Landmark Survey Identifies Best Practices in Developing, Promoting Asian Pacific American Employees

Asia Society’s Groundbreaking “2010 Asian Pacific Americans Corporate Survey” Examines Barriers to Career Advancement – Explores Why Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) Are Among the Most Educated Employees Yet Underrepresented in Corporate Leadership – Outlines Ways for Firms to Maximize APA Contribution to Corporate Growth in the U.S. and Asia – Cardinal Health, KPMG LLP, McDonald’s USA and PepsiCo among the top 10 Best in Class Employers
New York, July 14, 2010 – Asia Society’s groundbreaking “2010 Asian Pacific Americans Corporate Survey” of 2,000 Fortune 500 employees – the first to exclusively measure the corporate success of Asian Pacific Americans – answers the questions of how companies can create an inclusive workplace that promotes APAs to corporate leadership positions as well as draw on APA talent to grow their business at home and abroad.

The survey showed that Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) overwhelmingly care about the futures of their companies (88 percent of respondents) and also gave high marks to their firms’ diversity efforts. Yet, while APAs are among the most highly-educated employees, they largely feel underrepresented among the ranks of corporate leaders – a phenomenon known as the “bamboo ceiling.”

It was the first survey created and distributed exclusively to Asian Pacific Americans in the Fortune 500. Best practices and best in class employers were identified by combining diversity officers’ input on what programs are in place and employee responses to a 29 question survey that the company directly distributed to its APA employees.
Asia Society is proud to make available the 2010 Asian Pacific American Survey report to you now. This comprehensive “deep dive” report features the top 10 companies’ most effective practices in developing APA corporate leaders with programs that contribute directly to the bottom line.

“The resulting report is an insightful, fact based portrayal of APAs’ leadership development challenges,” says Asia Society President Vishakha Desai. “The report showcases best practices with specific, actionable activities that Best in Class companies use to successfully attract, develop and retain their APA leaders.”

As an added benefit to participating in the survey, each company will receive a complimentary report with its own results.

Survey results identified the following as the top 10 Best in Class employers: 3M, Cardinal Health Inc, Corning Incorporated, KPMG LLP, Kraft Foods Inc, Lear Corporation, MasterCard Worldwide, McDonald’s USA, New York Life Insurance Company, PepsiCo. The top four Best APA Employers were PepsiCo, McDonald’s USA, KPMG LLP, and Cardinal Health.

All 10 finalists enjoyed a half page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal and a second ad in July, this time in the New York Times, will acknowledge the four Best Employers.

We hope to include your company in next year’s survey and would love to see your company featured as one of the Best in Class APA Employers in 2011, and be recognized at the 2011 Diversity Leadership Forum.

For more information, please contact Kyle Carroll at kylec@asiasociety.org. To purchase the report, visit AsiaSociety.org/asianamericansurvey.

For press inquiries, contact the Asia Society communications department at pr@asiasociety.org or 212-327-9271.

An abridged version for preview is available at AsiaSociety.org/DiversityReport.

With this report, Asia Society builds on its work developing leadership skills in Asian Pacific Americans throughout corporate America – as well as its larger mission of bridging Asian and American relations through business, politics, education, and the arts.