Trailblazers in Conversation with Hiroki

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Trailblazers in Conversation with Hiroki

Speakers: HA (moderator), MM, PT

Date: May 19, 2022

Time: 10 am PST 

EVENT OUTLINE

Run of Show:

10:00am – 10:09am : Cold open with two videos (~ 9 min)

10:09am – 10:14am HA intro & welcome panelists (5 min)

10:14am – 10:58am Panel Discussion (44 min)

10:58am-11:00am: HA closing remarks (2 min)

Introduction by Aisans@ Executive sponsor, HA

[Bio: HA oversees all marketing efforts, as well as in-house creative teams. HA spent 18 years at Apple and served as Vice President of Global Marketing Communications and Executive Creative Director where he was responsible for a variety of iconic marketing campaigns for a range of products, including the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. HA lives in San Francisco with his family and holds a BA in Graphic Design from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo]

  • [Commentary about the videos that will play at the start of the event] 
  • With this heritage month, we may be “stepping into the light,” but I’m joined today by two panelists who are no strangers to the limelight.
    • They are vastly different and fascinating in many respects, but one thing that stands out to me is what we have in common. 
    • For many of us, our upbringing might mean there are certain expectations or stereotypes on what our future and careers should look like. 
    • Perhaps some of our parents think some careers are better than others.
    • But each person on this panel has chosen a profession that just might break the mold. 
    • I am excited for us to have the opportunity to share how our heritage influenced our journey and how it is reflected in the people and the professionals we are today.
  • [PT] is a Tongan taekwondo practitioner and cross-country skier. A three-time Olympic athlete, [PT] is well known for his shirtless appearances during the Opening Ceremony at Rio 2016, PyeongChang 2018 and Tokyo 2020. He is also the first person to compete at three straight Olympic Games, including summer and winter events. When he is not training for the Games, [PT] spends his time canoeing, acting as a UNICEF ambassador and working as an environmental activist.” 
  • Welcome [P] (pause, wait for him to say hi)
  • And our second panlist is [MM].

“[MM] is the VP & GM of Entertainment Weekly, serving as the brand’s first female and BIPOC Editor in Chief. Before that, she served as HubSpot’s Senior Director of Product Marketing, leading a global team from Ireland. Prior to that, she led the product content strategy teams for Facebook’s entertainment products and was the first Editorial Director at Roku, Inc. She began her career at Newsweek in their London bureau before holding senior editorial roles at PEOPLE and Parade.”

  • Welcome [M] (pause, wait for her to say hi)
  • Thank you both for joining us today. We are grateful for your time and wisdom. 

Questions:

  • We heard your bios, but I’d love to give each of you a chance to describe yourself in your own words. How would you describe your identity in one sentence?

HA volunteers to go first, then asks MM, and PT. 

(Theme  1- Identity: Stereotypes vs lived experience)

  • M, one of the reasons we are keen to have you share your experience is because of your Filipina heritage. We’ve had a lot of conversations internally about the diaspora of Asian representation and how it all gets lumped together—when in reality there is a huge spectrum of experiences under that umbrella. Have you had an experience where this expectation of what it means to be Asian felt really different to your own lived experience?
  • P, amongst certain quarters, you’ve been known as the “shirtless Tongan.” How do you feel about being represented that way?
  • (HA shares an experience where he has felt others’ expectations of his Asian heritage were perhaps at odds with his own perspective)
  • P and M, we know you are both phenomenal storytellers—[PT] is also a motivational speaker and [MM] has been driving storytelling at Entertainment Weekly. How important is it to you to own your own story?
  • (Both answer briefly)

(Theme 2- Unprecedented success in unconventional careers)

  • M, you’re the first female editor in chief of Entertainment Weekly. We often talk about where people currently are in their journey, but I’d love to hear about how you got there. What is it like to start on a path towards the career you want? 
  • P, I think what we were all inspired by was how often it felt like you were succeeding despite maybe being the underdog. Growing up, your family faced many hardships. And your road to the Olympics was long and bumpy. You’ve been quoted as saying that along the journey you endured “6 broken bones, 3 torn ligaments, one and a half years on crutches, 3 months in a wheelchair and hundreds and hundreds of hours of physiotherapy.” What do you think is the drive behind your resilience and persistence?
  • Given your respective roles and success, you both have a platform to make a difference. How do you leverage that, and how important is it to be intentional in that aspect of your career and profile?

P and then M

(Theme 3- Leadership journey)

  • We’ve spoken about how you got to where you are. Along this journey, there’s been many opportunities to show up as a leader. What does authentic leadership look like to you and how do you think about that as a responsibility? M? 
  • (Then ask P)
  • Thanks for sharing your perspectives on leadership. M, I want to cross-pollinate how we started this conversation. How does your Filipina identity impact your experience of leadership? Are there expectations or ideals around modeling authority that feel culturally uncomfortable? How do you navigate that?
  • P, what’s your philosophy on uplifting others while on your career path?
  • HA to share an aspect of his path to leadership 

Closing thoughts (HA)

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