER World magazine on Friday (Oct 15) named two Singaporean businesswomen who had driven digital transformation and pushed boundaries as winners of its 30th Her World Woman of the Year awards.

Jessica Tan, co-chief executive officer (CEO) and executive director at Chinese insurance company Ping An Group, was named Her World Woman of the Year 2021; while Lin Fengru, CEO and co-founder of Singapore biotech firm TurtleTree, received the Her World Young Woman Achiever 2021 award.

Ng Yi Lian, editor at Her World Singapore, a Singapore Press Holdings publication, said that while the awards have often celebrated Singaporean women for their local input, the 30th edition of Her World Woman of the Year recognise the importance of Tan and Lin's international contributions.

"With Covid-19 still a prevalent global issue, we've come to realise - now more than ever - how the entire world is truly connected and that no matter where we come from, we have the ability to make a difference to the world as exemplified by both our winners," said Ng.

Tan, 44, was ranked in second place on Fortune Magazine's Most Powerful Women International list among businesses outside the United States in 2020.

She had a 13-year career at consulting firm McKinsey & Company after graduating from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a computer engineering degree.

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She then joined Ping An as its group chief information officer, and was behind numerous technology breakthroughs that propelled the company into a global financial service behemoth. This includes developing a telehealth app offering free online medical consultations during the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020.

"I'm really humbled and privileged to receive this award. I've dedicated the past eight-and-a-half years of my career working in China, with our teams at Ping An, to use financial services and technology to improve the lives of our 600 million customers. It's been a very fulfilling ride, and I'm glad that the work that we've done is recognised," said Tan.

Lin, 33, co-founded biotech company TurtleTree with chief strategist Max Rye after hitting a roadblock in her cheesemaking hobby due to the lack of good quality milk options in Singapore.

TurtleTree is the first company to be able to produce both animal and human milk in their full compositions through patented stem cell technology. It raised US$3.2 million in seed funding in June last year, and also received S$1 million from the Temasek Foundation.

"At TurtleTree, we will continue working on our mission to uplift the world by providing a new generation of nutrition that's better for the planet, better for the animals, and better for people everywhere." said Lin.

Since 1991, the annual Her World Woman of the Year award has paid tribute to outstanding women who have made breakthroughs in their industries, and have left a positive and long-lasting impact both locally and overseas with their stellar achievements.

The Her World Young Woman Achiever award was introduced in 1999 to recognise young women aged 35 and below whose achievements have surpassed existing boundaries, inspired those around them, and paved the way for aspiring young females.