Kuala Lumpur, 14 October, 2002
"In Asia, more women are going online for communications purposes. Companies, and website portals should analyse the behaviour of women going online, and customize women's online experience accordingly. This strategy is extremely crucial for companies selling women-related products and services." said Fione Tan, President & CEO of eOneNet.com, the leading eMarketing Services Provider in Malaysia, in the recent East Asia Economic Summit 2002, organised by World Economic Forum.
Fione was a co-discussion leader for the Topic of Women Online during the session of "Women as Leaders in Today's Asia". Her discussion covered the growth of overall women Internet users, in particularly Asia, and the common tools that are used by women online. The session also managed to attract equal participation from various men leaders.
"Take for instance, a recent survey by NetValue between Oct and December 2001, revealed that the number of women using webmail in Hong Kong increased 104.7% and the number of women using online chat in Singapore grew 440%. Just in the month of December 2001, the number of women using ecards also increased, up 79.1 percent in Hong Kong, up 64.9 percent in Korea, 56.4 percent in Taiwan, and 36.9 percent in Singapore, " added Fione.
"In Asian countries, the percentage of online women compared to the total of online population has almost risen to a 50% balance. For instance, South Korea with 45%, Hong Kong with 44%, Singapore with 42% and Taiwan with 41% respectively," Fione continued.
"Women leaders in the Internet world is still a minority. Very often, women are not taken seriously by the male counterparts as having the ability to lead a company. The solution is not to give up or to blame, but to take responsibility to prove your ability as a women leader in your own field," said Fione.
Other discussion leaders in this session include Marina Mahathir, President, Malaysian AIDS Council, Malaysia, Noor Azlin Zainal Abidin, Partner, Accenture, Malaysia, Princess Norodom Buppha Devi, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia, Nahathai Thewphaingarm, Deputy Government Spokeswoman, Office of the Prime Minister of Thailand, and representatives from USA, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Geneva, Singapore, and People's Republic of China.