This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on April 3, 2020

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian professional wrestler Nor “Phoenix” Diana has been featured on the cover of Forbes magazine among other honourees selected for its “30 under 30 Asia Class of 2020”.

Nor “Phoenix” Diana, 20, is Malaysia’s first hijab-wearing female professional wrestler.

“I want to inspire women not just in hijab but women in general. Nothing can stop us as long as we have passion and believe in ourselves,” she said.

Forbes announced its fifth annual “30 Under 30 Asia” list yesterday, featuring 300 young entrepreneurs, leaders and changemakers across Asia, all under the age of 30, who are challenging conventional wisdom and rewriting the rules for the next generation.

Amid challenging times and global uncertainty, the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Class of 2020 features bright and innovative leaders who are ready and equipped to adapt to whatever the future may hold, with 30 honourees selected for each of the 10 categories.

Among those featured on this year’s list are K-pop girl group Twice and actress So-dam Park — best known for her role in Oscar-winning film Parasite — from South Korea; the current world No 1 female tennis player Ashleigh Barty and the founder of MyraSwim Bianca Anstiss from Australia; 14-year-old racing prodigy Juju Noda from Japan; Francis Plaza, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of PayMongo, from the Philippines; Bain Wu, CEO of artificial intelligence start-up INFIMIND, from China; Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Kyaw Soe Oo from Myanmar; Justin Lim, co-founder of Fish & Chicks, from Singapore; Ajeesh Achuthan, co-founder of Open, from India; and sisters Isabel and Melati Wijsen, co-founders of Bye Bye Plastic Bags, from Indonesia.

Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia editor Rana Wehbe said: “This year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list makers inspire optimism in what is promising to be a tough year ahead. They are a resilient and energetic bunch who are facing challenges head-on and actively working for a future that matches their aspirations.”

“Young women under 21 especially stand out in our 2020 list: From Malaysia’s hijab-wearing wrestler to Bangladesh’s first female comedian and a social entrepreneur helping farmers in the Philippines improve their livelihoods — these fierce game-changers are shattering gender, age and cultural stereotypes across industries,” Wehbe added.