Asian Women Making an Impact

Asian Women Making an Impact

Celebrate Women's History Month with us! Hear from an amazing panel of Asian women as they share their career experiences, passion for socially mission-driven work, successes and challenges. Get ready to be inspired!

Listen, eat, drink and network!

We are grateful to partner with the Asian Community Fund, Asian Business Empowerment Council, Baystate Financial, PNC Bank and Casner & Edwards on this event.

Panelists:

Poorvi Patodia is the Founder and CEO of Biena Snacks, a leading plant-based protein snack brand. Prior to founding Biena Snacks in 2012, Poorvi received an MBA from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and served as Associate Product Director on esteemed brands such as Viactiv and Splenda during her time at Johnson & Johnson. Under her leadership, Biena Snacks has become a seven-time award-winning brand, available in over 12,000 stores nationwide. She currently sits on the board for Naturally Network, contributing to the natural products industry's growth and development.

Dr. Amy Zeng is an esteemed academic and leader in supply chain management and global logistics, with over two decades of experience in higher education. She is the first female Dean of Suffolk University’s Sawyer Business School and has held various leadership positions including Center Director, Program Director, Assistant/Associate Dean, Department Chair, and Dean within the business school setting. Dr. Zeng holds a PhD in Business Administration from Penn State University’s Smeal College of Business Administration, a M.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Washington – Seattle, and a B.S. in Industrial Management Engineering from Beihang University in China. Her research, published in top journals, spans theory, application, and pedagogy of supply chain/operations management. With over 100 publications and 3,800+ Google Scholar citations, Dean Zeng's scholarly achievements are notable. She has also delivered over 120 talks/speeches and secured $1M+ in research and teaching grants. Dean Zeng's leadership style emphasizes preparing students for success in a dynamic global economy, embodying traits of persistence, organization, inspiration, amiability, and technical acumen.

Caroline Kung, Managing Partner at SagePath Capital, leverages over 20 years of private equity expertise to drive investment in lower middle market companies. Formerly a Managing Director at H.I.G. Capital, Caroline spearheaded 15 successful transactions spanning diverse sectors like business services, healthcare, and enterprise software. Her board leadership includes guiding companies like Capstone Logistics, Cornerstone Chemical Company, and Infogix through strategic growth initiatives. Prior to her tenure at H.I.G. Capital, Caroline honed her operational acumen as Director of Business Planning at Armani, where she revamped replenishment programs and optimized sales strategies. Caroline also held roles at GB Merchant Partners and Merrill Lynch, where she specialized in consumer/retail private equity and M&A, respectively. She has a dual MBA from Harvard Business School and ESSEC Business School, along with an AB in Psychology and East Asian Studies from Harvard College.

Kelly Mittal is the Founder and CEO of myKidzDay, a pioneering mobile platform dedicated to the early care and education industry. myKidzDay uniquely integrates ubiquity of mobile technology and user centered design to address the substantial need for better parent communication. Her personal social mission is to deliver peace of mind to parents globally by helping them stay connected, informed, and engaged in real time. myKidzDay is currently used by over 50,000 users in the US and Canada reshaping the technology landscape of child care and education. With over 15 years of invaluable software engineering experience gained at prominent technology giants like Intel and AMD, Kelly has honed her expertise in crafting innovative solutions. myKidzDay was honored as a finalist in the prestigious MassChallenge, a leading global startup accelerator, in 2017. She chairs the Professional & Entrepreneur Network of the India Society of Worcester, the biggest Indian association in MA. She is dedicated to creating a networking platform and a support/mentor ecosystem for the community. She is appointed on the parent advisory council of the Department of elementary and secondary education tasked with advising the Commissioner and Board on matters pertaining to the development of parent and community engagement in education

Moderator: Shirley Leung

Shirley is a columnist and associate editor at the Boston Globe. She has written on everything from the intersection of business and politics to gender and diversity issues in the workplace. She has been a three-time finalist for the Gerald Loeb Award for Commentary. In 2018, Boston Magazine named her to its list of the “100 Most Influential People in Boston.” Shirley is also a contributor to WGBH’s “Boston Public Radio” and “Greater Boston,” as well as a regular guest on New England Cable News. Previously, Shirley served as the Globe's interim editorial page editor. She also has been the Globe’s business editor, where she oversaw its award-winning coverage of the 2008 financial crisis. A graduate of Princeton University, she started her career at her hometown paper, The Baltimore Sun.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Boston Foundation, 75 Arlington Street, Boston, United States