Penang’s aspirations to strengthen its position as a global semiconductor and advanced manufacturing hub will depend on bringing more women into leadership, entrepreneurship and high-value industries, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said.
Speaking at the World Women Economic and Business Summit 2026, Chow said women must be represented across the state’s entire innovation ecosystem, from engineers and entrepreneurs to investors, executives and policymakers, as Penang moves up the value chain in semiconductors, digital technology and advanced manufacturing.
“As Penang strengthens its position in semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, digital technology and innovation, we want women present across the entire ecosystem,” he said, describing women’s participation as both an economic and strategic priority.
The call comes as Malaysia records a female labour force participation rate of 56.5%, while women lead nearly 242,000 micro and small enterprises nationwide.
However, Chow noted that barriers to business growth, leadership opportunities and decision-making roles continue to limit women’s full economic contribution.
Penang has set a target of achieving 40% women’s participation in entrepreneurship by 2030 under its Penang2030 development blueprint. The state has already reached 81% of that goal, with 4,052 participants recorded against a target of 5,000.
The state is also building a leadership pipeline, aiming to train 2,000 women leaders annually through 2030. To date, 3,916 women have benefited from leadership development programmes.
Chow argued that greater female participation is not merely a diversity issue but a competitiveness imperative, citing research showing that organisations with diverse leadership tend to make better decisions and deliver stronger performance.
Despite progress, he acknowledged that significant gaps remain. According to the Malaysia Gender Gap Index 2025, Penang scored 0.700 compared to the national score of 0.708.
For Penang, he said, unlocking the full potential of its talent pool will be critical as competition intensifies for skilled workers and innovators in the semiconductor and technology sectors.
“Supporting women is therefore both an economic and strategic priority,” he said.
