Kriza Marielle Sumang

Dr. Karen De Asis receives the 2025 ASEAN Women Entrepreneur Award

Dr. Karen De Asis receives 2025 ASEAN Women Entrepreneur Award

Article (news)

Dr. Karen De Asis receives  the 2025 ASEAN Women Entrepreneur Award

ABS-CBN Lifestyle

<p>Filipino brand strategist and MKS Marketing Consulting co-founder Dr. Karen “Catherine” De Asis was officially honored as one of the 2025 ASEAN Women Entrepreneur Awardees in a ceremony held last November 21 at the Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra in Cambodia.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:525.998px;display:block" width="525.998"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1764318843904viber_image_2025-11-24_11-19-14-467.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:525.998px;display:block;height:auto" width="525.998"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Dr. Karen De Asis during the ASEAN Women Entrepreneur Network Awards ceremony. <em>Image courtesy of Dr. Karen De Asis</em></span></span></span></div><p>She represented the Philippines alongside awardees from nine ASEAN countries, who were all recognized for their leadership, social impact, and commitment to fair and gender-sensitive business practices.</p><p>For more than a decade, De Asis has focused her work on helping family-owned Filipino companies strengthen their brands and transition to national market players. Through MKS Marketing Consulting, she leads strategic branding, content development, and marketing initiatives that help local businesses expand operations and generate thousands of jobs nationwide.</p><p>“Our vision is simple: when Filipino brands succeed, Filipino families succeed,” she said. “A strong brand leads to business growth, which translates to more sustainable livelihoods.”</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:525.998px;display:block" width="525.998"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1764318926845viber_image_2025-11-24_11-18-44-764.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:525.998px;height:auto" width="525.998"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Dr. Karen De Asis proudly receives the AWEN Award, representing Filipino women in business. <em>Image courtesy of Dr. Karen De Asis</em></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Proven track record of business growth</strong></div><p>The ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network (AWEN) selects awardees based on vision, innovation, resilience, ethical leadership, and social contribution to communities and industries. </p><p>De Asis stood out for her leadership in strategic brand transformation, commitment to gender-sensitive practices, impact on nationwide employment opportunities, early adoption of AI-generated visuals in Philippine advertising, and consistent advocacy for empowering Filipino family-owned enterprises.</p><p>During AWEN’s deliberation, De Asis highlighted several case studies from MKS Marketing Consulting that demonstrated measurable business growth and job creation. </p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1764319042445viber_image_2025-11-24_11-19-04-623.jpg" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Dr. Karen De Asis after receiving her AWEN Award in Phnom Penh. <em>Image courtesy of Dr. Karen De Asis</em></span></span></span></div><p>She cited a retail brand that expanded from 47 to 350 branches in 15 years, becoming a market leader; a home appliance company that grew from a single product line to multiple categories now available in over 1,000 dealer outlets nationwide; and a small drugstore chain that, despite low initial awareness, became a strong industry challenger within four years. </p><p>These examples reflect her belief that strategic branding, guided by clarity and purpose, does more than elevate businesses—it creates sustained employment and supports the long-term growth of Filipino communities.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Empowering advocacies</strong></div><p>Receiving the regional recognition further strengthened the advocacy of De Asis to support Filipino entrepreneurs and help local brands compete on a larger scale. </p><p>She described the AWEN honor as more than a personal milestone—it reinforced the importance of empowering homegrown companies to grow, expand, and create meaningful impact in their communities. </p><p>“This award inspires me to continue doing work that contributes to national progress—one Filipino business at a time,” she said, adding that it motivated her to keep championing initiatives that promote sustainable and inclusive economic opportunities for Filipino families.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:525.998px;display:block" width="525.998"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1764336827125viber_image_2025-11-24_11-18-16-200.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:525.998px;height:auto" width="525.998"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Dr. Karen De Asis captured in her pre-award look at the AWEN ceremony. <em>Image courtesy of Dr. Karen De Asis</em></span></span></span></div><p>With this recognition, De Asis hopes to amplify her mission even further—working alongside fellow entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and communities to build an environment where Filipino businesses can thrive. </p><p>For her, the AWEN award is not an endpoint but a reminder to keep pushing for progress that uplifts more families and strengthens the country’s economic future.</p>

<p>Filipino brand strategist Dr. Karen De Asis earns the 2025 ASEAN Women Entrepreneur Award for leadership, innovation, and support of local business growth nationwide.</p>

Filipino brand strategist Dr. Karen De Asis earns the 2025 ASEAN Women Entrepreneur Award for leadership, innovation, and support of local business growth nationwide.

Multi‑awarded Filipino entrepreneur Dr. Karen De Asis wins AWEN 2025 for empowering local brands

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Multi‑awarded Filipino entrepreneur Dr. Karen De Asis wins AWEN 2025 for empowering local brands

Kriza Marielle Sumang,

ABS-CBN Lifestyle

Published November 28, 2025 10:11 PM PHT

Read More:

AWEN

Filipino entrepreneur

ASEAN Women Entrepreneur Award

Dr. Karen De Asis

Filipino brand strategist

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