MEDIA RELEASE
8 March 2007
Australian High Commission and Singapore’s UNIFEM join forces to celebrate women
To mark International Women’s Day (IWD), today the Australian High Commission and National Committee for UNIFEM, Singapore, are hosting a special luncheon address, by Dr Susan Lim – one of Singapore’s most admired citizens, and one of Australia's most prominent university graduates.
What: Women Mean Business: A corporate luncheon celebrating IWD2007
With Special Guest Speaker, Dr Susan Lim MBBS (Hons 1, Monash), PhD (Cantab), FRCS (Edin, Gold Medal); FRCS (Glasg), M.Med Surg (S'pore), AACS, FACS, FAMS
When: 12noon-2pm, Thursday 8 March
Where: The Regent Singapore
“In Australia, we are proud of what we’ve achieved in terms of promoting the status of women. Australia was the second nation in the world (after our neighbours, New Zealand) to give women the right to vote. It was the first in the world to allow women to be elected to parliament. These are things we now take for granted in a democratic society, says HE Mr Miles Kupa, Australia’s High Commissioner to Singapore.
“As a strong proponent of the UN, Australia is delighted to be partnering today with UNIFEM, its agency for women’s development, which does excellent work, including here in Singapore. “
Dr Susan Lim has achieved much as an individual and for her country and her community. A pioneer and leader in her field, Dr Lim performed Asia's first successful liver transplant in 1990, and has since introduced a minimally invasive breast surgery and, most recently, robotic general surgery in Singapore.
A successful businesswoman, Dr Lim is founder and manager of Susan Lim Surgery and several other leading research and surgery centres in Singapore. She is also a volunteer SAF Captain and is actively involved in community work, having jointly established, with her husband, Mr Deepak Sharma - who is also here with us today - Indiapore Trust, which supports e-learning and information technology education for children.
“All funds raised from this initiative and today’s event – hosted in partnership with ANZA, INSEAD and Financial Women’s Association – will help make a huge difference to the lives of women in our region, by supporting UNIFEM’s campaign to end violence against women,” says Ms Saleemah Ismail, President of National Committee for UNIFEM, Singapore.
Media enquiries
Jasmin Seah
Australian High Commission
t. 6836 4123
www.australia.org.au
Fazlin Abdullah
National Committee for UNIFEM, Singapore
t. 6238 6761
www.unifemsingapore.org.sg