Asia Society Northern California Announces 2025 Asia Game Changer West Awardees | Asia Society

Asia Society Northern California Announces 2025 Asia Game Changer West Awardees

Gala 2025

February 21, 2025 — Asia Society Northern California will host the 2025 Asia Game Changer West Awards Gala honoring three outstanding individuals for contributions to their respective fields on Friday, April 11, at 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. PT, in San Francisco. 

The 2025 awardees are:
•    Phyllis Kao - Vice President & Auctioneer, Sotheby's New York
•    Daniel Dae Kim - Actor, Director, Producer, and Social Advocate widely known for his work in ABC’s “Lost,” CBS’s “Hawaii Five-O,” Netflix’s “Avatar: The Last Airbender”, and Disney’s “Raya And The Last Dragon”  
•    Andrew Ng - Founder, DeepLearning.AI; Managing General Partner, AI Fund; Executive Chairman, LandingAI; Chairman and Co-Founder, Coursera; Adjunct Professor, Stanford University

Award-winning reporter Robert Handa of NBC Bay Area News will emcee the event, which will feature performers Jongwon Han, Bass-Baritone opera singer performing a never-before-seen aria from the San Francisco opera's Monkey King, opening Fall 2025, and Gamelan Sari Raras, a Javanese performing ensemble in the Department of Music at UC Berkeley.

Local wines and delicacies from the following Asian and Asian American owned businesses in the Bay Area will be served during the reception: Freeman Vineyard & Winery, Gliding Eagle Wines, Jade Chocolates, Moone-Tsai Wines, ShunYi Cellars, Socola Chocolatier, and The Donum Estate.

Now in its seventh year, the Asia Game Changer West Awards Gala honors individuals, organizations, and movements that have demonstrated true leadership and made a significant impact in the fields of policy and business, technology and innovation, arts and culture, and education. Early bird tickets are available to Asia Society Northern California members for a limited time: members may secure their seat for $988 (discounted from $1,500) via online purchase here. Nonmember seats cost $1,600. Questions about tickets, along with sponsor inquiries and questions about purchasing a table or donating an auction item may be directed via email to Jason Fong, Director of Partnerships and Memberships, Asia Society Northern California.

More information about the 2025 honorees and performers is available here. 

Asia Society Northern California, established in 1998, is uniquely positioned on the edge of the Pacific and at the entrance to Silicon Valley. The Center connects the San Francisco Bay Area’s diverse local community with a wide network of global leaders and visionaries in the fields of policy, business, arts & culture, education, and technology/innovation. Through large conferences, private Executive Roundtable briefings, panel discussions, cultural programs, and networking events and dinners, Asia Society Northern California presents timely and relevant forums for educating and engaging the public about the critical issues facing the United States, Asia, and the world.