Asia Society at the 1st Asian MBA Leadership Conference and Expo

ASIA SOCIETY: A PROUD SUPPORTER OF THE INAUGURAL ASIAN MBA LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE AND CAREER EXPO

As part of Asia Society’s committed to diversity and leadership development, we are proud to support the upcoming Asian MBA Leadership Conference and Career Expo from September 10-12, 2009 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City.

Please join Asia Society at the AMBA Conference and Career Expo as Vishakha N. Desai, President of Asia Society, participates as a keynote speaker along with the following leaders in business:

• Michael Chen, General Electric
• Jane Hyun, Hyun & Associates
• Jon Iwata, IBM
• John Kim, New York Life Investment Management
• Captain Cynthia Macri, US Navy
• David Marriott, Marriott International
• Joseph E. Stiglitz, Economist and Nobel Economic Sciences Prize Laureate
• Frank G. Wisner, American International Group

During the AMBA’s Career Expo, Asia Society will have a booth in the exhibit space to share information about the upcoming 2010 Diversity Leadership Forum in May and Asia Society’s initiatives in the fields of diversity and leadership development.

For more information, visit: www.AsianMBA.org or call or call 212-465-8391. Please use the following code to register: ADIAMBA111 to receive special reduced admission rates from the AMBA.

We hope to see you there and please stop by The Asia Society Diversity Leadership Forum Booth at the Expo.

Interview with Harold McGraw III

Q&A with Harold McGraw III
Chairman, President and CEO, The McGraw-Hill Companies


“I can’t overstate the importance of cultivating talent and diverse perspectives. When you successfully do this, your employees are empowered and business prospects improve.” Harold McGraw III


To help celebrate Asia Society’s first Diversity Leadership Forum, Harold McGraw III agreed to be the inaugural keynote speaker at the Forum on Monday, June 1, 2009. Prior to the Forum, Mr. McGraw shared with Asia Society his thoughts about Diversity and how it frames The McGraw-Hill Companies core values and practices.


Question: What are the core values that a corporation must promote in order to create a diverse and inclusive work environment?

Harold McGraw III: It all starts with respect – respect for your employees’ backgrounds, perspectives, skills and the contributions they make to your organization.

At The McGraw-Hill Companies, we believe diversity is about much more than ensuring equal employment opportunities. It’s about providing an inclusive workplace that values each individual and enables them to reach their potential. We are doing this through a variety of programs and services. Our Diversity Councils, for example, provide a forum to address diversity-related issues affecting our individual business units and the company as a whole. These groups help us celebrate our cultural differences and understand how those differences impact our ability to exceed our customers’ needs.

Diversity is also a business imperative. As global expansion increases, our commitment to a diverse and inclusive work environment becomes even more critical to our success. The diverse characteristics, ideas and backgrounds that our employees bring to the table give us a vital competitive edge in anticipating and exceeding our customers’ needs.


Question: How do you see your role in helping to create and sustain an inclusive environment?

Harold McGraw III: It is very important to set the tone at the top. That’s why we have assembled a talented and diverse senior leadership team that is committed to providing an inclusive environment and to giving our employees the resources they need to feel fully engaged.

We work diligently to ensure these commitments are met and to foster a connection between our commitment to diversity and how that commitment helps us meet our business goals. In fact, we have regular discussions about diversity and talent management at our monthly senior management meetings.

For companies like ours, with operations in 40 countries, developing a global mindset that builds on the diverse backgrounds and talents of all our employees will help us continue to grow in both existing and new markets.




Question: How does McGraw-Hill empower its Asian employees?

Harold McGraw III: We have a full range of programs designed to engage all of our employees and empower them to be agents of growth for the company.

For example, Asian Professionals for Excellence (APEX) is an Employee Resource Group (ERG) that was founded to enable Asian and Asian-American employees at The McGraw-Hill Companies to share knowledge and advance their careers.

Through APEX, employees are able to:
• get involved in a well-established mentoring program;
• participate in extensive leadership development and training programs;
• attend networking events;
• broaden their awareness of business opportunities in Asia; and
• strengthen relationships with their peers throughout the company.

Programs like APEX help us not only to empower our employees, but also to learn from their unique backgrounds and experiences and apply that knowledge to the world around us.


Question: There are concerns about corporate diversity initiatives not affecting change within the senior executive ranks. Is this a challenge The McGraw-Hill Companies is facing and if so, what are some of the strategies that your company is implementing to effectively address this issue?

Harold McGraw III: It is critical to promote diversity and inclusion at all levels of the company, which is why we are continually looking to increase the diversity of our management team. We’re doing this in several ways, including having active Diversity Councils in each business segment and providing executive support for our Employee Resource Groups.

We also have made diversity and inclusion an important part of our talent development programs and recruiting efforts, which is helping us continue to make great strides in building a diverse and vibrant workforce. Two great examples of this are our Leaderships Horizons program and our partnership with INROADS.

Leadership Horizons is our comprehensive leadership development initiative that helps us identify high-potential talent globally, strengthen our leadership bench, and engage top managers in our talent development efforts.

Since 1996, we have supported the mission of INROADS – to develop and place talented minority youth in business and industry, and prepare them for corporate and community leadership – by hiring student interns to work at facilities across the U.S.


Question: What do you think about this newly championed role for ERGs, as internal business partners for a corporation? Do ERGs strengthen business, build new inroads, and drive innovation at McGraw-Hill?

Harold McGraw III: Our employees are the most powerful drivers of our creativity, innovation and growth. That’s why as we continue to bring the best talent and resources together, we also need to view our employees as leaders and ambassadors who are charting new trails for our company in countries and regions around the world.

Employee Resource Groups help us do this by increasing our understanding of new markets, global trends, cultural differences, and professional development needs.

One great example at our company is the vital role that ERGs have played in fostering a mentoring culture. The McGraw-Hill Mentoring Program was conceived of, and piloted through, our Women’s Initiative for Networking and Success (WINS) group, and our Hispanic Heritage Network (HHN) recently launched its own mentoring program focused on serving the needs of our Hispanic employees.


Question: On a personal level, how have McGraw-Hill’s ERGs affected or deepened your understanding about issues facing your company’s multicultural talent?

Harold McGraw III: I have found our Employee Resource Groups to be invaluable to the company. In my interactions with them, I have been able to:
• speak to, and learn from, diverse groups of employees;
• hear their insights about the McGraw-Hill work experience;
• provide feedback about the company’s strategy and vision; and
• promote an open and more engaged environment for us all to work in.

I can’t overstate the importance of cultivating talent and diverse perspectives. When you successfully do this, your employees are empowered and business prospects improve.

To learn more about Diversity initiatives at The McGraw-Hill Companies, visit: www.mcgraw-hill.com

Forum Facilitators in the Media

Listen to interviews with Diversity Leadership Forum Facilitators Jennifer Brown and J.D. Hokoyama:

Jennifer Brown, Founder and President, Jennifer Brown Consulting on CBS

J.D. Hokoyama, President & CEO of LEAP (Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc.) on OK Radio

Meet the Facilitators

Facilitators for the Forum will direct hands-on and interactive business and leadership development  workshops and provide actionable items for participants to walk away with and apply back in their offices.

The 2009 Diversity Leadership Forum Facilitators:

Linda Akutagawa is Senior Vice President of resource and business development at Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics Inc., where she is responsible for LEAP’s fund-raising, business development and oversight of program design, development and delivery. Linda is a member of LEAP’s Executive Management Team and co-manages the operations of the national nonprofit organization. As chief fundraiser, she develops and executes strategies focused on increasing earned and contributed income, building interest among clients and donors to support and participate in LEAP’s leadership programs.

Jennifer Brown is the Founder and President of Jennifer Brown Consulting, a leadership, communications and diversity consulting firm based in New York City. Her company advises leading businesses and non-profits such as Cisco Systems, BASF, Schwab, Ernst & Young, American Express, The New York Times, Working Mother Media, GenderPAC, and many others on the creation of inclusive workplaces that resonate with current, and future, employees and leaders. She speaks and consults globally, specializing in generational differences, leadership development, team dynamics, and personal branding and presence for executives.

J.D. Hokoyama is the President & CEO and a founding board member of Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc. (LEAP). A former Peace Corps volunteer serving in Ethiopia, he has been a high school English teacher and department chair, a K-8 elementary school principal, an executive vice president for fund development and public affairs, the acting national director of the Japanese American Citizens League and the director of the Office of Asian Pacific American Students Services at the University of Southern California. He speaks and trains nationally in all sectors on topics such as becoming a 21st century leader, understanding cultural values, risk taking and breaking the glass ceiling.

Jane Hyun is Founder and President of Hyun & Associates a company that provides executive coaching and leadership strategies to Fortune 500 companies, MBA programs, and government/nonprofits. The firm focuses on the impact of culture on leadership, workplace interactions and business strategy. Her firm’s expertise in the area of talent management of Asians, women, and multicultural professionals has been internationally acclaimed by clients. She advises senior management teams, ERG (Employee Resource Groups) leaders, and diversity councils on the importance of building effective multicultural teams and practical strategies for winning the talent war.

Alan Kumamoto is a Partner of Kumamoto Associates, a marketing, management and communications general partnership. His career spans international business, government, and nonprofit jobs before co-founding Kumamoto Associates. Alan has 40 years of experience in management consulting, resource development/fundraising, and human relations training. He was a consultant to the Ford Foundation Working Capital Fund for mid-sized minority nonprofit institutions and assisted the National Marrow Donor Program with a national Asian Pacific Communications Campaign. He teaches fundraising at the University of California at Los Angeles to nonprofit and public agencies and taught grant writing to teachers for the Miliken Foundation. He has presented planning workshops and seminars in Australia, Canada, Ghana, Japan and Ukraine.

Karen J. Watai is the President of Karen Watai Associates LLC, a firm dedicated to working with professionals through coaching and customized training to enhance performance and achieve results in a long-term and sustainable manner. Karen has spent almost 20 years in the investment banking and private equity industries. She was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs where she executed transactions in the Private Finance Department and was a relationship manager in the Capital Markets Department. She also worked in the Management Development and Training Department where she designed, developed and delivered major initiatives including mentoring, diversity, compliance, and business programs.

Janice Won is the Founder of The Inclusion Strategies Group. She is a diversity strategist and consultant recognized for championing enterprise-wide diversity initiatives in a global Fortune 100 company, for coaching leaders and providing leadership in driving the diversity agenda in corporate, research and non-profit sectors. Ms. Won works with clients to develop strategies for building vibrant, credible and sustainable employee affinity groups that bring maximum business value to the company and to their employees. She consults with corporate executives and employee affinity group leaders on creating strategies that are aligned with business goals, drive employee engagement and build leadership capabilities.

Jane Hyun Joins the 2009 Diversity Leadership Forum

Jane Hyun, Author of Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling:  Career Strategies for Asians, will join the Forum’s expert panel discussion:  Challenges and Best Practices and facilitate the morning workshop:  Should I Stay or Should I Go? Relocating to Asia and its afternoon version:  Should I Stay or Should I Go? Relocating to the U.S.

Jane is an executive coach and diversity strategist to Fortune 500 companies and universities.  She was formerly a vice president of Human Resources at JPMorgan and director of recruiting at Deloitte & Touche and Resource Connection.  She has appeared on CNN, Marketwatch, Fortune, Newsweek, and Time.  A graduate of Cornell University, she lives in New York City.

Interview with Philip Berry - Part 3

Part 3 is the final segment of the interview with Asia Society’s David Reid and Philip Berry, President of Philip Berry Associates; in which they examine the make-up of an established ERG and the overall benefits that employees receive from participating in these organizations.

Listen now (6 min, 9 sec.)

Listen to Part 1 and Part 2 of the interview.

Interview with Philip Berry - Part 2

In Part 2 of the Diversity Leadership Forum interview with Philip Berry, President of Philip Berry Associates, the discussion covers how transnational companies address their global and national diversity workforce needs; the perceived generation gap regarding participation in ERGs; the tools and resources that make an emerging ERG stand out; and the business case for ERGs and how it ties into innovation.

Listen now (9 min., 57 sec.)

Listen to Part 1 of the interview here.

Interview with Philip Berry - Part 1

David Reid, Director of Corporate Relations at Asia Society, recently sat down with Philip Berry, President of Philip Berry Associates, to discuss the challenges and best practices of Asian Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).

In Part 1 of this exclusive interview, Philip Berry discusses how ERGs have evolved over the years and how he sees the development and growth of Asian ERGs.

Listen now (8 min., 13 sec.)

Welcome!

Welcome to Asia Society’s Diversity Leadership Forum blog! Here we’ll be posting great resources on corporate diversity and engaging audio interviews with experts and corporate leaders about Asian ERGs and value-added facets of these organizations.

We would love for you to join the discussion so feel free to leave your comments on these interviews and share your thoughts on ERGs and corporate diversity.

Be sure to check the blog regularly!