Power in Asia extends well beyond the C-suite. Across sport, culture, science and public life, women from the region are reaching the top of their fields—and, increasingly, attracting attention far beyond them.
Here are Fortune’s 10 influential women to watch in Asia in 2026. For more, see who made the 2026 Fortune Most Powerful Women Asia list here.
An Se-young | South Korea
At 24, An Se-young isn’t just the world’s best women’s badminton player. She’s now the sport’s defining competitor, giving South Korea a new sporting star in a game where the country is a global force. Already an Olympic champion and the world’s No. 1 singles player, An took her dominance to another level this year, capturing her second world championship in August and following it up with a gold at this year’s Asian Games. She’s the first woman to win back-to-back singles titles at the Asian Games. She’s lost just once in 57 matches so far this year.
Cho Eun-hee | South Korea
Chef and culinary educator Cho Eun-hee is helping to transform Korean food from a pop-culture fad to global fine dining. A holder of Korea’s Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 38 certification for Joseon royal court cuisine, she leads the kitchen at Seoul’s Michelin-starred Onjium. In 2026, Cho was named Asia’s Best Female Chef, while Onjium ranked No. 14 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. She’s showing that centuries-old royal court cuisine can appeal to a new generation of diners at home and abroad.
Alex Eala | Philippines
When Fortune highlighted Alex Eala last year, the tennis star had reached her first WTA Tour final and climbed to a career-high No. 54. A year later, she has taken another leap by becoming the first Filipino to win a WTA Tour title in Washington, D.C. She also broke into the world’s top 20, and reached the fourth round at Wimbledon—the best showing by a Filipino player at the tournament. She’s notched wins against some of the biggest names in women’s tennis. Her success is changing expectations for Philippine tennis, showing that Filipino players can compete—and win—at the highest levels of the international game.
Farwiza Farhan | Indonesia
Can you both preserve natural environments and protect the people who live alongside them? Acehnese conservationist Farwiza Farhan has spent years fighting to protect Sumatra’s Leuser Ecosystem—perhaps the last place on Earth where elephants, tigers, rhinos and orangutans still coexist in the wild. Through grassroots organization HAkA, she has combined conservation with advocacy for local communities. In 2026, that work earned her the Whitley Gold Award, one of conservation’s most prestigious honors.
Lai Ka-ying | Hong Kong
Just a few years ago, Lai Ka-ying was investigating crimes in Hong Kong. In May, she became the first person from Hong Kong to travel to space when she joined China’s Shenzhou-23 mission to the Tiangong space station. The former Hong Kong Police superintendent holds a Ph.D. in computer forensics and was selected for China’s astronaut program in 2024. She is also China’s first female payload specialist and the country’s fourth woman in space.
Tao Okamoto | Japan
Japanese actress and model Tao Okamoto, known professionally as TAO, reached a career milestone in May when she became the first Japanese woman to win Cannes’ Best Actress award. She shared the prize with Virginie Efira for their performances in Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden, marking a breakthrough moment in a career that has crossed fashion, Hollywood and Japanese cinema.
Aireen Omar | Malaysia
Malaysia is becoming one of the key nodes in the AI supply chain, home to both a growing data-center and semiconductor sector. And the government has tapped Aireen Omar, the former CEO of AirAsia, to help steer that effort. After two decades helping build AirAsia and its parent Capital A, she was appointed in September as the inaugural chair of AI Malaysia, the country’s lead AI agency, charged with coordinating the National AI Action Plan 2026–2030. Omar now has a hand in determining how Malaysia develops, governs and adopts AI.
Shu Qi | Taiwan
After decades as one of Asian cinema’s most recognizable stars, Shu Qi is building a second career behind the camera. Her directorial debut, Girl, competed for the Golden Lion at Venice in 2025 before earning her the Best Director award at the Busan International Film Festival. The film’s run continued this year, winning Best Film at the Asian Film Festival in Rome, while Shu Qi was named Best New Director at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Now Girl is in contention at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards, where Shu Qi is nominated for another Best New Director award. Girl has established Shu Qi as a filmmaker in her own right—an unusual second act for a star of her stature.
Chloe Tong | Singapore
Philanthropist Chloe Tong has become a visible advocate for children and young people. Through the ACE Team Foundation, which she co-founded with her husband, Grab CEO Anthony Tan, Tong supports causes ranging from autism services to youth development. This year, she turned her attention to bullying, launching the #STOPbullying campaign and enlisting prominent figures from business, entertainment, sport and government to help draw attention to the issue.
Jeeno Thitikul | Thailand
Jeeno Thitikul is part of a remarkable generation of Asian women reshaping professional golf. Her rise to the top of the Ladies Professional Golf Association gives Thailand another global sporting star—and a successor to the Thai players who put the country on the map in the women’s game. Thai golfer Jeeno Thitikul entered 2026 as the reigning LPGA Player of the Year after a record-breaking season in which she posted the lowest single-season scoring average in the organization’s history. The 23-year-old has added three more LPGA victories this year, including a triumph on home soil at the Honda LPGA Thailand, taking her career total to 10 and cementing her place among the game’s elite.
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