For the past seven years, the Women in Finance Awards Asia (WIFAA) has recognized the women driving progress in the industry, creating a space to highlight achievements, share experiences, and strengthen professional networks. This year, the awards return on May 29, 2025, with a dinner gala at the Mandarin Oriental Singapore, bringing together leaders from across the region to celebrate the industry’s top talent.

Watch last year’s event highlights here.

With nominations now open online, we invite you to put forward colleagues, clients, and industry peers whose achievements stand out across the financial sector. The program recognizes excellence in buy-side and sell-side trading, investment management, fintech, venture capital, corporate finance, and technology.

The WIFAA event builds on the success of Markets Media’s established Women in Finance programs worldwide, including long-running editions in New York and London. The seventh edition of WIFAA will bring together senior professionals, rising leaders, and industry advocates from across Asia’s major financial hubs, providing an opportunity to reflect on progress, celebrate achievements, and continue the push toward greater representation.

This year, WIFAA welcomes three distinguished new board members, alongside the continued leadership of its founding members.

Julia Raiskin, CEO, APAC, Millennium

“The Board comprises a group of leading women in our industry, and I am proud to be among such an inspiring group of peers who are aligned on the importance of honoring the achievements of women in finance across Asia.”

With over 25 years of experience working across Asia and Europe, Raiskin was previously Citi’s Head of Markets for the Asia Pacific region before joining Millennium. She emphasizes the importance of identifying talented women early in their careers and empowering them through mentorship and networking opportunities.

“There is significant runway ahead for how financial institutions can continue to foster more opportunities for women. In APAC and beyond, it is beneficial for institutions to identify a subset of women candidates early in their academic careers as a way to find and foster talented individuals while also demystifying finance. It is also important that talented women are included in various hiring forums and networking events, where they can meet and learn from one other.”

Tim Smith, Managing Director, APAC, CME Group

“The opportunity to be part of the team that recognizes and elevates the awareness of talent in our industry is a privilege.”

With over 30 years of experience in trading and multi-product sales roles across Hong Kong, London, and Sydney, Smith leads client development and sales for CME Group in Asia Pacific. As a male ally on the Advisory Board, he highlights the importance of recognizing talent beyond gender and ensuring diverse perspectives are part of industry leadership.

“As a male ally, my perspectives toward recognizing that talent is not based upon gender, and that diversity contributes to enhanced outcomes, comes not only from experience within the workplace but also through having a partner forge her identity and success within the industry and also through being a parent (with two daughters and a son).”

A Founding Member’s Perspective

Since its inception, WIFAA has provided a platform for industry professionals to connect, learn from one another, and amplify the visibility of talented women in finance.

Azila Abdul Aziz, CEO of Kenanga Futures and a founding WIFAA Advisory Board member, reflects on the program’s impact over the past seven years:

“WIFAA remains the go-to platform where talented women in finance congregate. It’s a space where women empower women, and seeing the continued recognition of leaders in our industry is truly rewarding.”

Having led Kenanga Futures for over 18 years, Azila is a firm believer in mentorship, leadership development, and pushing for greater representation in finance.

“Early in your career in the financial industry, you need three things—courage, tenacity, and passion. And to succeed in career progression, there must be a differentiating factor or the X-factor.”

She also underscores the role that male allies have played in her own career, emphasizing the importance of mentorship across genders:

“Where we are today is partly because we had effective male mentors in the industry that helped us in our career journey. Men and women complement each other with their own respective unique strengths and weaknesses, and that helps make a 360° perspective in important decision-making.”

The success of WIFAA is made possible by the companies that continue to champion diversity and leadership in the financial industry. This year, we are pleased to recognize our event sponsors BlackRock, BNP Paribas, Broadridge, Citadel and Citadel Securities, Citi, CME Group, Instinet, Kenanga Futures, Liquidnet, Marex, MarketAxess, PIMCO, Principle Partners, SGX Group, and Tradeweb for their commitment to supporting women in finance. If your firm might be interested in participating, please reach out to ykuksina@marketsmedia.com.

With nominations now open, we encourage you to put forward colleagues, clients, and peers whose achievements are shaping the future of finance in Asia. The submission deadline is April 15^th, 2025.

Submit your nominations here.

Join us at WIFAA 2025 as we celebrate the best of the best in Asian financial markets!

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