Asia Society Announces 2021 Asia Game Changers

NEW YORK, September 29, 2021 — The Asia Society will honor path-breaking Asian Americans who are making a transformative impact on society for its 2021 Asia Game Changer Awards, which will be held virtually on October 28, 2021.

This is the 8th year of the Asia Game Changers initiative, held in partnership with Founding Partner Citi. The Asia Society annually honors game-changing leaders from a broad geographic range and varied backgrounds; this year marks the first time that all of the honorees are Asian American.

“The Asia Society has celebrated and honored the achievements of Asian Americans on many occasions over the years” said Asia Society President and CEO Kevin Rudd. “Following the alarming rise of violent attacks against Asian Americans in the United States, we have doubled down on our efforts to educate, foster awareness and healing, and promote cross-cultural understanding. The 2021 Asia Game Changer Awards provide an opportunity to celebrate the extraordinary contributions the Asian American community has made, in this country and around the world.”

The 2021 Asia Game Changers are:

Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl — For connecting communities beyond religion, race, or nationality
Dr. Morris Chang — For connecting billions across the world — one microchip at a time
Dr. David Ho — For pioneering work on deadly viruses — across two generations
Sal Khan — For proving that a good education can be provided to anyone, anywhere
Sunisa Lee — For competing with grace under pressure and making Olympic history
Kim Ng — For shattering the glass ceiling in America’s national pastime
Sundar Pichai — For harnessing the power of technology to change people’s lives

Special guests include Jensen Huang and Magic Johnson, with participants joining the virtual event from around the world. Running from 8-9:30 p.m. ET, the evening will also feature a duet performance by former Game Changers Yo-Yo Ma and Wu Tong.

“Citi is proud to partner with the Asia Society to spotlight this year’s extraordinary Asian American honorees," said Ida Liu, Global Head of Private Banking at Citi. “Each has contributed to our society in unique and inspiring ways, and Citi is honored to take part in recognizing their achievements and global impact.”

The Asia Game Changer Awards, established by Asia Society in 2014 with Founding Partner Citi, are designed to fill a vital gap in recognition and celebration of those making a positive contribution to the future of Asia and the world. Past Asia Game Changers include BTS, His Highness the Aga Khan, Jack Ma, Naomi Osaka, Dev Patel, Malala Yousafzai, and other inspirational figures spanning the realms of policy, business, science, arts and culture, education, and technology. Past Asian American honorees have included Indra Nooyi, Aasif Mandvi, I.M. Pei, and Yo-Yo Ma.

Details about year’s honorees, the 2021 Asia Game Changer Awards, and event registration is available at AsiaSociety.org/GameChangers. For press inquiries, please email pr@asiasociety.org.

Supporters
The 2021 Asia Game Changer Awards are made possible through the generous support of Founding Partner Citi, and additional leadership support from: Lulu C. and Anthony Wang, Betsy and Ed Cohen, Robert and Kate Niehaus, Frank and Susan Brown, Denise and Andrew Saul, Major League Baseball, Värde Partners, and Standard Chartered.

About Citi
Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.

About the Asia Society
The Asia Society navigates shared futures for Asia and the world across policy, arts and culture, education, sustainability, business, and technology. Founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller 3rd, the Asia Society is a nonpartisan, nonprofit institution with major centers and public buildings in New York, Hong Kong, and Houston, and additional locations in Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, San Francisco, Seoul, Sydney, Tokyo, Washington, D.C., and Zurich.