KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 10 -- Laksa cravings. Long chats with old school friends. Strolling through Ipoh Garden and Woolley Food Court (formerly Woo Lee).

These may sound like everyday Malaysian indulgences - but for Win-Li Toh, they are grounding rituals that keep her connected to home despite holding one of the most prestigious roles in Australia's insurance and finance sector.

The Ipoh-born former Methodist Girls' School (MGS) student was recently named president of the Actuaries Institute of Australia, making her one of the few Malaysians to lead a profession often working quietly behind the scenes but increasingly shaping public policy on climate change, cyber risks and intergenerational inequality.

She is only the second Asian to helm...