As NAAPA, our Employee Resource Group (ERG) for Asian American employees and allies, prepared to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month, they were driven by a shared vision: to create events that would leave a lasting impact on the Newell community. NAAPA’s global co-chairs, Skye Blevins, Senior Engineer, R&D, Baby, Daniel Tsui, Senior R&D Engineer and Gaurika Bhat, Associate Manager, Compliance and Content, led the creation of the month’s agenda.
“This is the first time NAAPA has had three global co-chairs since 2020, and I think we’ve put a lot of thought and care into the plan for continued success and growth,” Skye Blevins said. “We’ve had a chance to breathe, reflect, and plan, allowing us to think creatively and combine our efforts to streamline our work and create larger opportunities for our ERG members.”
The first signature event occurred on May 8 at our Atlanta, GA, headquarters and provided employees with a chance to learn about multiple facets of Asian culture. Named “A Cultural Odyssey,” the exhibit included snack foods, games, music and dancing from across Asia. Participants learned how to write their names in Korean and played a round of Carrom, an Indian tabletop game.
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The Odyssey also highlighted our brands' presence and history in Asian markets, such as Aprica® in Japan and Reynolds® pens in India.
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“As global co-chairs this year, we’re eager to refresh our programming to adapt to the current workplace and position NAAPA as an integral part of Newell’s business and culture,” Gaurika Bhat said.
The second event later in the month will bring together members of our Leadership Team in a company-wide panel titled: “Beyond Borders: Embracing Newell’s Global Market & Culture.” This panel will include:
President, Brand Management & Innovation Melanie Huet
Vice President, R&D, Learning & Development Daily Gist
Chief Legal & Administrative Officer Brad Turner
Segment CEO, Home & Commercial and Executive Sponsor of NAAPA Mike McDermott
The panelists will discuss cultural etiquette and global marketing trends in the Asian market and the intersectionality of business and culture. Leaders will also share their experiences working with teams within the region.
Beyond May, NAAPA will continue to host monthly social and educational events for employees and support our communities through philanthropic efforts like enhancing the grounds at the Frazer Center, a nonprofit located in Atlanta that helps children and adults with developmental disabilities, and running donation drives for other local nonprofits.
“Together with my global co-chairs, we aim to create an organization where every member looks forward to the next NAAPA event,” Daniel Tsui said.
We are excited to see all NAAPA accomplishes this year! Please visit the People page for more information about our ERGs.