2025 Awardees
Vogue Leaders celebrates 10 extraordinary women who have made significant accomplishments within their fields and driven positive impact in Singapore and beyond. From championing equity and sustainability to reimagining spaces for creativity and conversation, these trailblazers are distinctive forces who are using their influence and talents to spark change. Unbound by categories or industries, this diverse group of women are shaping the future with purpose and impact. Read on to discover the inaugural class of Vogue Leaders.
One of the most prominent poetic voices in Singapore, there is no shortage of accolades Pooja Nansi has racked up to date.
As the country’s inaugural Youth Poet Ambassador; a recipient of the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in recognition of her contributions to the arts; and the first woman and youngest festival director of the Singapore Writers Festival, Nansi’s poetry, performance and cultural leadership is marked by her powerful championship of inclusivity. She currently teaches at Nanyang Technological University and serves as chief publisher at Afterimage Press.
Real change lives in shifting power, sharing platforms and making room for discomfort.
Shooting with the Daniels, lensing Jennifer Coolidge, Lily-Rose Depp and Nicholas Hoult—this is what Los Angeles-based Singaporean photographer, filmmaker and artist Lenne Chai has been up to lately.
Despite all the exciting projects she’s helmed, at the core of her work is a mission to spark change, from championing queer rights to advocating for marginalized communities. Today, Chai describes her work as having shifted towards something that is more socially engaged and personal, utilising storytelling to reflect the kind of world she hopes to help build.
Lynette Tan is a veteran leader in Singapore’s space industry, with decades of experience shaping its growth. Driven by a mission to demystify space—and a belief in its potential as a platform for education, empowerment and transformation—Tan has been a pivotal figure in raising awareness of the realm of space through various initiatives.
In 2021, she launched Space Faculty, which focuses on educational and leadership courses for a new generation. Her most recent venture, Expand Space, is a platform designed to cultivate aspiration and serve as a cornerstone for collaboration among a new league of bright minds.
Space technology is not about spectacle; it is about substance. It has the power to improve lives and safeguard our future.
With a background in investment banking and architecture, Karen Tan is the visionary founder of The Projector—an iconic fixture in Singapore’s arts scene and the city’s leading independent cinema.
Redefining what cultural spaces can look like in Singapore, Tan has played a pivotal role in championing the role of cinema and community-based programming in fostering dialogue and driving social change. Beyond the screen, she is also the founder of Pocket Projects, a consultancy focused on the adaptive reuse of overlooked heritage buildings, and co-founder of Docomomo Singapore, which advocates for the conservation of modernist architecture.
With a career bridging law and social justice, Sugidha Nithiananthan now leads advocacy and research at AWARE, championing systemic change for gender equity in Singapore.
A seasoned litigator with over 15 years of legal practice and a former general counsel on an award-winning international project, she brings a wealth of expertise to feminist advocacy, from shaping legal discourse to educating communities in active bystander intervention and workplace harassment response.
In order to be a genuinely inclusive and kind society, we must fully accept gender equality in the truest sense.
With a career spanning over three decades, Kit Chan stands as one of Singapore’s most influential cultural figures.
From her unforgettable debut at the 1998 National Day Parade with the iconic song ‘Home’ to her starring roles in landmark productions like The Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress, she has helped shape the national imagination through music and theatre. In recent years, she took on the role of a lifetime as Kwa Geok Choo in LKY: The Musical—an intimate, powerful portrayal of one of Singapore’s most iconic women.
Former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Usha Chandradas is an unshakeable force for arts advocacy and a beacon in Singapore’s artistic community.
Beyond using her voice in parliament, Chandradas co-founded Plural Art Mag, an influential online platform dedicated to Southeast Asian art. As a chartered accountant (non-practising) and an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore, her professional expertise extends beyond the arts, but her heart lies in championing the cultural landscape of the region.
At its heart, advocacy is about telling stories—finding ways to help others see the world through your eyes.
With a longstanding career in the retail industry, Yeo Mui Hong has played a pivotal role in transforming the traditional shopping landscape as we have come to know it. Currently at the helm of Orchard Turn Developments, she heads an inventive team at Ion Orchard.
Under her leadership, the mall has brought to life a unique mix of innovation and heritage, from sustainability-driven initiatives to immersive, multi-sensory experiences that continue to set new benchmarks. A strong advocate for female voices, she champions the unique perspectives women bring to retail through connection, meaningful relationships and brand loyalty.
Fashion is personal. What we choose to wear is often a reflection of our identity—how we express our values, aspirations and individuality.
Known for exemplary work in the fitness and recovery space, Michelle Yong is the CEO and founder of Core Collective; an all-inclusive fitness and wellness enclave that doubles as a unique co-working space for working professionals.
With her brand, Yong is building an environment that amalgamates personal training and functional rehabilitation—tailored to every individual’s needs.
Working at the intersection of performance, moving image and installation, Charmaine Poh’s evocative artistic practice unravels questions related to memory, care and embodiment.
Her works have been presented at the Singapore Art Museum, Seoul Museum of Art, REDCAT in Los Angeles, and the 60th Venice Biennale. Based in Berlin and Singapore, she is the co-founder of independent online publication Jom and is also a member of the Asian Feminist Studio for Art and Research. Named Deutsche Bank’s Artist of the Year for 2025, she continues to gain international recognition for her nuanced, interdisciplinary practice and powerfully feminist diasporic lens.
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