DIRO Speaker Series: Resonance of the AAPI Community

About This Webinar

DIRO will host a discussion that explores the impact of popular cultural perceptions by speaking to a panel of dynamic and diverse members of the AAPI community. This conversation will evaluate the toll unconscious bias has on diverse communities and clear away myths and assumptions that mute the influence and activism of this community. We will simultaneously explore how music clears space for cultural identity and the celebration of culture.

Presenters

Sonja Ji Young Kim

Associate General Counsel, Pandora + SiriusXM

Sonja has over a decade of experience as an attorney in legal departments at major entertainment and media companies, and is currently an Associate General Counsel based in Pandora’s Oakland, California office. She leads deals and advises on matters for various teams at Pandora, including Sales and Sales Operations, Advertising Creative Services, Brand Marketing, and Podcasts and Entertainment Content Partnerships. She is currently Co-Chair of Women in Music’s SF Bay Area chapter, and she has also served on the steering committee for Pandora’s employee resource group for underrepresented communities, advises Pandora’s multicultural brand marketing team, and is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within the legal profession and media and entertainment industries. Prior to Pandora, she previously held in-house counsel positions in music merchandising at Live Nation Merchandise and in television production at Fox Television Studios. Sonja is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, and she received her B.A. in Mass Communications from UC Berkeley and her J.D. from UCLA School of Law, where she specialized in Entertainment Media Law and Policy.

Jason Ve

Vice President, 88rising

Jason Ve is Vice President at 88rising, where he leads business development and partnerships at the leading record label and media company of Asian artists. Jason is a leader in the music and tech industry and was previously Head of Business Development at Deezer, a global music streaming unicorn. Jason has also held prior leadership roles at Google, Viacom and Disney. A graduate of NYU Stern, Jason is passionate about diversity in venture capital and is a venture partner at Gaingels, the largest investment syndicate and network of LGBTQ+ investors.

Sangeetha Ragavan

Marketing Director Fritos/Funyuns at PepsiCo

As a Marketing Director at PepsiCo, Frito-Lay, Sangeetha Ragavan oversees the cult fan-favorite brand Funyuns and the iconic, name-on-the-door Fritos brand - that are leading growth in the snacks category. Prior to PepsiCo, Sangeetha has made contributions to the success of powerhouse brands at Mars and Haribo, most famous for launching the child-like happiness campaign and driving seasonal business from the ground up. Sangeetha started her career in the technology space, which has allowed her to build tech-forward, digitally-led ideas for helping her brands connect with consumers in new ways. A results-oriented marketing leader, rooted in purpose and fueled by endless curiosity, Sangeetha is always attracted to solving complex problems, meeting the challenges of today's dynamic culture with great tenacity. Her passion for purpose also carries over into shaping internal culture as much as she does externally with her brands, serving as a community leader for the Women of Color employee resources group at PepsiCo.

Sangeetha is a Northwestern graduate, originally from India. She is passionate about the many hats she wears as a wife, a dedicated mom of two lovely girls, volunteering for her kids’ school or Robotics activities. She enjoys throwing the ball around, badminton, and gardening.

Cassy D. Hough, Co-Moderator

Director, Tech Head of Industry, SXM Media

With 19 years of media, sales, and digital advertising experience, Cassy D. Hough serves as a marketing megaphone for the tech sales vertical and elevates SXM Media to tech marketing partners. Cassy enables tech sellers with the tools they need to be trusted partners at the intersection of entertainment, technology, and diversity. She challenges tech marketers to break the status quo in audio, voice, and advertising. Team members describe her as “fierce, fastidious, and unstoppable.” Prior to the Tech Vertical, Cassy ran the West Coast sales efforts for the political vertical at Pandora and was awarded The National Association of Asian Pacifics in Politics and Public Affairs (NAAPPPA) top 40 Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) professionals under 40 who are “breaking barriers” in politics and public affairs. She resides over the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County with her husband and two elementary school-aged mix-raced daughters, where you can hear them bossing Alexa around on their Amazon Echo.

Evelyn Sum, Co-Moderator

Marketing Strategy and Relations, SXM Media

Curious, creative, and compassionate, Evelyn pursues experiential marketing and strategic partnerships with heart and hustle. Since she joined the SXM Media family in 2020, Evelyn has led SoundCheck, Pass the Mic Campaigns, and virtual events with Pandora’s Sales Marketing team and Content team. Together, they elevate the brand experiences, messaging, and activations strategically. As a first-generation Asian American Immigrant, Evelyn empathizes with different minority groups. She puts a lot of effort towards bridging gaps amongst different cultural subsets through her involvement in DIRO (SXM Media's D&I team). She strives fearlessly to foster a collaborative, diverse, and inclusive workplace through collaborative efforts.