Asia Society Honors Indra Nooyi and Other Inspiring Game Changers in Dazzling Ceremony
Asia Society honored Indra Nooyi, the barrier-shattering chairman and former CEO of PepsiCo, as 2018 Game Changer of the Year at the fifth annual Asia Game Changer Awards. In a dazzling ceremony held Tuesday night in lower Manhattan, the India-born Nooyi, who served as PepsiCo’s chief from 2006 until her retirement earlier this month, was recognized for her transformative stewardship of the iconic American company.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton presented Nooyi with the honor, recognizing her work to steer Pepsi toward healthier products in spite of investor pressure not to.
“Yes, she’s my friend,” Clinton said. “And I’d be here under any circumstances. But she’s the real deal.”
Under Nooyi’s leadership, PepsiCo experienced remarkable financial success. But in her acceptance speech, the pioneering executive cited achievements that transcended the company’s bottom line. “I believe that a company has to be more than creating value for shareholders, but for society as a whole,” she said. “I ran a company that championed women, sustainability, health, and wellness. A company that lifted people up and built bridges. A company that did well by doing good. These were the values from my first days in India to my last days at Pepsi. They’re also the values of the Asia Society.”
In addition to Nooyi, Asia Society recognized eight other individuals and groups on Tuesday: Wang Shi, the Chinese real estate developer and great advocate for environmental sustainability; Mira Rai, child soldier turned champion distance runner from Nepal; Munjed Al Muderis, a doctor who fled Iraq only to become a pioneering surgeon in Australia; the founders of Koolulam, a musical initiative buildings bridges through song in Israel; the remarkable, award-winning Afghan Girls Robotics Team; heroes who saved lives during Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster; the incomparably brave and determined White Helmets of Syria; and, in their first-ever appearance on American soil, survivors from this summer’s incredible rescue at Thailand’s Tham Luang caves.
Adul Sam-on, one of the 12 Thai boys whose rescue captivated the entire world, was joined on stage by Ekkapol Chantawong, the boys’ soccer coach, and Naronsak Osatanakorn, the local governor who coordinated the international group of rescuers with efficiency and grace.
“I hope this experience inspires people to start living for others,” Osatanakorn said. “That would be a game changer for the world.”
It was a night to celebrate remarkable women from across Asia. Nooyi, a daughter of India turned celebrated leader of U.S. corporate giant. Rai, an internationally celebrated runner from a country, Nepal, where athletic opportunities for girls and women are scarce. And the Afghan Girls Robotics Team, a group of remarkable young women who overcame tremendous obstacles — and personal tragedy — to thrive in competitions around the world.
Speaking on behalf of the Afghan girls, Roya Mahboob, founder of the Afghan Citadel software company, said: “We need to cast aside the misconceptions of the past and embrace the potential of Afghan girls and women to succeed.”
The Asia Game Changer Awards was also an occasion to recognize those who have braved extraordinary risks to save lives. Syria’s White Helmets, a group of volunteers pulled from all walks of life, have rescued many thousands of innocent civilians trapped in the country’s civil war. The heroes of Fukushima worked tirelessly in the desperate days after the 2011 earthquake to contain a crisis that threatened Japan. And Dr. Al Muderis, who fled Iraq and endured many trying months as a refugee in Australia, pioneered a surgical procedure that has given injured men and women the gift of mobility.
“I dream that one day we’ll wake up and not spend money on war machines, but [rather] foresting the desert and managing the earth’s large population,” he said.
But before the 2018 class of Asia Game Changers parted ways, they made time for music. Koolulam, whose sold-out concerts in their native Israel have created a sensation, convened their first-ever performance outside their homeland. As Koolulam founder Or Taicher directed proceedings from the stage, the assembled guests, native to dozens of countries from around the world, stood and, in unison, clapped their hands, danced, and sang. It was living proof that, as President Clinton said a few hours before, “our differences make life interesting — but our common humanity matters more.”
Indra Nooyi receives the 2018 Game Changer of the Year Award, presented by 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton. (Josh Wong Photography)
Lulu and Anthony Wang Asia Society President and CEO Josette Sheeran delivers welcoming remarks at the 2018 Asia Game Changer Awards. (Jamie Watts/Asia Society)
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, PepsiCo Chairman Indra Nooyi, and Lulu and Anthony Wang Asia Society President and CEO Josette Sheeran watch a video presentation on Nooyi's life at the 2018 Asia Game Changer Awards. (Jamie Watts/Asia Society)
PepsiCo Chairman and former CEO Indra Nooyi delivers an acceptance speech at the 2018 Asia Game Changer of the Year awards. (Jamie Watts/Asia Society)
Reiichiro Takahashi, Consul General of Japan in New York, accepts an Asia Game Changer Award on behalf of the Japanese men and women who helped contain the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. (Jamie Watts/Asia Society)
Naronsak Osatanakorn, governor of Chaing Rai, Thailand, accepts an Asia Game Changer award alongside Ekkapol Chantawong (L) and Adul Sam-on (R), two survivors rescued from the Tham Luang caves in Thailand this June. (Jamie Watts/Asia Society)
Wang Shi, one of China's most successful real estate developers as well as a staunch environmental advocate, accepts an Asia Game Changer award. (Jamie Watts/Asia Society)
The founders of the Koolulam musical phenomenon Ben Yefet (L), Michal Shahaf Schneiderman (C), and Or Taicher (R) accept their Asia Game Changer award. (Jamie Watts/Asia Society)
Moneer Mustafa, vice chair of Syria's White Helmets, accepts an Asia Game Changer award on behalf of his organization. (Jamie Watts/Asia Society)
Dr. Munjed Al Muderis accepts an Asia Game Changer award recognizing his work as a pioneering surgeon. (Jamie Watts/Asia Society)
Asia Society trustee and award presenter Lulu Wang (L), real estate developer and environmentalist Wang Shi (C), and Asia Society Policy Institute President Kevin Rudd (R) pose with Wang's Asia Game Changer award. (Jamie Watts/Asia Society)
Asia Society trustee and award presenter Charles Rockefeller, pioneering surgeon Munjed Al Muderis, and ABC News journalist and award presenter Bob Woodruff pose with Al Muderis' Asia Game Changer award. (Jamie Watts/Asia Society)
Afghan Citadel Software company founder Roya Mahboob, Afghan Girls Robotics Team members Kawsar Roshan and Fatemah Qaderayan, and Asia Society trustee and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy pose with an Asia Game Changer award. (Jamie Watts/Asia Society)
Asia Society trustee and businesswoman Betsy Cohen (L), distance runner Mira Rai (C), and Asia Society trustee and businesswoman Zhang Xin (R) pose with Rai's Asia Game Changer award. (Jamie Watts/Asia Society)
Koolulam co-founder Or Taicher leads the Asia Game Changer Awards audience in a signature performance. (Jamie Watts/Asia Society)
All the Asia Game Changers from the class of 2018 pause for a group photo. (Jamie Watts/Asia Society)
Asia Society trustee Charles Rockefeller, Asia Society Policy Institute President Kevin Rudd, Bill Clinton, David Rockefeller, Jr., Susan Rockefeller, and Indra Nooyi. (Casey Kelbaugh/Asia Society)
Asia Society Texas chair and global trustee Edward R. Allen III with Asia Society Texas president Bonna Kol and guest. (Ellen Wallop/Asia Society)
Asia Society CEO Josette Sheeran poses with Citi's Stephen Bird and guests. (Ellen Wallop/Asia Society)
Guests enjoy cocktails in the Cipriani lobby. (Josh Wong Photography)
Koolumlam co-founders Ben Yefet and Or Taicher enjoy a silly moment during cocktail reception. (Ellen Wallop/Asia Society)
Former Asia Society President Nicholas Platt and vice-chair of the board Lulu C. Wang. (Ellen Wallop/Asia Society)
Fatemah Qaderyan and Kawsar Roshan of the Afghan Girls' Robotics Club flank their advocate and interpreter Roya Mahboob during the cocktail hour. (Josh Wong Photography)
Indra Nooyi and family poses with Asia Society global co-chair Chan Heng Chee. (Ellen Wallop/Asia Society)
Dhol drummer Sunny Jain performs during the awards ceremony. (Ellen Wallop/Asia Society)
(L-R) Adul Sam-on, Ekkapol Chantawong, Narongsak Osatanakorn, Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang, Ambassador Reichiiro Takahashi, and James Kondo. (Josh Wong Photography)
Guests, including Asia Society trustee and 2018 presenter Zhang Xin, enjoy the performances during this year's awards dinner. (Jamie Watts/Asia Society)
Asia Society CEO Josette Sheeran takes the stage during Koolulam's performance wrapping up Game Changers 2018. (Josh Wong Photography)