NEW YORK, May 15, 2013 — Asia Society is pleased to announce the finalists for its 2013 Asian Pacific Americans Corporate Awards to be given June 10 at our Diversity Leadership Forum in New York.

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Time Warner is pleased to recognize two Asian-American industry-leaders who have recently been named to new management roles at divisions of the company: Kevin Tsujihara will take over as CEO of Warner Bros. and Sofia Chang will become Executive Vice President and General Manager of HBO Home Entertainment.

Kevin Tsujihara has led Warner Bros. Home Entertainment since 2005 and will take over as CEO of Warner Bros. beginning March 1. Tsujihara is currently responsible for overseeing the company’s home video, digital distribution, videogames, anti-piracy and emerging technology operations. He is widely recognized for his strategic digital vision and for his efforts in transitioning Warner Bros.’ home entertainment business during a time of convergence between content and distribution platforms throughout the industry.  Tsujihara joined Warner Bros. in 1994 and received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Southern California and his MBA from Stanford University.  He’s on the Board of Directors for the MPAA, City Year Los Angeles, an education focused, nonprofit organization, the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission, Kabam, the Verdugo Hills Hospital Foundation and the Entertainment Software Association.

In the company announcement, Tsujihara said: “It is an honor to have the opportunity to lead this storied business. We’re at a pivotal moment in the histories of Hollywood and entertainment: technology is changing the canvas we use to create theatrical releases; home entertainment is rapidly evolving; and the definition of television now includes viewing across a wide range of devices and services. But in my mind one thing remains clear and constant: Warner Bros.’ unmatched ability to tell stories that inspire, educate, and entertain global audiences. We are extremely fortunate to have strong relationships with some of the industry’s most gifted talent and together we will continue to use those relationships, our scale, and our passion to build on Warner Bros. great legacy.”

Separately, HBO has announced that Sofia Chang has been named Executive Vice President and General Manager of HBO Home Entertainment, effective March 4. In this role, Chang will be responsible for overseeing the DVD and digital program distribution division and will report to Simon Sutton, President, HBO International and Content Distribution. Chang has been Senior Vice President, Program Strategy and Planning since March 2012, in charge of the program strategy, audience research and promotion planning and scheduling areas for HBO and Cinemax. Under Chang’s management, HBO has expanded into new product categories including fragrances, cosmetics and digital gaming across multiple franchises. Chang holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania.

Sanjay Correa (Vice President, CMC Programs – GE Aviation) has more than 30 years of experience in the turbine engine industry. He is also an Operating Leader of GE’s Asian Pacific American Forum (APAF), a 6,000 strong US-based organization which is celebrating its 15th Anniversary this year. Today he talks about his career, APAF and how APAs can contribute to business success—particularly in Asia.

Dr. Sanjay Correa started at GE’s Global Research Center (GRC) in upstate New York over 30 years ago. He worked closely with colleagues at the Center and from GE’s business units on projects for Aviation, Power Generation, Oil & Gas and Transportation. The GRC date back to Thomas Edison, the founder of GE, and is synonymous with practical innovation. As one might expect, the environment is very open to diversity of thought—so it should be no surprise that GE’s APAF started there. Sanjay later moved to the Supply Chain in GE’s Aviation business, where he led a segment of manufacturing operations. He was subsequently asked to lead GE’s India Technology Center headquartered in Bangalore, a team of about 5,000 engineers supporting all GE industrial businesses.

“I was raised in India so it was exciting to see how much of a global player India has become, and how much potential remains,” Sanjay said. “The GE team is squarely in the middle of these opportunities – from affordable health care and wind power for the country, to roles on global teams supporting global products such as aircraft engines.”

He returned to GE Aviation in late 2011 as the Vice President of CMC Programs, a new platform on which GE has based future aircraft engines.

“Frankly, I’ve been fascinated with airplanes from an early age. That passion translated into hobbies, academics, a career, and a pilot’s license – the last, sadly, rather rusty!”

Outside of the engineering organization, Sanjay had also served on GRC’s Diversity Council—the umbrella body over all diversity activities at the Center—since the early 1990s, and helped to form GE’s APAF a few years later. He currently serves as one of three APAF Operating Leaders.

“APAF’s success from those humble but hopeful beginnings is due first to the energy and enthusiasm of the membership, with a close second being the time and support from the highest levels of our company,” Sanjay said.

For him personally, APAF opened up a new set of networks, cutting across business and functional lines. He emphasized that organizations such as Asia Society take these networks to the next level, highlighting opportunities and sharing best practices with organizations across the globe.

Sanjay also highlighted the unique resource GE finds in its APA employees. “GE APAs act as local ambassadors when customers from Asian countries visit the US, as mentors for new employees in Asia, and in many cases relocate to their home country—translating their GE experience into a booster shot of domain and leadership skills,” he said. “Large corporations have led the way, but smaller businesses can become global players faster by following these practices.”

Sanjay’s words of wisdom for aspiring APA leaders?

“Three words—don’t be shy!  Seize opportunities—grow, lead, be visible. It’s good for you, it’s good for your team, it’s good for your organization. And enjoy the ride!”

Skadden partners Ki Hong and Dwight Yoo co-authored Government Affairs and Government Procurement Compliance and Jumping the Gun: Social Media and IPO Communications Issues, respectively, which appeared in 2013 Insights, the firm’s annual compendium of articles on critical legal issues facing clients (January 2013). Skadden partner Alec Chang also co-authored a bylined article, Thoughts on Google’s FTC Settlement, which was published by Law360 (Jan. 4, 2013).

“2013 Insights: Regulatory – Government Affairs and Government Procurement Compliance“

Skadden partner Ki Hong co-authored Government Affairs and Government Procurement Compliance, which appeared in 2013 Insights, the firm’s annual compendium of articles on critical legal issues facing clients. Ki’s article discussed the increasingly complex laws facing corporations and other organizations engaged in government affairs or government procurement activities, including issues regarding contributions, lobbying activities, conflicts of interest, gifts and related matters at the federal, state and local levels. The article also examined the implications of notable inaugural and transition activities taking place in 2013.

Read the full article here.

“2013 Insights: Capital Markets – Jumping the Gun: Social Media and IPO Communications Issues”

Skadden partner Dwight Yoo co-authored Jumping the Gun: Social Media and IPO Communications Issues, which appeared in 2013 Insights, the firm’s annual compendium of articles on critical legal issues facing clients. Dwight’s article discussed how the increasing appeal of corporate social media also can present significant risks when a company plans to go public in the United States, and offered practical guidance into understanding the various SEC rules restricting communications during the IPO process.

Read the full article here.

“Thoughts on Google’s FTC Settlement”

Skadden partner Alec Chang co-authored Thoughts on Google’s FTC Settlement, which was published by Law360. Alec’s article reported on the Federal Trade Commission ending its highly publicized and wide-ranging investigation into Google Inc.’s business practices with an enforcement action that has been described by some as a “slap on the wrist.”

Read the full article here.

Today, only 35 percent of China’s citizens connect to the Internet. Of those, just 10 percent have broadband access. Yet, the country has 800 million mobile users—the highest in the world.

Cisco has a tremendous opportunity in China to help connect the unconnected. And when Aglaia Kong, CTO of Cisco China and VP/GM of the Connected Platforms Group, learned about the China Country Investment Initiative she set her sights on Cisco playing a leading role.

The country has allocated three quarters of a trillion dollars to the initiative, with the intent of transforming its education, healthcare, and energy management services. And while that may sound like a huge amount of money, it’s not. The country has more than 1.3 billion citizens—and 65 percent of those aren’t yet connected to the Internet. Clearly, there is a lot of work to be done—on a budget.

To overcome this obstacle, Kong spent months visiting more than 50 schools and 30 clinics and hotels in China. She compared her research with Cisco’s product lines to figure out how to create a purpose-built solution to first meet the country’s education needs.

“We have more than 300,000 schools and nearly 300 million students China,” says Yun Cai, China’s Minister of Education, National Center for Educational Technology, Deputy General Director. “Teachers aren’t used to modern tools. Students don’t have electronics. There is no way for the Ministry of Education to share teaching tools.”

But Cisco has changed all of that.

Following Kong’s research, it became clear that China’s Ministry of Education would benefit from a cloud access solution, where a single piece of equipment (working as a control point) would connect each classroom’s electronics together. This would include compute, wired, and wireless—also, whiteboards and projectors. Plus all content, apps, virtual spaces, and more. Then, the experience of connecting each classroom to the central cloud would be uniform and manageable.

It was also important to factor in local access requirements, different skill levels of IT administrators, harsh conditions like dirt floors, the risk of viruses, and very competitive pricing.

In the end, the answer was to create the Cisco Edge 300, an in-room, all-in-one access control point to bring Cisco’s architecture together—including core switching, routing, and data center, as well as WebEx for remote teaching. The solution also needed to be fanless to prevent dirt from entering the system, secure enough to prevent viruses, and use as little energy as possible to meet government standards.

Development of this solution, however, was challenging. Both funding and staffing were limited. The Emerging Country Board, the China Board, and various Engineering groups provided initial seed funding, headcount, and resources. Amazingly, in just ten months, with only $2.2 million, one engineering leader, five full-time engineers, and an intern delivered the Cisco Edge 300 to China’s classrooms.

“We worked together with Cisco, and now will be able to use the Cisco Edge 300 to equip each classroom with multimedia equipment,” Cai says. “We will also deliver education resources for each classroom.”

Cisco has already sold 8,000 units to the Ministry of Education, which they are currently deploying in about 2,000 schools. In the next two to three years, sales will accelerate as the country expects to spend $150 billion to connect all of its schools and students.

Today, the Cisco Edge 300 is available globally, and other countries such as Brazil, Mexico, and Thailand are beginning to replicate China’s success.

Our close relationship with China’s Ministry of Education, combined with our innovative engineers, is a great example of how we can help solve our customers’ most important business challenges—and change the way we work, live, play, and learn.

“We have a 5-to-10-year plan for China’s education technology,” Cai says. “Our twofold goal is to merge education technology across the country and adopt new teaching methodologies to keep up with a fast changing world. We thank Cisco for their thoughtful, longtime engagement.”