With 198 of the World’s 500 largest Companies (by annual revenue) headquartered in Asia, it is increasingly important to elevate gender balanced leadership at the top of these Companies and accelerate women in leadership in Asia. The 2026 Break the ceiling touch the sky® list of Asia’s Most Inspirational Women in Leadership is the 2026 listing of the most successful and inspirational women in leadership in Asia who are leading with passion and purpose and serving to shape a better, more equal world. The listing was created in support of House of Rose Professional’s Mission 2029 for a Better World – which aims to shape a better world via better diversity & inclusion, better leadership and better business. Research shows that Companies with 30% women executives bring in as much as 6 percentage points more in profits; when considering a potential employer, 61% of women look at the diversity of the employers leadership team, 67% at whether it has positive role models similar to them, and 56% at whether the organization publicly shares its progress on diversity. Gender diversity & inclusion in organizations is a critical indicator of success. Asia continues to be seriously challenged when it comes to gender balance at the top of the largest companies in Asia.
Five factors are used in the final determination of Asia’s Most Inspirational Women in leadership. Career achievements; scale of influence; active and visible advocacy for high performance leadership and gender equality; active support of other women in leadership within and outside of their own organizations/ Companies; and sharing of their best practices for success across broader industry at Break the ceiling touch the sky®.
The 2026 Break the ceiling touch the sky® list of Asia’s Most Inspirational Women in Leadership is focused primarily on the Corporate world and is curated by House of Rose Professional from its review of over 3500 female executives across over 500 Companies operating in Asia, including data from the 2026 Break the ceiling touch the sky 101 Best Global Companies for women in leadership (BTC 101 Global Index). A spot on the list cannot be paid for. Over 250 nominees currently have been nominated onto this list and will be informed by Joe Rose, Stakeholder and Editorial Advisor, House of Rose Professional (HORP) or Anthony Rose, Chairman and CEO, House of Rose Professional) by July 15, 2026. The final list will be published on Oct 12, 2026. (Nominees that are appearing on the list will be notified in advance. Only nominees that are signed up and present for the conference will be recognized) and celebrated at the 2026 Asia World Edition of Break the ceiling touch the sky® – the success and leadership summit for women (and all allies) on Oct 12. Leaders on the list are likely to receive positive exposure and interest from peer companies, media, and investors.
Nominees are invited to support and be celebrated at the 2026 Asia World Edition of Break the ceiling touch the sky® – the success and leadership summit, being held live in Singapore on Oct 12, 2026. They will be joined by several of the 2026 Break the ceiling touch the sky® Global Male Champions for gender equality. We encourage all of the Inspirational women to support other women leaders and male allies to success by signing up their teams to participate at the summit. Any support is voluntary. A spot on the this list is not an endorsement or partnership with House of Rose Professional.
Leaders appearing on the list will be communicated with exclusively by Anthony A. Rose, Chairman and CEO (anthony@houseofroseprofessional.com), House of Rose Professional or Joe Rose, Stakeholder Relations (consultant@houseofroseprofessional.com).
House of Rose Professional® is a global leadership, talent and transformation company dedicated to building a better world through better leadership. Through its Talent, Training and Transformation platforms, House of Rose Professional helps organizations identify, develop and advance exceptional leadership talent while accelerating women and male allies for gender balanced leadership into the Boardroom, C-Suite and CEO Office.
The company owns and operates Break the Ceiling Touch the Sky®—the world’s leading ecosystem advancing women into leadership’s highest levels—as well as BELiEVE®, its executive search practice, and CEOSmith®, its executive coaching and leadership transformation platform. Headquartered in Singapore, House of Rose Professional works with leading organizations across Asia, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and ANZ.
The Company was founded in 2014 by former Walmart and Procter & Gamble key executive – Anthony Rose, who wrote his best-selling book “Break the ceiling touch the sky®: success secrets of the world’s most inspirational women” in 2014 and then launched the Break the ceiling touch the sky® summit, Index, etc subsequently.
Procceds from Anthony’s book sales go to charity.
“Daddy’s Logic: Live a life of no limits, no excuses, no regrets” (2012) – 100% of proceeds went to Habitat for Humanity.
“Break the ceiling touch the sky: success secrets of the world’s most inspirational women” (2014) – 100% of proceeds went to Save the Children.
“How to get, grow and succeed in your DREAM JOB” (2017) – part proceeds go to Men Against Violence towards women (MAVA)
On Oct 12, 2026 House of Rose Professional will host two key forums to recognize the 2026 Break the ceiling touch the sky® Asia’s Most Inspirational women in leadership and the 2026 Break the ceiling touch the sky® Global Male Champions for gender equality and also provide both cohorts the opportunity to “pay it forward” for other leaders.
First, the 2026 Break the ceiling touch the sky® Presidents Breakfast with Champions, Oct 12, 745 am to 915 am, Frasers House Singapore. This meeting will be restricted to only 35 Key executives (VP and above titles) who purchase passes to the breakfast. Purchase of a pass to the Break the ceiling touch the sky® Presidents Breakfast with Champions is exclusively for nominees of the 2026 Break the ceiling touch the sky® Asia’s most inspirational women and to the 2026 Break the ceiling touch the sky® Global Male Champions for Gender Equality.
To purchase a pass please email Anthony A. Rose, Chairman and CEO, House of Rose Professional at anthony@houseofroseprofessional.com.
Second, the 2026 Asia World Edition of Break the ceiling touch the sky®: the success and leadership summit for women (and all allies), Oct 12, 915 am to 5 pm, Frasers House Singapore. The summit is restricted to 250 delegates to enable interaction between speakers and delegates and speed mentoring during the latter part of the day. Signup of a Table for 10 to the summit comes with one complimentary seat at the Presidents Breakfast with champions for the key executive. Individual delegate ticket purchase for the summit does NOT enable access to the Presidents Breakfast with Champions.
“Thank you so very much for supporting mothers and children in India through the book sales (of Break the ceiling touch the sky). I’m so pleased that your organization continues to make such tremendous progress on issues that are vital to the core of Save the Children’s own work in gender diversity, and that you raise awareness about women’s leadership to new heights. You have done so much to drive this movement forward! It was an honour for Save the Children to once again be the recipient of the proceeds of your book. I join my colleagues in sending my grateful appreciation for your continued support for Save the Children’s work – in India and around the world. Thank you for your commitment and dedication.”
Carolyn Miles, CEO, Save the Children
“Anthony Rose A huge thank you for creating this much-needed platform and the thoughtful curation! The candor in the room made real learning happen. My team from ABB attending BTCTTS walked away motivated and inspired. Thank you for your trust in me to bring something special to the panel discussion…. Of course our panel was the best one of the day because of my fellow panelist’s camaraderie and chemistry. Grateful to contribute to the mission.”
J. Chooi, Country Holding Officer, ABB Singapore
“I have seen Break the ceiling touch the sky® conference go from strength to strength every year, bringing together great participation from CEOs, C-suite Executives, D&I practitioners and founders/heads of businesses. The BTCTTS summit is really mobilizing a movement for building more gender balanced workplaces. It has something for everyone – CEOs to learn from one another on how to drive change and progress towards gender diversity. Women who are looking for advice on how to take their careers forward and men who want to be champions for change.”
A. Chaudhury, Group Head, ESG, AIA
“House of Rose Professional’s purpose-led executive search effort leverages its extensive connections with C-suite executives across industries and functions, a cost-competitive pricing model and responsiveness to both client and candidates’ needs to deliver a unique complement to our Recruitment efforts with top leadership talent. HORP has invested significantly in developing leaders of character and inclusivity, especially in the female leadership space. Anthony’s personal touch and unique cross-industry connections are a unique asset. A great partner,”
Group Head – Leadership, People Development, Prudential
“House of Rose Professional’s CEOSmith® coaching for the past 12 months has really helped me a lot in my career and life journey. It guided me in thinking through how I can be a more effective and influential leader while continuing to be my authentic self at work. The coach been very intentional about my goals for these coaching sessions and made sure I follow through on the practices/actions to apply after the sessions. He also encouraged me to think and work through other leadership aspects beyond what we initially set at the start to help me achieve my long term career and life goals. I am very grateful for the CEOSmith® coaching and highly recommend it to my peers.”
Vice President, The Procter & Gamble Company
“Gender diverse companies are financially more successful, better employers, greater innovators, and better corporate citizens. By accelerating gender diversity at the world’s largest companies through MISSION 2029 FOR A BETTER WORLD we can change the trajectory of global business for the better and influence a more sustainable, better world. Break the ceiling touch the sky® will equip professionals with the leadership best practices to win in a rapidly evolving global economy and serve as inspiration for further progress on Mission 2029.”
Bob McDonald, 8th Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs and Retired Chairman, President and CEO of The Procter & Gamble Company and member of the Mission 2029 Global Advisory Council
“Congratulations on an amazing summit. Such a wealth of information and wonderful people across industries. I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of the summit, and the entire Emerson team gained a lot from the speakers and the attendees. Its an honor for me and Emerson to be part of this great Mission you are driving and we look forward to continued partnership with House of Rose Professional.”
W. Haddad, VP & General manager, UAE, Oman, Yemen and Lebanon, Emerson Automation Solutions
We are delighted that House of Rose Professional has once again chosen Dubai as the host city for the 2024 Middle East & Africa Edition of Break the ceiling touch the sky®.AmCham Dubai deeply believes in the power of gender diversity & inclusion. AmCham Dubai is pleased to partner once again with Break the Ceiling Touch the Sky® and support gender diversity which is a key business priority for the Middle East region and for our corporate members.”
Cara Nazari, Chief Executive Officer, AmCham Dubai
“It is always a pleasure to attend this amazing event, this was my fourth year. Something I really look forward to. It was a day of great learning, reflection and planning for me. My team were also very appreciative to be part of this forum. Best wishes to you to continue on this great initiative and accomplish the 2029 goals, hopefully ahead of time.”
A. Singh, Director, Cigna
“The Coca-Cola Company is proud to be accelerating accelerating gender equality at all levels of our organization and within the communities we serve. As a founding and world sponsor of Break the Ceiling Touch the Sky ® and partner for MISSION 2029 FOR A BETTER WORLD, we are delighted to spotlight how women are reshaping, reinventing, and transforming industries.
Christina Ruggiero, President, Global Nutrition Category, The Coca-Cola Company
“Congratulations for another successful event Anthony Rose! I love how you bring the right leaders and organizations with the same goals into one room to have important conversations and to drive ACTIONS when it comes to gender equality! Well done! Glad that UPSers were able to be a part of it.”
Christina Struller da Costa, Vice President – Corporate Affairs, ISMEA, UPS
“Nine years ago, I joined my first Break the Ceiling Touch the Sky event, a summit that became a movement that Anthony Rose started, and is dedicated to the advancement of women in business, and a platform that brings together so many leaders, companies and industries for a common cause. Fast forward 34 events and almost a decade later, it’s so impressive and inspiring to see what Anthony has achieved in bringing people together from around the world to address diversity and inclusion strategies that are critical to business sustainability.
Joining many of our clients this week was a great way to reinforce that importance of building a better world together through inclusion and reimagined business practices.
We are grateful for the opportunity to be part of such an impactful event!”
Natalia Shuman, President & CEO, MISTRAS Group (Former Group Executive Vice President, Europe & Asia, Eurofins.)
“Break the ceiling touch the sky” annual conferences bring some of the best business leaders from all over the world together. They share their experiences, insights and views on advancing gender equality, positive workplace culture and true inclusion in work teams. The content is always of a consistent high quality and the networking is of a high order. So, if you care anout gender equality, inclusions and getting more women in company senior positions and on Boards, join the conference. You will benefit and so will your collaegues and businesses. Thats why I attend the conference and why Singapore International Chamber of Commerce is a supporting Industry partner year after year. ”
Victor Mills, Chief Executive, Singapore International Chamber of Commerce.
“What an inspirational day attending the Break the ceiling toucgh the sky leadership summit for women. Its exciting to see so many leaders and Companies supporting this initiative. Thank you Anthony Rose for hosting and organizing!
Nicole Silva, Accessories Product Manager at General Motors
•Note that titles of some of the leaders who have provided Testimonials on our work may have changed. Title linked to each testimonial was title at point of giving the testimonial.