19 trailblazing Asian American businesspeople

By Daily Press | dailypress@dailypress.com

PUBLISHED: May 11, 2021 at 9:45 a.m. | UPDATED: May 11, 2021 at 1:45 p.m.

19 TRAILBLAZING ASIAN AMERICAN BUSINESSPEOPLE

INDRA NOOYI | Indra Nooyi was the CEO of PepsiCo from 1996 to 2018. Before her departure, she was just one of a few people of color to run an S&P 500 company.

STEVE CHEN | Steve Chen co-founded YouTube with Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim, who sold the site to Google for $1.65 billion in 2006. In 2020, Chen launched The Draco Capital Macro Quant Fund, a hedge fund that combines economic analysis and AI to help make investment decisions.

KATRINA LAKE | Katrina Lake is the founder and CEO of StitchFix, a subscription-based wardrobe company. Lake founded the company while still a student at Harvard Business School. She is one of America's richest female entrepreneurs with a net worth of more than $400 million, according to Forbes. In April 2021, Lake stepped down as the company's CEO though she will remain as executive chairperson of the board. — KATRINA LAKE | Katrina Lake is the founder and CEO of StitchFix, a subscription-based wardrobe company. Lake founded the company while still a student at Harvard Business School. She is one of America’s richest female entrepreneurs with a net worth of more than $400 million, according to Forbes. In April 2021, Lake stepped down as the company’s CEO though she will remain as executive chairperson of the board.

MIN ZHU | Min Zhu is the co-founder and former chief technology officer of WebEx. WebEx was acquired by Cisco in 2007 for $3.2 billion. Zhu and his co-founder Subrah Iyar also served as mentors and inspirations to Eric Yuan, who went on to found online communications platform Zoom in 2011.

ERIC YUAN | Eric Yuan was an employee at WebEx when it was acquired by Cisco in 2007. In 2011, Yuan left the company and founded Zoom. Since its founding, Zoom has gone public and become a go-to platform for virtual meetings in the age of the coronavirus pandemic. The increased popularity of Zoom led to Yuan becoming one of the world's richest people in 2020 with a net worth of more than $17 billion in Zoom shares alone. — ERIC YUAN | Eric Yuan was an employee at WebEx when it was acquired by Cisco in 2007. In 2011, Yuan left the company and founded Zoom. Since its founding, Zoom has gone public and become a go-to platform for virtual meetings in the age of the coronavirus pandemic. The increased popularity of Zoom led to Yuan becoming one of the world’s richest people in 2020 with a net worth of more than $17 billion in Zoom shares alone.

TONY XU | Tony Xu is a CEO and cofounder of DoorDash, another company that has seen increased use due to the pandemic. DoorDash recently launched an IPO that valued the company at more than $30 billion, which pushed Xu's net worth above $3 billion, according to Forbes. — TONY XU | Tony Xu is a CEO and cofounder of DoorDash, another company that has seen increased use due to the pandemic. DoorDash recently launched an IPO that valued the company at more than $30 billion, which pushed Xu’s net worth above $3 billion, according to Forbes.

ANDY FANG | Andy Fang is the co-founder and chief technology officer at DoorDash. At 28 years old, Fang is among the world's youngest billionaires, according to Forbes, due largely to DoorDash's IPO and subsequent jump in valuation. — ANDY FANG | Andy Fang is the co-founder and chief technology officer at DoorDash. At 28 years old, Fang is among the world’s youngest billionaires, according to Forbes, due largely to DoorDash’s IPO and subsequent jump in valuation.

DEBORAH LIU | Before becoming the CEO of Ancestry.com in early 2021, Deborah Liu was a top executive at Facebook, serving as the social network's vice president of marketplace. Liu brought in hundreds of millions of dollars in estimated annual revenue for Facebook by spearheading the company's Mobile App Install Advertising product. — DEBORAH LIU | Before becoming the CEO of Ancestry.com in early 2021, Deborah Liu was a top executive at Facebook, serving as the social network’s vice president of marketplace. Liu brought in hundreds of millions of dollars in estimated annual revenue for Facebook by spearheading the company’s Mobile App Install Advertising product.

SUNDAR PICHAI | Sundar Pichai is the CEO of Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc. As of 2019, he was the highest-paid CEO in the entire U.S. information technology sector with a salary of $280.6 million, according to S&P Global.

CHRISTINE POON | Christine Poon is the former vice chairman of Johnson & Johnson as well as its former worldwide chairman. Poon was previously ranked among Forbes' 100 most powerful women in the world. Presently, Poon sits on the board of directors of several companies including, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Prudential Financial, Royal Philips Electronics, The Sherwin-Williams Company and Decibel Therapeutics. — CHRISTINE POON | Christine Poon is the former vice chairman of Johnson & Johnson as well as its former worldwide chairman. Poon was previously ranked among Forbes’ 100 most powerful women in the world. Presently, Poon sits on the board of directors of several companies including, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Prudential Financial, Royal Philips Electronics, The Sherwin-Williams Company and Decibel Therapeutics.

ALBERT CHENG | Albert Cheng is Amazon Studios’ chief operating officer and co-head of television. Under his leadership, Amazon Studios has produced award-winning content including the Academy Award-winning film “Manchester by the Sea” and the series “Mozart in the Jungle.” Cheng has been the COO of Amazon Studios since 2015.

SUZANNE YOON | Suzanne Yoon is the founder and managing partner of Kinzie Capital Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm that invests in middle-market businesses. Yoon previously was a senior vice president of CIT Group. According to Crain's Chicago Business, she's one of the few women in the country leading a private-equity firm. — SUZANNE YOON | Suzanne Yoon is the founder and managing partner of Kinzie Capital Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm that invests in middle-market businesses. Yoon previously was a senior vice president of CIT Group. According to Crain’s Chicago Business, she’s one of the few women in the country leading a private-equity firm.

MANISH CHANDRA | Manish Chandra is the CEO of online consignment shop Poshmark. Poshmark was recently listed as a publicly traded company and is currently valued at $3.5 billion.

ANTHONY SOOHOO | Anthony Soohoo is the executive vice president of Walmart's home division. Soohoo also founded e-commerce platform Dot & Bo and was previously an executive at CBS Interactive. — ANTHONY SOOHOO | Anthony Soohoo is the executive vice president of Walmart’s home division. Soohoo also founded e-commerce platform Dot & Bo and was previously an executive at CBS Interactive.

NICK TRAN | Nick Tran is TikTok's head of global marketing. In 2020, Tran was named to Fortune's 40 Under 40 in media and entertainment. — NICK TRAN | Nick Tran is TikTok’s head of global marketing. In 2020, Tran was named to Fortune’s 40 Under 40 in media and entertainment.

BOBBY MURPHY | Bobby Murphy is a co-founder and the chief technology officer of Snapchat. Murphy is credited with creating most of Snapchat's code and is also heavily involved with Snap Labs, an incubator within the company where top-secret projects are generated. Murphy and Snapchat's co-founder Evan Spiegel are the two youngest people on Forbes' annual list of America's 400 richest people. — BOBBY MURPHY | Bobby Murphy is a co-founder and the chief technology officer of Snapchat. Murphy is credited with creating most of Snapchat’s code and is also heavily involved with Snap Labs, an incubator within the company where top-secret projects are generated. Murphy and Snapchat’s co-founder Evan Spiegel are the two youngest people on Forbes’ annual list of America’s 400 richest people.

SOYOUNG KANG | Soyoung Kang is the chief marketing officer of lip balm and cosmetics brand EOS. Kang was the first CMO for the company and spearheaded the company’s Flavor Lab product launch in 2020 in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. Kang was also previously named a CMO to watch by Business Insider.

VERA WANG | Vera Wang’s name is synonymous with high-fashion wedding dresses, but her brand also encompasses home goods, apparel, eyewear and even desserts. Already in the fashion industry by way of her work with Ralph Lauren and Vogue Magazine, Wang entered the design realm after designing her own wedding dress in 1989. Wang’s net worth is $270 million, according to Forbes, making her one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in the country.