Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Award honours the legacy of Sir Ivan Menezes

05 Sep 2023 Champion Inclusion and Diversity
Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Award honours the legacy of Sir Ivan Menezes

This year marks the 22nd anniversary of Outstanding Asian Americans in Business Award. 

As part of the evening, the Asian American Business Development Center will honour the legacy of Sir Ivan Menezes, CEO of Diageo, who passed away earlier this year, with a special Ivan Lifetime Achievement Award.

The event will also see Raj Subramaniam, CEO of FedEx, and 50 Asian American executives be honoured at a gala dinner on September 21st

Born in Pune, India, Ivan was one of Britain’s longest serving and most respected FTSE Chief Executives, transforming Diageo into the world’s leading premium drinks company and which accounts for 10% of the UK’s total food and drinks exports.

Each year, the Outstanding 50 award committee identifies and selects outstanding leaders who have built a successful business or who have distinguished themselves in their community. Of those, the committee also identifies a top Pinnacle Award recipient who has reached the acme of his/her professional career and is widely acknowledged as a leader in their industry.

“Our Outstanding 50 Business Committee carefully considers whom to add to our roster of distinguished Pinnacle Award winners, who serve to inspire the Asian American professional community as living role models and examples of excellence in leadership,” said John Wang, President and Founder of AABDC. “Raj Subramaniam of FedEx certainly meets and exceeds our criteria, and he has earned our admiration and appreciation for helming one of the most critical segments of the economy – the logistics and supply chains that keep our lives and businesses humming. This year, we are also privileged to be honoring the impactful life of Ivan Menezes, who left a lasting imprint on Diageo, and who exemplified an Asian American business success story.” “During a year when Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies are being challenged, we hope that our awards tradition demonstrates that diverse workforces produce great talent,” he added.

The prominent event typically draws over 600 leading business, political and civic leaders to pay tribute to the outstanding entrepreneurs and corporate executives in the Asian American business community from across the United States.