SINGAPORE, 1ST DECEMBER 2025 — At just 23 years old, Malaysian social entrepreneur Harsha Ravindran returned to the Women of the Future Awards 2025 Southeast Asia last Thursday, not as a nominee, but as the presenter of the Social Entrepreneur Award, a category she herself won in 2024. Her appearance at the ceremony, held at Voco Hotel Singapore for the 8th edition of the Women of the Future Awards, also reflected the growing regional presence of her youth-led organisations, Ascendance and Expop.
23-year-old Malaysian social entrepreneur, Harsha Ravindran, presenting the Social Entrepreneur Award at the Women of the Future Awards 2025 Southeast Asia in Singapore. Picture Courtesy: ET Boost
Addressing an audience of finalists, industry leaders, sponsors and invited guests, Harsha, Co-Founder of Ascendance, delivered a heartfelt speech reflecting on her own journey since winning the award in 2024.
“Entrepreneurship and chasing your dreams can sometimes be a little lonely… but the Women of the Future community has truly embodied what active, genuine support looks like. When you reach out, they reach back out to support you,” said Harsha, who also co-founded Expop in the United States as an extension of her earlier work in Ascendance.
Natalie Loi shares her journey during her acceptance speech after winning the Science, Technology & Digital award at the Women of the Future Awards 2025 Southeast Asia in Voco Hotel, Singapore. Picture Courtesy: ET Boost
She shared how her global platform has supported more than 50,000 Gen Zs in developing purpose-driven social enterprises. Her appearance as a returning winner symbolised the rising strength of Malaysia’s youth-driven ecosystem, in which Ascendance and Expop continue to shape global conversations around social entrepreneurship, education, and impact-driven leadership.
Welcoming this year’s nominees, Harsha said:
“These nominees have shown us something truly powerful — that business can be a force for good.”
The Women of the Future Awards 2025 Southeast Asia recognised outstanding young women across ten categories: Arts & Culture; Business; Community Spirit & Public Service; Entrepreneur; ESG/Sustainability; Media; Mentor of the Year; Professions; Science, Technology & Digital; Social Entrepreneur; and Sport.
Malaysia celebrated a significant achievement this year with Natalie Loi, Head of Technology at UnBound Malaysia & Australia, winning the Science, Technology & Digital category. As Co-Founder of UnBound Malaysia, an award-winning Augmented Reality education platform that has impacted more than 150,000 students across ASEAN, Australia and beyond, she has led cross-border innovation in digital learning.
Media & Communications finalist and Ascendance’s Publicist, Ramyaahshiiny Rajentheran (centre), who has helped elevate Ascendance’s voice across Southeast Asia, attended the ceremony with the organisation’s Co-Founders, Heerraa Ravindran (left) and Harsha Ravindran (right), in Singapore. Picture Courtesy: ET Boost
Malaysia’s presence was further strengthened by several other finalists. The Media & Communications category spotlighted Ramyaahshiiny Rajentheran, CEO of ET Boost and publicist for Ascendance and Expop. A PhD researcher and award-winning documentary producer, her work amplifying youth-led initiatives around empowerment, creativity and social innovation earned her a place among this year’s nominees.
Additional Malaysian finalists included Eda Poh Yee Ng (ESG & Sustainability), Hsu Syuen Ng (Professions), Joey Kee (Social Entrepreneur), and Nor Farah Ain Abdullah (Sport), showcasing the depth and diversity of Malaysian talent represented across multiple categories.
The award ceremony was supported by headline sponsor NTT DATA, alongside official sponsors Asia Square, Lendlease, Roche, Saïd Business School (University of Oxford), Salesforce, Standard Chartered, and Worldpay. Programme partners included the Financial Times, L’Occitane, and Voco. The Women of the Future Awards 2025 SEA reaffirms their mission of connecting, recognising, and developing exceptional young women in Southeast Asia.
