WOMAN BEHIND THE LENS
“Being a Woman of Power is being able to lift others up and to make sure that they have been seen, heard and understood.”
From being i n front of the camera l ens as a former national figure skater, to becoming the first and only Malaysian female photographer to receive accreditation for the 2018 Winter Olympics, Annice Lyn has no desire to follow in the footsteps of others, but to forge her own path i n a field dominated by male photographers.
Her tenacit y and good nature have landed her on many great lists like our Prestige 40 Under 40 in 2020, followed by Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2021. Her more recent milestones are photographing Time Magazine's April 2021 issue featuring ar t by Red Hong Yi, and photographing the pandemicridden Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Last year, Annice made her way to China, to photograph the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Her unique photography st yle aims to not only capture the athletes in ac tion, but also t o provide her social media followers with a hear t-warming behind-the-scenes look accompanied by her insight and narration in witnessing great moments.
Constantly championing t he role of women photographers in Malaysia via forums and workshops as the co-founder of Women Photographers Malaysia, Annice also uses her voice on the field to call out on social plat forms the abuse of our national athletes, including how they are represented i n the media. This goes to prove that Annice not only uses her lens to capture historical moments, but as a tool f or change i n suppor ting and por traying women as strong, confident individuals.
Aside f rom documenting spor ts, Annice also finds the time to l end her skill to various great causes. Working with social enterprises and NGOs, she has captured the stories of the Orang
Asli (indigenous Malaysians) i n the deep village set tlements of Kelantan, Sabah and more, t o document the countr y's COVID-19 vaccination outreach programs.
A pic ture may be wor th a t housand words, but with Annice’s touch, she strives to be socially responsible and to deliver depth, emotion, and layers in order to por tray a two-dimensional moment with hear t.
Leading the tech revolution in Malaysia, Dzuleira Abu Bakar is the CEO of the newly formed Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI), an agency that is tasked to help accelerate a secure supply of innovation for Malaysia, thus putting us on a par with, or hopefully ahead of, the rest of the technologically developed nations of the world in the near future.
The former CEO of the Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC) was appointed by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) in April 2021 to lead MaGIC’s merger with Technology Park Malaysia ( TPM) to establish Malaysia’s very own Silicon Valley, and thus MRANTI - named after the world's tallest tropical tree, Meranti - was born.
"MRANTI, like the tree, represents strength, strong rootedness, standing tall, and it provides a canvas when it is fully grown. That's exactly what we want to do for the tech ecosystem in Malaysia. We want to help tech companies flourish and be that canvas that connects everyone, from stakeholders to business owners,” explains Dzuleira.
Having also held top positions as the Vice President at Khazanah Nasional Berhad and as the CEO of Cradle Seed Ventures (CSV), Dzuleira looks at her foray into tech as an "accidental destiny". She found herself immersed in the untapped possibilities and soon her work began to speak for herself.
In just two years with MaGIC under her leadership, the organisation achieved RM 760 million in total value creation, impacted 26,327 participants via their various programmes, and secured five international par tnerships.
As the world finally moves into the endemic stage, Dzuleira is setting her sights in accelerating MRANTI into full force, and that includes finally seeing her vision for Malaysia's very first Artificial Intelligence Park come to fruition.
"I'm excited to see how we can transition out of the pandemic state and how that will affect businesses positively," she says, adding that being a leader in the tech world doesn’t come without its challenges.
“It’s a fact that whatever you say or do would be closely watched. As a leader you have to make sure to set the right example, which may be an added pressure sometimes, but it moves you in the right direction.”
“As a leader you have to make sure to set the right example, which may be an added pressure sometimes, but it moves you in the right direction.”