Symposium

This year's Global Talent Symposium will feature leading AAPI corporate leaders and others to share perspectives on how companies and individuals can prioritize the business case for diversity, equity, and inclusion in 2024 amid an increasingly polarized and contentious climate.

Hundreds of AAPI and other professionals representing dozens of companies are expected to attend in person from companies such as Citi, KPMG, Goldman Sachs, Marriott International, Morgan Stanley, Bloomberg, Paramount, and many others. Thousands more can access programming virtually through our livestream. This program is the cornerstone of Asia Society’s Diversity Leadership Initiatives, which since 2007, has raised visibility on Asian talent and diversity in the business community. 

Check out the recap from this year's event!  

Speaker Series

Your Ticket to the Global Talent Symposium also gives you access to the Global Talent Speaker Series, four programs throughout the year at Asia Society and online where leaders and experts will dive into tactical, strategic solutions to the challenges companies face in unlocking the full potential of Asian workers and professionals. Programs will be presented in-person at Asia Society New York, and then edited and shared on-line globally to Asia Society’s 360,000 YouTube subscribers, thus serving as a valuable resource for leadership coaching, professional development, and motivation for employees, employee networks, and beyond.

AGENDA

Click here to download a full digital program and directory of attendees.

Join us in-person on Wednesday May 15, 2024.

Please note that there are three ticket types. The "Symposium, Award Ceremony, and Speaker Series" ticket type gets your access to all of the below as well as programs throughout 2024.

8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
Registration and Continental Breakfast

9:30 - 9:40 a.m.
Welcome Remarks & Opening Keynote

• Dr. Kyung-wha Kang, President & Chief Executive Officer, Asia Society
• Perry Yung, Actor and Musician 
• Erika Irish Brown, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer and Global Head of Talent, Citi 

9:40 - 11:00 a.m.
Furthering Global Talent Initiatives in an Increasingly Fractured Climate

Gain insights from leading experts on the current landscape of diversity initiatives in the US. Learn about what strategic actions companies should take in the coming months to reinforce the business imperative for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) amidst the challenges of an approaching election year.

• Scarlet Fu, Television Anchor, Bloomberg
• Susan Reid, Managing Director and Global Head of Talent, Morgan Stanley
• Jeanine Conley Daves, Office Managing Shareholder, Littler 
• Joy Chen, Chief Executive Officer, Multicultural Leadership Institute

11:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Refreshments and Networking 

11:30 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.
Navigating Your Career Amidst Shifts in DEI 

Receive expert guidance and insights on strategies AAPI employees can adopt to survive and thrive in the workplace amidst uncertainty around shifting diversity initiatives and geopolitical tensions.  

• Richard Lui, Author, Filmmaker, and News Anchor for MSNBC/NBC 
• Betty Ng, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Inspiring Diversity LLC 
• Ingrid Giordano, Managing Director, Global Head of Early Career Talent Acquisition and Program Management, Citi 
• Christina Poon, General Manager, W New York - Union Square 
• Linda Yoon, Therapist and Founder of Yellow Chair Collective

12:20 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Virtual Closing Remarks 

• Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, United States Senator for New York

1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Drivers for Diversity Awards Ceremony and Luncheon

Please join us as we celebrate and recognize 15 nominees across three categories on May 15! These Awards celebrate the outstanding contributions of individuals and companies that have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the advancement of AAPI employees. The luncheon program will also feature a Fireside Chat with Jenny Kim Park, Bank of America’s new Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. 

• Award Host: Sana Manjeshwar, Global Ombuds Manager, Chevron; Chair, Asia Society Global Talent and Diversity Council 
• Jenny Kim Park, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Bank of America 
• Juju Chang, Co-anchor of "Nightline", ABC News

SPONSORS 

SPEAKER BIOS

Dr. Kyung-wha Kang, Asia Society President and Chief Executive Officer, is an accomplished diplomat who served as South Korea’s 38th Minister of Foreign Affairs (2017 to 2021)—the first woman appointed to this post in the nation’s history, endeavoring to garner global support for South Korea’s initiative to engage with North Korea towards lasting peace and complete denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. She previously held key leadership roles at the United Nations, including as Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator and Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and Senior Advisor on Policy to Secretary-General António Guterres.

Before joining the United Nations, Dr. Kang held various positions in South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, specializing in multilateral affairs and intergovernmental organizations. Among others, she served as Minister at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations, during which she chaired the 48th and 49th sessions of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Furthermore, she spearheaded efforts to highlight women with disabilities in the drafting of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Dr. Kang graduated from Yonsei University in Korea, with a BA degree in political science and diplomacy, and holds MA and PhD degrees from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in the United States. Her doctorate work was in the field of international and intercultural communication. Dr. Kang served as Distinguished Professor Emeritus from Ewha Womans University and is currently Distinguished Professor at the Institute for Global Engagement & Empowerment, Yonsei University.

Perry Yung is an actor and musician originally from Oakland, California. He has been a proud member of La MaMa E.T.C.’s Great Jones Repertory Group under Artistic Director Ellen Stewart since 1993. He is a co-founder of the SLANT Performance Group, an Asian American Pacific Islander performance collective focusing on telling stories from the Asian American diaspora. Their first show - Big Dicks, Asian men the Musical - attacked the model minority stereotype and received critical attention and kicked-off 10 years of touring across America. On Television, he is most recognized as Ping Wu in Steven Soderbergh’s The Knick and Father Jun in Warrior, an HBO/Netflix action drama based on an original script by Bruce Lee.

Perry is also a traditionally trained Japanese shakuhachi flute craftsman having received The Japan-United States Friendship Commission (2002) and Asian Cultural Council (2014) grants to live and study in Japan. Since the murder of Trayvon Martin in 2012, Perry began pushing the cultural boundaries of the shakuhachi flute by making video art and building solidarity with BIPOC communities. On May 31, 2021, Perry made the keynote speech for the National Day of Solidarity against AAPI violence in Washington DC opening with a shakuhachi flute honoring the anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, and in recognition of the ceremonial flute practices of Indigenous peoples. In 2022, Perry received an honorary award from Asian Fighting Injustice in NYC. In addition to being the shakuhachi flute and bass player for the Judo Club Band, he is a proud father of two in New York City.

Erika Irish Brown is Citi’s Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer and Global Head of Talent, responsible for developing global diversity, equity and inclusion strategy and driving Citi’s agenda on talent planning, succession planning and leadership development.

Prior to joining Citi, Erika was Chief Diversity Officer at Goldman Sachs from 2018 to 2021 and Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Bloomberg from 2015 to 2018. Prior to this, she led executive and diversity hiring efforts at Bank of America and Lehman Brothers.

Erika's background includes a range of banking and finance roles, including Head of Business Development for Black Entertainment Television, Senior Associate in High Yield Capital Markets at Morgan Stanley and Senior Policy Analyst for Domestic Finance for the United States Department of the Treasury. She began her career as an Analyst in Public Finance at Lehman Brothers.

Erika is Vice Chair of the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation and serves on the Boards of Columbia Business School and the Riverside Hawks.
Erika earned a BS in Economics from the State University of New York at Albany and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Based in New York, Scarlet Fu co-hosts Bloomberg Television's "The Close" daily and “ETF IQ” every Monday. In addition, she co-hosts the "Bloomberg Business of Sports" weekend radio show and podcast.

Fu regularly moderates discussion panels, notably the CornellTech@Bloomberg speaker series with tech luminaries and entrepreneurs.

During her years at Bloomberg Television, Fu has covered the demise of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers and the subsequent global financial crisis.

Before joining Bloomberg Television in 2007, Fu was a U.S. stocks editor for Bloomberg News. Prior to that, she oversaw Bloomberg News coverage of Asian equities, and reported on the handover of Hong Kong to Chinese rule in 1997. Fu began her journalism career at CNBC Asia in Hong Kong.

Fu graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in history and concentration in Asian American Studies. She has also studied Mandarin at Peking and National Taiwan Normal Universities. 

Susan Reid is a Managing Director, Global Head of Talent and a member of Moran Stanley's Management Committee. As Global Head of Talent, Susan works closely with the Firm’s leaders to attract, retain and advance the Firm’s talent.  Her remit includes leadership for Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Acquisition, and Talent Development.

Susan has over 25 years of human resource experience across a broad range of industries including financial services, telecommunications and higher education. Susan joined Morgan Stanley in 2008 as a Human Resource Business Partner supporting the Investment Management division. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Susan held a number of roles at various companies, including Human Resource Business Partner, and Head of Campus Recruiting and Diversity at Marsh and McLennan Companies, Head of Campus and Diversity Recruiting at Bell Atlantic, Head of Recruiting at RR Donnelley’s financial services division and Head of Employment at New York University. Prior to transitioning to Human Resources, Susan developed and led programs at New York University to retain and graduate academically gifted students from under-represented groups.

Susan serves on the boards of the Morgan Stanley Foundation and Safe Horizon, is an advisory board member for Catalyst and iMentor New York City, and is a member of the Executive Leadership Council.

Susan has a degree in Economics and Political Science from New York University and lives in Harlem, New York.

Jeanine Conley Daves, an experienced trial lawyer and Office Managing Shareholder of Littler Mendelson’s New York office, represents a wide array of companies, both global and domestic, in employment-related disputes and workplace investigations. Daves regularly advises and counsels clients in a variety of industries, particularly the manufacturing, retail, financial services and media and entertainment industries on a wide-range of employment issues, including whistleblower and retaliation claims, trade secrets, Title VII anti-discrimination and harassment matters, the Family Medical Leave Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Through her experience as a trial lawyer, Daves is able to efficiently and effectively strategize with her clients to resolve employment disputes through the best possible means for the client by obtaining favorable settlements, dismissal of actions through summary judgment or full defense verdicts at trial.

Along with her successful employment practice, Daves is extremely active in her community and is on the Board of Directors of the Lawyer’s Committee of Civil Rights Under Law and is Immediate Past Chair of the Board of the New York Urban League. Daves is also on the Alumni Board of Georgetown University Law Center. She has been recognized by numerous organizations for her work, and has been named on the Best Lawyers in America list for several years, received the Honorable Bernice B. Donald Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award from the ABA, is a past recipient of the Council of Urban Professionals Catalyst Award, was selected by the Metropolitan Black Bar Association for the Private Practitioner of the Year Award, and was awarded the inaugural Chambers Women in Law: “Outstanding Contribution to Furthering the Advancement of Minority Lawyers” Award, an award created for her work.

Joy Chen, CEO of the Multicultural Leadership Institute (MLI), is a trailblazer in global cross-cultural leadership development. Her career path from Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles, to executive recruiter for Fortune 500 CEOs and Board members, and ultimately a prime mover in leadership training, underscores her unique ability to elevate leaders and sales teams worldwide.

As Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles, Joy led economic and workforce development for a culturally diverse city whose workforce speaks 90+ languages. Her initiatives to equip Angelenos with the skills they need to excel in the global economy endure as policy benchmarks.

Transitioning to the corporate sphere, Joy joined the global executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles, and over seven years, recruited top global leaders across North America, Europe, and Asia. Additionally, she trained the firm's Asia partners in executive recruiting best practices.

Joy's pivot to leadership training was serendipitous, sparked by the unexpected success of her leadership blog in China. This launched her there as a keynote speaker, author, and training organization founder serving millions in Asia and the Americas.

At the MLI, Joy and her exceptional team deliver state-of-the-art training that merges global leadership expertise with insights from across the social sciences, equipping audiences with the cultural insights and skills to boost collaboration and achieve ambitious growth targets more easily and efficiently.

Joy's contributions to global cross-cultural leadership have garnered features in media including the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The Economist, CNN and Vogue China.

Joy holds an MBA and an M.A. in Urban Planning from UCLA, a BA from Duke University, and a Diversity & Inclusion certificate from Cornell University. She is a 2004 American Marshall Memorial Fellow.

Richard Lui is a veteran journalist with more than 30 years in broadcast journalism, film, technology, and business. Currently an anchor at MSNBC / NBC News and previously with CNN Worldwide, Lui was the first AAPI male to anchor a daily, national news show. The team Emmy and Peabody winner remains one of the few Asian Americans to serve uninterrupted as an anchor for the last 20 years.

Lui is the author of the bestselling and award-winning book "Enough About Me" from HarperCollins Zondervan, as well as author of the groundbreaking Inclusion@work risk reports released at Davos, SXSW, and CES. As a film director he recently released the Oscars- and Grammy-qualifying documentaries ‘Sky Blossom’ (2021) and ‘UNCONDITIONAL’, (2023) which were honored with rare premieres at the White House, U.S. Congress, and the United Nations. 

Richard’s overlapping 20-year business career includes time at Citibank, Oliver Wyman, Mrs. Fields Cookies, a fintech patent, and launching six tech brands over three business cycles. As an NACD Fellow, he has served on private and NGO boards in the AI, gender equity, and human trafficking sectors. In 2017, Richard founded PRISCA, a not-for-profit company that forms action-based narrative change strategies. Richard is a volunteer and celebrity caregiving ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Association, AARP, Plan International, BrightFocus, and Caring Across Generations

Betty Ng's purpose is to empower others to achieve their goals by channeling their identity into a superpower. As the founder and CEO of Inspiring Diversity, LLC, she provides a roadmap to foster a culture of belonging and inclusion within organizations and schools. Betty is a #1 bestselling author, tech entrepreneur, speaker, trainer, as well as certified pickleball and life coach who leverages her own identity and experiences - from growing up in a poor single-parent household to becoming a senior corporate executive - as fuel for her impactful work.

Prior to founding her company in 2016, Betty spent 20 years in corporate and financial services leadership roles at organizations like Moody's, Citigroup, and American Express. She has been recognized as a Notable Asian Leader, Corporate Trailblazer, and Youth Champion for her diversity and inclusion efforts. Betty holds an MBA from Harvard, a Stanford economics degree, and a Stanford executive education certification. She is also a certified public accountant, open water diver, and co-founder of the Asian American Authors Book Club. Betty inspires and empowers others through speaking, training, coaching, and authoring books as well as other solutions that empower authenticity and global citizenship.

Ingrid Giordano is the Global Early Career Talent Acquisition and Program Management Head at Citi responsible for the global strategy and ongoing innovation and optimization of the early career operating model, workforce planning, processes, and technology platforms.  In her role, she leads a team of early career professionals and oversees the global campus and early career attraction and selection strategy, growth of the programs, end-to-end management of analyst and associate programs.  Ingrid’s team develops and manages relationships with business sponsors and steering committees to ensure the campus strategy is embedded in the overall business agenda and culture as well as measuring the effectiveness of the programs against stated success criteria.  

Ingrid began with Citi in the late 1990s working across multiple human resources areas as well as businesses.  She has been passionate about playing an integral part in the attraction and development of early career talent.  She has served on multiple steering committees, built many early engagement programs, and led several programs across products and geographies.  

Prior to joining Citi, Ingrid worked at various financial services firms as a client manager and lead for learning and development. Ingrid’s contributions also include leading the submission recognizing Citi as having the #1 internship program in the Americas as well as recognition for award winning programming for the early identification program with a diversity, equity, and inclusion award.  Ingrid launched the HBCU Innovation Leadership Symposium Program at Citi providing HBCU students across 20 HBCUs an opportunity to learn about opportunities in financial services.  She has supported the Asian Leaders of Today initiatives including serving as a moderator and panelist for various initiatives.  She serves on Citi’s Global Asian Heritage Diversity Committee.  She was a Director-Employer on the NACE (National Association of Colleges & Employers) Board of Directors.  She serves on advisory boards including being a member of the New York Jobs CEO Council, College Apprenticeship Advisory Board, JFF Ventures Corporate Innovation Council and Forté Advisory Council.  Ingrid received her Bachelor’s degree from Pace University. 

Christina Poon brings a distinguished 25-year career in the hospitality sector, spanning both Montreal and New York. As a seasoned executive, she currently spearheads the transformative initiatives at W New York Union Square, showcasing a relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation within the industry. Beyond her corporate responsibilities, Christina is actively involved in community engagement, contributing as a Board Member for the Union Square Partnership, an esteemed Advisory Board Member for STAY Magazine, and as a Judge in the prestigious international "Most Talented Leader in Hospitality Competition." Her multifaceted leadership mirrors a commitment to both corporate success and community impact.

Linda Yoon is the founder of Yellow Chair Collective and co-founder of Entwine Community, organizations dedicated to addressing mental health education and service gaps in services for BIPOC communities, with a special focus on Asian Americans. She is recognized as a co-author of the book "Where I Belong: Healing Trauma and Embracing Asian American Identity," which delves deeply into themes of Asian American identity and resilience, alongside the racial, cultural, and intergenerational dynamics present within Asian American communities. Linda's work has been recognized and featured in media outlets including NPR, PBS, CBS, LA Times, and Buzzfeed. With a heartfelt commitment to well-being and community empowerment, Linda drives changes through mental health programs and advocacy initiatives.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand doesn’t shy away from a big fight. 

In just her first term in the Senate, Kirsten led the effort to repeal the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which banned LGBTQ people from serving openly in the military. And she passed the historic 9/11 health bill, which ensured that first responders and 9/11 survivors got the health care they deserved. More recently, she passed major legislation to give benefits to veterans exposed to toxic burn pits overseas, passed the first-ever federal law making domestic gun trafficking a crime, and reformed the military justice system on behalf of our nation’s service members. 

She also wrote and passed the STOCK Act to ban members of Congress and their families from insider trading. And she was the first member of Congress ever to post a daily report listing her official meetings, earmark requests, and personal financial disclosures online for public consumption. 

As a working mother, Senator Gillibrand continues to put the challenges that working families face front and center. That’s why she’s currently leading the fight to provide every working person in America with paid leave. She is chair of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, and she also serves on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senate Agriculture Committee, and Senate Aging Committee. 

Senator Gillibrand’s home is in Albany, New York, where she grew up. She and her husband Jonathan have two boys, Theo and Henry, and a labradoodle, Maple.

Sana Manjeshwar is the Global leader of Chevron´s Office of Ombuds program, a confidential service that empowers employees to bring their best self to work and overcome any barriers to diversity and inclusion and work-related concerns.  Her Ombudsman career began at AllianceBernstein´s where she served as their Ombudsman in New York. Prior to her Ombudsman career, she was a labor and employment attorney, and a human resources manager. She earned a B.A. in Psychology with a concentration in Industrial Relations from McGill University and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law. She has studied, worked and/or lived in London, Paris, Lagos, Mumbai, Montreal, Chicago, Washington, D.C., New York and Houston. Additionally, she has gained exposure to all types of industries and work cultures, including manufacturing plants, law firms, hospitals, several government organizations, unions, the EEOC, courts, retail, and financial services.  Sana serves on the International Ombudsman Association Board of Directors, Business Roundtable Multiple Pathways Initiative and Chair of Asia Society’s Diversity and Inclusion Council.

Jenny Kim Park is Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for Bank of America. In her most recent position, Jenny was head of Diversity & Inclusion for Global Technology, Global Operations, Global Strategy & Enterprise Platforms, and all staff support organizations, which together represent more than half of the company’s employees. She also serves as co-executive sponsor of the bank’s Asian Leadership Network and a long-term member of several other employee networks.

Outside the company, she has represented Bank of America in forums hosted by The Conference Board, Girls with Impact, the Philadelphia’s Women’s Conference, and Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics.

Previously, Jenny was the human resources executive covering Global Transaction Services (GTS) and Global Equities. She was also an advisor to the GTS Social Economic Action Council and the Breakthrough Lab Accelerator program for early stage, pre-seed startups with fintech or financial inclusion products, services, or ideas. She joined the company in 2018 after leading human resources for global markets and payments businesses in Latin America, and the Americas more broadly.

Juju Chang is an Emmy® Award-winning co-anchor of ABC News’ “Nightline.” She also reports regularly for “Good Morning America” and “20/20.” 

Chang has been recognized for her in-depth personal narratives set against the backdrop of pressing national and international news. From mass shootings to the Opioid Epidemic, Chang is a veteran journalist with a wide-ranging body of work. Chang reported on the recent rise of hate crimes toward the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community as anchor of the ABC News Live special “Stop The Hate: The Rise In Violence Against Asian Americans” and the “20/20” special “Murder In Atlanta” following the Atlanta mass shooting. 

Chang’s decades-long career has been recognized with numerous awards, including multiple Emmy’s, Gracie’s, a DuPont, a Murrow and Peabody awards. In 2017, she was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Front Page Awards. 

Born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in Northern California, Chang graduated with honors from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and communication. She is married to WNET president and CEO Neal Shapiro and, together, they have three sons. Chang is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a founding board member of the Korean American Community Foundation.