Asia 21 Young Leaders Summit 2019

Nearly 100 members of Asia Society’s prestigious Asia 21 Young Leaders network gathered in the San Francisco Bay Area over the weekend for a three-day summit comprised of panel discussions, cultural exchanges, and ideas sharing.

The class of 2019 — comprising 40 men and women from 30 countries and territories across the Asia Pacific — includes human rights advocates, journalists, social entrepreneurs, filmmakers, artists, and business leaders from a stunningly diverse range of backgrounds. During insightful panel talks and numerous breakout sessions, the young leaders considered topics such as the U.S.-China rivalry, the rise of artificial intelligence and new technology such as 5G, and challenges faced by women seeking to gain equality. Special guest participants included James Higa, a member of the original Macintosh team at Apple, UC Berkeley Dean of Engineering Tsu-Jae King Liu, Asia Society Northern California Honorary Chairman Jack Wadsworth, and Asia Society trustees Omar Ishrak and Ken Wilcox.

In addition to the new class in attendance, 55 alumni from Asia 21 classes dating back to 2006 traveled to Northern California for the summit. The Asia 21 Young Leaders network, which recognizes remarkable men and women aged 40 or younger at the time of induction, now consists of close to 1,000 members across 40 countries.