New York members inaugurated a new program on October 6 to cultivate leadership among young Asian American women professionals in a variety of fields including government, journalism, high technology, medicine, and law. Conceived by Lulu C. Wang, C-100 Vice Chair for the New York region and CEO of Tupelo Capital Management, and C-100 Executive Director Angie Tang, the mentoring program aims to assist promising Asian American women build a support network for professional growth and advancement. Participants were also invited to volunteer for the Committee and participate in broader C-100 activities such as the annual conference.
At the first meeting, C-100 members Wang, David Chang, Anla Cheng, Washington Sycip, Jackson Tai, and Shirley Young introduced themselves and described their widely varying paths to success. Cheng, Sino-Century China Private Equity Founder and Managing Director, shared how she simultaneously developed her career as an investor specializing in Asia, took leadership roles in cultural and community affairs, and nurtured a healthy family. Cheng said, “We talked about passion, focus and taking chances throughout our career, all while juggling family life as a woman.” Young, a former senior executive at General Motors, said that she originally wanted to become a diplomat, but instead ventured into the white male-dominated territory of the Detroit automobile industry where she eventually helped GM enter the Chinese market. Today, Young engages in cultural diplomacy through her leadership of U.S.-China performing arts exchanges.
| David Chang | Anla Cheng | Shirley Young |
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| Jackson Tai |
Washington SyCip |
The participants, all invited by C-100 members, were of Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian and Filipino descent. They ranged in age from their early 20s to 40s and worked at Goldman Sachs, Infosys, OgilvyOne, Bloomberg, the City of New York, Baruch College, among other organizations and companies. A few had founded their own start-ups. Many had already achieved notable successes in their careers, including a Vice President for Nickelodeon spearheading children’s video game development and a Senior Manager at Infosys who oversees the firm’s top clients in New York.
Yet, even with such accomplished professionals, mentors can play a role in supporting the next generation of Asian American women leaders, said Wang. “I received so much positive and grateful feedback from the young women that it convinced me we should continue to hold these mentoring sessions. What was interesting was that the attendees’ queries were quite similar, regardless of the industry the women worked in, so it suggests that there might be a number of common issues that confront Asian young women. If we can be of assistance on these issues, I believe the Committee of 100 will have met a real need."
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