Chang-Lin Tien Distinguished Fellowship Program and Leadership Award

At the recent “Leaders on the Frontlines” event, two powerhouse leaders joined Ambassador Kathleen Stephens, vice chair of The Asia Foundation Board of Trustees, to reflect on leadership and the times when they’ve been tested.

Former Asia Foundation Chang-Lin Tien Distinguished Visiting Fellow, friend to The Asia Foundation, and founder of BRAC, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, passed away on December 20, 2019. He was 83 years old. Sir Abed devoted his life to standing up for social justice. He started BRAC in 1972 as a small relief and rehabilitation project in north-eastern Bangl… Read more

Last night in San Francisco, Dr. Oyun Sanjaasuren of Mongolia was awarded The Chang-Lin Tien Distinguished Leadership Award, which honors the late U.C. Berkeley chancellor and chairman of The Asia Foundation’s board of trustees. Dr. Oyun is known for her leadership in promoting Mongolian democracy and stewardship of the environment. She is founder… Read more

On September 10 in San Francisco, The Asia Foundation will present Dr. Oyun Sanjaasuren, former President of the United Nations Environment Assembly, with the Chang-Lin Tien Distinguished Leadership Award in recognition of her extraordinary leadership and advocacy for civil and social rights, including water security. The Honorable George P. Shultz… Read more

On September 11th, The Asia Foundation and Salesforce presented an executive roundtable luncheon featuring Ban Ki-moon, eighth secretary general of the United Nations and president & chair, Global Green Growth Institute. Senior executives from San Francisco met with Secretary Ban to discuss topics and trends, including the need for global leadership on combating climate change and the knowledge sharing of efforts of Bay Area and global businesses towards sustainability.

On September 11th in San Francisco, The Asia Foundation honored His Excellency Ban Ki-moon for his significant leadership in international development; the legacy of Chang-Lin Tien; and the 2018 Asia Foundation Development Fellows.

On September 11 in San Francisco, The Asia Foundation will present the 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon with the Chang-Lin Tien Distinguished Leadership Award in recognition of his significant leadership in international development. Award-winning broadcast journalist Sydnie Kohara will serve as the emcee for the evening’s pr… Read more

6:00 PM Julia Morgan Ballroom | Merchants Exchange Building 465 California Street, 15th Floor, San Francisco A special dinner honoring Ban Ki-moon Eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations With the Chang-Lin Tien Distinguished Leadership Award Featuring the 2018 Asia Foundation Development Fellows Hosted by Sydnie Kohara Presented by: The Chan… Read more

The Asia Foundation Chang-Lin Tien Distinguished Visiting Fellows program recognizes Asia’s most accomplished leaders from government, business, and academia. Since 2002, the program has hosted prominent Asian individuals drawn from across the diverse region, each deeply committed to Asia’s development and U.S.-Asia relations. The program reflects… Read more

Recently, The Asia Foundation named Dr. Mari Elka Pangestu the 2016 Chang-Lin Tien Distinguished Visiting Fellow. Dr. Pangestu is currently Professor of International Economics at the University of Indonesia, on the Board of Trustees, Centre for Strategic and International Studies and Board of Advisers, Prasetya Mulya University. The primary focus… Read more

Dr. Isher Judge Ahluwalia currently leads the Research and Capacity Building Program on the Challenges of Urbanisation in India and served as Chairperson of the High Powered Expert Committee on Urban Infrastructure and Services from 2008 to 2011. Dr. Ahluwalia’s research has focused on urbanization, sustainable public service delivery, industrial d… Read more

One of China’s most prominent economists, and a major figure in that nation’s economic transformation, Cheng Siwei, passed away on July 12 at the age of 80. Known as the father of China’s ChiNext stock market, and a key player in the development of China’s venture capital sector, Mr. Cheng’s distinguished career included vice-chairmanship of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress…

In Asia sat down recently with renowned Indian economist Dr. Isher Judge Ahluwalia, The Asia Foundation’s latest Chang-Lin Tien Distinguished Visitor, during her American visit. Dr. Ahluwalia is chairperson of the board of governors for the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations in New Delhi, where she is leading a…

Publisher U Thant Thaw Kaung, head of the Myanmar Book Aid and Preservation Foundation and the mobile library project under the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation, recently visited The Asia Foundation’s headquarters in San Francisco as part of a three-week study tour…

Dr. Thant Thaw Kaung, prominent publisher and library advocate in Myanmar, has been awarded The Asia Foundation’s prestigious Chang-lin Tien Visiting Fellowship. In a program designed to share knowledge and perspectives between peers across the Pacific, Dr. Kaung is engaging with leaders in the U.S. publishing, library, and NGO fields during a thre… Read more

Mr. Mirza Amiri, Former Director and CEO, Export Promotion Agency of Afghanistan (EPAA), examined ways to strengthen Afghanistan’s economic development through export promotion and small business development. Following a brief affiliation with the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C., he participated in several trade fairs and met with e… Read more

As the leader of the world’s largest development NGO, Founder and Chair of BRAC Sir Fazle Hasan Abed’s Fellowship entailed meetings with senior officials in the international development field, as well as presentations at prestigious institutions in Washington, D.C. and the San Francisco Bay Area. Sir Fazle’s remarks focused on issues of poverty al… Read more

Through presentations and round table discussions with policy makers, academics, and business sector representatives in the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, and Washington DC, Mr. Cheng Siwei, Chair, International Finance Forum (Beijing), and former Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, shared his expertise and i… Read more

A month-long examination of forensic medicine enabled Dr. Withoo Phrueksanan, Assistant Dean and Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, to draw on best practices from American experience that might have implications for human rights in Thailand’s southern border provinces. A two-week affiliation with the Office of the Chief Me… Read more

A co-founder of and CEO of Malaysiakini, the leading online news distribution source in Malaysia, Mr. Premesh Chandran made presentations on his vision for developing new media in Malaysia and Southeast Asia through a social enterprise model. His visit entailed meetings with practitioners and researchers to discuss social capital markets, social en… Read more

Ms. Samar Minallah, Executive Director, Ethnomedia, a distinguished activist and documentary film maker, Ms. Minallah explored a range of issues pertaining to human rights, advocacy for women, and social media through a professional affiliation with the San Francisco-based Global Fund for Women and networking with domestic and international organiz… Read more

Diplomatic Editor at The Times of India Ms. Indrani Bagchi’s program focus was on U.S.-China relations and the implications for third countries, addressed through affiliation with the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., seminars, and meetings with foreign policy specialists in research centers and the public sector. The Asia Foundation Chang… Read more

The first recipient of the Visiting Fellow award, Dr. Zhao Gang, Professor and Director, Chinese Academy of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, is prominent in international discussions related to clean energy collaboration. He met with representatives of diverse sectors to discuss clean energy and climate mitigation policie… Read more

In recognition of his leadership in business and civic affairs, Dr. Stan Shih, Chief Executive Officer (retired) and Co-Founder of the Acer Group, was the first Chang Lin Tien Distinguished Visiting Fellow. He participated in a wide range of public presentations in California on economic development and trade between Asia and the U.S. The Asia Foun… Read more