Asia Society Names Discover, BuzzFeed, and KPMG as Best Employers for Asian Pacific Americans in 2019

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Asia Society has named Discover Financial Services, Inc. as the “Overall Best Employer” for their efforts in promoting and developing Asian Pacific American (APA) talent, with recognition for “distinguished performance” given to the leading independent digital media company BuzzFeed and professional services firm KPMG LLP.

Asia Society will present the awards to all the winning employers on May 15 in New York City at the 2019 Best Companies for Asian Pacific Americans Awards Ceremony and Dinner, held in conjunction with Asia Society’s 2019 Diversity & Marketing Leadership Summit, according to a press release.

Previously known as the Diversity Leadership Forum (DLF), the Summit has expanded to a two-day conference that looks at unleashing innovation and capturing market opportunities through powering Asian talent, consumers, and investors in the US and Asia.

“We launched this summit a decade ago to shine a light on the challenges and opportunities Asian Pacific Americans face in the workplace,” said Tom Nagorski, Asia Society’s Executive Vice President. “While challenges for APA employees persist, we’ve also seen real progress being made by Fortune 500 and other multinational companies, both in creating an inclusive workplace for APA employees, as well as providing opportunities for APAs to advance into leadership positions. Asia Society commends all of this year’s winners for their commitment in these areas, and we hope that others will follow their lead.”

The “Overall Best Employer for Asian Pacific Americans” award recognizes companies that exhibit excellence in all of the other award areas.

“At Discover, we are passionate about fostering a collaborative and high-performing work environment for all our employees, and believe diversity and inclusion leads to stronger innovation, growth, and success,” said Sara Breyfogle, executive sponsor of the Asian Professionals employee resource group at Discover. “This recognition from the Asia Society reflects our ongoing commitment to encourage diversity in the workplace.”

Both BuzzFeed and KPMG are once again recognized this year. Having only joined the survey last year, BuzzFeed is again commended for their work, especially for promoting APAs into leadership positions. Meanwhile, KPMG is also named the best employer for sponsorship and the development of workforce skills for Asian Pacific Americans. KPMG has been recognized as an award winner in each of the last eight years.

“At KPMG, diversity and inclusion are core values as we recognize that all of our people’s backgrounds and experiences help our organization grow, thrive and drive innovative outcomes, ” said Michele Meyer-Shipp, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at KPMG. “KPMG is honored to again be recognized by the Asia Society for having an inclusive, supportive culture where Asian Pacific Americans can develop and build great careers.”

As part of BuzzFeed’s efforts to support APAs in leadership positions and enrich the overall employee experience for APAs, BuzzFeed’s Asian-affinity ERG, A*FAMILY, hosts professional development series for its members. Dao Nguyen, BuzzFeed’s Publisher and executive sponsor of A*FAMILY, says the ERG also offers programming that extends beyond BuzzFeed and incorporates the larger APA community.

“We’ve highlighted prominent Asian talent by inviting guest speakers to BuzzFeed, celebrated key cultural moments like Diwali, and supported both local initiatives and international fundraisers. Our diverse programming gives APA employees a ton of opportunities to engage with our cultures and foster community at BuzzFeed,” said Nguyen.

AT&T and PepsiCo were noted for demonstrating innovative practices in a new category that was added to the awards process this year: Best Company Marketing to Asian Pacific American Consumers and Investors.

“We are again thrilled and honored to be recognized by Asia Society, especially in this new marketing category,” said Corey Anthony, SVP-HR and chief diversity officer at AT&T. “We appreciate the individuality, culture, and heritage of each of our customer segments and try to reflect that in our advertising, marketing and sponsorships throughout the year. This honor – with those we’ve received from Asia Society in the past for our talent pipeline and mentoring – shows the depth and consistency of our diversity strategy and impact of our efforts.”

“PepsiCo is committed to creating smiles for our consumers and customers by offering them unique moments. Delighting different consumer cohorts such as Asian Pacific Americans with our products and making their lives more enjoyable through every sip and bite is our aim. Our power is in the diversity of our associates who drive the innovation, design and messaging of our products and brands through data and insights. We are grateful for this recognition from Asia Society,” said Umran Beba, Chief Global Diversity & Engagement Officer at PepsiCo.

The results are part of Asia Society’s 10^th Annual Asian Corporate Survey, which honors employers for their achievements in promoting diversity and the quality of their APA workforce initiatives. The annual survey measures the experience of Asian Pacific Americans at Fortune 500 and other large companies, with over 2,500 employees participating in the 2019 survey. It is part of Asia Society’s efforts to showcase the expanding influence of Asian Pacific American workers in the economy and how employers are responding.

Finalists and winners are chosen based on a combination of employee survey results (80 percent) and scores from a blind panel of expert judges (20 percent). Employees of Asia Society are not involved in the awards decisions.

List of 2019 Best Companies for Asian Pacific Americans award winners.

Overall Best Employer for Asian Pacific Americans

Winner: Discover

Distinguished Performance: BuzzFeed, KPMG

Main Categories:

Best Employer for Sponsorship and Development of Workforce Skills for APAs

Winner: KPMG

Distinguished Performance: Chevron, Discover

Best Employer for Promoting APAs into Leadership Positions

Winner: BuzzFeed

Distinguished Performance: Colgate-Palmolive, Credit Suisse

Best APA Employee Resource Groups

Winner: Chevron

Distinguished Performance: Cigna, Grant Thornton

Best Company Marketing to APA Consumers and Investors

Winner: AT&T

Distinguished Performance: PepsiCo, PG&E

Best Employer for Promoting APA Women

Winner: BNY Mellon

Distinguished Performance: Credit Suisse, Marriott

Best Employer for LGBT Asian Employees

Winner: Goldman Sachs

Distinguished Performance: Marriott, BNY Mellon

Most Innovative Practice Citations:

Recruitment and Selection

Grant Thornton (Best of the Best); BuzzFeed; KPMG; Goldman Sachs

Retention

KPMG (Best of the Best); Goldman Sachs

Employee Growth & Advancement

Goldman Sachs (Best of the Best); KPMG

Profit & Loss Leadership Development

Chevron (Best of the Best); Boston Scientific

APA Employee Resource Groups

KPMG (Best of the Best); Discover

Marketing to APA Consumers & Investors

AT&T, PepsiCo (tied—Best of the Best); Marriott; PG&E

Promoting APA Women

Medtronic (Best of the Best); AT&T

LGBT Asian Employees:

Grant Thornton (Best of the Best); Discover; BNY Mellon.