We can ‘duit’ all, ladies!

PETALING JAYA: Financial savvy is a must-have in the modern wo­man’s arsenal of survival skills.

Speaking at the Women do Wonders (WOW) talks at The Star­ling Mall in Damansara Up­town, Success Concepts chief executive officer and licensed financial planner Joyce Chuah advocated the importance of being empowered with “financial IQ”, referring to the knowledge and skills needed to manage one’s finances.

“We have people who come to us with credit card problems. Someone once came to us with RM300,000 worth of credit card debt and was about to commit suicide. So, we also save lives,” said Chuah.

Chuah: Financial planning is especially important for women.

Besides explaining the different attitudes that men and women have regarding money, Chuah shared insights into cash flow and expense planning, which are especially important for women as they tend to live longer than men.

She also stressed the importance of investments and good saving habits.

The WOW talks yesterday were part of the Women’s Fiesta weekend-long celebrations, held in conjunction with International Wo­­­men’s Day and The Star’s WOW-Women do Wonders campaign and aimed to empower women.

Yap: Women have made great strides in the aviation industry.

AirAsia Foundation executive director Yap Mun Ching shared her working experience in the “noto­riously male-dominated” aviation industry.

Happily, she has witnessed much progress over the last decade.

“We’re very proud of our female pilots. When I joined, we had one female pilot – Janet, a co-pilot.

“Today, we have 46 female pilots. Fourteen of them are captains,” Yap said, sharing stories of greater dividends due to increased women workforce across departments such as ramp, security and aircraft maintenance.

Low: Empathy is among women’s greatest strengths.

“The best part is they do a better job than the guys. Even the man in charge of these departments found that since the women worked harder and were more disciplined, the guys started to improve as well.

“They came to work on time more often and took care to dress more nicely. The ramp store used to be a mess but once the girls came in, it began to look good,” said Yap.

Thus, it is about “much more than just empowerment” when employers bring women into the workplace, she added.

“When you have gender balance in your workforce, it brings dividends that you may not realise,” she said.

Tunku Mona Riza: Working on self-empowerment is vital.

Award-winning film director Tunku Mona Riza Tunku Khalid believed women have to start with self-empowerment “before we empower others”.

“By being focused, we can give positive vibes to others,” said the director of Redha, who shared her experiences as a working mother in the male-dominated industry.

And whenever Wanderlust + Co founder Jenn Low has a tough day, she goes back to what she loves.

“One thing women do well is tap into our empathy. We have big hearts. We give and give and give, and we have more to give,” she said.

However, she advised women not to overexert themselves and instead “start with three goals”, as what one says “No” to can shape their journey as much as what they say “Yes” to.

Dahlia Nadirah, founder of homegrown cosmetics brand So.Lek, enjoys naming her products afterBahasa Malaysia phrases as she believes it is a beautiful language.

Dahlia: Creates awareness of Malay heroines through her products.

Her Lagenda Gang line of matte lipsticks with shades dubbed Ledang, Teja, Mahsuri and Saadong has helped her create more awareness about the strong female personalities they are named after.

“A lot of people don’t know who Saadong is, so I enjoy telling them that she is a princess from Kelan­tan,” said Dahlia, whose brand has strong presence at local bazaars.

Those attending the WOW Talks at MBO, The Starling Mall today can look forward to the star-studded #HeForShe couples talk session which will feature comedian Harith Iskander and Dr Jezamine Lim, actress Kavita Sidhu and geologist Roberto Guiati, as well as entrepreneur Timothy Tiah and blogger Audrey Ooi.