AWARE’s new executive director, DEI expert Lim Shoon Yin, takes over as Corinna Lim steps down

Women’s rights group Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) saw a change in leadership on Jan 1, 2026.

Corinna Lim, 61, is stepping down after 16 years as AWARE’s executive director. She is succeeded by Lim Shoon Yin, 50, a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) expert.

Corinna Lim will remain in an advisory role for six months before fully handing over leadership.

Founded in 1985, AWARE conducts research and advocacy on issues affecting women in Singapore, including workplace discrimination and sexual harassment, the poverty faced by older women and Singapore’s compliance with United Nations standards on gender equality.

Corinna Lim, who is a lawyer by training and has a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University, joined AWARE as a volunteer in 1992, providing pro bono legal counselling to women dealing with workplace harassment and domestic abuse.

She recognised how women from underprivileged backgrounds suffered as they could not afford legal advice.

She eventually left corporate law to focus on women’s rights work, later serving as AWARE’s honorary secretary in 2006 before becoming its first executive director in 2010.

During her tenure, AWARE increased its full-time staff to over 30 and also expanded its research, advocacy and care services.

This included establishing the Sexual Assault Care Centre at Dover Crescent, and the launch of Catalyse, the organisation’s corporate training arm focused on workplace gender equality.

Through Corinna Lim’s leadership, AWARE also contributed to bills and policy changes in areas such as workplace protections, paternity leave, housing access for single mothers, and legal safeguards for survivors of sexual violence.

“AWARE has never been about one person – it has always been about people who refuse to accept that inequality is normal,” said Corinna Lim.

“I have been privileged to serve alongside colleagues, partners and supporters who are willing to stay with difficult questions and work for change over time. It feels like the right moment to pass the baton.”