Chinese American Philanthropist: Andrea Jung
July 27, 2009
This is Week 19 of AsianWeek’s salute to Chinese American heroes, in strategic partnership with Chinese American Heroes, a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to documenting the contributions of Chinese Americans to America and the world.
Last week we honored philanthropy. On those special occasions when we find heroes who are also philanthropic, we applaud with vigor. On those rare occasions, when we find pure philanthropists, we cheer boisterously and make sure everyone knows about them. Pure philanthropy always deserves an exceptional response.
Among our philanthropists this week are a restaurateur, a physician, an attorney, a businesswoman, and a journalist. We lead off with a lady who has already been previously featured as a great business leader. She leveraged her position as Chair of the Board/CEO of Avon Corporation to fight domestic violence and also fight a deadly killer - breast cancer. Her name is Andrea Jung and she is the founder of “Kiss Good-Bye to Breast Cancer” project. After she became the CEO of Avon in 1999, many business analysts watched her initial performance closely and a few dropped some not so subtle hints that she was not a competent leader for Avon, they (men of course) were dead wrong. Andrea knew just what potential Asian markets held for Avon. In just a few years Avon ladies were all over China offering Avon products that helped boost Avon’s gross revenue from $393,000,000 in March 2007 to $780,770,000 by March 2009. At the same time Andrea led the “Kiss Good Bye to Breast Cancer” effort that has raised over $100,000,000.00.
Next, we have another philanthropist who is a medical doctor. He is a San Francisco legend named Dr. Rolland C. Lowe who has served the community for nearly 50 years, providing pro bono medical care for many who couldn’t afford a doctor. Dr. Lowe has been recognized by many medical associations for his ceaseless dedication to philanthropic work.
Our next philanthropist is loved by many. He is from Los Angeles and has made a great name for himself in the world of philanthropy. As a lawyer he has provided pro-bono legal consultation to the poor, been a civil rights leader, and was the first Asian American to receive the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship in 1998 for his human rights work. The fellowship is a $500,000 award awarded to exceptional Americans each year as “an investment in a person’s originality, insight, and potential.” Those of us who have met Stewart Kwoh are truly impressed with his humility. For all that he has done for his fellow man, you will never hear him boast about it. Last week we quoted Confucian scholar Zhu Zhi who said “Shan yu jen jien, bu shi chen shan” (Philanthropy done for public display is not true philanthropy). Stewart Kwoh is a true philanthropist.
Next is a man who is a major American restaurateur, Mr. Andrew Cherng, the man who started Panda Express in 1983. His father was a master chef, and when young Andrew grew up, he went to college like good Chinese son and earned his BA and MA in mathematics, but Andrew Cherng had a different dream. Knowing that many of his fellow Americans loved Chinese food, he wanted to make quality Chinese food available and convenient for all of us. Blending the best flavors of northern (Beijing), Szechuan and Cantonese dishes and allying it with modern fast food technology, Panda Express quickly spread nationwide and now makes over $1 billion yearly. Over 18,000 people are employed by what has now become a major restaurant conglomerate. Cherng and his wife,
Dr. Peggy Tsiang Cherng, have donated millions of dollars via their Panda Foundation to fighting childhood cancer and towards the funding of the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and similar organizations.
Wrapping up this week is a man who died many years ago and is nearly forgotten today but did a lot of good things with his life. He is Mr. Ng Poon Chew, who was a minister, a newspaper journalist, entrepreneur, and civil rights advocate. Poon arrived in America in the 19th century and died in 1931. He was known as the first Chinese American journalist on the West Coast, and fought for many causes. He was a Freemason and the first Chinese American Shriner. The Shriners are an organization dedicated to philanthropy within their local communities. Known for his wit and engaging speaking style he became known as the “Chinese Mark Twain” and spoke out against the Chinese Exclusion Acts to white audiences across the country. Ng Poon Chew was a man well ahead of his time and will be remembered for his many worthy and philanthropic endeavors.
For additional information about Chinese American heroes, please visit the Chinese American Heroes website at www.chineseamericanheroes.org.
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Name in English: Andrea Jung
Name in Chinese: 钟彬娴 [鍾彬嫻]
Name in Pinyin: Zhōng Bīnxián
Gender: Female
Birth Year: 1958
Birth Place: Toronto, Canada
Philanthropy: Yes
Profession(s): Business Woman, Chairman of the Board and CEO, Avon Products Inc.
Education: BA (magna cum laude), English Literature, 1979, Princeton University
Award(s): In 1997, Advertising Magazine gave Andrea Jung the National Outstanding Mother Award, and named her one of the “25 Women to Watch.” In 2000, Andrea Jung was presented the Award for Distinguished Service from the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in recognition of her profound contributions to women’s health. In 2001, Time Magazine/CNN honored Jung one of the 25 Most Influential Global Executives. In 2004, Newsweek Magazine named her one of “10 prominent people to watch in 2005″. Andrea Jung has also been ranked #3 among Fortune magazine’s “50 most powerful women in business” for the past two years.
Contribution(s): Andrea Jung began her career as a young Bloomingdales executive, and then became Executive Vice President of Fashion at Neiman Marcus in 1991. In 1993, she began her work at Avon, the largest direct seller of beauty products in the world. In 1997 she was promoted to Executive Vice President of Avon as well as head of global marketing and new business. She became CEO in 1999. In September 2002 Jung became the company’s first female chairman of the board, putting her atop an international direct-sales empire with 45,000 employees, 3.9 million independent reps, and $6.2 billion in annual sales.
Philanthropy: Andrea Jung has used her prominent position as CEO to raise money for the Avon Foundation’s efforts against breast cancer and support domestic violence projects. The Avon Kiss Goodbye to Breast Cancer program has raised over $100 million for breast cancer research. In 2002, the Cosmetic Executive Women Foundation awarded her the “Best Boss Award”
for those who have been supportive of employees with cancer.
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