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2010 Diversity Leadership Forum

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Asia Society President Vishakha Desai (3rd from left) with L to R: Kevin Bradley, Director of Diversity at McDonald's USA; Kathy Hannan, KPMG National Managing Director, Diversity and CSR; George Barrett, Chairman and CEO of Cardinal Health; Asia Society Trustee Lulu Wang; and PepsiCo Treasurer and SVP of Finance Tessa Hilado.
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Asia Society President Vishakha Desai (3rd from left) with L to R: Kevin Bradley, Director of Diversity at McDonald's USA; Kathy Hannan, KPMG National Managing Director, Diversity and CSR; George Barrett, Chairman and CEO of Cardinal Health; Asia Society Trustee Lulu Wang; and PepsiCo Treasurer and SVP of Finance Tessa Hilado.

Asia Society continues its mission to bridge Asian and American relations through business, politics, education and the arts, with a strong foothold in the leadership development of Asian Pacific American employees at Fortune 500 companies through the 2010 Asian Pacific Americans Corporate Survey and Diversity Leadership Forum, held May 17 in New York.

The landmark “2010 Asian Pacific Americans Corporate Survey” of 2,000 Fortune 500 employees – the first to exclusively measure the corporate success of Asian Pacific Americans and show how companies can create an inclusive workplace that promotes APAs to corporate leadership positions and draw on APA talent to grow their business at home and abroad.

The survey results, released at the Diversity Leadership Forum, highlight the best companies in four categories of corporate development – showing how strong leadership builds success.

For “Overall Best Company for Asian Pacific Americans to Work For,” the winner is PepsiCo. "As a culture that embraces and supports diversity, PepsiCo is honored to receive this award from Asia Society which recognizes our commitment to attract, retain and engage Asian Pacific Americans. And while we have made much progress, our journey toward greater inclusion remains a priority for us globally,” said PepsiCo Treasurer and Senior Vice President of Finance Tessa Hilado. 

The survey showed that APA employees overwhelming care about the futures of their companies and give their employers high marks for diversity efforts. Yet, a gap emerges when asked about upward mobility – or overcoming a so-called “bamboo ceiling.”

While Asian Pacific Americans are among the most qualified employees – with above-average educational accomplishments – they largely feel under-represented in leadership positions and are less likely to feel they are able to fully employ all of their skill sets or have opportunities for career growth and development. What’s more – in an era of globalization, less than one-third of those surveyed felt their company encourages its employees to pursue careers in Asia.

Separating the “Best-in-Class” companies from the pack is their commitment to promoting diversity at all levels of the organization – a result borne out by the survey results.

“McDonald’s is so proud to be named the 2010 Best Company for Asian Pacific Americans to Develop Workforce Skills. This award comes to us only as a result of the hard work that many individuals put in to help grow our APA talent and the support that our senior leaders have given our Asian Pacific Middle Eastern Network. We are especially proud to receive this honor because the results were based on the opinions of our own employees,” said Karen Garcia, Vice President and General Manager, McDonald’s USA, LLC, and National Chairperson, McDonald’s Asian, Pacific, Middle Eastern Employee Network.

"Cardinal Health is honored to receive the Asian American Community Award recognizing our commitment to the diversity of our workplace and our community. The leadership of our Asian Pacific employee resource group and its members have done a terrific job leading our efforts. And while we know there is still much room for improvement, we are on the right track and encouraged by our progress on this important journey," said George Barrett, Chairman and CEO, Cardinal Health.

"We are pleased to be recognized by the Asia Society for our significant efforts to increase the firm’s diversity and build a strong pipeline of diverse talent, including promoting Asian Pacific Americans into senior leadership positions," said Kathy Hopinkah Hannan, KPMG National Managing Partner, Diversity and CSR. "As a professional services firm, our people are the cornerstone of our success. Having a diverse workforce and diverse leaders makes our firm stronger and more equipped to meet the needs of the global business community that we serve.”

The Forum, hosted this year by Credit Suisse, brought together CEOs, senior leaders and decision-makers from Fortune 500 companies to discuss cutting-edge strategies related to leadership and career development, including managing a globally diverse workforce in the U.S. and Asia; cultural fluency; and promoting Asian American corporate leaders.

“Asia Society is working to help develop leadership skills in Asian Pacific Americans throughout corporate America,” said Asia Society President Vishakha Desai. The survey report “is a key building block in helping to understand best practices in developing Asian Pacific Americans as leaders at Fortune 500 companies and should serve as a guide for companies in managing successful diversity and inclusion programs.”

Asia Society’s effort was led by its Corporate Relations team, the Corporate Diversity Council and Chairman Circle member Bernadette C. O’Connell, in collaboration with Questar, an independent research firm. Questar reviewed submissions from 2,000 participants from Fortune 500 companies across the United States to identify where Asian Pacific Americans are positioned in the corporate ladder by seniority and job type, and which corporations promote employee growth and development and help their Asian Pacific American employees in developing best skill sets to contribute to corporate profits. An awards committee comprising Linda Akutagawa (Senior Vice President, Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics Inc), Subha Barry, Philip Berry (President, Philip Berry Associates LLC), Ted Childs (Principal, Ted Childs LLC), and Dinyar Devitre (Trustee Asia Society), selected the four Best Companies from the list of 10 Finalists. 

To purchase copies of the survey report, contact Nicky Combs at 212-327-9299.

Milan Moravec | 08:22:10 03:50pm
Employee loyalty in Asia: It's not what it used to be! Business and the public sector are into a phase of creative disassembly where reinvention and adjustments are constant. Hundreds of thousands of jobs are being shed by United Technologies, GE, Chevron, Sam’s Club, Wells Fargo Bank, HP, Starbucks etc. and the state, counties and cities. Even solid world class institutions like the University of California Berkeley under the leadership of Chancellor Birgeneau & Provost Breslauer are firing staff, faculty and part-time lecturers. Yet many employees, professionals and faculty cling to old assumptions about one of the most critical relationship of all: the implied, unwritten contract between employer and employee. Until recently, loyalty was the cornerstone of that relationship. Employers promised job security and a steady progress up the hierarchy in return for employees fitting in, performing in prescribed ways and sticking around. Longevity was a sign of employeer-employee relations; turnover was a sign of dysfunction. None of these assumptions apply today. Organizations can no longer guarantee employment and lifetime careers, even if they want to. Organizations that paralyzed themselves with an attachment to “success brings success’ rather than “success brings failure’ are now forced to break the implied contract with employees – a contract nurtured by management that the future can be controlled. Jettisoned employees are finding that the hard won knowledge, skills and capabilities earned while being loyal are no longer valuable in the employment market place. What kind of a contract can employers and employees make with each other? The central idea is both simple and powerful: the job or position is a shared situation. Employers and employees face market and financial conditions together, and the longevity of the partnership depends on how well the for-profit or not-for-profit continues to meet the needs of customers and constituencies. Neither employer nor employee has a future obligation to the other. Organizations train people. Employees develop the kind of security they really need – skills, knowledge and capabilities that enhance future employability. The partnership can be dissolved without either party considering the other a traitor..

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