Women and We, Men
"Beauty-preneur” Nikki Tang recently hosted a dinner where both men and women celebrated women. After all, we, women, are not inclusive and take naughty pride in the fact that when men say, “We, men…” they are actually saying “women.” We take pride in all those who are proud of their gender, whether male, female or LGBT.
But that very personalized dinner hosted by Nikki at the Spices restaurant of The Peninsula Manila, belonged to women—after all, it was both “Women’s Day” and “Women’s Month.”
The men present, namely Dr. Z Teo, PeopleAsia editor-in-chief Jose Paolo Dela Cruz, Alex Vergara, businessman Chris Badiola, Dexter de Vera, Karl Anthony Camilla and Tedrick Yau may have well said “We, men, salute you!” Also present were Hera Geriene (a gifted painter), retired banker Nympha Valencia and businesswoman Marian Ong Nuguid.
Studies by S&P Global show that only about 5.4% of CEOs globally are women, while data from the Fortune Global 500 indicates that women lead around six to seven percent of the world’s largest corporations.
The Philippines actually performs better than the global average, though men still dominate the CEO position. Among companies listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange: Women CEOs comprise 13% while men CEOs: about 87%.
But that night, women CEOs and leaders ruled.
That evening’s outstanding women were led by our host, Nikki. As founder and CEO of DMark Beauty and DermAsia, two of the country’s biggest and most influential suppliers of physician-trusted skincare products and restoration technologies, People of the Year 2026 awardee Nikki has shaped the local aesthetic market before it even boomed. Now, she’s designing the next era of beauty, still guided by the core of what she does: to help restore people’s confidence and reshape their lives.
Some “People of the Year” and “Women of Style and Substance” awardees of PeopleAsia, while I was still its EIC, graced the dinner.
Angola Consul Helen Ong has raised millions for cancer-stricken patients. As an indefatigable fundraiser for the Philippine Cancer Society (PCS) through the Best Dressed Women of the Philippines (BDWP), Consul Helen is energized, electrified even with her mission to help cancer patients seek treatment.
“Maawain ako. Nauubos ang pera ko sa charity. Maraming beses akong abunado (I’m compassionate. I spend my money in charity. Many times, I get from my own pocket),” she says with timid laughter. She is a businesswoman who is into foreign exchange, money remittance, jewelry and real estate.
Dr. Aivee Aguilar-Teo believes a beautiful woman is one who is “confident, secure, and accomplished yet humble and compassionate.”
The founder and president of The Aivee Clinic, Dr. Aivee is a skilled and qualified board-certified dermatologist with a special interest in cosmetic laser and aesthetic surgery. Graduating at the top of her class at the University of Santo Tomas with her three-year residency program in dermatology, Dr. Aivee pursued further training in Louisville, Kentucky) and Ramathibodi Hospital in Bangkok, and was awarded a prestigious scholarship to train in the famous National Skin Center of Singapore.
Her practice is also the latest in non-invasive anti-aging treatments and cell regenerating therapies.
Myrna Yao is synonymous with the Barbie brand in the Philippines.
“Barbie is an icon that represents little girls who would like to become somebody, someday. It’s a timeless women’s dream,” says Myrna Yao, president of Richprime Global Inc., the company that distributes Barbie dolls in the country. “This is the only doll that represents the lifestyle of the woman.”
Myrna founded the Philippine Federation of Local Councils of Women to help indigent women to professionalize micro-enterprise operations, help give women entrepreneurs access to loans, and offer training to develop their entrepreneurial capacity.
As one of the country’s foremost specialists in obstetrics and gynecology, Dr. Elsie Pascua is also at the forefront of robotic surgery, which addresses a host of women’s concerns. A believer in holistic approaches to overall health, she is also generous with her time and takes care of her patient’s emotional, psychological, and sometimes, even spiritual needs.
“I am technology-forward,” she declares. “I may be a senior (citizen) already, but I still want to learn new things. The newest, in fact, and that is now in the field of robotics. Robotic surgery allows us to do complex procedures accurately, with minimal blood loss, less complication, less risk of infection and faster recovery.
The hardworking Advance Paper Corp. chief operating officer Connie Haw grew her paper empire from scratch.
“Work brings meaning to my life. We were brought up, especially by my father, to not bum around. I’m very serious when it comes to my business because it started from nothing,” Connie says.
She also founded Advance Computer Forms Inc. (ACFI) in September 1993. In 2007, ACFI received its ISO 9001:2000 certification.
A councilor of Las Piñas City, Alelee first heard the call for public service when she worked pro bono at the Las Piñas City Hall during the pandemic. As the daughter of then Mayor Imelda Aguilar and a Las Piñas resident herself, she felt that it was her duty to step up and go the extra mile to help fellow Las Piñeros who were financially displaced.
Before that, she was an entrepreneur with her Luxuri stores, which sell bags of top-quality brands. She recalls she was a very hands-on manager.
“If you’re an entrepreneur, you must also be ready to multitask, down to literally carrying objects within the store as you go about arranging and rearranging products.”
