• The Women's Summit 2009
  • The Women's Summit 2009
  • The Women's Summit 2009
  • The Women's Summit 2009
  • The Women's Summit 2009
  • The Women's Summit 2009
  • The Women's Summit 2009
  • The Women's Summit 2009
  • The Women's Summit 2009

Speakers profiles

nirmala-menonDato Dr Nirmala Menon
President & CEO, ING Insurance Berhad

President & CEO of ING Insurance Berhad since October 10, 2007, Dato’ Dr Nirmala Menon brings with her a wealth of experience spanning more than 16 years in the insurance industry and holds the honour of being the first woman CEO in the industry.

At the helm of ING Insurance Bhd for almost two years now, she has injected new business into the company, growing it from #5 in the previous two years to #3 as at end 2008. ING Insurance has recorded an impressive growth rate of 26 per cent, in spite of the economic climate.

Prior to assuming her current role, Dato’ Dr Menon was Head of the Employee Benefits division of ING, where she successfully steered the division towards attaining its current position as the No.1 provider of employee benefits in the country, with a strong and consistently growing market share of more than 40 per cent.

Dato’ Dr Menon is a medical practitioner by training. She obtained her degree from the University of Mysore, India, with a First Class Distinction.

Dato’ Dr Nirmala Menon was recently interviewed on the BFM radio station. Click the button to listen to the podcast from the show. Download Read 2008 article in Star’s Bizweek section.

shireenShireen Muhiudeen
Founder & MD, Corston-Smith Asset Management

Shireen Muhiudeen has over 21 years of fund management experience. As founder and Managing Director of Corston-Smith Asset Management, which has operations in Singapore and Malaysia, she manages the portfolios of clients who invest in the ASEAN region, focusing on corporate governance and engagement.

She was previously CEO of AIG Investment Corporation (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd for 12 years. At AIG, she managed the insurance portfolio and third party investments in Malaysia, Indonesia and India, as well as the AIG Asia Emerging Fund in the Asia Pacific ex-Japan region. She was a member of the AIG Global Asset Allocation Committee and a member of the Equity Risk Control Committee. She has been a Licensed Fund Manager Representative with the Securities Commission since 1996.

Shireen also began managing Shariah funds in 1988, with MUI Kelantan, one of the first Shariah bodies interested in investments.

She is a member of CFA Institute and the International Corporate Governance Network (UK); and is a corporate member of Asian Corporate Governance Group (Hong Kong).

As part of Corston-Smith’s CSR initiative, Shireen and team wrote, pro bono, a handbook on basic personal finance for young persons entering the workforce. She also contributes a monthly column in The Star called Governance Matters.

Dato Kaziah Mohd Kadir Advisor, PriceWaterhouseCoopers Taxation Services and Investor Relations Advisor, Eastern Corridor Economic Development Council

bobbi-dangerfieldBobbi Dangerfield
MD, Dell Global Business Centre

Bobbi Dangerfield joined Dell Global Business Centre as its Managing Director in May 2008. Prior to coming to Malaysia, she was General Manager of Dell El Salvador, leading Customer Tech Support, Consumer Sales and Care for both US and Latin America markets. At the same time, she was in charge of the only site supporting Spanish-speaking customers in the US. Her leadership has created lasting bonds between Dell and the Salvadoran Government through community efforts geared at health, environment and education.

Bobbi has more than 20 years of experience in information systems, customer service and customer relationship management. Before Dell, she worked at Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, where she was Assistant Vice President, Distributed Technology and Marketing Systems Development. In 1998, she was included in the international Who’s Who Among Women in Business. She is a graduate of Leadership Texas 2004, and an active member of WISE in Malaysia, El Salvador and the US.

Bobbi received her BBA in Marketing/Management from Dallas Baptist University and an MBA from Southern Methodist University. She is a member of the board of directors of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) as well as the Scholarship Committee of the Union Church of El Salvador.

christina-chiaChristina Chia
Founding Partner, Christina Chia Ng & Partners

Christina Chia founded her legal firm, Christina Chia Ng & Partners, in Kuala Lumpur in 1987 as a sole proprietor with only one staff. Since then, the firm has expanded to employ 50 personnel, including five partners and 10 legal assistants. It specialises in helping corporations and entrepreneurs to grow.

Christina started her legal career with Lovelace & Hastings in 1979, before joining Landmark Holding Berhad as its Corporate Legal Adviser from 1984 to 1987.

In 1999, she stumbled upon Dr Napoleon Hill’s success system and felt compelled to share it with people within the region. Thus, she founded the Napoleon Hill Associates group of companies. She is a certified instructor from the Napoleon Hill Foundation and Napoleon Hill World Learning Center, US, and has conducted seminars and workshops in Singapore, Hong Kong, China, New Zealand and the US. Christina has also written a book, Mind Garden, which underlines the basic principle that, by sowing good thoughts, one will naturally reap good results.

Christina received her Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws from the University of London and was admitted as a Barrister to Gray’s Inn, London. She received her Master of Administration from the Cranfield School of Management, UK.

Read recent feature article on Christina Chia in Sunday People, NST.

Read an Overview of the 2009 Panel ‘Opportunities for Enterprise’