NY; August 30, 2023 – The Asia Society today announced the new class of Asia Next Generation Scholars 21: a group of 34 prominent leaders from 25 countries, united in their commitment to keeping our shared region peaceful and prosperous.
Selected through a highly competitive process, the new cohort brings together business and political leaders, activists, artists, educators, journalists, scientists, and tech and social entrepreneurs who are looking to connect with their peers, develop their leadership skills, and find solutions for challenges. more important problems. pressing challenges facing Asia.
Among this year’s class of Asia 21 Fellows are: Ahmed Siyam Barakatideputy director of Charmaghz, a Kabul-based non-profit organization that runs the largest chain of mobile children’s libraries in Afghanistan and provides educational services to more than 2,500 children daily; simon chanfounding partner of Palm Drive Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in underserved entrepreneurs on five continents; Haya Fatima Iqbaltwo-time Emmy and Academy Award-winning documentarian; Krystle Reid Wijesuriya, co-founder of the Enable Lanka Foundation, which works to dignify and rethink the value of young people with disabilities in society; and sue linwong, The EconomistSoutheast Asia correspondent.
Asia 21 Fellows will gather in Seoul, South Korea, December 7-9, 2023, at the Asia 21 Next Generation Fellows Summit, presented in association with the Asia Society Korea Center.
“This year’s Asia 21 cohort is facing a distinctly different region than 17 years ago, when the program launched,” he said. Philip Ivanov, Asia Society Director of Programming and Senior Fellow of the Asia Society Policy Institute. “Today the region is marked by fragmentation and geopolitical tensions, fragile and less connected economies, a deteriorating climate, and rapid cultural, technological, and social changes. But Asia remains peaceful, dynamic, innovative, and highly influential in its cultural power. And the Asia 21 fellows are shaping the Asia of the 21st century. What mindset and competencies are needed to lead in this “new” Asia is the central question of the Asia 21 Scholarship. This year marks the start of a new chapter in the Asia 21 story, as we embark on renewal and expansion. of this Initiative to meet these new challenges and help more leaders connect, grow, and make an impact.”
The members of Class 2023 are:
Lima Halima Ahmad (Afghanistan), Expert in Human Security; Doctor. Candidate, Tufts University Fletcher School
Ahmed Siyam Barakati (Afghanistan), Deputy Director, Charmaghz
simon chan (United States), Founding Partner, Palm Drive Capital
hao chen (China), Head of Sustainability, Symbol of Asia (Guangdong)
chen qiufan (China), speculative fiction writer
Soichiro Chiba (Japan), founder and president of Thousandleaf
Nomin Dashnyam (Mongolia), Partner, MahoneyLiotta LLP
Tsedon Dorji (Bhutan), Managing Director, BBS Channel 3
Zak Dychtwald (United States), Founder and CEO, Young China Group
arnaud favry (France), Director of Public and Government Affairs and Patient Value Strategy, bioMérieux
Sofia Hamblin Wang (Australia), COO, MCi Carbon
Henning Heine (Germany), Vice President, Chief of Staff and Head of Business Operations and Corporate Development, Dedrone
deborah henry (Malaysia), founder and director of Fugee Organization
Haya Fatima Iqbal (Pakistan), award-winning documentary filmmaker
wookie kim (Korea), Legal Director, ACLU of Hawai’i
ashutosh kumar (India), CEO, Jagriti
Pratik Kunwar (Nepal), Founder, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Neville Lai (Hong Kong, SAR), International Affairs Strategist, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Sinni Lim (Singapore), Director of APAC Regional Impact and Strategy, International Justice Mission
nyantha lin (Myanmar), Director, Anagat Initiative
Jieh Yung Lo (Australia), Director, Center for Asian-Australian Leadership, Australian National University
Martha Anga Dwi (Indonesia), Program Management Officer/Deputy Head, United Nations Youth Strategy Secretariat, Office of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy for Youth
Vincent Ni (UK), Asia Editor, National Public Radio
evan ramsey (United States), founder and CEO of Yedi Technologies Inc.
Krystle Reid Wijesuriya (Sri Lanka), co-founder of the Enable Lanka Foundation
Jonas Ruegg (Switzerland), Senior Researcher; University of Zurich
asli samadova (Azerbaijan), founder of Ta(r)dino 6 Art Platform
Thanasak Thumbuntu (Thailand), Dentist, Dental Division, Royal Thai Army Medical Department
Alice Wang (United States), Portfolio Manager, Quaero Capital
sue linwong (Australia), Southeast Asia correspondent, The Economist
Emily Y.Wu (Taiwan), Founder/Editor-in-Chief, Ghost Island Media
Joanna Yeo (Singapore), CEO and Founder, Arukah
Richard Yim (Cambodia), CEO, Quantum Engineering and Manufacturing
michael zhu (China), Founder, Accathon Capital
Find out more about the 2023 Asia Next Generation Scholars Class of 21 and the Asia 21 Program.
Established in 2006, the Asia 21 Next Generation Fellows program is a year-long, multidisciplinary leadership development program that brings together the next generation of regional leaders to meet their peers, develop their leadership potential, and find innovative solutions to challenges. region problems. political, economic, environmental and social challenges. Asia 21 is also a hub for policy innovation, entrepreneurship and social change, connecting the best minds with resources, opportunities and networks. The Asia 21 community now numbers more than 1,000 alumni, many of whom hold leadership positions in government, business, the non-profit sector, the media and academia around the world. Asia 21 alumni include Foreign Policy Editor-in-Chief Ravi Agrawal; the president of the Rockefeller Foundation, Rajiv Shah; the US ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti; Mitsuru Claire Chino, CEO of ITOCHU Corporation; the Representative of Taiwan to the United States, Bi-khim Hsiao; Indonesian presidential candidate Anies Baswedan; the Chief Counsel of the Supreme Court of India, Menaka Guruswamy; LGBTQ activist and Tokyo Rainbow Pride co-representative Fumino Sugiyama; and the Minister for the Environment of New South Wales (Australia), James Griffin.
About Asian society
Founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller III, the Asia Society is a nonprofit, nonpartisan institution with major public buildings and centers in New York, Hong Kong, and Houston, and additional locations in Delhi, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, Paris. , San Francisco, Seattle, Seoul, Sydney, Tokyo, Washington, DC, and Zurich.
Asia Society navigates shared futures for Asia and the world through politics, arts and culture, education, sustainability, business and technology. Asia Society fosters knowledge, fosters engagement, elevates regional voices, informs and educates new audiences, tackles complex (and when necessary) contentious challenges, engages in creative problem solving, and helps deliver real solutions for the benefit of all. As a global network of centers sharing a common vision, we actively collaborate with our centers and partners in Asia and the world. The Asia Society also provides its members with the opportunity to become part of our global network to help shape a prosperous, sustainable and secure future for all of us.