Three Indians were selected as recipients of the Asia Society’s Asia Game Changer awards as a reflection of their status as “true leaders making a positive contribution to the future of Asia.”Indian American actor Aasif Mandvi, designer Kiran Bir Sethi, and ICICI Bank chief executive Chanda Kochhar were among those honored.
A powerful spokesperson for Muslims and Asian Americans Aasif Hakim Mandviwala was born in Mumbai.Mandvi grew up in England and Florida before pursuing acting in New York City. He first made headlines in the late 1990s when Sakina’s Restaurant, a one-man off-Broadway show about the Indian immigrant experience that Mandvi wrote and performed, was called “wonderful” by The New York Times.
As his audience grew, Mandvi challenged stereotypes and provided a voice for Muslim Americans, changing the game in terms of how Asians are viewed on television. In 2015, he co-wrote, produced, and acted in the web series Halal in the Family for the popular comedy site Funny or Die, using the sitcom format to tackle Islamophobia. When not performing, Mandvi uses his fame as a force for good, advocating for an array of charity organizations such as Relief 4 Pakistan, which assists in flood relief in Pakistan; Partners In Health, which brings modern medical care to poor communities in nine countries around the world; and Planting Peace, which helps spread peace around the globe through humanitarian aid and environmental initiatives.
Kiran Bir Sethi, also 49, was an interior designer who realized her young son was getting an inflexible, un-engaging education from teachers who punished any deviations from the prescribed lesson plans.In the face of such educational austerity, Sethi founded The Riverside School in Ahmedabad in 2001, aiming to provide an alternative model which focuses on “quality of learning,” “student well being,” and “empathy in education.”
Under Chanda Kochhar’s leadership, ICICI Bank has achieved great milestones year-after-year by expanding its businesses, leveraging technology to bring value to its urban and rural customers, and partnering with the public and private sectors to create new opportunities.
Satirist #Aasif Mandvi, interior designer #Kiran Bir Sethi & #ICICI Bank CEO #Chanda Kochhar are #AsiaGameChangers pic.twitter.com/Pz9WFRYunW
— Press Release Watch (@PrReleaseWatch) October 24, 2015
A powerful spokesperson for Muslims and Asian Americans Aasif Hakim Mandviwala was born in Mumbai.Mandvi grew up in England and Florida before pursuing acting in New York City. He first made headlines in the late 1990s when Sakina’s Restaurant, a one-man off-Broadway show about the Indian immigrant experience that Mandvi wrote and performed, was called “wonderful” by The New York Times.
As his audience grew, Mandvi challenged stereotypes and provided a voice for Muslim Americans, changing the game in terms of how Asians are viewed on television. In 2015, he co-wrote, produced, and acted in the web series Halal in the Family for the popular comedy site Funny or Die, using the sitcom format to tackle Islamophobia. When not performing, Mandvi uses his fame as a force for good, advocating for an array of charity organizations such as Relief 4 Pakistan, which assists in flood relief in Pakistan; Partners In Health, which brings modern medical care to poor communities in nine countries around the world; and Planting Peace, which helps spread peace around the globe through humanitarian aid and environmental initiatives.
Kiran Bir Sethi, also 49, was an interior designer who realized her young son was getting an inflexible, un-engaging education from teachers who punished any deviations from the prescribed lesson plans.In the face of such educational austerity, Sethi founded The Riverside School in Ahmedabad in 2001, aiming to provide an alternative model which focuses on “quality of learning,” “student well being,” and “empathy in education.”
Under Chanda Kochhar’s leadership, ICICI Bank has achieved great milestones year-after-year by expanding its businesses, leveraging technology to bring value to its urban and rural customers, and partnering with the public and private sectors to create new opportunities.
