Nation-Building Woman’s Award
Datuk Nicol Ann David
A professional squash player
Datuk Nicol Ann David is a professional squash player from Malaysia who is widely regarded as one of the most decorated sports stars of her generation, having broken a succession of incredible records during her career. As an eight-time world champion, Nicol David is an Ambassador for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the lives of people in disadvantaged areas by using sports to change people’s perspectives on the world.
She is also a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador for Malaysia, which has brought her to indigenous and rural communities across the country to create awareness on developmental issues. Following her retirement from professional squash in 2019, she has been working closely with the Professional Squash Association to increase the visibility of women’s professional tournaments and female athletes in general. Since then, she has also partnered with PwC to set up the Nicol David Foundation in Malaysia. Through the foundation, she aims to empower young girls to realise their full potential through sports and education. Providing English language lessons to enhance communication skills will also be one of the programme features.