C100 Asian American Career Ceilings: An Indian American Corporate Journey

Dear Friends,

We are pleased to invite you to attend the twenty-fifth C100 Asian American Career Ceilings Initiative webcast that will feature a fireside chat on the topic of “Asian American Career Ceilings: An Indian American Corporate Journey” which will feature a fireside chat with Bob Patel, President of Standard Industries.

The webinar will include a fireside chat, Q&A and a networking session at the end. Bob Patel will talk about his immigration to the U.S. at an early age, the influences of his family on his educational and career choices, and his upward journey as a senior executive and then CEO of a number of large and conservative U.S. companies.

He will also discuss the obstacles he overcame in his career, his view of the career ceiling environment now and in the future, and his advice about how Asian Americans can achieve success in corporate America.

He is the recipient of many awards, including the prestigious Society of Chemical Industry award this year. The Chair of the Society of Chemical Industry said, “Bob has earned a well-deserved reputation for being a transformative leader in our industry. For well over a decade, he has been at the leading edge of the most pivotal issues facing our industry, particularly the effort to eliminate plastic waste from the environment. As a co-founder of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, he collaborated with other leaders to bring organizations from across the value chain together to identify meaningful solutions”

Peter Young, Chair of the Initiative and a C100 Member, will be the moderator. After the conclusion of the fireside chat, there will be a Q&A session during which members of the audience may ask questions. The webinar will be held on June 1, 2023 from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm Eastern Time / 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm Central Time / 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm Pacific Time. Virtual networking will follow for 30 to 45 minutes after the fireside chat. There is no fee for the webcast. Please register at https://c100-6-1-23.eventbrite.com

We hope you will join us. Thank you!

Committee of 100

Asian American Career Ceilings Initiative

June 1, 2023 Webcast

▦ Topic: “Asian American Career Ceilings: An Indian American Corporate Journey”

▦ Speaker:

• Bob Patel, President, Standard Industries and former CEO of W.R. Grace and of LyondellBasell.

▦ Moderator: Peter Young, CEO, Young & Partners and C100 Member

▦ Time: 4:30 pm EST, June 1, 2023, followed by a networking session

This webinar will be the twenty-fifth in a series of events convened by the Committee of 100 that examine the challenges facing Chinese Americans and other Asian Americans with regard to barriers to advancement in a wide variety of professions in the U.S. and related topics. The goal of this initiative is to contribute to the already significant efforts of organizations and individuals who have been tackling this issue.

This event will feature Bob Patel, President of Standard Industries, who will talk about his immigration to the U.S. at an early age, this educational and career choices, the influence of his family, and his personal career journey, his experience rising through the ranks of well-known and conservative companies, and his advice about how to succeed professionally as an Asian American.

The interview will be conducted by Peter Young, Committee of 100 member and Chair of the Committee of 100 Asian American Career Ceiling Initiative. The webinar will be one hour long, including 10 to 15 minutes of questions from the audience.

There is no fee and you can register at: https://c100-6-1-23.eventbrite.com

▦ Speaker Bio:

Bob Patel

President, Standard Industries

Bob Patel is the President of Standard Industries, a privately-held global industrial company with 20,000 employees across more than 80 countries. As President of Standard, Bob works to identify and pursue opportunities to expand the Standard Performance Materials portfolio and take a global view of Standard’s Building Solutions and Performance Materials platforms to promote innovation, harness operational synergies, create efficiency, develop talent and provide strategic guidance to all operating CEOs.

Prior to this role, Patel served as CEO of W.R. Grace & Co., a business owned by Standard Industries. Before joining Standard, he served as the Chief Executive Officer at LyondellBasell. He previously held leadership positions around the globe of increasing responsibility at LyondellBasell, Chevron Corporation and Chevron Phillips Chemical Company for more than 30 years.

Patel earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from The Ohio State University and Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Temple University. He serves on several boards, including the Houston Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Halliburton Company, and is a member of the Business Council.

▦ Moderator and Chair of the C100 Asian American Career Ceiling Initiative:

Peter Young

CEO and President, Young & Partners

Committee of 100 Member

Peter Young is CEO and President of Young & Partners, a boutique investment banking firm focused on the life science and chemical industries. He manages the firm and is actively involved in client transactions and financings. Under his leadership, Young & Partners has established and maintained its position as a highly regarded firm serving the corporate strategy, M&A, restructuring and financing needs of clients worldwide. He was previously head of industry groups at Salomon Brothers, Schroders and Lehman Brothers, a senior private equity executive with J.H. Whitney & Co. and a senior member of Bain & Co., the corporate strategy firm.

Mr. Young received a BA in Economics from Yale, an MS in Accounting from NYU, and MBA from Harvard Business School where he graduated as a Baker Scholar. He is a CPA and a Chartered Global Management Accountant. He serves on a number of boards of directors, both corporate and non-profit and is a board member of Société de Chimie Industrielle, a leading life science and chemical industry non-profit organization and on the Editorial Advisory Board of Pharmaceutical Executive.

The Committee of 100

The Committee of 100 is a non-profit, non-partisan leadership organization of prominent Chinese Americans in business, government, academia, and the arts founded 34 years ago.

The Committee’s purpose is to provide leadership and act as a constructive force in the dual mission of:

• Promoting the full participation of all Chinese Americans in American society and acting as a public policy resource for the Chinese-American community;

• Advancing constructive dialogue and relationships between the peoples and leaders of the United States and Greater China.

To learn more about the organization, please go to https://www.committee100.org. You can reach the headquarters office at 212-371-6565.

COMMITTEE OF 100 | Ensuring Full Inclusion in America, Advancing U.S.-China Relations

Office: 6 St. Johns Lane, New York, New York 10013

Mailing: Committee of 100, Church Street Station, PO Box 3504, New York, New York 10008

T: (212) 371-6565 | F: (212) 371-9009