Women-owned businesses in Southeast Asia are on the rise due to the help of technology. In celebration of Women’s Month, let’s salute the female founders forging new paths through e-commerce!
Lazada hosted its inaugural Lazada Forward Women Awards 2021 (the Awards) on International Women’s Day that recognized six outstanding women across Southeast Asia who are trailblazers in the e-commerce space and showcased resilience and innovation in their journeys as entrepreneurs.
The Awards celebrates the range of accomplishments and milestones women in the region have achieved by overcoming challenging circumstances in their personal lives, communities, and cultures. Comprising three award categories, namely the Creative Seller Award, Enterprising Seller Award, and Inspiring Seller Award. The first-ever six award recipients have demonstrated their different approaches to overcoming and embracing new ideas when building an online business. The winners are:
Creative Seller Award
- Anne Ong, Owner of Anne’s Secret Recipes, Singapore
- Pham Thi Xuan Hong, Owner of PinkShopGiayDep, Vietnam
Enterprising Seller Award
- Georgianna Carlos, Owner of Fetch, Philippines
- Lalilla Thamnita, Owner of AggieHome, Thailand
Inspiring Seller Award
- Hanna Suhardi, Owner of Shopping Shoes, Indonesia
- Annie Chia, Owner of NLWK Florist, Malaysia
During the awards ceremony, Chun Li, Chief Executive Office of Lazada Group, said, “I am honored to be amongst such inspirational women today. You found interesting and unique ways to leverage the Lazada platform to not only establish your online business but also to engage customers and build a niche following while uplifting the lives around you. Lazada is proud to be your partner and have the opportunity to be part of your successful journey.”
As part of the Awards presentation ceremony, Chun Li also joined in a lively discussion moderated by Virginia Tan, Founding Partner of Teja Ventures and Co-Founder of She Loves Tech, with panelist Ayesha Khanna, CEO of Addo.ai, on the topic of Growing Women Entrepreneurship in Southeast Asia: Current Challenges and Opportunities.
With the steady acceleration and growth of eCommerce in Southeast Asia, there is an increasing number of women business owners who have turned to the digital economy due to the convenience of starting a home business, the low barriers of entry, and ease of registering a store on the Lazada platform, as well as the availability of services, solutions, and knowledge to sustain and grow a business.
“I know there are many women making waves in the industry, both in the Philippines and around Southeast Asia, and I’m honored to be recognized in the first-ever Lazada Forward Women Awards. I hope this serves as an inspiration for more aspiring female entrepreneurs to embark on their business journeys. It will be great to continuously uplift our community of small local businesses as we learn and grow together,” says Georgianna Carlos, owner of Fetch on Lazada Philippines.
“We are proud of Georgianna and all of our sellers across the region for being recognized at this year’s Lazada Forward Women Awards. At Lazada, our goal is to empower small businesses and help them grow in the digital economy. We are happy to foster an ever-growing community of female entrepreneurs, as they continue to make their mark and uplift the industry with their inspiring stories,” says Ray Alimurung, Lazada Philippines Chief Executive Officer.
Held live in Singapore, the Awards was also live-streamed on the Lazada LazLive channel to viewers in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. It also featured guest performers like Malaysia’s rap darling, Zamaera, and Singapore’s very own funny woman, Sharul Channa.
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