Sherry Rehman, Justice Ayesha Malik shine in Forbe's 50 over 50

Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman who made global news at the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), and Justice Ayesha Malik, who is the country's first woman to serve as a Supreme Court judge, have been selected by Forbes in its list of Asia's 50 over 50.

Forbes profiled 50 Asian-Pacific women over the age of 50 who are breaking ground in their fields and motivating the region's youth. These women, according to the outlet, are proving that success can happen at any age in the fields of technology, medicine, art, politics, and more. Forbes partnered with Mika Brzezinski and Know Your Value to produce this list.

Senator Rehman, 62, garnered global attention when representing Pakistan at the climate summit where she proposed a new agreement to transfer funds from wealthy nations to developing nations that had experienced natural disasters connected to climate change.

A former journalist, minister of communication, and Pakistan's ambassador to the US, Senator Rehman became the first woman to serve as the Senate's Leader of the Opposition in 2018. 

In April 2022, she was named minister of climate change in hte Shehbaz Sharif-led cabinet. Rehman has won numerous honours, including the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan's highest civil award.

She co-authored Five Hundred Years of The Kashmiri Shawl, which was published in 2006 and for which she received the Textile Society of America's R. L. Shep Textiles Book Award. The minister was also listed by Financial Times as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in 2022.

Ayesha Malik, who at age 56 became the first woman to serve as a justice of Pakistan’s Supreme Court, also represented Pakistan in the list. 

Justice Malik was a judge at the Lahore High Court for 10 years before being elevated to the country's highest court. 

She passed verdicts regarding the recognition of foreign arbitration in Pakistan and participated in the Green Bench, which promoted environmental justice.

Justice Malik announced a landmark decision banning virginity tests in rape cases in 2021. She has held positions as chair of the Judicial Officers Female Supervisory Committee and on the board of the Punjab Judicial Academy, as well.

Other notables in the list

Other women mentioned in the list include, Vicki Brady, the first female CEO of Telstra, Australia’s largest telecommunications company by market share, made it to the list as well. Despite being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, Brady stood strong. Chew Gek Khim from Singapore who "modernised a colonial-era tin smelting interest into a diversified property and hospitality firm", was also a prominent choice. Six women from India were also included in the list.

Several women from Japan, Indonesia, and Malaysia, among other countries, from all walks of life, were seen making their countries proud with the work they do.