Three Singapore leaders amongst Forbes list of world’s ‘most powerful’ women

These include Tan Su Shan, DBS CEO, Ho Ching, Temasek Trust chair, and Jenny Lee, Granite Asia senior managing partner.

Three leaders of Singapore-headquartered firms were included in Forbes’ 22nd annual ranking of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.

They are Tan Su Shan, CEO of DBS, Ho Ching, Chair of Temasek Trust, and Jenny Lee, Senior Managing Partner of Granite Asia.

Tan ranked 29th, followed by Ho (34th), and Lee (96th) in the list.

The women were known for building billion-dollar businesses, commanding global markets, driving scientific and technological breakthroughs, shaping public policy, and defining cultural moments, Forbes said.

The leaders were evaluated for money, media, impact, and influence, it added.

Tan led DBS since March 2025 as the first woman in the role. With some $832b (US$637b) in assets, DBS is Southeast Asia's largest bank, according to the list.

Before becoming CEO, Tan led both DBS’ Consumer Banking & Wealth Management and Institutional Banking businesses, responsible together for around 90% of the bank's earnings, it added.  

She implemented the bank’s digital-first strategy and is the founder and president of the Financial Women’s Association in Singapore.

The Forbes list features women from 25 countries, with the listees collectively overseeing more than $6.342t (US$4.9t) in revenue, it said.