2012 Asia Society Awards Dinner Gala
Article by Keen Lee
Photo by Bennet Cobliner & Bill Swersey
On Thursday, November 8th, Asia Society hosted the New York 2012 Awards Dinner at Cipriani 42nd street. At this event, Asia Society honored and recognized the leaders in their respective fields who have embraced their vision, leadership and commitment over the years.
As soon as we entered Cipriani, we were immediately welcomed by Alex Ortolani, the senior Media Officer of Asia Society New York. He quickly gave us a list of Awards Dinner honorees and leaders’ bio. We were also introduced to some amazing staff of Asia Society including Melissa Chiu (Senior Vice President for Global Arts and Cultural Programs), Elaine Merguerian (Director of Communications), Rachel Cooper (Director of Global Performing Arts and Special Cultural Initiatives), and Hesh Sarmalkar (Director of Events and Visitor Services). Though it was a snowy freezing day, we felt the warmth from the entire Asia Society team even before the gala dinner started.
Over 400 guests attended the event
The following are the honorees mentioned during the event. During their acceptance speeches, the honorees discussed their business success in Asia and what they believe economic development in the region will mean for the world.
David M. Cote, Chairman & CEO of Honeywell
David M. Cote is Chairman and CEO of Honeywell, a $37 billion diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; turbochargers; and performance materials. In February 2002, Cote was elected president, CEO, and a member of Honeywell’s Board and named chairman of the Board on July 1, 2002. For the past ten years, Cote has proven to deliver strong growth in sales, earnings per share, segment profit, and cash flow for Honeywell. In 2009, President Obama named Cote co-chair of the U.S.-India CEO Forum, and he has served on the Forum since July 2005. In 2007, Cote received the Corporate Social Responsibility Award from the Foreign Policy Association, and in 2010, President Barack Obama appointed Cote to serve on the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. In 2011, Cote received the Distinguished Achievement Award from B’nai B’rith International.
Executive Vice President of Asia Society, Tom Nagorski (left), with honoree Washington Sycip (right) who received the Lifetime Achievement Award
Washington SyCip is the founder of SGV, the Philippines largest professional services firm, but he has played many roles over the course of his life. He is an Honorary Life Trustee of The Asia Society, and is one of the founders and Chairman Emeritus of the Asian Institute of Management in the Philippines; member of the Board of Overseers of the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University; Honorary Chairman of the Euro-Asia Centre of INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France; member of the International Advisory Board of the Council on Foreign Relations from 1995-2010; and is a member of the Board of a number of major corporations in Asia and other parts of the world.
Patricia Woertz and David Cote
Patricia A. Woertz is chairman of the board of directors, chief executive officer and president of Archer Daniels Midland Company and an officer of the corporation. In April 2006, Woertz was named CEO and president, and took on the additional role of chairman of the board in February 2007. Ever since Woertz joined the company, she has led the company to record positive financial results while growing its sourcing, transportation and processing networks through select acquisitions, strategic capital investments, and a number of global joint ventures and partnerships. Woertz has also worked to strengthen ADM’s strategic focus and planning, and to promote safety, continuous learning and sustainability initiatives company-wide with the board and senior leadership.
The evening also featured a musical performance by Myanmar’s legendary composer and percussionist Kyaw Kyaw Naing. Myanmar’s legendary composer and percussionist Kyaw Kyaw Naing, is a renowned master of the pat waing. We absolutely loved the performance and wish he and his family could stay on the stage longer! It’s indeed a music feast!
Composer and percussionist Kyaw Kyaw Naing of Myanmar
For the events: http://asiasociety.org
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Washington SyCip (center)
Asia Society President Emerita Vishakha N. Desai, Trustee Harold Newman, Asia Society President Emeritus Robert Oxnam
Lotte Hotels & Resorts VIPs dressing in traditional Korean Clothing
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