Tony Hsieh, author of “Delivering Happiness” and CEO of Zappos.com, is one of the most widely respected and successful business innovators in the new economy. In 1999, at the age of 24, Mr. Hsieh sold LinkExchange, a company he co-founded, to Microsoft for $265 million. He then joined Zappos.com as an advisor and investor, and eventually became CEO, where he helped Zappos grow from almost no sales to over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales annually, while simultaneously making Fortune’s annual list of Best Companies to Work For. In November 2009, Zappos was acquired by Amazon.com in a deal valued at $1.2 billion on the day of closing - the biggest acquisition in its history.

Mr. Hsieh (pronounced “shay”) joined Zappos because it was the most exciting and promising company his venture capital firm Venture Frogs was investing in. Other Venture Frog investments include Ask Jeeves, MongoMusic, MyAble, and Tellme Networks. What makes Zappos unique is that for marketing, the company relies on return business and word of mouth, pouring the money that would pay for marketing and advertising into customer service instead. Extraordinary customer service drives success at Zappos: free, unlimited returns, surprise shipping upgrades, unlimited time on the phone, and more. But the number one priority is company culture. Get the culture right and success happens on its own.

Mr. Hsieh has a BA in computer science from Harvard University and was a software engineer at Oracle.


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Iftikhar Ahmad had been in the business of developing biometrics/face recognition systems for 14 years, when he started his own company ConvergeOne-ID, LLC in 2009 to provide consulting in ID, biometrics and security. He currently is working with the Pakistani government and law enforcement agencies in using advanced technologies in face recognition and forensics capabilities for its security and to fight and prevent terrorism. Prior to establishing ConvergeOne-ID, Mr. Ahmad was with L-1 Identity Solutions, Inc. which bought out and renamed Viisage Technology, where Mr. Ahmad had worked since 1995, and where he assisted Pakistani and Pakistani-American companies obtain substantial business and built a very strong team of professionals which included key senior managers and developers hired from Pakistan and the U.S.

Mr. Ahmad is one of the seven original founders of OPEN (Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of Pakistan) which was established in 1998 to assist budding Pakistani entrepreneurs.


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Divya Gugnani is the founder and CEO of the culinary media brand Behind the Burner. She acquired a taste for her future in culinary arts while building a career in finance. In addition to a B.S. from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, Ms. Gugnani holds a degree from the French Culinary Institute, where she discovered her inner chef. She appears on MSNBC: Your Business, NBC The Weekend in New York and NBC New York Nonstop. She has also has been a guest on FOX & FRIENDS and has been featured in BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, The Deal, Crains, Hi!Blitz, Khabar, Eat.Drink.Better, among several other publications. Ms. Gugnani contributes to The Huffington Post, The Daily Beast and PageDaily. She is the author of the upcoming book Food Slut: My Little Black Book of Tips from Behind the Burner, a no-nonsense guide to staying slim, fit and fabulous for women who live to eat.








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Daniel Kim perfected a healthy frozen yogurt recipe in 2006 that has become the cornerstone of a growing empire known today as Red Mango. As the Founder, president and CEO of Red Mango, Mr. Kim has been instrumental in building the Red Mango brand from coast to coast, creating a restaurant system that spans the U.S. and continues to grow. In addition to developing all of the company’s proprietary menu recipes, building the company’s franchise system, creating a nationwide distribution network and driving the company’s marketing initiatives, Mr. Kim was instrumental in securing a $12 million private equity investment in 2008 that enabled the company to hire top talent, assemble a world- class board of directors, further build the company’s infrastructure, and position Red Mango as the fastest-growing retailer of all-natural frozen yogurt. His efforts have allowed Red Mango to grow from just 5 stores at the end of 2007 to more than 60 stores today. Red Mango has received a number of awards, and recently Mr. Kim was a semi- finalist in the Ernst & Young 2009 Entrepreneur of the Year program, and received “Entrepreneur of the Month”




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William E. Min, is Senior Vice President - Global Assurance and Chief Privacy Officer of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,000 properties in approximately 100 countries, and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. As the head of Starwood Hotel’s Global Assurance department, Mr. Min is responsible for the management of the company’s hotel quality assurance program and brand standards. In addition to his work at Starwood Hotels, Mr. Min is a Crew Chief with the Westport, Connecticut Emergency Medical Service, volunteering over 400 hours per year as an Emergency Medical Technician in his community. Mr. Min is a recipient of the National Asian American Corporate Achievement Award.

Mr. Min received his B.A. in the Biological Basis of Behavior from the University of Pennsylvania in 1985, his M.A. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1986, and his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 1990.





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Thao Quan With a career in Marketing spanning more than 17 years and ranging from boutique companies to large organizations, currently Ms. Quan is a Vice President and Senior Marketing Manager responsible for developing market entry strategies for a domestic branch expansion initiative, covering more than 100 branches across 5 geographies. In 2008, she received the President’s Award, a prestigious award granted to 60 employees across North America who have contributed significantly to the success of HSBC.

Ms. Quan received a B.S. degree in Business from Skidmore College. She is currently enrolled in the Executive MBA program at Hofstra University.



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After graduation, Mahmood Alam was hired by the Libyan Government as the second Pakistani pharmacist in the nation. Over the decade he worked in Tripoli, Mr. Alam helped the Libyan Government recruit Pharmacists and other medical professionals from Pakistan. In 1981, Mr. Alam moved to the U.S. and a year later he obtained his license to practice pharmacy and by 1983 had begun his business. Currently, Mr. Alam owns three pharmacies in New York State and has diversified into real estate and electronics. Mr. Alam worked as a representative for the Asian American Pharmaceutical Association in The Department of Health on the Audit and Quality Control Committee and the Pharmacy Advisory Committee. In 2002 Mr. Alam helped institute the Dr Zoha Gold Medal at the Faculty of Pharmacy at Karachi University. In New York, Mr. Alam supports multiple relief organizations and Islamic Centers such as the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and the Islamic Center of Long Island (ICLI).

Mr. Alam received his Bachelor of Science from DJ Science College and a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Karachi University.


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Nishi Gupta has been with IBM for 26 years. She has held a variety of assignments in services, business strategy, business transformation, engineering, and operations management. Ms. Gupta is currently Vice President for Deliver Services Processes. This is a cross-IBM business line role where she is responsible for leveraging delivery synergies across service business lines to produce additional value for clients and IBM. Previously, she was in the Maintenance & Technical Support division as the VP for Service Product Line where she was responsible for the strategy and service offering development. When she was in business management consulting, she led teams in delivering client value on e-business transformation, process design, and organizational change management. Ms. Gupta has also worked in product development and manufacturing engineering in multiple product divisions including storage and networking hardware. Many of her teams have received IBM quality excellence awards. Ms. Gupta is also actively involved in mentoring employees for leadership development.

Ms. Gupta has a MS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University.




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Imran Nasrullah Imran Nasrullah is the Chief Business Officer for the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council and in this role created MassBio Innovation Services - a suite of services intended to stimulate the creation of new life sciences companies, transfer of life science assets from academia and biotechnology companies to major pharma partners, and solidify relationships among stakeholders in the life sciences from academia to disease foundations to bio-pharmaceutical companies. Mr. Nasrullah also leads the production of MassBio’s signature events: the Investor Forum and the Annual Meeting. MassBio Investor Forum brings together the Northeast’s premiere biotechnology investment and partnering community to advance the lifecycle of emerging and growth biotechnology companies. The Annual Meeting highlights the science powered through collaboration between academia and industry, and is intended to promulgate business activity through scientific collaboration. Prior to joining MassBio, Mr. Nasrullah worked in business development and licensing for Genzyme Corporation, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Mayo Clinic.



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Sunil Robert is head of Analyst Relations and Public Relations program for TCS Financial Solutions in the U.S. TCS, a member of the Tata Group, offers a wide range of IT services, outsourcing and business solutions across multiple industries. Mr. Robert spent over fifteen years in PR and advertising and sales working for some of the most reputable IT and advertising giants in India like McCann and MAA Bozell Advertising. In 2006 Mr. Robert was awarded the Stevie International Award in honor of exemplary accomplishments and contributions made to companies and businesses. Mr. Robert is also the author of “I Will Survive”, a rags-to-riches book that has become a bestseller and an inspiration to many young people in India.

Mr. Robert comes from Hyderabad, India. He holds Master’s degree in Business Administration and another Master’s degree in Communications & Journalism.



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Nitin Bhargava, Senior Vice President of Aetna Medicare for Mid-America region is responsible for Aetna’s senior market business in 17 southwestern and midwestern states. Mr. Bhargava joined Aetna in 1997 and assumed this role in January, 2010. He is responsible for P&L, regional product portfolio and market presence strategy, directing sales and distribution planning and execution with a strong focus on alignment of marketing efforts and local market investments with optimal distribution channel mix to grow Aetna’s retiree and Medicare business. Prior to joining Aetna, Mr. Bhargava worked with Bell Atlantic (now Verizon). He is a member of the Chicago United’s Leadership Council, an organization focused on closing the gap between race and business.

Mr. Bhargava holds a MBA from the University of Maryland at College Park, a M.S. from the University of Iowa in Biomedical Engineering, and a Bachelor of Technology degree from Indian Institute of Technology.




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Walter HuangWalter Huang is a Board Director and Senior Vice President for China Wind Power International Corp (TSX-V: CNW) publicly traded in Canada. Mr. Huang is also the Managing Partner of Heracles Investment Corp. He has many years of private equity investment and investment banking experience, and has especially strong expertise in investing in Chinese companies and taking Chinese companies public in North American stock markets. He led the effort of a consortium consisting of five U.S. and Chinese companies to build the largest theme park in Beijing with an investment of over a billion dollars. Mr. Huang is also an active community leader and was Vice President of the Association of Chinese Scientists and Engineers -- USA (ACSE) (1996-98). He has served as a member of Illinois Asian American Advisory Council for Senate President. He is currently the council member of Tianjin Overseas Exchanges Association.

Mr. Huang graduated from Fudan University, Shanghai with a B.S. Degree in Electronic Engineering, and performed graduate study at the University of Cincinnati for three years.


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Jay “Joo Han” Kim is the founder and President of General Construction of the Buildmore II Corporation, which was established in 2004 to provide comprehensive construction services. There are three companies within the Buildmore Group which meet the various needs of clientele. In the last six years, the Buildmore Group has become an industry leader in world-class development and construction commercial buildings, luxury custom homes, and multiple complex commercial developments. Mr. Kim’s expertise is not limited to development. He is also highly qualified as a banker, which allows him to efficiently control operating and project costs. He has been recognized as the “Best-In-Class” for construction practices. Mr. Kim is also a board member of the non-for-profit organization Helping Hands & Mission.

Mr. Kim received a Bachelor of Science degree from CUNY Baruch College for Urban Development and Real Estate Development.



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Annapoorni Sankaran is a shareholder at Greenberg Traurig LLP, and is the first South Asian woman to be made partner of a major Boston law firm. Her focus is in commercial litigation with subspecialties in bankruptcy and intellectual property litigation. Ms. Sankaran has trial and appellate experience before the Massachusetts federal and state courts as well as in mediation and arbitration. Ms. Sankaran recently relocated to Greenberg Traurig’s Houston office. Ms. Sankaran holds a J.D. from Boston University School of Law (1995) and a B.A., cum laude in political science from Boston University (1992). Ms. Sankaran is the President Elect of the North American South Asian Bar Association (NASABA), one of the six national affinity bar organizations in the United States. In 2009, Ms. Sankaran was named a by Boston Business Journal as one of its 40-under-40 honorees, was the recipient of the Thirteenth Annual Rosoff Mentor Award, and received a citation from Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray in recognition of her commitment to diversity.





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Timothy Chanis Senior Vice President & Manager of the New York Branch of Shanghai Commercial Bank Ltd, where he is responsible for the East Coast region of the U.S. branch operations of the bank. Mr. Chan leads a team of seasoned bankers and has participated in many deals that provide trade financing, real estate lending or construction financing contributing to the successful development of the New York business communities. Mr. Chan is also active in community activities on Long Island and New York City. Prior to joining Shanghai Commercial Bank Ltd, Mr. Chan was Deputy General Manager overseeing the New York operations of the New York Branch of Hang Seng Bank Limited. In 1996, it was merged into HSBC Bank USA where Mr. Chan served as Senior Vice President & Relationship Manager on Long Island. Mr. Chan is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and was a director of New York Chinese American Bankers Association. Mr. Chan is a Certified Public Account who received his BBA in Finance, Investment and Banking in 1978 and also his M.S in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 1979.



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Chinhua Huang is the co-founder of PLAN, a privately owned architectural design firm which focuses of business and entrepreneurial ventures such as DKNY, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Teach For America. In the past 5 years, while assisting its clients’ rapid expansion, PLAN has touched 30 states across the U.S. and has drawn clientele from a global market, including Asia. PLAN’s basic belief is that design and creativity must come from a business’ core values and be inspired by its story. Mr. Huang has served as a design critic and lecturer at: New York University, Parsons School of Design, Tunghai University and Columbia University. His work has been exhibited both in the U.S. and Taiwan and featured in Oprah Magazine and HGTV.
Mr. Huang received his Bachelor of Architecture at Taichung University in Taiwan and obtained a Masters in Architecture and Urban Design at Columbia University. He is currently attending Columbia University’s Global Executive MBA program.



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Kelly M. King is Senior Vice President-National Retail and is responsible for leading, directing and managing the national retail, national dealer, connected communities and e-commerce teams that sell and service AT&T consumer wireless, voice, data and TV products. Prior to joining AT&T six years ago, Mr. King was vice president and general manager for Cingular Wireless in Greater Los Angeles where he was responsible for wireless sales and operations for Cingular’s Southern California markets, and he also led the integration of Cingular Wireless & AT&T Wireless in 2006. Mr. King serves on the advisory board of AT&T’s T-University, an internal leadership training program, is the chairman of the board for the Center for Telecommunications Management at the University of Southern California – Marshall School of Business, and is the co-chairman of the advisory committee for the Asian Pacific Islanders for Professional and Community Advancement.

Mr. King received his undergraduate degree in mechanical/aerospace engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a master of business administration degree with an emphasis in finance from St. Louis University.





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Stephen Oh is Vice President and Branch Manager of the Chubb Cleveland office, which generated $115,000,000 in revenue in 2009. Mr. Oh started his career at Chubb in 1990 as an underwriter in Richmond, VA and eventually transitioned from underwriting into marketing in the Washington, DC office. Mr. Oh and his family immigrated to the U.S. in 1970s and years later they suffered a terrible tragedy. Yet Mr. Oh is grateful to people in his personal as well as work life who supported and mentored him to overcome over come hardship and navigate challenges. To introduce the students to life in corporate America, Mr. Oh hosted an event at Chubb for 40 Korean American high school students from the Korean American Scholarship Foundation (KAYF). He also serves on the Board for the Achievement Centers for Children whose mission is to work with children with disabilities and their families in order to help create opportunities for their future success in society.





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Jong Shin is a Director of Product Management at Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications responsible for Sony Ericsson’s next generation of smart phone products. Prior to joining Sony Ericsson Mr. Shin worked for Motorola, where he was responsible for planning and management of 15 innovative mobile phone products worth over $1.5billion in margin and turning Motorola’s Device Management Solutions business around from $0 to $40million in margin and achieving #1 in the industry in only 2 years.

Mr. Shin has received numerous awards, including Motorola’s Reward and Recognition Award for Excellence nine years in a row and CEO Reward and Recognition Award for Achievements as well as CEO Quality Award. Mr. Shin received two B.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering from Purdue University, an M.S. degree in Software Engineering from Walden University and M.B.A. degree in Marketing, Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Technology Management from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.



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Joyce Chang is Managing Director and Global Head of Emerging Markets Strategy and Credit Research at JPMorgan. The 150 research analysts and economists in her groups are based in 12 countries and are responsible for coverage of developed and emerging markets countries and corporates, covering macroeconomic, FX, rates and sovereign and company forecasts. Prior to joining JPMorgan, Ms. Chang was a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch and Salomon Brothers. Ms. Chang has also worked for the United States Agency for International Development in the Philippines, Jordan and India. She has been the #1 ranked emerging markets sovereign strategist by Institutional Investor for twelve consecutive years. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Inter-American Dialogue and serves on the Board of Directors of Trickle Up and the New York Theatre Ballet. She has been featured in various publications, including Newsweek (“20 Most Influential Women”), Wall Street Journal (“Top 50 Women to Watch”), Crain’s New York Business (“New York Rising Stars – 40 Under 40”) and Goldsea (Top Ten Asian American executives under 45). Ms. Chang received her B.A. from Columbia and MPA from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.





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Peter Woong-Seong HwangPeter Woong-Seong Hwang, Senior Vice President-Investments, is the managing advisor for the Peter Hwang Group at Merrill Lynch-Bank of America Global Wealth Management and serves as the Group’s chief investment strategist. The team services numerous Asian American families, endowment funds, foundations, not-for-profit organizations, and pension plans, using a disciplined process that focuses on offering customized portfolios for tax planning, pension management, endowment management, retirement planning, corporate cash management, and wealth transfer. Mr. Hwang and his team provide many Asian American associations with financial education and investment advice as well as financial assistance. In addition, select Asian American college and graduate students are invited to work with the team to gain insights into the financial industry and learn from Asian American financial advisors. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, Peter was the president of Samsung Securities USA. During his 15-year tenure at Samsung, Mr. Hwang built his career in corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions.

Mr. Hwang received his MBA degree from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.


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John Paul Lee is the CEO of Tavalon Tea which he founded in 2005 after leaving his job as a management consultant at Accenture to pursue his dreams as an entrepreneur. Mr. Lee found that not only was there a void in the tea market but the image of tea needed to be revitalized and its market broaden to appeal to the young as well as the young-at-heart and everyone in between. The company is positioned to make tea more accessible to the mass public and create a quality brand within the world of tea. Mr. Lee entertained the idea of working with VC’s to raise capital but then came across a seasoned entrepreneur who advised him that “the closest a man ever gets to experiencing motherhood is when he starts his own company.” Taking the advice to heart, Mr. Lee sold his car, his house, liquidated stock options and 401K to bring Tavalon Tea to life.





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Kevan Parekh is Vice President of Finance for Thompson Reuters, the world’s leading source of information to businesses and professionals in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, healthcare, science and media markets. Mr. Parekh oversees all financial operations for the Professional division. Prior to joining Thompson Reuters, Mr. Parekh worked in the New York Treasurer’s office of General Motors for 10 years, which included restructuring plans for the entire European portfolio, as well as for GM’s largest supplier, Delphi (one of the largest industrial bankruptcies in history) and the sale of DirecTV to News Corporation. Mr. Parekh is a strong believer in community service and has volunteered in various organizations throughout his career ranging from ‘A World in Motion’ to the American Red Cross.

Mr. Parekh has an MBA from University of Chicago and a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan.





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Ravi Singh is CEO and founder of ElectionMall™ Technologies, Inc., a non-partisan technology solutions firm providing citizens, candidates, and political parties with the necessary online tools, services, and products to help them win elections via the Internet. ElectionMall worked with over 600 different campaigns during the 2008 election cycle and in 2009 announced the launch of its Mexico and Ukrainian franchises, pioneering new technologies in emerging democracies. The company is considered the one of largest and fastest growing campaign and election technology firms in the U.S. Mr. Singh, son of immigrant parents, began his political journey at age 14 when he was forbidden to wear his turban in a military academy. Legislation introduced on his behalf and signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1987, made him the first American to graduate with full honors as a 2nd Lieutenant, wearing a turban. Mr. Singh has encouraged world leaders to use social media networking sites and establish dialogues with their grassroots supporters. In 2008 Singh was named a “Rising Star” by Campaigns and Elections Magazine®. One of the most prestigious honors in politics, award goes to people 35 or under who have already made a significant mark in political consulting or advocacy.





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Kris Ishibashi, Director of Purchasing at ConEdison, is responsible for procurement of approximately $600 million of professional, environmental and operational services and implementation of strategic procurement initiatives on an annual basis. Ms. Ishibashi joined Con Edison in 1998 as an information technology director supporting a variety of operating organizations including gas, steam, and substations. She assumed her current position in 2006. Prior to ConEdison, she was Chief Information Officer at MTA Metro-North Railroad and served in a variety of financial and information technology roles at MTA Metro-North and JP Morgan.

Ms. Ishibashi received an AB in Political Science from Barnard College and an MBA in Finance from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business.


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Isabella Leung is Manager of Human Resources for Crystal Window & Door Systems. Celebrating its 20th year in business, the company manufactures vinyl and aluminum window and door products for a wide variety of properties and buildings. Through Ms. Leung’s efforts, Crystal provides increasingly sophisticated and professional programs that address corporate and employee needs efficiently and effectively for over 300 employees at Crystal’s New York headquarters and factory. Ms. Leung has greatly reduced employee turnover, saving the company significant expense and she designs many corporate-wide events that contribute to a sense of company spirit and high employee morale creating an environment where working for Crystal is more than just a job. Under her direction, the company employees have come together with substantial voluntary contributions to aid those affected by major global catastrophes including earthquakes in Haiti and Sichuan (China), the South Asian Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and several others. Ms. Leung holds a Masters Degree in Labor and Human Relations from Ohio State University and an undergraduate degree in Sociology with a minor in Business Administration from Indiana State University.





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Hiten Patel is the Founder and Chairman of Collabera, Inc., which since its establishment in 1996, has consistently been ranked as a rapidly growing IT services company. Mr. Patel has been instrumental in shaping the company’s vision and strategy and, through aggressive, customer-driven focus on its Fortune 100 clients, has steered the company to its present size. Collabera today is a $300 million dollar end-to-end IT services provider with an array of capabilities in solutions, consulting and professional services. It has operations on three continents with over 20 offices, and more than 4,000 employees. Mr. Patel has received many recognitions including “Entrepreneur of the Year” award by Ernst & Young. Collabera has also won, numerous other awards recognized by International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP), Fintech100, DiversityBusiness.com, InformationWeek, Software Magazine, New York/New Jersey Business Council, and USPAACC.





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Shaokao Cheng is the owner of BoConcept New York, a purveyor of affordable, modern Danish designed furniture. In 2002, Mr. Cheng and his wife invested all their savings and opened their first shop. They now own eight stores, with five of them in New York City. In just six years, BoConcept New York has become the fastest growing, largest and most successful BoConcept franchise in the world, with a gross revenue of their business increasing from approximately $100,000 a month to as high as $1.5 million a month.

In 2009, BoConcept New York was honored by the City of New York as the recipient of the Neighborhood Achievement Award, Small Business of the Year for significantly improving the neighborhood and its commitment to the community. Mr. Cheng has worked hard to distinguish BoConcept New York from other retailers. They host an average of fifty events a year and each one serves a purpose for the community. Mr. Cheng earned a Bachelors and a Masters degree


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Raj Vaidyamath has more than 20 years of management experience in enterprise software applications, technical services and business operations. In his role as Vice-President of INSZoom, Mr. Vaidyamath not only manages all top-level aspects of customer service and information technology, but has recently spearheaded initiatives to improve INSZoom’s customer service and training departments. Since 2000, Mr. Vaidyamath has held a variety of technical support management positions and facilitated INSZoom’s organizational growth from a start-up team of just four into a worldwide organization of nearly 200 professionals. Prior to INSZoom, Mr. Vaidyamath held numerous senior software development and management positions at Mercedes Benz, AIG Insurance, UPS, Prudential, Eli Lilly and Sears Roebuck and Company.


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Jalak Jobanputra has over 15 years experience in venture capital, technology and digital media and has been a supporter of entrepreneurship globally. Currently Senior Vice President at the New York City Investment Fund (NYCIF) where she oversees technology and digital media venture investments, Ms. Jobanputra spearheaded the formation of NYCSeed in 2008, a seed fund dedicated to funding early stage tech entrepreneurs in New York City. She is also active in supporting education reform and social entrepreneurship and serves on boards of Achievement First Bushwick Charter School (Brooklyn) and Echoing Green, and has consulted for charter schools in New England and Jobs for the Future. She is a member of the NYC Leadership Council for YearUp, a professional training program for urban young adults. Ms. Jobanputra set up microfinance programs and training women entrepreneurs in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania after receiving her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management in 1999. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Communications from the Annenberg School and a BSE in Finance from the Wharton School.


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Catherine Li is Vice President, Technology Manager at Wells Fargo & Co. In 2009, she was the winner of the Wells Fargo Gold Coin award and the previous year was the winner of Wells Fargo Sales & Service Conference. Ms. Li is the co-founder of the Wells Fargo Innovators Club on LinkedIn which now has about 1,500 members. She has been a member of ExecuNet, the Stanford San Francisco Club and sits on the communication committee of APAPA, a non-profit organization. Ms. Li received a Bachelor of Science from Central South University, P.R. China, a Master of Science from Auburn University, and an Executive MBA from St. Mary’s College of California.



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Lily Li is the Chairwoman and CEO of Dragon Treasure Antique Ltd. For more than 20 years Ms. Li has been collecting antiques and running a successful business which started out as a small store and today has several branches in Manhattan. The company has become one of the most influential businesses in Chinese antiques in New York area. The collections, which date back to the Xia dynasty, include bronze vessels of early Zhou dynasty, as well as copper ware, stone carvings, pottery, porcelain and jade, attracting both private collectors and antique enthusiasts. Dragon Treasure Antique Ltd. Is the only Chinese exhibitor at Asian Week, an annual event which brings collectors from around the world to New York City. In 2009, the company hosted “Asian Antique Exhibition” together with experts from all over the world, which provided a great opportunity for the collectors and enthusiasts.



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Dennis Poon Dennis Poon is a Managing Principal at Thornton Tomasetti, Inc., a 550-person, privately held structural engineering firm with offices in North America, Europe and Asia. Throughout his 30-year career, he has been responsible for the design and construction of high-rise commercial buildings, hotels, airports, arenas and residential buildings throughout the U.S. and abroad. High on the list of his accomplishments is leading the structural design team for the world’s second-tallest building, Taipei 101 Tower in Taiwan. Other notable projects include the mega-scale MGM City Center Block A casino, hotel and convention center in Las Vegas; the World Financial Center in New York City; the Plaza 66 in Shanghai; O’Hare International Airport and the Chicago Board of Trade Tower in Chicago; Diamond of Istanbul Twin Towers in Istanbul; and Qatar Education City Convention Center in Doha. Mr. Poon holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso and a master’s degree in civil engineering from Columbia University.



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Dr. Charlotte Yeh is the Chief Medical Officer for AARP Services, Inc., specifically responsible for working with major health carriers, UnitedHealth Group, Aetna and Genworth, to identify programs and initiatives that will lead to enhanced care for older adults.

Dr. Yeh practiced emergency medicine for thirteen years at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Massachusetts, where she also served as the chief of the department for seven years. She worked for eight years as Physician-in-Chief for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. She was Carrier Medical Director for the National Heritage Insurance Company and also served as Regional Administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Boston, responsible for the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP programs across the six New England states, and directed the implementation of the Medicare Modernization Act, the single biggest expansion of the Medicare program since its inception.

Dr. Yeh received a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and her medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago and her residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles.







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Sang Cho, in his role as President and CEO is directly responsible for all the business activities of Prestige Hospitality Services and its subsidiaries and affiliates. He was responsible for the company’s entry into the hospitality linen laundering market and the introduction of its customer service and standards of service programs. He managed the acquisition and redevelopment of both the Bay Shore and Bronx facilities in New York. Mr. Cho orchestrated the purchase of a highly respected competitor from bankruptcy, acting as the stalking horse bidder. He currently oversees all aspects of the company’s expansion as well as all marketing, legal, and financial matters. He joined the company in 2004 with annual revenues of $4million and 35 associates and has helped expand Prestige to a company with annualized revenue of $28million with over 340 associates. Mr. Cho is a graduate of Drew University with a BA in Philosophy. He was a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps infantry and proudly served his country in Kosovo and Iraq.


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Shallin Joshi is the General Manager, Global Business Services, supporting one of IBM’s largest IT clients. He currently leads over 6,000 professionals worldwide responsible for the development and delivery of application services, server infrastructure and desktop platforms. Mr. Joshi has over 25 years of experience in IT with proven expertise in large-scale mission critical systems integration and outsourcing. He has worked on critical initiatives that engaged new IBM employees from different cultures to assimilate into the IBM; identified the need for employees from different IBM organizations and geographies to work seamlessly together in support clients; building of future leaders, enhancing cultural knowledge and making IBM the employer of choice. Mr. Joshi has been sought out to teach new and upcoming IBM executives. Mr. Joshi has 3 patents pending in obfuscating sensitive data while preserving data usability, accelerated service delivery service, and GRASP – an automated method to determine and eliminate systemic disruptions in large enterprises. Mr. Joshi received his Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.


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Jimmy Lieu started his first business in 1990, the Eastwood Distributing Corp. which was a wholesale distribution operation for a line of bakery packaged goods. In just four years the company grew from 4 to 20 trucks, operating out of a 6,000 square foot warehouse. In 2001 Mr. Lieu found himself in the kitchen and bath remodeling business and opened an 800 square foot showroom in Glen Cove, New York doing mostly retail sales. Today, Forest Kitchen and Bath is in a 3,000 square foot space in an industrial building serving architects, builders, contractors and maintenance companies for apartment building developers of new construction homes on Long Island, New York City and New Jersey. Mr. Lieu joined the U.S. Army in 1968 after graduating from Boy’s High School in Brooklyn, New York. He served as a military policeman in Korea under the Central Intelligence Department and was honorably discharged in 1971 as a Sergeant E-5.


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Imran Qidwai is a technology specialist and entrepreneur in clean tech, mobile entertainment and data services, and ICT in emerging economies. Over the past six years he has provided advisory services to many organizations of different sizes in senior business and technical roles in the U.S. as well as to Egypt, Kosovo, Pakistan, Serbia and Dubai on USAID-funded and other projects. He has started companies and helped other startups, and is a founding charter member of the Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs (OPEN), a voluntary, not-for profit organization dedicated to the promotion of entrepreneurship and leadership in the Pakistani-American business community. Mr. Qidwai is a 2009 NECEC Clean Energy Fellow, an innovative program to transition experienced entrepreneurs and executives into the clean energy sector. Mr. Qidwai has a BS (EE), a post-graduate diploma in Digital Electronics from PII, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, and a MS in CICE from University of Michigan.


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Dr. Yun Po Zhang is Director in the Clinical Dental Research Department at Colgate-Palmolive Company. He has primary responsibility for the clinical program for the Greater Asian Division and also conducts clinical studies to support product launches. He is responsible for coordinating submissions to the American Dental Association and the Chinese Stomatological Association to support claims and obtain professional endorsement. Dr. Zhang has received the chairman of Colgate’s “You Can Make A Difference Award” on seven separate occasions, and the “Technology Excellent Award”. He holds three patents and has over 100 publications in international dental journals. Dr. Zhang was born in Shanghai, China where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Fudan University. He also obtained a Master’s degree in China. After obtaining a PhD in Physical Chemistry from Northeastern University in Boston, his post-doctor training was at Forsyth/Harvard School of Dental Medicine in Oral Biology. He has also been awarded a certificate (MBA executive program) from Wharton Business School, and has completed training at the Center for Creative Leadership. Dr. Zhang has also been awarded an Honorary Degree in Dentistry by Dalian Medical University in China.


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Shang Dai is the founder of Dai & Associates, P.C. The firm specializes in representing and counseling Chinese companies in China-U.S. transactions and assisting them in business establishment and development. Mr. Dai’s practice focuses on securities, financing, merger and acquisition and corporate. He is head of the firm’s capital markets group. He has worked on numerous domestic and international debt and equity securities offerings, private placements, China-related reverse mergers and PIPE transactions. Mr. Dai also has experience advising domestic and international issuers, investors, and investment banks on their ongoing compliance obligations under U.S. securities laws. Mr. Dai has extensive experience in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic alliances, and general corporate legal matters. Mr. Dai has been actively involved in representing Chinese private companies and SOEs in the establishment of Sino-foreign joint ventures and outbound investment transactions. Mr. Dai obtained his LL.B. degree from Nankai University and his LL.M. degree from William & Mary School of Law.


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Dr. Mansoor Khan, CEO, launched DiagnosisONE in 2003 with a commitment to leverage novel information technology to improve patient safety and quality of care. The company today provides doctors, clinics, hospitals and governments in the U.S. and overseas with cutting edge solutions that help improve care while reducing costs. DiagnosisONE’s technology is leading the way for physicians and administrators alike to identify gaps in care such as missed cancer diagnoses, or absent follow up care. Working with Centers for Disease Control, the company is providing the first nationwide public health information network for Pakistan. In Massachusetts, DiagnosisONE has deployed a state wide system to monitor and report on infectious diseases, and is leading the way in deploying statewide systems for integrating clinical and administrative information to help reduce the cost of care, particularly, the cost of prescription Medicaid drugs. Dr Khan earned his Doctor of Science degree at MIT in 1988 and started his career at MIT as a research scientist. Dr Khan is a founding charter member of Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs (OPEN).


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Munir Mashooqullah is the founder and President of Synergies Worldwide a global supply chain management company operating in over 15 countries. Prior to founding Synergies in 1987 Mr. Mashooqullah worked in the food and textile-manufacturing sector in Pakistan. He is chairman of Hertzmann Media, Quizsense and serves on the board of various textile, design and food companies in Bangladesh, China, India and Pakistan. Mr. Mashooqullah has worked as an independent consultant with Mckinsey and is actively involved in charitable organizations in South Asia ranging from computer literacy, drug rehabilitation and micro finance for women. Mr. Mashooqullah received his MBA from Olin School of Business from Washington University in St. Louis. He is a member of the Young Presidents Organization.


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Shang Dai is the founder of Dai & Associates, P.C. The firm specializes in representing and counseling Chinese companies in China-U.S. transactions and assisting them in business establishment and development. Mr. Dai’s practice focuses on securities, financing, merger and acquisition and corporate. He is head of the firm’s capital markets group. He has worked on numerous domestic and international debt and equity securities offerings, private placements, China-related reverse mergers and PIPE transactions. Mr. Dai also has experience advising domestic and international issuers, investors, and investment banks on their ongoing compliance obligations under U.S. securities laws. Mr. Dai has extensive experience in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic alliances, and general corporate legal matters. Mr. Dai has been actively involved in representing Chinese private companies and SOEs in the establishment of Sino-foreign joint ventures and outbound investment transactions. Mr. Dai obtained his LL.B. degree from Nankai University and his LL.M. degree from William & Mary School of Law.


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Karen Gao is founder and Vice President of Administration at OnGuard Fence System responsible for customer service, human resources, finance and accounting operations, shipping and logistics, purchasing and technology functions. Launched in 2006, the company fabricates ornamental fence systems in aluminum and vinyl for residential and commercial properties. Under Ms. Gao’s leadership, the company has grown rapidly and now has over 32 employees with annual sales of several million dollars. Prior to starting OnGuard, Ms. Gao created an aluminum extrusion import company, providing brokerage services between overseas suppliers of aluminum profiles, components and products and buyers in the U.S. Ms. Gao also worked as a project manager and as a sales representative at Crystal Window & Door Systems, a national vinyl and aluminum window manufacturer. She gained early experience working with a real estate developer, a mortgage company and a law office in California before coming to the New York metro area. Ms Gao earned an MBA in Finance from Nanjing University Business School in Nanjing, China and an undergraduate degree in International Trade from Nanjing Auditing Institute.


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Johnson Chenis the CEO of Kang Long Group Corporation, a firm he opened eight years after immigrating the U.S. from Fujian Province, China in 1991. Kang Long Group’s first venture was in the restaurant business and after an initial success, Mr. Chen created a franchise business for his high end restaurant chain -- Modern Concept of Culinary Art Group (MoCA). Today, Kang Long Group has developed into a diversified enterprise which includes the restaurant industry, real estate development, and wealth management and investment consulting services. Mr. Chen has become an influential real estate developer in the New York Asian American community.

Mr. Chen was selected as one of the fifteen outstanding Chinese entrepreneurs in the 8th World Chinese Entrepreneurs Exhibition in 2005. He is now the vice-chairman of the United Chinese Associations of Eastern USA, Executive member of U.S. Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Youth Committee of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese.


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John Hyon Kim is the Chairman and CEO of Nicka K. Cosmetics, a company he established in 1995. When the company first began, it only sold cosmetic products for women. Today, the company hassuccessfully expanded and now distributes not only cosmetics, but fashion accessories and professional beauty electronic goods to more than twenty countries worldwide.

Mr. Kim has always been an active member of his community and, concerned for the education of today’s youth, he became involved with The Korean-American Youth Foundation (KAYF), and after serving as Chairman of the Board for four years, in 2009 was appointed president. That same year, Mr. Kim also received the “Businessman of the Year” award presented by the Korean American Chamber of Commerce in Greater New York. In 2007, he received the “Devoted Son” award presented by the South Korean government.

Mr. Kim immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea in 1975. He attended Stony Brook University and continued his education at Long Island University in New York City.


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Lily Li is the Chairwoman and CEO of Dragon Treasure Antique Ltd. For more than 20 years Ms. Li has been collecting antiques and running a successful business which started out as a small store and today has several branches in Manhattan. The company has become one of the most influential businesses in Chinese antiques in New York area. The collections, which date back to the Xia dynasty, include bronze vessels of early Zhou dynasty, as well as copper ware, stone carvings, pottery, porcelain and jade, attracting both private collectors and antique enthusiasts. Dragon Treasure Antique Ltd. Is the only Chinese exhibitor at Asian Week, an annual event which brings collectors from around the world to New York City. In 2009, the company hosted “Asian Antique Exhibition” together with experts from all over the world, which provided a great opportunity for the collectors and enthusiasts.


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Steve Tri Nguyen founded Viet Tech Corporation, a premier Vietnamese software development and outsourcing destination, and as President & CEO of the company has led the company to achieve phenomenal annual growth since its establishment in 2005. Mr. Nguyen also founded Virtualosity Solutions, LLC, which is an Information Technology (IT) provider and software development company.

In 2007, Mr. Nguyen launched MyWorld, the leading social and educational networking destination for high school and college students, and young professionals in Vietnam. In 2009, he co-founded and has served as Chairman of Viet Power Corporation, which focuses on digital marketing, online employment solution, trading, and investment. In 2007, BusinessWeek.com selected Mr. Nguyen as Asia’s Best Young Entrepreneur, he also received Golden Globe and Innovation award from the Vietnamese government. He is a member of Oregon Entrepreneur Forum (OEF), American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, and Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce, and Vietnam Software Association.

Mr. Nguyen received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering and minor in Entrepreneurship from the University of Portland.


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Chaudhary Ramzan is the President and Founder of Chad Labs Corporation with over 37 years in the ink and coating industry. Mr. Ramzan started Chad Labs, an ink consulting research and development lab out of his garage in Milford, Connecticut in 1991. Thirteen years later, Chad Labs developed a patentable breakthrough new ink called ButterGel™ ink, also called Hybrid Ball Pen Ink, which has the properties of a ball point pen and gel pen. Chad Labs and the Mitsubishi Company (Japan) are the only two producers of ButterGel™ ink in the world. Mr. Ramzan immigrated to Boston from Pakistan in 1971. He invented Colored Crazy Foam and sold its manufacturing rights to American Aerosol Corporation in 1977. Today, Chad Labs is the largest in the writing ink industry in North America. Eighty percent of Chad Labs exports are to foreign countries including, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Vietnam, Switzerland and Mexico.

Mr. Ramzan received his Masters of Science in Organic Chemistry with the distinguished Academic Roll of Honors from the Government College Lahore, Pakistan.


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Jong Shin is a Director of Product Management at Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications responsible for Sony Ericsson’s next generation of smart phone products. Prior to joining Sony Ericsson Mr. Shin worked for Motorola, where he was responsible for planning and management of 15 innovative mobile phone products worth over $1.5billion in margin and turning Motorola’s Device Management Solutions business around from $0 to $40million in margin and achieving #1 in the industry in only 2 years. Mr. Shin has received numerous awards, including Motorola’s Reward and Recognition Award for Excellence nine years in a row and CEO Reward and Recognition Award for Achievements as well as CEO Quality Award.

Mr. Shin received two B.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering from Purdue University, an M.S. degree in Software Engineering from Walden University and M.B.A. degree in Marketing, Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Technology Management from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.


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Ravi Singh is CEO and founder of ElectionMall™ Technologies, Inc., a non-partisan technology solutions firm providing citizens, candidates, and political parties with the necessary online tools, services, and products to help them win elections via the Internet. ElectionMall worked with over 600 different campaigns during the 2008 election cycle and in 2009 announced the launch of its Mexico and Ukrainian franchises, pioneering new technologies in emerging democracies. The company is considered the one of largest and fastest growing campaign and election technology firms in the U.S. Mr. Singh, son of immigrant parents, began his political journey at age 14 when he was forbidden to wear his turban in a military academy. Legislation introduced on his behalf and signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1987, made him the first American to graduate with full honors as a 2nd Lieutenant, wearing a turban. Mr. Singh has encouraged world leaders to use social media networking sites and establish dialogues with their grassroots supporters. In 2008 Singh was named a “Rising Star” by Campaigns and Elections Magazine®. One of the most prestigious honors in politics, award goes to people 35 or under who have already made a significant mark in political consulting or advocacy.


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