KUALA LUMPUR – Though launched just six months ago, the Malaysian chapter of the Women in Tech (WIT) global movement will host the WIT Asia Pacific (Apac) Regional Awards and Open Day Conference on October 6. The movement aims to close the gender gap in science and technology industries.
An international non-profit organisation, WIT will be awarding women in eight categories, namely Aspiring Teen Award, Most Disruptive Award, Best Ally Award, Most Impactful Initiative Award, Start-Up Award, Global Leadership Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, and Woman in Web3 Award, which is a newly-added category.
The awards will take place at Pavilion Hotel, Bukit Bintang and be attended by Ayumi Moore Aoki, the founder and chief executive officer of Women in Tech, said WIT Malaysia country director Yuki Aizawa.
“We are also showcasing how the government, businesses, non-profit organisations and the academia are aligned to make Malaysia Asean’s digital hub.
“Close to 40% of the small and medium enterprises contribute to the country’s gross domestic product, the emphasis of empowering this sector through digital skills, especially the women, who were especially compromised during the pandemic is vital.
“Many women entrepreneurs need help in digital reskilling and upskilling, the understanding of the importance of intellectual property and financial literacy as business owners, among others,” said Aizawa.
The WIT Apac Regional Awards received over 500 nominations from various countries in the region, including Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Singapore, Mongolia, Australia and Malaysia.
The winners will then participate in the 5th Women in Tech Global Awards in Dubai on October 13, where the global winners will be announced.
Besides the awards ceremony, an Open Day Conference will also be held prior to the award’s dinner. It will showcase talks by financial institutions on digitalisation and sustainability, as well as issues within the industry, such as the shortage of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
These programmes are co-created with WIT’s sponsors and partners, including Malaysia Venture Capital Management Bhd (Mavcap).
“We’re also getting support from universities. We need that integration and partnership from the government, the commercial sector, as well as universities, and we’re more than happy to have universities supporting this programme,” said Aizawa.
Mavcap chief operating officer Noor Amy Ismail said the organisation is currently backing more than 30 women entrepreneurs, staying true to the mission to support women by being sustainable, inclusive and diverse.
“Mavcap has been a venture capital for 21 years and we are ready to take the brand global, hence the collaboration with WIT for the Apac Awards and Open Day Conference is timely and aligned, collective efforts are welcomed by both parties,” she said.
WIT aims to educate and empower women and girls to succeed in areas of science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics (STEAM). The organisation has programmes for every stage of a woman’s career lifecycle: from the classroom to the boardroom.
The organisation is currently on a mission to empower five million girls and women by 2030.
WIT’s Malaysian chapter was launched six months ago and has government agency partners like Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology & Innovation (Mranti), Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centre (Scenic) and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). – The Vibes, September 20, 2022
