Chanda Kochhar with 2 Indian-Americans Selected For Asia Game Changer Awards

ICICI bank CEO Chanda Kochhar is among three Indians selected for this year's Asia Game Changer awards given by Asia Society to honour "true leaders making a positive contribution to the future of Asia."Indian-American actor Aasif Mandvi, 49, and designer Kiran Bir Sethi, 49, also made it to the list besides Kochhar, 53.

Champion Boxer and Philanthropist from the Philippines Manny Pacquiao is the 2015 Asia Game Changer of the Year "for using his sport and his star power as forces for good," Asia Soceity, the leading global cultural organisation, announced.

The honorees will be bestowed the honour at the Asia Game Changer Awards dinner and celebration at the UN in October.The New York-based organisation said Ms Kochhar "not only made history" by becoming the first woman to head an Indian bank but she also transformed the entire Indian retail banking industry.

Mr Mandvi has become a powerful spokesperson for Muslims and Asian-Americans. Mumbai-born Mandvi has "challenged stereotypes" and provided a voice for Muslim-Americans, changing the game in terms of how Asians are viewed on TV.In 2015, he co-wrote, produced and acted in the web series 'Halal in the Family' for the popular comedy site Funny or Die, using the sitcom format to tackle Islamophobia.

The Asia Game Changer Awards, launched by the Asia Society in 2014, are designed to fill a vital gap, identifying and honoring true leaders making a positive contribution to the future of Asia. These awards are bestowed annually to individuals, organizations, and movements that have inspired, enlightened, and shown true leadership in areas that reflect Asia Society’s core pillars of policy and business, arts and culture, and education.Asia Society is thrilled to honor these people and their achievements, and to share their triumphs with the rest of the world, as they are each living representatives of the Asia Society mission: to promote mutual understanding and strengthen partnerships among peoples, leaders, and institutions of Asia, the United States, and the world. We invite you to join us in creating the atmosphere and conditions for future Asia Game Changers to develop and thrive.