Press Releases

The Supplier Development Showcase organized by the Asian Indian Chamber of Commerce (AICC) was recently commemorated.

Somerset, June 1, 2023 – The Asian Indian Chamber of Commerce (AICC) concluded its eight-
part Supplier Development Breakfast event series with the “Supplier Development Showcase” Business
Opportunity Exchange, which was a great success. The event offered an array of impressive
highlights, such as engaging keynote speakers, enlightening MSP Forum sessions, productive
Business Opportunity Exchanges, insightful Fireside Chats, interactive Breakout sessions, and a
segment dedicated to Awards & Recognition.

Rajeev Krishna, AICC President, introduced his board and spoke about the unprecedented transformation he is seeing in the Chamber. He credited that to increased awareness of the Chamber’s programs and the many new corporate relationships that are being created because of that. He reiterated his board’s commitment to make AICC the voice and the most influential business advocacy organization for the Asian Indian business community in the nation.

The Hon'ble Randhir Jaiswal, Consul General of India in NY, graced the occasion as the esteemed Chief Guest and talked about the incredible business potential between India and the United States and the important role AICC can play in that arena. A captivating keynote speech focused on the future challenges of procurement in a global economy was delivered by Len DeCandia, former Global Chief Procurement Officer of J&J.

Sanofi received the Supplier Development Trailblazer award, and Bristol Myers Squibb was honored
with the Supplier Development Champion Award. Recipients of the Minority Business of the Year
awards were Innova Solutions (IT), CHUGH (Law) and A&J Consulting Engineering Services
(Engineering).

The MSP Forum was led by Sundari Pai Luts, Senior Manager Global Supplier Diversity at Bristol Myers Squibb, and featured panelists Brian Soderholm, Chief Revenue Officer at Hiregenics, Brianna Zielinski, North America Category Buyer at Sanofi, Kristin Clewes, VP of Workforce Solutions at nextSource, and Tamara Rashid, SVP of the Enterprise Transformation Team at Agile One.

The stage was graced by a lineup of speakers including Ciara Lilly, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at Diversified Maintenance, Jermaine Pharmes, Director of Diversity and Business Development at NJEDA, Michele Mehan, Director of Procurement at Aquarion Water Company, Suresh Kumar, President of The Indus Entrepreneur (TiE) NJ Chapter, Punish Malhotra, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Strategic Sales & Partnerships, at Innova Solutions and William Choi, Director of Supplier Diversity at NYPA.

Rakhi Agarwal, Supplier Diversity leader at Sanofi, hosted the Fireside Chat which included a panel of experts. The panelists were Anne O'Malley, Sr. Supplier Diversity Specialist at NYPA; Anjali Sidhu, Global Head at Innova Solutions; Adam Wexebaum, Global Supplier Diversity at Lenovo; Gesny Val, Associate Procurement Manager Sustainability and Partnership at Unilever; Sweta Patel, Supplier Diversity Program Lead at Teva Pharma; Tiffany Keaton, Senior Manager, Business Diversity and Supply Chain Sustainability at TIAA; and Vivian Young, Global Head of Asian & Pacific Islander Affairs at JPMC.

Rekha Sarathy, Vice President of AICC, delivered a vote of thanks to conclude the event. The
AICC Supplier Development Showcase Event brought together a diverse group of suppliers,
corporate executives, industry experts from MSPs, and others in a collaborative and inclusive
environment, resulting in a resounding success. The AICC remains committed to promoting
diversity and inclusion in the corporate sphere and eagerly anticipates future events that will
continue to drive progress in this vital area.

Rajeev Krishna, President of AICC, Rekha Sarathy, Vice President of AICC, and Komal Dangi,
Director of Supplier Development at AICC, served as the event’s co-chairs. IIT WHEELS Foundation,
Akshaya Patra and TiE New Jersey, were strategic partners for this event.

For more information about AICC’s initiatives or to get involved in our supplier development and supply chain program, please
visit our website at AICC | Asian Indian Chamber of Commerce or contact us at 732-847-4760 or [email protected]

Press Releases

The Supplier Development Showcase organized by the Asian Indian Chamber of Commerce (AICC) was recently commemorated.

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