Highlights of Asian Women In Business
AWIB is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1995 to assist Asian women to realize their entrepreneurial potential. Since our opening reception in October of 1995, we have sponsored numerous conferences and workshops, provided individualized technical assistance and served as a support mechanism for small business owners. Over 20,000 people have attended our sponsored events and we have become a reliable source of information for entrepreneurs and professionals.
The following are highlights of our programs since 1997. These programs are only a small part of what AWIB has provided to the thousands who have come to us for assistance.
June 17, 2009
AWIB's Fifth Annual Corporate Leadership Conference - Born to Lead: Creating Possibilities was held on June 17, 2009 at Goldman Sachs in Manhattan. The evening was an engaging experience for attendees. It began with a reception where they had the opportunity to network with corporate women from different industries. This was followed by an insightful panel discussion from a dynamic group of Asian women corporate executives. The panelists spoke about the opportunities, challenges and major issues facing Asian women in the corporate world and shared personal stories that ultimately shaped their paths to success.
This year's distinguished panelists were Jeannie Diefenderfer, Senior Vice President, Global Engineering, Verizon: Jyothsna Natauri, Managing Director, Investment Banking, Goldman Sachs; Chiaw Eei NgGibson, Managing Director, Enterprise Strategic Planning, Aetna and Alice Young, Partner and Chair of the Asia Pacific Practice, Kaye Scholer LLP. The moderator for the forum was Alina Cho, Correspondent, CNN, who did an excellent job of brilliantly guiding the conversation for the third consecutive year. View Speaker Bios.
All proceeds from the 2009 Corporate Asian Women's Conference will go to a great cause- The Asian Women In Business Scholarship Fund, which promotes leadership among Asian women in college. Learn more about the AWIB Scholarship Fund. View the invitation and photos from this year’s conference.
This year's event took place at The Bank of New York Mellon in downtown Manhattan.
Corporate Matchmaking:
The Corporate Matchmaking session consisted of one-on-one private meetings in which pre-qualified business owners presented their product or service to buyers from various corporations. Participants in the Matchmaking were Aetna, Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, The Bank of New York Mellon, Battery Park City Authority, Bloomingdales, Bovis Lend Lease, Con Edison, Enterprise-Rent-A-Car, FedEx, GE, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, MetLife, Phoenix Constructors JV, PricewaterhouseCoopers, State Farm, Stop & Shop and Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club.
Information Sessions:
These interactive sessions took place throughout the day, covered a wide variety of topics and answered many of the questions business owners had about procurement opportunities.
New this year was Greening Your Business: a special session on how to green your business and win green contracts.
Other sessions that were offered included Opportunities with Regional and Federal Agencies, Winning Contracts with the States: New York and New Jersey, and Doing Business with Corporate America.
Exhibitors:
Including those mentioned above, the corporations, government agencies and green businesses that were exhibitors in this year’s conference were AXA Financial Inc., Jacob Javits Convention Center, Adirondack Creamery, AIA New Dimensions in Marketing, Inc., Arogya Tea, Bestype Imaging, Comstar International, Grab Em Snacks, Grain, Green Choice Vendors, Green Goods Inc., J. Ottoman Consulting, Inc., Ortolan, Project 116, Realm Designers Inc., Rolling Press, Rose Crown SkinCare Inc., Solarrific, Inc., Spanier Services, Empire State Development Corp, Internal Revenue Service, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Nassau County Office of Minority Affairs, New York City Fire Department, New York Power Authority, NJ Transit, NJ Treasury, NYC Dept. of Citywide Administrative Services, NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection, NYC Dept. of Education, NYC Dept. of Housing Preservation & Development, NYC Dept. of Sanitation, NYC Dept. of Transportation, NYC Dept. of Education, NYC Dept. of Transportation, NYC Economic Development Corp, NYC Economic Development Corp, NYC Health and Hospitals, NYC Housing Authority, NYC Housing Authority, NYC Parks Department, NYC School Construction , NYC Small Business Services, NYS Dormitory Authority, NYS Dept. Of Transportation, NYS Energy Research Development Authority, NYS Office of General Services, NYS Office of Mental Retardation & Dev. Disabilities, Port Authority of NY/NJ, Rutgers University, SUNY, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, U.S. Dept. of Labor, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. General Services Administration, U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Dept. of Labor and U.S. Small Business Administration.
View the conference flyer and pictures for more information.
April 27, 2009
Asian Women In Business and the Office of Councilmember John C. Liu held the workshop New Business Strategies in Today's Economy on getting certified as a Minority or Women-Owned Business Enterprise. Attendees learned about the requirements for certification and the way it can be used to grow a business. Business owners were also provided with information on how to compete in government contracting opportunities and search for new strategies to sell their products and services. The event was held in Queens at the Free Synagogue of Flushing. See workshop flyer and pictures for more information.
April 21, 2009
Those who attended AWIB’s workshop Protecting Your Business: Learn Trademark, Copyright & Patent Basics were provided with practical information on how to protect their business assets. The interactive session was conducted by Sujata Chaudhri and attorneys at Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman, P.C., where it took place. The event was full of helpful advice on how to defend your unique business ideas and included a networking reception and presentations on trademark, copyright & patent basics. View the flyer and pictures from this workshop.
April 14, 2009
AWIB and the Office of Councilmember John C. Liu held a press conference in which they encouraged business owners to participate in the upcoming workshop on M/WBE Certification. The workshop, entitled “New Business Strategies in Today’s Economy: Get Certified as a Minority or Women-owned Business Enterprise” will walk participants through the certification process and inform them how to compete in contracting opportunities with government agencies. Councilman Liu urged business owners to take advantage of the opportunities gained by getting certified during the current economic downturn: "Explore the possibility of securing part of the $16.5 billion worth of products and services purchased by the city each year." View upcoming events for details on M/WBE Certification workshops in the coming months.
April 2, 2009
AWIB’s public speaking workshop Speak Up and Speak Out: Mastering the Art of Public Speaking and Presentations was attended by business owners and professionals who know that the ability to give confident speeches is critical to one’s success. The workshop was conducted by executive trainer Tessie Tiaba, who has led several sold-out public speaking workshops for AWIB and attendee evaluations have been consistently positive. During the interactive three-hour session, participants got a chance to practice their newly acquired skills and received constructive feedback on how to make their future speeches effortless. The workshop took place at ING in New York City. View the flyer.
April 1, 2009
AWIB and the Office of the Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer held a free workshop on M/WBE Certification for minority and women business owners. The workshop provided participants with information about certification requirements and showed them how certification can be used to grow a business. Minority and women business owners were also aided in searching for new avenues to sell their products/services in order to succeed during the difficult economic times. The event was held at the Office of the Manhattan Borough President in New York City. See the workshop flyer and pictures.
March 2009
AWIB held its biannual series Starting Your Business 101, a four-part program on small business ownership. Targeted toward both aspiring and existing business owners, the weekly sessions provided participants with information on how to start and run a successful business. Attendees benefited from classes that covered essential topics such as how to write a business plan, create an effective marketing plan, decide upon a legal structure and acquire the necessary financing and insurance. The workshops were led by industry experts who ensured that each 2-hour session was an engaging and informative experience. The classes were held at Microsoft in Manhattan and made possible by the support of FedEx and TD Bank. View the series flyer for more information.
March 19, 2009
February & March 2009
AWIB held free workshops to assist Asian business owners in getting certified with New York City as a Minority/Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) and gaining greater access to contracting opportunities with government agencies. Attendees found out how certification can be leveraged to grow their companies by expanding their marketing to include New York City agencies, and how to access tools that will increase their ability to compete in City contracting opportunities. The workshops were held on four Tuesdays during February and March at the AWIB office in Manhattan.
January 28, 2009
AWIB’s interactive workshop Smart Networking taught participants how to grow their network by using proven techniques to effective networking. Facilitated by networking expert Liz Lynch, the workshop was a unique opportunity for those attending to improve their networking skills and apply them when interacting with other workshop attendees. The event included a wine and cheese reception and a “speed networking” session that allowed participants to practice the techniques they learned. It was held at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in New York City. See event flyer and view pictures.
January 12, 2009
AWIB celebrated the newly created Emerging Asian Women Leadership Initiative, an effort to encourage and support leadership among the young female leaders of tomorrow. The afternoon began with Leading with Confidence, a 2-hour interactive workshop aiming to cultivate and hone leadership skills among female Asian college students. Following the workshop, a networking reception and awards presentation was held to showcase the recipients of the 2008 AWIB Scholarship Awards. Each winner received a $2,500 award and 2 round-trip tickets from Southwest Airlines. The event took place at Con Edison in Manhattan. View pictures from the event.
Past programs:
2008 Program Archive
2007 Program Archive
2006 Program Archive
2005 Program Archive
2004 Program Archive
2003 Program Archive
2002 Program Archive
2001 Program Archive
2000 Program Archive
1999 Program Archive
1998 Program Archive
1997 Program Archive
The following are highlights of our programs since 1997. These programs are only a small part of what AWIB has provided to the thousands who have come to us for assistance.
June 17, 2009
AWIB's Fifth Annual Corporate Leadership Conference - Born to Lead: Creating Possibilities was held on June 17, 2009 at Goldman Sachs in Manhattan. The evening was an engaging experience for attendees. It began with a reception where they had the opportunity to network with corporate women from different industries. This was followed by an insightful panel discussion from a dynamic group of Asian women corporate executives. The panelists spoke about the opportunities, challenges and major issues facing Asian women in the corporate world and shared personal stories that ultimately shaped their paths to success.
This year's distinguished panelists were Jeannie Diefenderfer, Senior Vice President, Global Engineering, Verizon: Jyothsna Natauri, Managing Director, Investment Banking, Goldman Sachs; Chiaw Eei NgGibson, Managing Director, Enterprise Strategic Planning, Aetna and Alice Young, Partner and Chair of the Asia Pacific Practice, Kaye Scholer LLP. The moderator for the forum was Alina Cho, Correspondent, CNN, who did an excellent job of brilliantly guiding the conversation for the third consecutive year. View Speaker Bios.
All proceeds from the 2009 Corporate Asian Women's Conference will go to a great cause- The Asian Women In Business Scholarship Fund, which promotes leadership among Asian women in college. Learn more about the AWIB Scholarship Fund. View the invitation and photos from this year’s conference.
May 14, 2009
The AWIB Annual Procurement Opportunities Conference for Minority/Women-owned Businesses hosted a large number of business owners looking for B2B networking opportunities, corporate procurement and information on winning government contracts. Event guests participated in a jam-packed day of workshops, private matchmaking sessions with corporate buyers and information galore from government and private exhibitors.
This year's event took place at The Bank of New York Mellon in downtown Manhattan.
Corporate Matchmaking:
The Corporate Matchmaking session consisted of one-on-one private meetings in which pre-qualified business owners presented their product or service to buyers from various corporations. Participants in the Matchmaking were Aetna, Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, The Bank of New York Mellon, Battery Park City Authority, Bloomingdales, Bovis Lend Lease, Con Edison, Enterprise-Rent-A-Car, FedEx, GE, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, MetLife, Phoenix Constructors JV, PricewaterhouseCoopers, State Farm, Stop & Shop and Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club.
Information Sessions:
These interactive sessions took place throughout the day, covered a wide variety of topics and answered many of the questions business owners had about procurement opportunities.
New this year was Greening Your Business: a special session on how to green your business and win green contracts.
Other sessions that were offered included Opportunities with Regional and Federal Agencies, Winning Contracts with the States: New York and New Jersey, and Doing Business with Corporate America.
Exhibitors:
Including those mentioned above, the corporations, government agencies and green businesses that were exhibitors in this year’s conference were AXA Financial Inc., Jacob Javits Convention Center, Adirondack Creamery, AIA New Dimensions in Marketing, Inc., Arogya Tea, Bestype Imaging, Comstar International, Grab Em Snacks, Grain, Green Choice Vendors, Green Goods Inc., J. Ottoman Consulting, Inc., Ortolan, Project 116, Realm Designers Inc., Rolling Press, Rose Crown SkinCare Inc., Solarrific, Inc., Spanier Services, Empire State Development Corp, Internal Revenue Service, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Nassau County Office of Minority Affairs, New York City Fire Department, New York Power Authority, NJ Transit, NJ Treasury, NYC Dept. of Citywide Administrative Services, NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection, NYC Dept. of Education, NYC Dept. of Housing Preservation & Development, NYC Dept. of Sanitation, NYC Dept. of Transportation, NYC Dept. of Education, NYC Dept. of Transportation, NYC Economic Development Corp, NYC Economic Development Corp, NYC Health and Hospitals, NYC Housing Authority, NYC Housing Authority, NYC Parks Department, NYC School Construction , NYC Small Business Services, NYS Dormitory Authority, NYS Dept. Of Transportation, NYS Energy Research Development Authority, NYS Office of General Services, NYS Office of Mental Retardation & Dev. Disabilities, Port Authority of NY/NJ, Rutgers University, SUNY, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, U.S. Dept. of Labor, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. General Services Administration, U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Dept. of Labor and U.S. Small Business Administration.
View the conference flyer and pictures for more information.
April 27, 2009
Asian Women In Business and the Office of Councilmember John C. Liu held the workshop New Business Strategies in Today's Economy on getting certified as a Minority or Women-Owned Business Enterprise. Attendees learned about the requirements for certification and the way it can be used to grow a business. Business owners were also provided with information on how to compete in government contracting opportunities and search for new strategies to sell their products and services. The event was held in Queens at the Free Synagogue of Flushing. See workshop flyer and pictures for more information.
April 21, 2009
Those who attended AWIB’s workshop Protecting Your Business: Learn Trademark, Copyright & Patent Basics were provided with practical information on how to protect their business assets. The interactive session was conducted by Sujata Chaudhri and attorneys at Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman, P.C., where it took place. The event was full of helpful advice on how to defend your unique business ideas and included a networking reception and presentations on trademark, copyright & patent basics. View the flyer and pictures from this workshop.
April 14, 2009
AWIB and the Office of Councilmember John C. Liu held a press conference in which they encouraged business owners to participate in the upcoming workshop on M/WBE Certification. The workshop, entitled “New Business Strategies in Today’s Economy: Get Certified as a Minority or Women-owned Business Enterprise” will walk participants through the certification process and inform them how to compete in contracting opportunities with government agencies. Councilman Liu urged business owners to take advantage of the opportunities gained by getting certified during the current economic downturn: "Explore the possibility of securing part of the $16.5 billion worth of products and services purchased by the city each year." View upcoming events for details on M/WBE Certification workshops in the coming months.
AWIB’s public speaking workshop Speak Up and Speak Out: Mastering the Art of Public Speaking and Presentations was attended by business owners and professionals who know that the ability to give confident speeches is critical to one’s success. The workshop was conducted by executive trainer Tessie Tiaba, who has led several sold-out public speaking workshops for AWIB and attendee evaluations have been consistently positive. During the interactive three-hour session, participants got a chance to practice their newly acquired skills and received constructive feedback on how to make their future speeches effortless. The workshop took place at ING in New York City. View the flyer.
April 1, 2009
AWIB and the Office of the Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer held a free workshop on M/WBE Certification for minority and women business owners. The workshop provided participants with information about certification requirements and showed them how certification can be used to grow a business. Minority and women business owners were also aided in searching for new avenues to sell their products/services in order to succeed during the difficult economic times. The event was held at the Office of the Manhattan Borough President in New York City. See the workshop flyer and pictures.
March 2009
AWIB held its biannual series Starting Your Business 101, a four-part program on small business ownership. Targeted toward both aspiring and existing business owners, the weekly sessions provided participants with information on how to start and run a successful business. Attendees benefited from classes that covered essential topics such as how to write a business plan, create an effective marketing plan, decide upon a legal structure and acquire the necessary financing and insurance. The workshops were led by industry experts who ensured that each 2-hour session was an engaging and informative experience. The classes were held at Microsoft in Manhattan and made possible by the support of FedEx and TD Bank. View the series flyer for more information.
March 19, 2009
AWIB and the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz held a workshop on certification for minority and women-owned businesses. The workshop, which took place at Brooklyn Borough Hall, walked participants through the certification requirements and showed them how M/WBE certification can be used to grow a business. The owners of already certified businesses were provided with information on how to successfully compete in contracting opportunities with government agencies. View the event flyer and pictures for more information.
February & March 2009
AWIB held free workshops to assist Asian business owners in getting certified with New York City as a Minority/Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) and gaining greater access to contracting opportunities with government agencies. Attendees found out how certification can be leveraged to grow their companies by expanding their marketing to include New York City agencies, and how to access tools that will increase their ability to compete in City contracting opportunities. The workshops were held on four Tuesdays during February and March at the AWIB office in Manhattan.
January 28, 2009
AWIB’s interactive workshop Smart Networking taught participants how to grow their network by using proven techniques to effective networking. Facilitated by networking expert Liz Lynch, the workshop was a unique opportunity for those attending to improve their networking skills and apply them when interacting with other workshop attendees. The event included a wine and cheese reception and a “speed networking” session that allowed participants to practice the techniques they learned. It was held at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in New York City. See event flyer and view pictures.
January 12, 2009
AWIB celebrated the newly created Emerging Asian Women Leadership Initiative, an effort to encourage and support leadership among the young female leaders of tomorrow. The afternoon began with Leading with Confidence, a 2-hour interactive workshop aiming to cultivate and hone leadership skills among female Asian college students. Following the workshop, a networking reception and awards presentation was held to showcase the recipients of the 2008 AWIB Scholarship Awards. Each winner received a $2,500 award and 2 round-trip tickets from Southwest Airlines. The event took place at Con Edison in Manhattan. View pictures from the event.
Past programs:
2008 Program Archive
2007 Program Archive
2006 Program Archive
2005 Program Archive
2004 Program Archive
2003 Program Archive
2002 Program Archive
2001 Program Archive
2000 Program Archive
1999 Program Archive
1998 Program Archive
1997 Program Archive