3 Singaporeans among world’s 100 most powerful women

Tan Su Shan, CEO of lender DBS Group, took the 29th place in the list. She is the first woman to head DBS, the largest bank in Southeast Asia. The 57-year-old assumed the top role in March, succeeding former CEO Piyush Gupta, according to The Business Times.

From L: Jenny Lee, senior managing partner at Granite Asia; Tan Su Shan, CEO of lender DBS Group; Ho Ching, chairwoman of Temasek Trust. Artwork by VnExpress/Dat Nguyen

Before taking on the CEO position, she oversaw DBS’ Consumer Banking and Wealth Management, and Institutional Banking divisions, which together generated about 90% of the bank’s earnings.

DBS employs more than 38,000 people and operates in 19 markets, managing assets valued at over US$600 billion.

Forbes noted that Tan is recognised for her "digital-first" strategy and is driving new approaches that integrate AI and blockchain with traditional trust and safety frameworks across the bank.

Ho Ching, 72, chairwoman of Temasek Trust, stood at the 34th place on the list.

Ho began her tenure as a director of Temasek Holdings in 2002, before assuming her current role as chair of Temasek Trust in 2022. She is also the wife of former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

She is reportedly among only four women who have appeared on the Forbes list every year since it was created, alongside Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, and American philanthropist Melinda Gates.

The third Singaporean on the list is Jenny Lee, 53, senior managing partner at Asian venture capital firm Granite Asia, who ranked 96th.

She founded the GGV Capital Asia partnership in 2005, which has since been renamed Granite Asia.

She became the first female venture capitalist to enter the top 10 of Forbes’ Midas List in 2015.

Lee, who ranked 86th on Forbes’ 2019 World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list, previously worked as an associate at Morgan Stanley and as a vice-president at Hong Kong-based venture capital firm Jafco Asia.

She also serves on several boards in Singapore, including Temasek, Duke-NUS Medical School and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

Forbes said the women selected for the 2025 list collectively oversee more than $4.9 trillion in revenue, employ over 9.3 million people, and exert influence across countries representing more than half of global GDP.

The full list comprises women from 25 countries, with North American leaders making up the largest share among the top 50.