Newark, NJ—Panasonic Corporation of North America’s CEO, Megan Myungwon Lee, received the 2023 Ascend A-list Award. Ascend is a larges nonprofit Pan-Asian organization. It’s dedicated to helping the Pan-Asian community rise as competitive innovators, role models and catalysts for change. This award recognizes the Panasonic CEO as an individual who has contributed to the advancement of others in her industry and community.
“I am honored to be selected by the Ascend Foundation. As a Korean American, I have always embraced diverse backgrounds and experiences because celebrating and learning from others helps unlock our creative potential which drives innovation,” said Lee. “My priority is always to create an environment where people from all backgrounds are given a platform and space to be heard.”
Panasonic CEO Honored
Lee is the first female of Asian descent to represent Panasonic North America as chairwoman and CEO. Over a more than 30-year career journey, Lee has served in a variety of senior leadership roles with Panasonic.
She was instrumental in spearheading new business initiatives and strategic planning. She also helped digitize human resources management. Moreover, Lee led the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategy, both in the United States and Japan.
Recently, Lee served as acting chair of the board for the Panasonic Foundation. The foundation is dedicated to advancing equity in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) education.
The Panasonic Foundation was created in 1984. It is an operating, nonprofit foundation that invests in the incubation of new ideas and the development of public-private partnerships. Its mission is to directly support student achievement.
“Over her career, Megan has been instrumental to driving employee representation and progress at Panasonic,” said Linda Woodruff, chief human resources officer at Panasonic North America.
“It is important to celebrate the people of Panasonic who work tirelessly each day to make the company a great place to work while also being candid about their experiences so, the next generation is inspired to also make a change, whether it is in their community or workplace.”
