Asia Society President Josette Sheeran Visits Manila
Asia Society President, Josette Sheeran, went on two-day visit to Manila on March 28-29, 2016 to meet with the Asia Society Philippines community which included the Board of Trustees, Asia 21 Young Leaders, partners and members. Accompanying her was Erin Bradbury, Executive Director, Strategic Partnerships.
Day 1 – Sheeran Meets with Asia Society Philippines
On March 28, Sheeran kicked-off her visit with the Asia Society Philippines Board of Trustees meeting led by Founding Chairman, Washington SyCip, and, Chair, Doris Magsaysay-Ho. Other Trustees present were Jorge Araneta, Frederick Dy, Enrique Gonzalez, Oscar Lopez, and Fernando Zobel de Ayala. Executive Director, Suyin Liu Lee, was also in attendance.
The meeting was immediately followed by a cocktail dinner graced by Amb. Amanda Gorely of Australia, Amb. Lalduhthlana Ralte of India, Amb. Esra Cankorur of Turkey, Amb. Philip Goldberg of the United States and Second Secretary Le Thi Thu Thuy of Vietnam. Many Asia 21 Young Leaders were present as well as current Asia Society members.
Sheeran talked about the strategic vision of Asia Society which was “gathering the gardeners of the relationships of the United States and Asia” based on the initial vision of the Rockefellers. Now the scope has been expanded to the Middle East and Europe.
Asia Society also aims to focus on four key global initiatives to fulfill its mission of promoting understanding of Asia in a respectful manner. These initiatives include the Global Arts Council, Asia Society Policy Institute, Asia Rising Dialogue and Asia 21 Young Leaders Initiative.
Day 2 – Sheeran Meets with Asia 21 Philippine Young Leaders
Asia 21 is an initiative that identifies dynamic and notable young leaders under the age of forty making significant social impact in various sectors in Asia.
On the morning of March 29, Sheeran went on a site visit to meet Reese Fernandez-Ruiz and Mark Ruiz, Asia 21 leaders and founders of Rags2Riches (R2R). R2R is a social enterprise established in 2007 to help alleviate poverty in Payatas, Quezon City. It has since expanded and now partners with local artisans across the Philippines to create eco-ethical fashion and home accessories out of upcycled, overstock cloth & indigenous fabrics. Sheeran believes that these types of ventures can serve as a role model not only in the Philippines but also in other regions of the world stricken by poverty and lack of job opportunities.
Sheeran also had one-on-one interviews with media personalities & Asia 21 alumni Quintin Pastrana of Bloomberg, and Doris Dumlao-Abadilla of Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The day was concluded with a dinner reception in honor of the Asia 21 Philippine Young Leaders with Sheeran as special guest. Josette expressed how inspired she was with the group’s achievements. She sees the potential of the Philippines and can sense their aspirations. The possibilities are without limit. These leaders will not accept the current status quo and are passionate about initiating change. She reminded them that they should be the soil where many great things will grow. She leaves it to the Asia 21 Leaders to define what this means for themselves and for society as a whole.
Lasting Impressions of Josette Sheeran
In her talks, Sheeran shared her ties to Asia. Her father, James J. Sheeran, a World War II hero, would share with her his love for Asia and usually provided free legal services to Asian immigrants. He was also one of the first people who came to China to give lectures on Insurance Law. While he was on one of travels, he would call Sheeran to tell her that Asia was the future. She was bewildered by this statement and when she expressed her confusion, her dad would tell her, “You don’t have the eyes to see yet, I’ll teach you how to see.”
Before assuming the role of President of Asia Society, Sheeran was the Vice Chairman of the World Economic Forum. She was also the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), and served as the United States Undersecretary for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs in the State Department.
When she decided to head Asia Society, she felt that there was still gross inequality around the globe, and this is especially true for Asia. She envisioned bridging the gap between Asia and the West, and advocating for the inclusion of the former in the power tables of the world. This was the same vision John D. Rockefeller III had 60 years ago. She aims to bring Asia to a respected position. To give it a voice through advocating policies, art and culture, and education. Sheeran stressed that no problem can be solved without Asia. All the opportunities as well as the dangers lie in the region. Asia Society must reduce the chances for conflict. Asia Society serves as a platform to continually ask and discuss three important questions: What are we observing? What are we missing? What do we need to do differently?
Sheeran believes that the transformation of Asia is the greatest story of our time. Asia Society’s mission is to serve as a platform in this transformation and the time is now.
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Asia Society President Josette Sheeran Engages with Asia 21 Philippine Leaders