MANILA, Philippines — Women are strong and powerful, especially when they learn to believe in themselves. Just take for instance the case of 20-year-old Japanese-Filipina professional golfer Yuka Saso, the newest partner of leading global insurer AXA.
Saso embodies the brand’s “Know You Can” message, and from merely dreaming of being one of the top players worldwide, she now ranks no. 8 in the world, proving that confidence is essential for people to achieve their goals. She has since won various prestigious tournaments, including the 2021 US Women’s Open, the 2018 Asian Games and the 2019 Junior PGA Championship.
Getting to where she is now was no easy feat. To this day, like everyone else, she continues to have her fair share of challenges. Just recently, she suffered from an injury while playing at the British Open. “On the third day [of the tournament], I strained my neck while playing,” Saso said “I didn't have my personal trainer, so that was my first time being injured in a tournament. That was bad, and I didn't know what to do.”
Her decision not to dwell on the situation and focus instead on how to react to it helped her further improve not just as an athlete, but as a person as well. She also learned to be more patient and optimistic, values that are proving to be helpful, not only on the golf course, but in the game of life.
“Even at such a young age, Yuka has already achieved so much as an athlete. She embodies an empowered woman who doesn’t let any obstacle get in her way,” AXA Philippines President and CEO Rahul Hora said. “As she continues to work towards becoming one of the top golfers in the world, AXA is honored to support her every step of the way.”
On her journey towards becoming a top professional golfer, Saso also tries not to pay attention to the negative voices.
“I know that there are plenty of voices saying I’m not good enough because of my age, or the fact that I’m a woman, or where I came from, but I choose to tune those out and focus on the positives. You can’t control what others will say about you, but you can control how you choose to respond to it. I’ve chosen to not give energy to those things and instead to surround myself with positive people.”
Saso feels proud to serve as a role model for the younger generation and encourage them to follow their dreams no matter what anyone else says and to help break the bias against women in sports and beyond.
“Bias will never go away, and we will never be able to control what others think and say about us, but we can always control how we treat others and how we respond when faced with judgment. I hope I can encourage young kids to run after their dreams, regardless of who they are or where they came from. Anything is possible,” she shared.
As the newest partner of leading global insurer AXA, she resonates with the brand’s message, “Know You Can,” which is rooted in the understanding that confidence is essential for people to successfully achieve their goals.
Aside from uplifting female athletes like Saso, AXA continues to show its support for women beyond sports. This Women’s Month, the insurance provider participates in the “Break The Bias” campaign, which aims to forge women’s equality and create a gender-equal world.
This year, part of AXA’s initiatives is a Speed Mentoring program, which brings together women leaders and employees to gain different perspectives, inspire even more progress and realize their full potential.
In addition, AXA encouraged everyone to post a symbolic #BreakTheBias image of themselves on social media on International Women’s Day, to help spread the company’s commitment to embracing equity and inclusion. This was also a special fundraising activity wherein each post corresponded to a donation by AXA Asia and Africa to Save the Children Philippines.
This effort raised $5,000 for the organization. Save the Children, the world’s leading independent children’s organization, has been working in the Philippines for over four decades and is dedicated to helping children.
Moreover, AXA Philippines supports organizations that empower women such as She Talks Asia, an online community and impact agency that amplifies messages of empowerment, diversity and inclusion.
AXA extends their partnership with She Talks Asia in a summit titled, “Feel Seen,” on March 26. This year’s summit highlights the value of embracing one’s self-worth and achieving one’s full potential in order to create the change we want to see in the world. 100% of the event proceeds will go also to sponsoring its scholarship fund for girls.
Even beyond Women’s Month, AXA continues to support gender equality, helping empower women to continue to defy stereotypes and #BreakTheBias. AXA Philippines supports women empowerment as evidenced by its workforce made up of 62% women.
For more updates, visit www.axa.com.ph.