Squash Queen Sivasangari & 3 Other Malaysians Featured In Forbes' 30 Under 30 Asia List
There are also 27 Singaporeans on the list.
By Sadho Ram — 17 May 2024, 06:17 PM
Forbes has announced the ninth edition of its 30 Under 30 Asia list, featuring 300 young trailblazers across the Asia-Pacific region
The Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2024 list features 300 notable listees selected across 10 categories.
In total, the list is represented by 21 countries and territories, with India having the most at 86 entries, followed by China and Japan (32 each), Singapore (27), Australia (26), and Indonesia (18).
Among these 300 people, four Malaysian youths from diverse backgrounds, including national squash champion Sivasangari Subramaniam, have been featured in the prestigious list for their achievements.
1. Sivasangari Subramaniam
"In 2022, Malaysian squash player Sivasangari Subramaniam was in a car accident that left her with facial fractures and a C1 vertebrae injury.
"Seven months later, Sivasangari won two gold medals at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023, and in April 2024, won the Professional Squash Association GillenMarkets London Classic tournament in London. She beat three of the top five players in the world, claiming the win after an 81-minute final match.
"Currently ranked No 13 in the world, Sivasangari has set her sights on the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles," Forbes wrote in the Entertainment and Sports category, highlighting her perseverance.
2. Angel Low
"Angel Low serves as a principal at The Hive Southeast Asia, a USD50 million (approximately RM234,375,000) fund created by Tuas Capital Partners, Sunway Group, and Palo Alto-based The Hive to invest in startups in Malaysia and the ASEAN region.
"Low is also the general manager of AI Nusantara, an initiative by Selangor Digital School and one of The Hive Southeast Asia's investments that helps students prepare for the digital future through AI and machine-learning education.
"Previously, she was an investment analyst at Malaysia Venture Capital Management and a project analyst at Huisheng Consulting Group," Forbes acknowledged Low under the Finance and Venture Capital category.
3. Erica Eng
"After her dreams of leaving her small town for the US were dashed, Eng turned her disappointment into an award-winning webcomic, and made it into a graphic novel.
"The animator launched Fried Rice in 2019, a tale that centres on an aspiring young artist named Min but based on Eng's own experience of seeing her application to study in America rejected. In 2020, it won an Eisner Award, the comic industry's equivalent of an Oscar.
"Eng completed the adaptation of her webcomic in 2022, after earning an online bachelor's degree in animation and visual effects from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco. The book, which has 30 pages more content than the webcomic, was rejected by multiple publishers before she self-published 3,000 copies, now selling in some Malaysian bookstores and online.
"She's now working on a new webcomic, called Beloved, about 'growing up in the Christian faith and what it means to hold onto that faith as I grow older'," Forbes wrote for the trailblazer Malaysian comic artist in the Media, Marketing, and Advertising category.
4. Lee Zhe Xi
"Fueled by childhood memories of cooking with his grandmother, Lee Zhe Xi always wanted to be a chef. Unemployed during the pandemic, Lee teamed up with a university schoolmate to open Eat and Cook in 2021.
"Serving Malaysian cuisine omakase-style, Eat and Cook was originally a six-seater space in a mall. Within a year, it relocated to a 32-seater venue, was recognised as #79 on the 2023 Asia's 100 Best Restaurants list, and clinched an American Express One To Watch Award.
"In 2023 and 2024, it was named a Michelin Recommended restaurant. Lee is now also co-chef/Owner of BarKar KL," Forbes honoured the Eat and Cook chef/owner in the Arts category.
