Breaking Barriers: Asians in Advertising Founder Bernice Chao on Their History and Purpose

Hello everyone, my name is Bernice Chao. I'm the Head of Integrated Creative at Zambezi and the co-founder of the non-profit organization Asians in Advertising. I have a passion for creating opportunities and paths for others to succeed.

The idea of Asians in Advertising was brought on by the shared AAPI experience in the workforce and fueled by the uprising of Asian hate during the pandemic. It was time to do something which addressed that head-on. We have a chance to bring change within this industry and how advertising manifests in the world. Built on an initial idea I had many years ago, I was looking for the right partner to bring it to life.

I met Jessalin Lam, VP of Learning and Development at IAB, at an Ascend webinar called "Insights to Inspire the Next Generation of AAPI'' at the end of January 2021. During the webinar, Jessalin put her LinkedIn into the chat.

We both were passionate about the Asian community, so we connected on a Zoom chat since we live on opposite coasts. I was so impressed with Jessalin's involvement with DEI and L&D, plus many AAPI communities, that it was a no-brainer to ask her to be my co-founder. I created the website on a Saturday, she reviewed it on a Sunday, and on Monday, we released it with a single virtual networking event. This networking event had over 600 signups proving that a community was needed.

We are at our first anniversary, and it's been incredible to see the organic growth in our community and even more surprised how it resonates with people, not only in the United States but across the world (only 48% of our members are in advertising). We strongly believe it's driven by the unmet need of connecting Asians together for support, resources, and opportunities.

We have a very active community with over 2,500 members and are hosting our first two-day summit Breaking Barriers, on May 5 and 6, 2022, with keynote speakers Cindy Gallop and StopAAPIHate founders. Many other notable speakers Ann-Christine Diaz, Jerry Won, Cassandra Lam, Tina Yip, Dan Matthews, Pam Yang, Josh Pailaii, and many more. We will have panels and workshops focused on the most commonly asked discussion topics.

Huge thanks to our incredible sponsors, Publicis, VMLY&R, Zambezi, MBooth, Anti Agency Group, ThreeSixtyEight, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Dentsu, Organic, and Giant Spoon.

Get your tickets at asiansinadvertising.com and use promo code FRIENDS  for a special 20% off. And for students, Zambezi has graciously offered to comp your tickets. Visit our website for more details.

Additional AAPI Resources:

Industry Leaders Don’t Want to Talk about Anti-Asian Hate - They Want Something To Change
Written By Tiffany Moustakas, News and Engagement Editor at Adweek

8 Actionable Ways Organizations Can Support Asian Employees in Anti-Racism Work
written by Jessalin Lam, VP of Learning and Development at IAB and co-founder of Asians in Advertising

A Challenge to Our Industry from An Invisible Minority
Written by Clara Luo, an Asians in Advertising board member

We Belong in The C-Suite
Written by Michelle Teng, CMO of Digitas