Top 50 Inspirational Females Changing the World Today

What do the world’s most inspirational females have in common? They don’t follow blueprints—they build their own. These women are redefining leadership across China and beyond, not through titles, but through impact. 

From founding billion-dollar tech startups to transforming eldercare, climate solutions, and education, these 50 inspirational females are solving problems at scale and shifting the global conversation on what female leadership looks like. These 50 women aren’t rising stars—they’re already running the show.

Key Takeaways

• Definition of inspirational female leadership: These women are recognized for creating impact across business, technology, healthcare, fashion, and climate solutions.
• Barriers and challenges: Many face cultural expectations, funding gaps, and systemic biases but continue to shape industries worldwide.
• Industries transformed: From billion-dollar tech startups to global fashion, ride-hailing, and education, their leadership drives growth and innovation.
• Global presence: The list highlights women of Chinese descent in Mainland China and the diaspora leading change across Asia, the U.S., and beyond.
• Lasting influence: Their work redefines what female leadership looks like by solving problems at scale and opening doors for future generations.

Contact us to learn more about leadership insights and global impact.

Mainland China ( Inspirational Females Entrepreneurs Based in Mainland China)

1. Dong Mingzhu – Gree Electric Appliances

 Chairwoman & President; Consumer Electronics; China (Zhuhai).

Image from Instagram

Dong Mingzhu has led Gree, China’s largest air conditioner maker, turning it into a global brand. Known for her charismatic leadership and innovation drive, she has guided Gree’s growth and was ranked among China’s top businesswomen.

She’s a 10-time Fortune “Most Powerful Women” honoree and remains the sole Chinese woman ever named one of the Harvard Business Review’s “Best‑Performing CEOs.” 

In 2024, she oversaw Gree’s breakthrough in developing its own chips—aiming to bolster smart home tech and supply chain resilience—without state funding.

2. Zhou Qunfei – Lens Technology 

Image from Facebook

Founder & CEO; Electronics Manufacturing (Touchscreens); China (Hunan). 

Zhou Qunfei, born in 1970 in rural Hunan, rose from migrant factory worker to become China’s richest self-made woman. She founded Lens Technology in 2003, starting with touchscreen components in a small Shenzhen workshop. 

The company went public in March 2015, propelling her net worth to around US$11 billion. Lens Technology is a leading supplier of glass touchscreens to tech giants including Apple, Samsung, Huawei, and Tesla.

3. Wang Laichun (Grace Wang) – Luxshare Precision 

Image from Facebook

Co-founder & Chairwoman; Electronics Manufacturing; China (Shenzhen). 

Grace Wang co-founded Luxshare in 2004 and turned it into a key supplier of electronics components (for companies like Apple). Recognized globally, she was named one of the world’s youngest self-made women billionaires in 2014 and was ranked China’s second-richest woman in 2021. 

In 2023, she topped Forbes China’s businesswomen list, reflecting Luxshare’s rapid growth and her influence in high-tech manufacturing. 

4. Peng Lei (Lucy Peng) – Alibaba / Ant Group 

Co-founder & Former CEO of Ant Financial; E-commerce & Fintech; China (Hangzhou). 

Lucy Peng is one of Alibaba’s 18 co-founders and the founding CEO of Ant Financial (now Ant Group). A former economics lecturer, she joined Alibaba in 1999 and built its HR department, shaping the company’s culture. She became CEO of Alipay in 2010 and helped grow its user base massively. 

In 2014, she launched Ant Financial, which raised over $22 billion, making her one of the highest-funded female founders globally. She also served as CEO of Lazada and was listed among Forbes’ most powerful women in 2016.

5. Trudy Dai (Dai Shan) – Alibaba / Taobao & Tmall Group 

Image from alizila.com

Co-founder of Alibaba, former President of Alibaba B2B & CEO of Taobao/Tmall; E-commerce; China (Hangzhou). 

Trudy Dai is one of Alibaba’s 18 original co-founders and a key architect of its e-commerce empire. She ran Alibaba’s B2B unit and later took charge as CEO of the Taobao and Tmall Group, Alibaba’s core online shopping platforms. 

Under her stewardship, Taobao/Tmall continued to dominate China’s e-commerce market. Dai is frequently honored among Asia’s top female business leaders for her role in Alibaba’s success.

6. Qu Fang (Miranda Qu) – Xiaohongshu (RED) 

Co-founder & President; Social Commerce; China (Shanghai). 

Miranda Qu co-founded RedNote in 2013 and helped build it into China’s leading lifestyle social commerce platform. With over 260 million monthly active users sharing fashion, beauty, and travel tips, RED blends Instagram-like content with e-commerce. 

Qu’s vision created a trend-setting community that influences Chinese consumer behavior and has attracted over 170,000 brands to engage on the platform.

7. Liu Qing (Jean Liu) – DiDi Chuxing 

President, Technology (Ride-Hailing); China (Beijing). 

Jean Liu (born 1978, Beijing) is the former President and co-founder of DiDi Chuxing, China’s leading ride-hailing platform. A Harvard-trained computer scientist, she spent 12 years at Goldman Sachs before joining DiDi in 2014. 

Liu led DiDi’s merger with Kuaidi Dache and the acquisition of Uber China, transforming the company into a global tech force. 

Under her leadership, DiDi secured major investments, including $1 billion from Apple. In 2024, she stepped down as president and board director to focus on long-term talent and sustainability as DiDi’s Chief People Officer. 

8. Yang Lan – Sun Media 

Co-founder & Chairperson; Media & Entertainment; China (Beijing). 

Often called the “Oprah of China,” Yang Lan co-founded Sun Media and built a multimedia empire spanning television, print, and the internet. A famous talk show host turned entrepreneur, she uses her platforms to promote cultural exchange and women’s empowerment, making her one of China’s most influential media figures.

She also launched Her Village to empower Chinese women. Yang has received many honors, including being named one of Forbes’ “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women”.

9. Wang Shutong (Diane Wang) – DHgate

 Founder & CEO; E-commerce (B2B Marketplace); China (Beijing). 

Diane Wang founded DHgate in 2004, creating one of China’s first online B2B marketplaces. The platform enables millions of small Chinese exporters to sell goods globally. A former Microsoft and Cisco executive, Wang also earlier founded Joyo.com (acquired by Amazon). 

Under her leadership, DHgate has grown into a leading cross-border e-commerce site, and she has been lauded as an “Outstanding Woman of China” for her pioneering role in digital trade.

10. Chen Anni – Kuaikan Manhua  

Founder & CEO; Online Comics; China (Beijing). 

Chen Anni founded Kuaikan Manhua, which became China’s most popular comic and anime platform. Launching with her hit webcomic series at age 22, she grew Kuaikan to over 170 million users. Chen has raised record funding in the comics industry, empowering a new generation of digital artists and readers.

11. Zhang Mo–Yi+ (AiMan Tech) 

Founder & CEO; Artificial Intelligence (Computer Vision); China (Beijing). 

Mo founded Yi+ in 2012 to develop AI-powered visual recognition. Her company’s image recognition software set a world record by exceeding 90% accuracy in a global object detection challenge. 

Birthed after garnering $200,000 in angel funding, Yi+ swiftly gained attention with its “shopping‑while‑watching” technology and achieved top-tier wins in prestigious ImageNet and Pascal VOC object detection challenges

Yi+ provides AI vision solutions to giants like Huawei and Weibo, and its fashion-search sub-brand helps consumers find products via images.

12. Kathy Gong – WafaGames / ai.Law 

Co-founder (WafaGames) & Founder (ai.Law); Gaming & Legal Tech; China (Beijing). 

Kathy Gong is a tech prodigy turned entrepreneur who co-founded WafaGames, a gaming company known for creating strong female characters. She also founded AI Law, a legal robotics startup that provides affordable legal assistance to millions. 

A former national chess champion, Gong now champions youth mentorship through her nonprofit while innovating in tech.

13. Daisy Guo – Tezign 

Co-founder & CMO; Creative Platform; China (Shanghai). 

Daisy Guo co-founded Tezign, a platform that matches designers with businesses, fueling Asia’s freelance design economy. Tezign has served 8,000+ corporate clients (Unilever, Special Olympics, etc.) and raised significant funding to build AI capabilities. 

A recognized Changemaker, Guo earned honors on Forbes Asia’s “30 Under 30”. Guo’s work helps creative talent connect with opportunities, driving the creative industry forward.

14. Zhao Hejuan (Jany Zhao) – TMTPost 

Founder & CEO; Media & Data Services; China (Beijing). 

Zhao Hejuan founded TMTPost, a leading tech media and financial data provider in China. A former investigative journalist, she built TMTPost into a dynamic platform connecting decision-makers with insights on innovation. 

Zhao also launched ChainDD (for blockchain news) and has been recognized among China’s top women CEOs for her visionary leadership. In 2024, she was honored as one of the “Top 10 Women CEOs in China” by Global Woman Leader magazine, recognized for her leadership, social impact, and drive in fostering gender equality and technological innovation

15. Dr. Nan Fang – Singleron Biotechnologies 

Co-founder & CEO; Biotechnology; China (Nanjing). 

Dr. Fang Nan co-founded Singleron in 2018 to pioneer single-cell sequencing technology. Under her leadership as Chairwoman and CEO, Singleron developed a globally acclaimed single-cell analysis platform and launched 40+ products within a few years. 

Fang’s innovations in precision medicine earned her recognition as one of China’s top women in tech. She advances healthcare research worldwide.

16. Ma Chun’e (Anne Ma) – Shukun Technology 

Founder & CEO; Healthcare AI; China (Beijing). 

Anne Ma founded Shukun Technology in 2017 to apply AI in medical imaging diagnostics. Shukun’s AI-powered system assists cardiologists in detecting heart disease more accurately and efficiently. 

Ma led the startup to raise substantial venture funding by 2019. The startup aims to combat China’s high cardiovascular disease rates with cutting-edge technology.

17. Chai Xiu – Milkground Food Tech 

Founder & CEO; Dairy (Cheese Manufacturing); China (Shanghai). 

Chai Xiu is a pioneer of China’s cheese industry. She founded Shanghai Milkground Food Tech, which now holds about 44% of China’s cheese market. Launching her dairy business in 2001 and refocusing on cheese in 2015, Chai rode surging demand as Chinese diets Westernized. 

Milkground became China’s leading cheese brand, earning Chai recognition as an “Outstanding Businesswoman of China” in 2023.

18. Joey Wat – Yum China 

Chief Executive Officer; Food & Beverage (Restaurants); China (Shanghai). 

Joey Wat leads Yum China, a Fortune 500 fast-food giant that operates KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell in China. Since becoming CEO in 2018, she has steered Yum China through digital transformation and growth, even amid pandemic challenges. 

Under her leadership, Yum China has expanded to over 16,500 stores, leveraging digital innovation, modernized operations, and rapid menu development

Wat’s global savvy (honed by a decade in the UK retail sector) and strategic innovations earned her repeated spots on Forbes and Fortune power-women lists.

19. He Qiaonv (He Qiaonyu) – Orient Landscape 

Founder & Chairwoman; Landscape Architecture & Environmental Conservation; China (Beijing). 

He Qiaonv founded Beijing Orient Landscape, Asia’s largest landscape architecture firm. Under her guidance, the company has designed eco-friendly parks and urban green spaces across China. 

She is also one of China’s top philanthropists, pledging a record $1.5 billion for global wildlife conservation – a testament to her influence in both business and environmental circles.

20. Guo Pei – Rose Studio (Fashion) 

Founder & Creative Director; Haute Couture Fashion; China (Beijing). 

Guo Pei is China’s foremost couturier. She is famed for designing Rihanna’s stunning yellow gown at the 2015 Met Gala. She founded her own couture atelier and became the first Asian designer invited as a guest member of Paris’s Haute Couture Syndicate. 

In 2016, Time named Guo Pei one of the world’s 100 most influential people for putting Chinese high fashion on the global map.

21. Hu Weiwei – Mobike 

Co-founder (former CEO); Technology (Bike-Sharing); China (Beijing). 

Hu Weiwei co-founded Mobike in 2015, sparking a global dockless bike-sharing revolution. By 2018, Mobike had 200+ million users and was acquired for $2.7 billion. 

Hu’s vision of solving “last mile” transit in cities touched 150 million riders in just three years. She was honored on Forbes and Fortune lists for changing urban mobility, before stepping down as CEO in late 2018.

22. Zhang Yin (Cheung Yan) – Nine Dragons Paper 

Founder & Chairwoman; Manufacturing (Paper Recycling); China (Dongguan). 

Zhang Yin built Nine Dragons into the world’s largest cardboard paper producer by recycling wastepaper. Starting from trading scrap paper in the 1980s, she took Nine Dragons public in 2006 and doubled its capacity by 2009. 

In 2006, Zhang became the first woman to top China’s rich list and was once the world’s wealthiest self-made woman – earning the nickname “Queen of Trash” for her empire built on recycling.

23. Cindy Mi – VIPKid 

Founder & CEO; Education Technology; China (Beijing). 

Cindy Mi founded VIPKid in 2013 after seeing the demand for quality English education. She created a platform that connects Chinese children with North American teachers for live online lessons. 

By 2018, VIPKid had over 65,000 instructors teaching 500,000+ students across China. Mi’s startup became the world’s largest K-12 online education platform and a valued “unicorn,” while she became a poster child for China’s edtech boom.

A recognized Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum (2018), Cindy also serves on several advisory boards and remains committed to personalized, accessible education for all

24. Virginia Tan – Lean In China & She Loves Tech

 Founder and President (Lean In China); Co-founder (She Loves Tech); Social Enterprise & Investment; China (Beijing). 

Virginia Tan founded Lean In China, which is now one of China’s largest women’s networks, with over 100,000 members in 100+ universities and cities. She also co-founded She Loves Tech, which hosts the world’s biggest startup competition for women in tech. 

Through these platforms, Tan has empowered countless women professionals and entrepreneurs, fostering a more inclusive startup ecosystem in China and beyond.

25. Liu Nan – Mia.com (Miyabaobei) 

Founder & CEO; E-commerce (Mother & Baby Products); China (Beijing). 

Liu Nan turned a personal need into a billion-dollar business. In 2011, as a new mother, she started a little Taobao shop for imported baby goods and grew it into Mia.com, a leading online retailer for maternity and infant products. 

By focusing on safe, high-quality overseas brands, Liu tapped China’s massive “moms and babies” market, scaling her company to unicorn status and earning herself a spot among Forbes China’s 25 top entrepreneurs.

26. Xu Xin (Kathy Xu) – Capital Today 

Founder & Managing Partner; Venture Capital; China (Shanghai). 

Kathy Xu, dubbed “China’s venture capital queen,” founded Capital Today in 2005 and became an early backer of several Chinese tech giants. Notably, she was the first major investor in JD.com, earning huge returns as it grew into an e-commerce titan. 

Xu’s knack for spotting winners has made her one of Asia’s most respected VCs. She continues to finance and mentor high-potential startups in the internet, retail, and fintech sectors.

27. Chen Lihua – Fu Wah International Group 

Founder & Chairwoman; Real Estate & Investment; China (Beijing). 

Revered as Beijing’s “real estate queen,” Chen Lihua built Fu Wah International from the ground up and became one of China’s richest self-made women. Her company owns prime commercial properties in Beijing and beyond. 

In 2016, at age 75, Chen was named China’s richest woman with a net worth of ¥50.5 billion. A high school dropout who rose to great heights, she also established Beijing’s renowned Red Sandalwood Museum, reflecting her passion for Chinese art and culture.

28. Sun Jie (Jane Sun) – Trip.com Group 

CEO, Travel Technology, China (Shanghai). 

Jane Sun has been CEO of Trip.com (Ctrip) since 2016, steering Asia’s largest online travel agency. Under her leadership, Trip.com expanded globally and embraced AI for customer service. Sun has been recognized among the most powerful women in business for connecting Chinese travelers with the world.

29. Zhang Xin – SOHO China 

Co-founder & CEO; Real Estate Development; China (Beijing). Zhang Xin is a prominent real estate entrepreneur who co-founded SOHO China, which developed iconic commercial properties in Beijing and Shanghai. 

Often cited as a self-made billionaire, she has been a voice for sustainable urbanization and social responsibility in business.

30. Ashley Dudarenok – Alarice and ChoZan

Founder & Managing Partner, Alarice and ChoZan (Digital Marketing & Consultancy; China)

Ashley Dudarenok is a naturalized Chinese serial entrepreneur who is celebrated by Thinkers50 as a “guru on digital marketing and fast‑evolving trends in China.” She founded Alarice, a China-focused digital marketing agency, and ChoZan, a digital transformation consultancy. 

A prolific author, she has written multiple Amazon bestsellers and mini-books on topics such as New Retail, social media, and Chinese consumer behavior. 

Recognized with honors like LinkedIn Top Voice in Marketing, Asia‑Pacific Top 25 Innovator, and World’s Top 100 Retail Influencers, she frequently speaks globally and advises Fortune 500 firms on navigating China’s digital ecosystem.

Hong Kong, Macau & Global Chinese Diaspora (Entrepreneurs of Chinese Descent Worldwide)

31. Lucy Liu – Airwallex

 Co-founder & President; Fintech (Cross-Border Payments)

Lucy Liu co-founded Airwallex in 2015, propelling it to unicorn status by building technology for seamless global payments. Under her leadership, Airwallex became one of Australia’s fastest‑growing fintech unicorns, processing around US$10 billion in annualized transactions, expanding globally across 130 countries.

Liu has earned accolades such as Fintech Australia’s Female Leader of the Year for pioneering low-cost, cross-border financial solutions.

32. Lucy Guo – Scale AI / Passes 

Co-founder of Scale AI; Founder & CEO of Passes; Tech (Artificial Intelligence, Creator Economy)

Lucy Guo co-founded Scale AI in 2016 to provide AI data labeling, and her early stake recently made her the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire. 

After Scale became a multibillion-dollar company powering AI for firms like OpenAI, Guo launched “Passes” in 2022, a platform for creators. At just 30, she exemplifies entrepreneurial success in tech, leveraging her talent from coding (she was a Thiel Fellow) to boardrooms.

33. Weili Dai – Marvell Technology Group

Co-founder (former President); Semiconductors

Weili Dai co-founded Marvell Technology in 1995 and is renowned as the only woman co-founder of a major global semiconductor firm. As Marvell’s longtime COO and president, she helped grow it into a leading chip maker for consumer electronics. 

Dai has been recognized globally: Forbes’ “World’s Most Powerful Women,” Newsweek’s“150 Women Who Shake the World,” and she earned the Gold Stevie Award for Female Entrepreneur of the Year

34. Tan Hooi Ling  – Grab

Co-founder & Board Member; Tech (Ride-hailing & Superapp)

Tan Hooi Ling co-founded Grab in 2012 while at Harvard Business School. Often working behind the scenes, she was pivotal in developing Grab from a taxi-hailing app into Southeast Asia’s “super app” offering transport, food delivery, and digital payments. 

Tan’s strategic and operational expertise helped Grab become so ubiquitous that “you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone in Southeast Asia not familiar with Grab.”

35. Rachel Lim – Love, Bonito

Co-founder; Fashion & E-commerce

Rachel Lim co-founded Love, Bonito, a hugely successful homegrown fashion label focused on Asian women’s fit and style. She started at age 19 with a blog shop in 2005 and rebranded it into Love, Bonito in 2010 during university. 

Today it’s a multi-million-dollar brand with stores across Asia and an international online presence. Lim, a Forbes 30 Under 30 alumna, is praised for redefining fashion retail in Southeast Asia by catering to an underserved demographic.

36. Peggy Cherng – Panda Restaurant Group (Panda Express) 

Co-founder & Co-CEO; Restaurants

Dr. Peggy Cherng co-founded the Panda Express Chinese restaurant empire in 1983 and has overseen its systems and operations as co-CEO. A former software engineer, she applied tech and data analytics to streamline operations. 

Today, Panda Express has over 2,400 locations and $5.9 billion in sales. Cherng is credited with turning Panda into the largest Asian food chain in the U.S., earning her and her husband billionaire status.

37. Pocket Sun – SoGal Ventures

Co-founder & Managing Partner; Venture Capital

Pocket Sun co-founded SoGal Ventures in 2015 at age 24, making it one of the first women-led VC firms focused on empowering diverse entrepreneurs. SoGal Ventures invests in women-founded and minority-founded startups globally. 

Sun also started the SoGal global platform to connect and educate female founders. She has since become a prominent advocate for women in venture capital, starring in the documentary Show Her the Money to highlight the challenges and successes of female investors.

38. Aileen Lee – Cowboy Ventures

Founder & Managing Partner; Venture Capital

Aileen Lee founded Cowboy Ventures in 2012, a fund that backs early-stage tech startups, after a decade at Kleiner Perkins. She is famously known for coining the term “unicorn” in 2013 to describe startups valued over $1 billion. 

Lee’s analysis brought the term into widespread use, and she has since been celebrated as a thought leader (she made the Time 100 list). Through Cowboy Ventures, she has supported companies like Dollar Shave Club and Guild Education, championing innovation and diversity in tech.

39. Vera Wang – Vera Wang Company 

Founder & Fashion Designer; Fashion & Lifestyle

Vera Wang is an iconic fashion entrepreneur who launched her own bridal design business in 1990 after noticing a gap in the wedding gown market. Her name became synonymous with exquisite bridal and evening wear, worn by countless celebrities and brides worldwide. 

Over 30+ years, Wang expanded her brand into ready-to-wear, perfumes, and home goods. In 2024, at age 75, she sold her internationally renowned namesake brand, capping a career that transformed the bridal industry and inspired designers of color.

40. Cher Wang – HTC & VIA Technologies 

Co-founder & Chairwoman; Consumer Electronics & Semiconductors

Cher Wang co-founded smartphone maker HTC in 1997 and chipmaker VIA Technologies in 1987, establishing herself as one of tech’s most powerful women. As Chairperson of HTC, she led its rise in the 2000s as a top early Android smartphone brand and now drives its efforts in VR and metaverse technologies. 

Wang, a Stanford-educated billionaire, is also known for philanthropy and was hailed by Forbes as one of the world’s most powerful female entrepreneurs, proving instrumental in putting Taiwan’s tech hardware on the global stage.

41. Eva Chen – Trend Micro 

Co-founder & CEO; Cybersecurity Software; Taiwanese (Taipei). 

Eva Chen co-founded Trend Micro in 1988 and has served as CEO since 2005. She was one of the first women to lead a major software security company, growing Trend Micro into a global leader in antivirus and cloud security with offices in 50+ countries. 

Chen, known for her technical acumen and evangelism for cybersecurity, has been recognized among the top influencers in tech and is one of the longest-serving CEOs in the cybersecurity industry.

42. Pansy Ho – Shun Tak Holdings & MGM China 

Group Executive Chairman, Shun Tak; Co-Chairperson, MGM China

Pansy Ho is a major Hong Kong-Macau business magnate overseeing tourism, property, and transportation ventures. She is Group Executive Chairman and Managing Director of Shun Tak Holdings, a conglomerate founded by her father that dominates Hong Kong–Macau ferries and real estate. 

Ho is also Co-Chairperson of MGM China, operating one of Macau’s largest casino resorts. Leveraging her family legacy, she forged partnerships with international players (like MGM Resorts) and has become one of Asia’s richest women. She plays a key role in shaping Macau’s leisure and hospitality landscape.

43. Bonnie Chan – Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) 

CEO; Finance (Exchange)

In 2024, Bonnie Chan became the first female CEO of HKEX, Hong Kong’s stock exchange. With 30+ years in global capital markets, she revitalized Hong Kong’s IPO scene – Q2 2024 listings surged, including a US$4 billion IPO of appliance-maker Midea, under her tenure. 

Chan’s efforts to enhance market quality and attract international issuers have cemented Hong Kong’s status as a leading financial hub. Her achievement as a female exchange chief is a milestone for gender diversity in finance.

44. Queenie Man – The Project Futurus 

Founder & CEO; Social Enterprise (Elderly Care Innovation)

Queenie Man founded The Project Futurus to transform elderly care in Hong Kong, one of the city’s most neglected needs. Through educational programs and consultancy, she advocates “embracing aging” rather than fearing it. 

Man has implemented innovative practices in care homes to improve residents’ lives and launched public campaigns (even donning a superhero persona “Captain Softmeal” to promote senior-friendly diets). 

By deinstitutionalizing aged care and focusing on the elderly’s dignity and needs, she is elevating the conversation around aging in Hong Kong.

45. Bowie Lam – Teen’s Key Hong Kong 

Founder & Executive Director; NGO (Youth & Women’s Health)

Bowie Lam founded Teen’s Key in 2011 to support young women in Hong Kong’s sex trade after a tragic case exposed the lack of help for them. Teen’s Key provides at-risk teenage girls and sex workers with sexual health education, vocational training, and confidential support services. 

Lam’s NGO has reached thousands of girls, challenging stigma and advocating for policy changes. Her work fills a critical gap in social services, ensuring vulnerable young women “have access to information, care… and legal support” in a judgment-free way.

46. Vriko Yu – ArchiReef 

Co-founder & CEO; Environmental Tech (Marine Ecology)

Vriko Yu co-founded ArchiReef, a startup fighting coral reef degradation with innovative 3D-printed terracotta reefs. A marine biologist turned entrepreneur, she helped develop eco-friendly artificial reef tiles that mimic natural coral habitats, boosting coral survival rates. 

This technology was first deployed by the Hong Kong government to restore typhoon-damaged reefs and has since been used in Abu Dhabi’s reef restoration efforts. Yu’s work marries tech and conservation, offering hope for marine ecosystems and earning her accolades as a young environmental innovator.

47. Dorothy Lam – Dream Impact 

Co-founder & “Chief Catalyst”; Social Innovation Hub

Dorothy Lam co-founded Dream Impact in 2017 as a platform to connect impact investors with worthy social startups. What began as a shared co-working space for changemakers evolved into a full ecosystem supporting 150+ social enterprises and NGOs. 

Lam serves as the “chief catalyst,” matching mission-driven startups with funding, corporates, and mentorship. By building Hong Kong’s largest impact community, she has lowered barriers for social entrepreneurs, proving that profit and purpose can go hand in hand.

48. Amanda Pang – Evercare  

Co-founder & COO; Healthcare Services

Amanda Pang co-founded Evercare in 2016 to provide on-demand, quality home nursing and caregiving services in Hong Kong. Evercare’s platform connects families to a vetted network of nurses and caregivers available 24/7, filling a vital need in an aging population. 

Pang’s focus on professional training and compassionate care has set a new standard for home health services, allowing the elderly and infirm to receive support while remaining in their homes. Evercare has been recognized for social innovation in healthcare and has expanded its services across the region.

49. Christine Tsai – 500 Global (500 Startups) 

Co-founder & CEO; Venture Capital

Christine Tsai co-founded 500 Startups in 2010 and has grown it from a small accelerator into 500 Global, a multi-stage VC firm with over $600 million under management and 2,600+ investments worldwide. 

A former Google and YouTube alumna, Tsai was one of the few Asian American women leading a major VC fund. She championed founders from underrepresented regions and backgrounds, helping to globalize Silicon Valley’s startup ethos. 

Under her leadership, 500 expanded to 20+ countries. Tsai’s impact is seen in the success of companies like Canva and Grab (part of 500’s portfolio) and in opening doors for entrepreneurs far beyond California.

50. Andrea Jung – Grameen America (former Avon CEO) 

President & CEO; Microfinance

Andrea Jung, the former CEO of Avon Products, has now leading Grameen America (the fastest-growing U.S. microfinance nonprofit) as its President and CEO since 2014. 

Appointed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, Jung has overseen Grameen America’s expansion to provide small loans and financial training to over 150,000 low-income women entrepreneurs in the U.S., helping lift them out of poverty. 

Widely respected for breaking glass ceilings (she was the first female CEO of Avon and a longtime Fortune 500 power woman), Jung brings corporate savvy to social enterprise.

Each of these 50 inspirational women of Chinese descent has made a significant impact in the last decade – driving innovation, breaking barriers, and leading with purpose in their respective industries. Their stories showcase the diversity of industries and global reach of Chinese women entrepreneurs, from Mainland China to the worldwide diaspora.

FAQ about Top 50 Inspirational Females Changing the World Today