Press release for immediate release

3 May 2024 – On Saturday, 27 April 2024, gender-equality group AWARE held its 39th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and elected a new board for the 2024-2026 term. There were 80 AWARE members present at the AGM, held at the AWARE Centre, and this year also marked the first board election since the pandemic. 

During the board election, Ms. Aarathi Arumugam ran for her first term as AWARE President against Ms. Nicole Tan. 

Ms. Arumugam was previously the AWARE Board Treasurer (2022–2024) and has been a member since 2009. She is an entrepreneur and currently serves as the COO at EveryChild.SG. 

“The opportunity that I have been given to lead AWARE is both humbling and exciting as AWARE continues to make a significant impact on society,” Ms. Arumugam said. 

“The next two years will see AWARE’s 40th anniversary of advocacy and will further drive shifts in our communities. I am excited to be part of this journey and look forward to working with the formidable team at AWARE, my fellow board members, our volunteers, partners, and supporters.” 

Members of the new Board are: Lihui Zeng, Anju Patwardhan, Filzah Sumartono, Ijin Tan, Joanne Theseira, Kanak Muchhal, Penelope Shone, and Stacey Choe.

Corinna Lim, AWARE Executive Director, said: “As we move forward, AWARE remains committed to fostering inclusivity and dynamism within our organisation. I am heartened by the board’s diversity, with members ranging in age from 34 to 62 and backgrounds in law, advertising, finance, philanthropy, and various corporate environments.”

She added that many of the elected Board are not only long-time members of AWARE, but also change makers and leaders in both civil society and the private sector, who she believes will bring diverse perspectives and experiences.

“During my tenure as President, it has been inspiring to witness AWARE’s unwavering commitment to gender equality,” said Ms. Ong Soh Chin, the Board’s immediate past president.

“As we pass the torch to the new board, I am confident in their ability to carry forward our mission with vigour and compassion. Together, we have achieved remarkable strides in building a more just society, and I am excited to see AWARE flourish under their leadership.”

AWARE Board 2024-2022: Positions and Biographies

President: Aarathi Arumugam

Aarathi Arumugam is an accountant and an entrepreneur. She has honed her skills in business, team management, and organisational strategy through her career trajectory, which has included corporations, start-ups, non-profits and raising a family. Since becoming a member in 2009, Aarathi has volunteered with AWARE as a trainer, educating and raising awareness about workplace sexual harassment and comprehensive sexuality education and as a Board member. Aarathi currently serves as COO for EveryChild.SG.

Treasurer: Lihui Zeng

With over 15 years of experience in the financial sector, Lihui Zeng brings a wealth of knowledge in audit, financial management, compliance, and operational risk management within banking institutions. 

During her tenure as an external auditor specialising in financial institutions, she honed her skills in assessing financial systems, interpretation of accounting standards, risk management practices, and regulatory compliance, ensuring the integrity and transparency of financial operations. 

Her subsequent transition into the banking sector has equipped her with in-depth knowledge of the complex banking regulatory framework and the ability to spearhead initiatives to ensure the implementation of robust controls that adhere to industry standards and regulatory requirements. Her other experiences include system implementation for handling new financial reporting standards, budget management, and financial analysis.

Assistant Treasurer: Anju Patwardhan

Anju Patwardhan is a globally experienced Fintech Venture Investor, board director, and former banking executive. She has lived and worked in Singapore, San Francisco, and India, in senior leadership roles at Citibank, Standard Chartered Bank, and at NUS/NUHS Singapore. 

She currently serves on the board of companies in the US, Europe, and Saudi Arabia, and is on the global advisory group of DCI at Stanford University. She is passionate about longevity and financial well-being of seniors, and mentoring women leaders. 

She has lived in Singapore since 1998 with her family. She loves reading, travelling, and spending time with her two dogs! 

Board member: Filzah Sumartono

Filzah Sumartono (she/her) is the co-editor of Growing Up Perempuan and Perempuan: Muslim Women in Singapore Speak Out. These anthologies are a collection of essays and poems about the intricacies, contradictions, and duality of growing up as a woman in the Muslim community. Filzah is also involved in Beyond the Hijab and End FGC Singapore, which are community-led organisations that focus on minority women.

Board member: Ijin Tan

Ijin Tan has been a volunteer with AWARE’s SACC legal clinic since its early days in 2017. In her professional life, Ijin was called to the Singapore Bar as an advocate and solicitor in 2007. She was a litigator in the dispute resolution department at leading law firms for eight years, before moving in-house to various MNCs focusing on compliance-related matters including data privacy, anti-bribery, and internal code of conduct investigations.

She has been actively involved in pro bono work since qualifying as a lawyer. While in practice, she represented clients under the criminal legal aid scheme (CLAS) in court. Even after leaving practice, she continued to volunteer her evenings at the pro bono legal clinic with the Law Society. Her experience working with vulnerable communities sparked a desire in her to help individuals and effect systemic change.

Board member: Joanne Theseira

Joanne Theseira is a highly regarded business leader in the advertising industry. She is known for her ability to drive sustainable commercial growth and implement rapid transformation in the creative services sector. She serves as CEO of Publicis Groupe’s creative agencies and Chief Growth Officer for Southeast Asia, focused on driving innovation and strategic growth initiatives to fuel the region’s tremendous potential.

Jo has been recognised as an outstanding female leader in the industry. In 2022, she was awarded Campaign’s Women Leading Change Asia Pacific Business Leader Award, and the following year, she was named Southeast Asia’s Agency Head of the Year.

An out lesbian business leader, Jo launched Égalité in her organisation, a resource group for LGBTQ+ employees and their allies, and also volunteered for Red Dot for Pink Dot 2023 to raise funds for the event.

Board member: Kanak Muchhal

Kanak Muchhal has passionately worked to support and empower women and vulnerable families for the last 10 years. Kanak currently manages The Inclusive Fund (TIF) at South Central Community Family Service Centre (SCC), a local charity that supports low-income and vulnerable families. In her current role, she is responsible for supporting transnational families who are not able to access sufficient formal forms of assistance due to eligibility issues. Her hope is to promote equality, inclusivity and social justice for these members in our community.

While working at Daughters of Tomorrow, she oversaw the delivery of all programmes and services to increase job readiness by curating workshops and new initiatives with volunteers and partners, impacting more than 1000 women. She believes holistic improvement in

quality of life, not just income, is needed for social mobility and aspires for every woman to harness their strength, experiences, and voice to create positive changes for themselves and their families. She is a fun-loving mother of three children, a hiking enthusiast, and a Sudoku whiz.

Board member: Penelope Shone

Penelope Shone was born in New Zealand. She has been a resident of Singapore since 1985, and has been an AWARE member for 20 years. Her career has unfolded in both the public and private sectors. Most recently, she led international public affairs and communications for General Electric across 150 countries. Prior to that, she was a managing director at Citigroup for 12 years, leading the company’s public affairs, communications, and citizenship strategies across Asia Pacific. This included the supervision of 20,000 volunteers and $18 million in annual grants to NGOs.

Board member: Stacey Choe

Stacey Choe, with over 12 years in philanthropy, specialises in Southeast Asia and China. Co-founding Real Impact Advisors in 2023, she addresses Asia’s philanthropic needs. Formerly COO at Asia Philanthropy Circle, she led initiatives like the Asia Community Foundation. Expertise spans education, eldercare, gender, and more, securing over USD22 million for causes. 

A skilled convener, she orchestrates events like the ASEAN Philanthropy Dialogue. As an adjunct lecturer at SUSS, she fosters social engagement. A 2019 Asia Foundation Development Fellow, Stanford alum in Non-Profit Management, she began in marketing before earning a Masters in Social Anthropology of Development from SOAS, University of London.

Immediate Past President: Ong Soh Chin is an editorial and PR consultant. Previously, she was Southeast Asia PR Director at Netflix, overseeing Publicity and Communications for Southeast Asia. Soh Chin has also served as Deputy Director, External Relations and Strategic Planning at the Institute of Policy Studies, as well as Asia-Pacific Editor and Speechwriter with the global editorial team at Shell. 

A veteran journalist and editor who has covered the arts, entertainment, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, politics and current affairs in her career, she worked on different desks at The Straits Times, where she wrote regularly about women’s rights and gender equality. She recently obtained a postgraduate diploma in Counselling Psychology and intends to pursue a new vocation in the mental health space.