Women Entrepreneurs from ASEAN and Japan Drive Innovation, Sustainability, and Inclusivity at the ASEAN-Japan Women Entrepreneurs’ Summit in Kuala Lumpur

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia--( BUSINESS WIRE )-- The ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC), in collaboration with the ASEAN Youth Organization and with the support of the ASEAN Coordinating Committee for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (ACCMSME) and Women Leadership Foundation Malaysia, successfully hosted the ASEAN-Japan Women Entrepreneurs’ Summit in Kuala Lumpur. The Summit emphasized the pivotal role of women entrepreneurs in driving economic innovation, sustainability, and inclusivity across the ASEAN-Japan region. This milestone event, held in alignment with Malaysia’s 2025 ASEAN Chairmanship, highlighted the critical role of women entrepreneurs in advancing economic innovation, sustainability, and inclusivity across the region. ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn, Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Investment (METI) Director Yumiko Hata, and Malaysia Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Co-operatives Development Minister Ybhg. Ewon Benedick delivered the Welcome Remarks, Opening Remarks, and Message of Support to Women Entrepreneurs, respectively, through video messages.

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Speakers and organizers during the ASEAN-Japan Women Entrepreneurs Summit (Photo: Business Wire)

Bringing together over 100 women entrepreneurs, investors, business accelerators, and ecosystem enablers from across the ten ASEAN Member States and Japan, the Summit fostered dynamic discussions on the challenges and opportunities in the evolving business landscape. The Summit takes stock of where we currently are in enabling the 60 million women entrepreneurs in the ASEAN region in scaling their contribution to economic and social growth.

Dato’ Munirah Looi, Board Member of MyDigital Corp and Advisor and Regional CEO of BlueOnion delivered an inspiring keynote, emphasizing agility, resilience, customer experience, and employee engagement as essential factors in building business adaptability—particularly in navigating economic disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic.

A key session, “Harnessing AI and Digital Skills,” explored how technology can drive growth for women-led enterprises. Lennise Ng, CEO of Borong, Malaysia, stressed that digitalization must precede AI adoption, highlighting the urgent need for stronger digital infrastructure. The speakers voiced the role of governments in crafting policies to make innovation accessible and available for women entrepreneurs across geographical and socio-economic boundaries.

The session on “Strategic Access to Finance and Gender-Lens Investment”, highlighted the remaining need for investment literacy for women entrepreneurs, from understanding various forms of grants and funds to accessing the right network of investors and business accelerators that can expand their access to finance. Equally important is women representation within investment companies, that truly understands the unique financial challenges of women-led businesses.

The session on “Easing Women’s Burden: Innovations in the Care Economy” showcased transformative solutions that are reshaping care services. Malaysia-based Kiddocare, for example, utilizes digital platforms to efficiently match care providers with families in need, significantly reducing search time and ensuring quality in the caregiving sector. Equally important is the recognition of the role of fathers in sharing the caring responsibilities of parents in families, as emphasized in the work of Better Dads Malaysia, a community of fathers who actively empower fathers to actively partake in the caregiving burden and change the narrative towards inclusive parenting and caring.

The session on “Leveraging Sustainability for Growth and Impact”, reveal the value of business mentors and networks for women to grow their businesses, and how mentorship is instrumental in empowering women entrepreneurs. Capping off the Summit, the session on “Closing the Gender Divide and Enabling Women-owned Enterprises to Scale” encapsulated the remaining steps to scaling up women owned enterprises in the region. Finance, access to market and mentorship are key resources for women to scale their businesses. The speakers offered that entrepreneurial and innovative mindset should start from an early age, as becoming part of the educational curriculum to change the sociocultural narrative and create a culture of women empowerment.

The ASEAN-Japan Women Entrepreneurs’ Summit underscored the power of collaboration between businesses, investors, governments, and communities in empowering women-led MSMEs. By fostering inclusivity, innovation, and sustainable practices, the Summit paves an important step toward achieving stronger economic integration and long-term growth in the region.

For more information about the Summit and the ASEAN-Japan Centre’s ongoing initiatives on women entrepreneurs, please contact: info_rpa@asean.or.jp

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