Just a short three years ago, Pham Thu Huong had no email address, no Facebook account, and no time ever spent at the internet cafes that sprout like weeds around Vietnam.

Singapore’s 2018 ASEAN chairmanshipThis week, Singapore announced its priorities going into 2018 as chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Meetings held in Manila from November 10-14, saw a number of economic deliverables being achieved such as the completion of the Focused and Strategic Action Agenda on Investment, the adoption of the ASEAN Seamless Trade Facilitation Indicators and the development of the ASEAN Inclusive Business Framework amongst others.Another pressing issue at the summit was the subject of women’s economic empowerment in the region.

Are you one of those who take pride in your work and consistently deliver quality work on time? You put in long hours. Pay attention to detail. You’re a great team player and supporter. You’re fantastic in a crisis. Your boss depends on you as you pick up the pieces others dropped. In fact, you think your boss can’t live without you.You are a master fixer. The photocopier is out of paper. You load the paper. The format of the powerpoint slides have gone haywire. You reformat the slides.

Everyone is there except Dave - late again because he is sending his kids to school. Do you:A: Give Dave some flexibility and ask him to work later: orB: Tell him he has to stick to the rules or you will tell HR.You chose B because you had no choice when your kids were younger. They took the bus.STOP!At home you are a caring mother and you volunteer at an orphanage. Where did that compassion go?You tell yourself, you are doing your job. You, and Dave, have responsibilities.You are miserable.

Most of Malaysia’s largest corporations are actually controlled by an elite group of government-linked investment companies or GLICs that own major stakes in numerous large listed corporations commonly referred to as government-linked companies or GLCs. Out of the ten largest listed companies on Bursa Malaysia, eight are GLCs with a combined market capitalisation of about RM 452 billion.

Even after 50 years since the formation of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), women representation in boardrooms across Southeast Asian countries is still lagging behind most developed nations.

Every business, in whatever part of the world you are in, is affected by the ever-accelerating globalisation, driven by demographics and technology. For leaders, this means you need to be able to build bridges. Bridges between people with different cultures and religions, bridges between different business models and indeed bridges between increasingly diverse employees.

The workplace is not an unfamiliar territory to women in the Southeast Asian region. The Philippines ranks ninth in the world for gender equity where women are given the opportunity to participate in politics, to have multiple seats on company boards and so on. However, the lack of gender diversification in the workplace is still immensely visible in local and international companies alike throughout the region.

Even by Asia’s low standards when it comes to having women on corporate boards, the progress of the region’s billionaires is lagging: Most of the richest men in China, Japan and South Korea run companies with few, if any, female board members. The situation is particularly extreme among Asia’s biggest tech companies with billionaire founders.