The AWIB Corporate Initiative


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AWIB launched its Corporate Initiative in June 2005 to meed the identified needs of corporate Asian women. AWIB has since held four Corporate Asian Women's Leadership Conferences (CAWLC) which have served as a forum for attendees to learn and network, as well as meet and hear from Asian women who have already blazed a stellar leadership path.

AWIB invites top Asian women executives to participate in a frank dialogue on the advancements of Asian women in the corporate world. These dynamic women have shared their personal experiences on their unique paths to success as well as leadership pinnacles Asian women have yet to conquer.

Hundreds of Asian women from across the corporate world have thronged to these filled to capacity events. AWIB's speakers represent some of the top minds in their fields. The discussions delve into relevant issues including:

  • Making leadership and career progress while making a positive impact on the company's bottom line
  • Assessing one's professional strengths and weaknesses to forge beneficial workplace alliances
  • Counteracting worklace barriers and stereotypes that stall career progress
  • And leveraging one's firsthand knowledge of Asian culture as an asset in the global market

    • AWIB Corporate Asian Women's Leadership Conferences

    2008:Born to Lead: Corporate Asian Women Making a Difference
    AWIB's Fourth Annual Corporate Leadership Conference - Born to Lead: Corporate Asian Women Making a Difference was a big hit. Top Asian women executives took part in a lively forum discussing issues of leadership and success in the corporate world. The varied backgrounds of the speakers - from biotechnolgy to retail to recruiting and professional services - also added to the appeal of the event. The evening began with a networking reception which offered attendees a chance to meet with their peers from across industries. A panel discussion followed and guest speakers were Barbara Adachi, Principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Amy de Rham, Senior Client Partner, Korn Ferry International, Maykin Ho, Partner, Goldman Sachs, and Aru Kulkarni, President, Jones Apparel Group. Alina Cho, Correspondent, CNN served as moderator and brilliantly guided the discussion covering a broad cross section of topics to make it an excellent learning experience. An exciting Q&A session with attendees offered a look at the women behind the leaders. This was followed by a dessert reception to allow for more networking and one-on-one conversations with the speakers. The evening also served a great cause - all proceeds from Born to Lead will go towards the Asian Women In Business Scholarship Fund - which promotes leadership among Asian women in college. A special thanks to Goldman Sachs for their partnership - AWIB appreciates their commitment to promoting and developing Asian women leaders; and NYSE Euronext for their generosity.
    View the 2008 Born to Lead Conference invitation, speaker bios and pictures from the event. Learn more about the AWIB Scholarship Fund.

    2007:Born to Lead: Corporate Asian Women Trailblazers
    A dynamic panel of top Asian women executives wowed and inspired a full house of corporate Asian women at Born to Lead. Representing the cream of the crop from media, finance, law and consumer products industries, the women candidly shared their insights and strategies on opportunities, challenges and other key issues for corporate Asian women.
    The speakers were:
    Yvonne Chan, Partner, Paul Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. A laid back New Zealander whose legal prowess as partner in a top US law firm is enviable. Her international background spans China, New Zealand and the US. She stressed on the importance of following a career one enjoys and not to let work overwhelm one's life.
    Michelle Kim, VP, Chief Counsel, Time Warner Cable. Her current role as legal head honcho for the country's second largest cable operator came after she consciously moved away from litigation - an area that she didn't see as her forte. Networking and an effort to explore outside her comfort zone landed her the opportunities which led her to Time Warner Cable.
    Punita Kumar-Sinha, Senior Managing Director, The Blackstone Group. A minority woman in an overwhelmingly male field. Not satisfied with just an MBA, she pursued a Ph. D in Finance at Wharton to stand out among competition! Despite not being part of informal male networks, she is today a formidable force in the investment industry as Portfolio Manager and Chief Investment Officer for both the India Fund and The Asia Tigers Fund.
    Seong Ohm, Senior Vice President, Sam's Club. Overseeing a staff of 40 and a budget of $5 billion seem to come easy to Seong. Her career choices have been dictated not by the size of the paycheck but by the opportunities to learn and the value she attached to a company. That, and a tremendously supportive family have catapulted her to the top of her field.
    The moderator for the panel was CNN correspondent, Alina Cho. Although she had been on her feet since 3:00 am for work, Alina cheerfully and skillfully guided the discussion.
    Wendy Cai, Chair of AWIB's Corporate Leadership Advisory Board welcomed the attendees. She also urged attendees and their corporations to donate to the AWIB Scholarship Fund. The Fund was established in 2006 to encourage and promote exceptional Asian female students who have demonstrated leadership abilities.
    The Born to Lead event was held at Time Warner's spectacular headquarters in Manhattan and included a networking reception.
    Speaker bios and pictures from the conference.

    2006:Progress Makes Perfect: Maximizing Opportunities for Corporate Asian Women
    Progress Makes Perfect drew nearly 300 attendees. The evening began with a networking reception, followed by a top notch panel of Asian women executives engaging in an enlightening dialogue on their paths to the top and offering valuable information strategies to corporate success. The panelists were Sheila Hooda, Managing Director, Credit Suisse, Akiko Koh, Senior Vice President, GE Equipment Services, Wan Ling Martello, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Wal-Mart International and Rashmini Yogaratnam, Managing Director, Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Juju Chang, Correspondent, ABC News was the moderator. Speakers shared their unique experiences and lessons learned which in turned helped them pursue and realize their dreams. Speakers also answered questions from the audience. Many stayed on afterwards to talk one-on-one with the panelists and continue networking. The event was held at Citigroup's facilities at 388 Greenwich Street in Manhattan. The evening was a follow up to our highly successful launch of the AWIB Corporate Initiative in 2005.
    Speaker bios and pictures.

    2005:Carving a Corporate Niche: Glass Ceiling Realities for Asian Women
    AWIB kicked off its Corporate Women's Initiative to a packed house of nearly 200 women. The evening featured a lively panel discussion with top level women from major corporation. The panelists touched on major issues impeding the progress of Asian women in the corporate world and offered solutions for survival and success drawn from their own personal experiences. The panel included Anne Nohara Abaya, Senior VP, Human Resources, GE Consumer Finance; Lucy Chan, Senior Project Executive, IBM Global Services; Anuradha Jayanti, Managing Director, Citigroup; Sheila Kumar, Vice President, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies Inc; Nancy Yieh, Vice President, Gas Operations, Con Edison, and was moderated by Jane Hyun, author. The event included a signing of Jane recently released book 'Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Career Strategies for Asians.' The event's tremendous popularity is indicative of the need for Asian women to hear from Asian women who have made it as well as to interact with peers outside of their immediate work environment.
    Speaker bios and pictures.