Newsroom
American India Foundation to Host 'Fall Benefit Gala'
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contacts: Mythili Sankaran & Kavya Rajan
Mythili.Sankaran@aifoundation.org / (408) 970-9707 x.1
kavya@aifoundation.org / (646) 530-8964
http://www.AIFoundation.org
- Celebrating Five Years of AIF
- Honorees: Paul Otellini, CEO of Intel and Nandan Nilekani, CEO of Infosys
- TV Anchor Gotham Chopra to Emcee
Santa Clara (AIF), September 12, 2006 – The American India Foundation (AIF) is preparing to roll out the red carpet to host its 3rd annual Fall Benefit Gala in San Francisco on Saturday, September 23, 2006. Titled Bow Ties & Bangles, this black-tie event at the Westin St. Francis Hotel will feature a cocktail reception, gourmet dinner and a mélange of lively entertainment. With the goal of raising $1.5 million, proceeds from the Gala will go towards furthering AIF’s three pillars of development work in India: Education, Livelihood and Public Health. In addition, the Fall Benefit Gala will commemorate AIF’s five years of accomplishment towards social and economic development in India.
“In the last five years we have enjoyed the support of an incredible Diaspora and world leaders such as Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen and President Bill Clinton, all of whom believe in our vision of creating a platform for philanthropy to address the inequalities faced by marginalized Indians,” says AIF President Lata Krishnan
This year at the Fall Benefit Gala AIF will honor two individuals for their leadership, entrepreneurial endeavors and deep commitment to corporate social responsibility in India. The 2006 AIF-U.S. Leadership Award honoree is Paul Otellini, President and CEO of Intel Corporation. The award is in recognition of Mr. Otellini’s leadership role in technology and Intel’s commitment to enhance the lives of India’s population who would benefit from technology, but have not found it within their reach.
"It's an honor to receive this award for Intel's work bridging the digital divide in India," said Otellini. "By multiplying the effects of computers, the Internet and education, Intel hopes to greatly accelerate the reach of technology's benefits across India in the next five years."
The 2006 AIF-India Leadership Award honoree is Nandan Nilekani, CEO of Infosys Technologies Ltd. The award is in recognition of Mr. Nilekani’s and the Infosys Foundation’s leadership role in supporting underprivileged sections of society in India.
Hollywood producer Ashok Amritraj, along with noted Silicon Valley venture capitalists Vinod Khosla and Bill Draper, serve as Gala Chairs.
Sarod maestros Amaan Ali Khan & Ayaan Ali Khan will headline the evening’s entertainment. Channel One anchor and correspondent Gotham Chopra will serve as Master of Ceremonies. The evening will conclude with a DJ and dancing.
Past guests of AIF galas have included President Bill Clinton, Senator Hillary Clinton, Deepak Chopra, Heather Graham, Richard Gere, A.R. Rahman and Gloria Steinem.
Past honorees of AIF galas have included Ramalinga Raju of Satyam, Kumar Malavalli of InMage Systems, Ajay Shah of Shah Capital Partners, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon, Hector de J. Ruiz of Advanced Micro Devices, Sir Deryck Maughan of Citigroup International, K.V. Kamath of ICICI Bank, Charles R. Kaye of Warburg Pincus, Sunil Bharti Mittal of Mittal Enterprises and Anshu Jain of Deutsche Bank.
Details on table sponsorships and contribution levels can be found at www.aifgala.org. To purchase tickets, tables and for sponsorship information, please contact Michele Rayner: Michele.Rayner@aifoundation.org / (408) 470-4707 x0. For media passes and interviews, please contact Mythili Sankaran: Mythili.Sankaran@aifoundation.org / (408) 970-9707 x.1 or Kavya Rajan: kavya@aifoundation.org / (646) 530-8964.
About AIF
The American India Foundation (AIF) is a non-profit foundation charged with the mission of accelerating social and economic change in India. AIF mobilizes people and resources across the United States for its three pillars of development work in India: Education, Livelihood, and Public Health. AIF was formed in 2001 under the leadership of President Bill Clinton, who continues to serves as Honorary Chair.
Press Contacts:
Mythili Sankaran (California)
West Coast Regional Director and DE Director
Mythili.Sankaran@aifoundation.org / (408) 970-9707 x.1
Kavya Rajan (New York)
Director of Communications
kavya@aifoundation.org / (646) 530-8964
American India Foundation
5201 Great America Parkway
Suite 526
Santa Clara, CA 95054