The 39th Committee of 100 Asian American Career Ceilings Initiative event was part of a new program, titled “Master Classes: Asian American Career Lessons” where we feature experts who conduct tutorials on various topics related to how individuals can overcome Asian American Career Ceiling Obstacles. Our first Master Class was held on the topic of “Overcoming Bias and Stereotypes” and featured two executives.

Our two instructors were Fred Hassan, former CEO of two large pharmaceutical companies, Pharmacia and Schering Plough, and now a director at Warburg Pincus; and Buck Gee, former Vice President and General Manager of the Data Center Business Unit, Cisco and a Committee of 100 member. We purposely selected instructors who were successful in their corporate leadership careers, but could speak freely about the career challenges in their corporate lives because they are retired and can give candid advice. In addition, both instructors have been successful mentors to help others succeed.

Peter Young, Chair of the Initiative and a Committee of 100 Member, will be the moderator.

Fred Hassan
Former Chair & CEO
Pharmacia, Schering-Plough

Fred Hassan has been associated with Warburg Pincus since 2009 as a Managing Director and presently serves as an advisor with the title of Director. In addition to Health Care as his core focus, he serves as an advisory resource across the firm. His 4 public company boards include BridgeBio, Cocrystal, EyePoint, and Precigen. Mr. Hassan is the former Chairman of the Board and CEO of Schering-Plough. Prior to joining Schering-Plough in April 2003, he was Chairman and CEO of Pharmacia Corporation – a company that was formed in March 2000 as a result of the merger of Monsanto, and Pharmacia, and Upjohn.

Mr. Hassan joined Pharmacia & Upjohn as CEO in 1997. Previously, he was EVP of Wyeth, with responsibility for its pharmaceutical and medical products businesses. He was elected to Wyeth’s Board of Directors in 1995. Earlier in his career, Mr. Hassan spent 17 years with Sandoz Pharmaceuticals (now Novartis) and headed its U.S. pharmaceuticals business.

Mr. Hassan received a BS degree in chemical engineering from the Imperial College of Science and Technology at the University of London and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He has chaired significant pharmaceutical industry organizations including The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations (IFPMA). He also chairs the selection committee for the CEO of the Year – the 23 and 24 honorees being Bastian (Delta) and Su (AMD) respectively. In 2014, a CNBC panel named him to a list of those who have had the most profound impact on the world of business in the previous quarter century.

Buck Gee
Former Vice President And General Manager
Data Center Business Unit Of Cisco

Buck Gee retired in 2008 from Cisco Systems, where he was Vice President and General Manager of the Data Center Business Unit. He joined Cisco with its 2004 acquisition of Andiamo Systems where Mr. Gee was President and CEO.

In 2010, Mr. Gee co-founded the Advanced Leadership Program for Asian American Executives, an executive education program at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He has published several Ascend Foundation research papers on the Asian glass ceiling and has written opinion pieces on that issue for the Harvard Business Review, New York Times, San Jose Mercury, and KQED public television.

He is an Executive Advisor to Ascend, the largest national network of Asian American professionals. Mr. Gee is board president of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation and serves on the advisory board of the Asia Society/Northern California and the advisory board of the Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute.

Previously, Mr. Gee held management positions in engineering, marketing, and business development at Hewlett Packard, National Semiconductor, 3Com, Crescendo Communications, Com21, and Iospan Wireless. He has also taught computer and electrical engineering courses at Stanford University and Howard University. He holds BS and MS degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He is also the Northern California Regional Chair for Committee of 100. 

Peter Young
CEO and President
Young & Partners  

Peter Young is CEO and President of Young & Partners, a boutique corporate strategy and investment banking firm focused on the life science and chemical industries. He manages the firm and is actively involved in client projects, 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., a corporate strategy firm.   

Mr. Young received a BA in Economics from Yale, an MS in Accounting from NYU, and an 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 several 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. He is also the New York Regional Chair for Committee of 100.