About the panelists

Vanessa Ong, a 46-year-old entrepreneur since 2004, established Gernise Global Pte Ltd in 2014 as a distributor for plastics raw materials. She secured exclusive distributorship from Sichuan Longhua Factory for Southeast Asia markets, with a primary focus on B2B sectors like automotive, electrical, and telecommunications. Facing fierce competition from well-established brands in the USA, Germany, Japan, and Korea, Vanessa's determination and unwavering attitude led her to persuade major players to switch to her Chinese brand within just a year or two. Driven by a passion for eco-conscious living and a commitment to reducing non-biodegradable waste and pollution, Vanessa launched MamaShop, a Singaporean eco-lifestyle brand in 2015. With a mission to make sustainable, natural products more accessible, MamaShop has expanded its offerings and promotes environmental education through partnerships with schools and informative blog content. As an SME, Vanessa actively supports local businesses and fellow entrepreneurs in her endeavor to contribute to Singapore's sustainability movement.

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Valerie Aw, founded Aestival Elements in 2017 to champion conscious consumerism through functional, sustainable and classic products. Her entrepreneurial journey is a testament to her commitment to making a positive impact through thoughtful consumer choices and innovative product design. Juggling motherhood and her business endeavors, Valerie hopes to connect with fellow Mumpreneurs, fostering a community of mutual learning and support, where shared experiences can inspire and empower one another.

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Katherine Lu - With over 20 years of IT experience, Katherine has a strong background in web design, development, and project management. From intuitive design to complex backends and applications, she leveraged user experience, visual design, and code to craft strategies that drive results. She had worked with clients from US and Asia Pacific, including renowned brands like Singapore Airlines, Standard Chartered Singapore, Ministry of Education, St Luke's Hospital and Fullerton Healthcare. Katherine’s extensive experience with clients gives her a unique advantage in understanding their needs. She is dedicated to providing invaluable business and professional advice to all her clients to thrive in the digital world.

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Sher-li Torrey is the founder & director of Mums@Work (Singapore) - a social enterprise that supports women. A point of information source for women looking at flexible work arrangements and/ or starting their own business, Mums@Work is a career portal that supports more than 53,000 women. In 2016, she started a subsidiary of M@W, Career Navigators – with a focus on bringing women back into the workforce in full-time roles. Through this subsidiary, partnerships with more than 150 MNCs have been established – and various returnships and back-to-work programmes have been implemented across the years. In 2021, Sher-li launched “Singapore:40-over-40. Inspiring Women”- an annual initiative to highlight 40 women in Singapore, over the age of 40, who have started a business, restarted a career, changed career paths or created a social giveback project. The project aims to speak up against ageism and gender bias faced by women in Singapore.

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