KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

MIE HIRAMOTO (ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR)

National University of Singapore |

Co-Editor-in-Chief, Gender and Language Journal

Keynote title:
Sociolinguistics of manhood: shifting ideologies of traditional masculinity in Asia

Mie Hiramoto is Associate Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at the National University of Singapore. Her research interests are sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology, in particular, language, gender, and sexuality (e.g., mediation and medialization; Asian masculinity) and contact linguistics (e.g., Japanese spoken outside Japan and Colloquial Singapore English). Mie has published widely on these topics, including some recent publications in Language in Society (2019), Language and Communication (2020), World Englishes (2021), and International Journal of the Sociology of the Language (2022). She is currently writing different handbook chapters while working as one of the editors for the Oxford Handbook of the Japanese Language. Mie also serves as co-editor-in-chief for Gender and Language; associate editor for Journal of Language and Sexuality; and area editor (sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology) for Linguistics Vanguard. She is Deputy Principal Investigator of the NUS FASS Gender and Sexuality Research Cluster.

NORAIDA ENDUT (PROFESSOR)

Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang |
Vice President, Asian Association of Women's Studies

Keynote title:
Gender equality, women's empowerment and sustainable development goals: SDG 5 and beyond

Noraida Endut is Professor of the School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). She was Director of the Centre for Research on Women and Gender (KANITA), USM, 2013-2021. At a time when gender studies are little known in Malaysia, Noraida was part of the team that had initiated the establishment of KANITA as a centre of excellence on women’s and gender studies in USM in 2001. She is currently the Vice President of the Asian Association of Women’s Studies (AAWS) and a Director on the Board of the International Women’s Rights Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW AP). She has been invited to speak in many academic and public forums on women’s and gender issues, including in South Korea, South Africa, Indonesia, Brunei, United Kingdom and the United States. Her research areas include women and the law, gender and work, violence against women, gender and masculinity, women and economic empowerment and women and technology and refugee issues from a gender perspective.

Featured Speakers: Speakers

PLENARY SPEAKERS

Join us for a thought-provoking discussion with our plenary speakers

MELISSA YOONG
(ASSISTANT PROFESSOR)

University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus

Title:
Rehabilitating the language of equality, diversity and inclusion in Malaysia's women's empowerment discourse

Melissa Yoong is a sociolinguist at the University of Nottingham Malaysia. Her research explores issues at the intersections of language, gender, sexuality, employment and family care. She is author of Professional Discourses, Gender and Identity in Women's Media (Palgrave, 2020) and other contributions to journals and edited books.

STEPHANIE SCHNURR (PROFESSOR)

University of Warwick

Title:
"A financially independent woman is a gift to any nation": Exploring the sociolinguistics of family and work in leadership stories around the world

Stephanie Schnurr is Professor in Sociolinguistics at the University of Warwick. She has researched and published widely on gender in professional contexts – with a particular focus on leadership discourse. Among other journals, her research has been published in Language in Society; Gender, Work and Organization; and Discourse Studies. She has also authored several books and has recently co-edited a volume on Globalisation, Geopolitics and Gender in Professional Communication (Routledge, 2022 with L. Mullany).

ALFA NUR AINI
(ACTIVIST/RESEARCHER)

National Council for the Blind Malaysia

Title:
Feminism and gender equality discourse in Malaysia: are they inclusive of disabled women and other marginalised subgroups?

Alfa is a project researcher with the National Council for the Blind Malaysia (NCBM). Her activism began in 2013, with her active involvement in programmes relating to disabled persons at national and ASEAN levels. In 2017, she began her role as an independent researcher and consultant whose work focuses on disability issues, in particular those that affect disabled women. Alfa has also co-authored several academic articles on numerous topics that cover education for disabled persons to political participation amongst disabled persons in Malaysia.

RICHARD KER
(CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER)

Aerodyne Group

Title:
Inspiring and empowering the next generation of women in STEM

Richard Ker is the Chief Marketing Officer at Aerodyne Group, a drone-based enterprise solutions provider ranked first in the world with a presence in 35 countries. He is a TEDx Innovation and keynote speaker who is highly immersed in the global startup and innovation ecosystem. He was previously attached to Cyberview, where he spearheaded Malaysia’s Cyberjaya Living Lab and Smart City programs. He was also with the Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC) where he set up the ASEAN Centre of Entrepreneurship (ACE). Richard lived and worked in the tech industry for more than 10 years in Beijing before relocating back to Malaysia.