Event Recap - 2024 Asia Game Changer West Awards Gala
View photos and videos from Asia Game Changer West Awards Gala
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, April 4, 2024 — Asia Society Northern California hosts its sixth annual Asia Game Changer West Awards Gala at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco. Asia Game Changer West Awards are bestowed to individuals, organizations, and movements that have inspired, enlightened, and shown true leadership in areas that reflect Asia Society’s core pillars of policy and business, technology and innovation, arts and culture, and education.
2024 Asia Game Changer West Honorees:
- Kongkee, Animation Director and Visual Artist
- Padmasree Warrior, Founder, President and CEO, Fable
- Mickey Hiroshi Mikitani, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Rakuten Group, Inc.
This year's Asia Game Changer West Awards Gala was emceed by Margaret Conley, Executive Director of Asia Society Northern California and Seattle. Speakers included California State Treasurer Fiona Ma; Jay Xu, Director, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco; Vinita Gupta, Co-founder, Former Chairperson and CEO, Digital Link Corporation; Thierry Porté, Managing Director and Vice Chairman at J.C. Flowers & Co.; Gary Rieschel, Founding Managing Partner, Qiming, Asia Society Trustee; and Lillian Santos Stables, Regional Community Outreach Manager for Corporate Responsibility, Southwest Airlines.
Guests enjoyed an inspiration rap performance by Ruby Ibarra, well-known, Filipina-American rapper, director, and spoken word artist who performed her new track SWITCH, and A Thousand Cuts. Entertainment during the VIP Reception was provided by Northern California Okinawa Kenjin-Kai drum and dance group, and Mongolian Arts and Education Center (MAEC)'s quintet of Morin Khuur (Mongolian horsehead fiddles).
VIDEOS
Honoree Kongkee's Acceptance Speech
Jay Xu, Director of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, introduced Kongkee, mentioning Kongkee's extraordinary work and unique genre, CyberPunk, which marries history with futuristic, powerful imaging. In his acceptance speech, Kongkee pays homage to his opening exhibition at the Asian Art Museum where a lot of his pieces were showcased to the Bay Area community and the world. Kongkee shares that his interest in animation began with his fascination of the portrayal of the future through science fiction, and how he aims to create dialogue between the past, present, and future in his works. He shares that while technology has always threatened art, art has the unwavering power to unveil vulnerabilities, express fragility, and foster connections with the past.
Honoree Padmasree Warrior's Acceptance Speech
Vinita Gupta, Co-Founder, Former Chairperson and CEO of Digital Link Corporation and Board Member of Asia Society Northern California, introduced Warrior, mentioning Warrior's trailblazing journey and the game changing work that she has done in bolstering women's empowerment across corporate America. In her acceptance speech, Padmasree Warrior speaks on her journey as a woman in the technical field and how many Asians like herself are often perceived as "different." She stresses that there is a major importance and growing need for people around the world to celebrate differences worldwide, especially by experiencing new cultures and active listening. She also speaks on her company, Fable, and how she strives to build a bridge between technology and the arts with a specialized focus on storytelling and mental wellness.
More videos will be shared every Friday