Sigma-Aldrich CEO Rakesh Sachdev Chairs USPAACC's 30th Anniversary Procurement Conference

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In celebration of its 30^th Anniversary, the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation (USPAACC) is proud to announce Rakesh Sachdev, President and CEO of Sigma-Aldrich, as Chair of the CelebrAsian Procurement Conference 2015. CelebrAsian will be held June 3-5 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Bethesda, Md., and will focus on Asian American businesses whose vision, courage and unity have become a major economic force and contributor to the vitality of the national economy.

"It gives me great pleasure to serve as Chair of the CelebrAsian Procurement Conference 2015 and I congratulate USPAACC for working as the unified voice on behalf of the Asian American business community for the last 30 years. The organization's work in providing opportunities for business growth for Asian Americans is commendable," said Sachdev.

Sachdev serves as President and CEO of Sigma-Aldrich, a leading Life Science and Technology company focused on enhancing human health and safety. As a NASDAQ listed public company, Sigma-Aldrich is a member of the S&P 500. Sigma-Aldrich's chemical and biochemical products, kits and services are used in scientific research, biotechnology, pharmaceutical development, the diagnosis of disease and as key components in high technology manufacturing.

Sachdev joined Sigma-Aldrich in 2008 as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer. He took on the additional role of Senior Vice President – International in 2009. In November 2010, Rakesh was promoted to President and CEO. He is currently one of 11 Asian American CEOs in Fortune 1000 companies.

Prior to joining Sigma-Aldrich, Sachdev served as Senior Vice President and President, Asia Pacific at ArvinMeritor, Inc., where he held numerous leadership positions in finance, strategy and general management. He previously was with Cummins Inc., where he started in 1981, and left as Chief Financial Officer, Automotive Business Unit, again serving in various leadership positions over many years.

A native of India, Sachdev earned a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois and completed his MBA at Indiana University.

"We are privileged to have Rakesh as our Conference Chair to help mark a significant milestone in our organization's history. We invite the business community to join us at this momentous event," said Susan Au Allen, USPAACC National President and CEO.

"Gathering of the Eagles" will be the conference theme.  It personifies successful Asian Americans in business, professions, corporate and government – whose vision, courage and unity have become a major economic force and contributor to the vitality of the national economy.

CelebrAsian is the country's largest business-to-business conference convened by Asian Americans to connect large, medium and small enterprises. It is a gathering of some of the best and brightest Asian American business owners from all over the United States. Entrepreneurs come to gain empowering and insightful information and to grow connections with corporate, government, and peer companies.

The CelebrAsian 2015 Corporate Co-Chairs are Marriott International, PepsiCo and Wells Fargo. The Asian American Business Co-Chairs are Ampcus, Inc., and DCR WorkForce, Inc.

Kicking off the conference is the Chief Procurement Officers (CPO) Forum, at which 12 CPOs representing corporate powerhouses AT&T, Wells Fargo, PepsiCo, UPS, TIAA-CREF, Duke Energy, Capital One, Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, Caesars Entertainment, Inter Public Group and Ingersoll Rand are confirmed.

The Procurement Conference will also highlight Asian Americans serving on the Board of Directors of Fortune corporations – Best Buy, Edison International, HP and TJX Companies. They will be honored with the Asian American Corporate Directors' Awards and will share their journeys to success at the Asian American Corporate Directors' Forum.

Additional programs include Fast 100 Asian American Businesses Awards, Supplier Diversity Managers' Caucus, Federal Contracting Town Hall Meeting, Asian American Chambers' Summit, Doing Business with Pharmaceutical Companies, Business Leaders & Scholarship Awards Luncheon, USPAACC/Wells Fargo Luncheon, Ideas Marketplace: What's Your Pitch?, Supplier Trade Show and USPAACC's signature One-on-One Prescheduled Business Matchmaking Meetings with over 600 meetings planned.

To register or for more information, visit www.uspaacc.com or www.celebrasianconference.com or contact USPAACC at Tel: (202) 296-5221.

About USPAACC: Founded in 1984 as a national non-profit, non-partisan organization, USPAACC has been the single, unified voice advocating equal opportunities for Asian Americans in the United States. We promote and propel economic growth by opening doors to business, educational and professional opportunities for Asian Americans and their business partners in corporate, government at federal, state, and local levels, and small, minority communities. USPAACC serves as the gateway to Asian American suppliers, information about Asian Americans and the dynamic Asia market.

Media Inquiries for USPAACC: JP Torres
Email: [email protected]

About Sigma-Aldrich: Sigma-Aldrich, a leading Life Science and Technology company focused on enhancing human health and safety, manufactures and distributes 250,000 chemicals, biochemicals and other essential products to more than 1.4 million customers globally in research and applied labs as well as in industrial and commercial markets. With three distinct business units - Research, Applied and SAFC Commercial - Sigma-Aldrich is committed to enabling science to improve the quality of life. The Company operates in 37 countries, has approximately 9,300 employees worldwide and had sales of $2.79 billion in 2014. For more information about Sigma-Aldrich, please visit its website at www.sigma-aldrich.com.

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SOURCE US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation

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