Empowering a new generation

From a high-achieving student to a successful adult, Wan Nadiah Binti Wan Mohd Abdullah Yaakob – who goes by Nadiah Wan – is proof that age and gender do not define a person’s

ability to succeed. Currently ser ving as the Chief Executive Of ficer (CEO) of Thomson Hospital Kota Damansara and the Group Chief Executive Of ficer of TMC Life Sciences Berhad, many would consider the 38-year-old too young for such high positions. She admits that she has f aced more adversit y due to her age, being one of the youngest CEOs in Malaysia, rather than her gender. But she has learned t o handle t he criticisms and f ocus her energy on giving her best no mat ter her role.

“I’m a big believer i n vocational education as well, even in the hospital we tr y and hire a lot of kids who come from vocational schools. There are people who will have white collar j obs and work online, and there are a lot of people who societ y needs, that have technical skills, work with their hands, and I think we can do a lot to help these kids develop,” says the Har vard graduate, when it comes to empowering today’s young minds.

Believing that information shouldn’t be spoonfed t o students and that t he education system needs to l ook at non-traditional ways to deliver knowledge, she emphasises t he i mpor tance of defining students beyond their grades and t o encourage a more varied experience in learning.

“I’m a big bel iever i n vocat iona l education a s wel l, even in the hospit a l we tr y and hire a lot of k ids who come f rom vocationa l schools.”