Kuala Lumpur, 9 May 2024 – Exabytes, Southeast Asia’s leading All-in-one Business, Cloud, Digital, and Ecommerce solutions provider, was proud to host the fourth edition of its Accelerate Women Entrepreneurship with Exabytes (AWEWE) 2024 Conference – Tech Leaders Connect earlier this week.
The conference took place in two locations, on 7 May 2024 at Loft 29, Penang and on 9 May 2024 at the Exabytes Event Hall, Selangor. With this year’s theme of “Catalysing Economic Inclusion through Cybersecurity and Tech Advancements”, Exabytes united influential visionaries, thought leaders, and over 200 pioneering women entrepreneurs across Malaysia in an engaging exploration of digital trends and insights as well as the myriad of business opportunities available in today’s evolving landscape.
The technology industry in Malaysia currently faces significant gender disparity, with women representing only 35% of the workforce. This year’s theme resonated strongly with the spirit of International Women’s Day and aims to spread the powerful message of ‘Invest in women: Accelerate progress’ – echoing Exabytes’ commitment to ensuring that women are at the forefront of the dynamic digital landscape and fostering a more inclusive and diverse ecosystem.
Ong Siou Woon, Director of Operations at Penang Institute, moderated the sessions for both conferences in Penang and Kuala Lumpur, which featured panellists such as Bharati Suresh Chand, Founder and CEO of Global Edge Consultancy, Ahila Ganesan, Founder of Future LinQ, and Mei Tan, Founder and CEO of Innovatif+ in Penang. Speakers in Kuala Lumpur included Shermaine Wong, Co-Founder and CEO of Cult Creative, Musyrifah Malek, Co-Founder of MADCash and Huay Ping Seet, Founder of Origin Bulk Store in Kuala Lumpur. Attendees had the opportunity to participate in thought-provoking panel discussions on funding opportunities and market trends in Malaysia, engaging with these trailblazers who shared practical tips and interesting anecdotes garnered from their wide-ranging experiences.
Additionally, a series of immersive workshops led by experts such as Boonsiri Somchit, COO and Chief Conceptualist of Xtrategize Technologies Sdn Bhd, focused on self-leadership while Dr. Lennie Soo, Founder and Clinical Director of 360 Wellness Hub unveiled the secrets for Mastering Work-Life Balance & Wellness for Entrepreneurs. The highlight of the two conferences was the intimate fireside chats with Penny Choo, Co-Founder and Managing
Director of BloomThis and Shirley Saw, Founder of Dream Burger, who shared personal success stories and imparted invaluable views to inspire and empower all attendees.
Kee Siak Chan, Founder and CEO of Exabytes shared, “Exabytes has always believed in empowering women and is enthusiastic about nurturing women entrepreneurs in their business digitalisation. Hence, this campaign is to assist women entrepreneurs in pursuing their dreams by providing them with support and resources to start and consolidate sustainable businesses and to GROW Digital.”
In support of this conference, Exabytes has once again partnered with CIMB Group, the official Platinum Sponsor of the conference for the second year in a row. AWEWE 2024 is also supported by the Penang State Government.
Looking to further empower female entrepreneurs, Exabytes shared its Digital Toolkit to all women entrepreneurs via www.exabytes.my/awewe
The Digital Toolkit contains nearly RM10,000 worth of digital essentials such as:
Exabytes has been committed to empowering and supporting women entrepreneurs through its AWEWE campaigns since 2021. In its inaugural campaign, Exabytes provided free business websites or online stores for 200 women entrepreneurs, sponsoring an estimated total of RM400,000 and S$400,000 in Malaysia and Singapore respectively. Building on this success, its 2022 campaign offered 380 women entrepreneurs in Singapore and Malaysia the opportunity to bolster their online presence through digital courses and tools, while also helping 220 female students enhance their digital skills for the future. In 2023, Exabytes elevated its efforts by assembling a distinguished panel of female role models and influential leaders from global companies, including Google and Keppel Corporation, to address gender equality in the workplace and offer insights on future-proofing businesses in the digital era.
OFFICIAL HASHTAGS include:
#AWEWE, #WomenEntrepreneurship, #WomenLeadership, #WomenWeCan
