Zicklin Alumni Honored as Baruch Changemakers
September 23, 2022Zicklin School of Business alumni Maurice Ng, Alex Sheikhat, and Amelia Tran (below, left to right) were among the winners of 2022 Baruch Changemakers Awards, an inaugural program honoring alumni who have made a positive difference through leadership, innovation, and excellence. There were nine awardees in all, with three from each school at Baruch.
Maurice Ng (BBA, ’15), a self-made millionaire who studied finance and started his career at J.P/ Morgan, was celebrated for his launch of Tings Capital, a venture capital firm targeting underrepresented entrepreneurs, including women, people of color, the disabled, members of the LGBTQ community, and first-generation immigrants.
Maurice and his investment partners are currently raising $100 million for Tings Capital, which was inspired by his experience working in private equity, where the vast majority of investors are Caucasian men. “This award is dedicated to all the underdogs around the world,” Maurice said as he accepted the honor in a ceremony held on September 15 in the Newman Conference Center. “You guys are my inspiration.”
Alex Sheikhat (BBA, ’14), who studied finance and investment at Zicklin and now lives in Israel, his native country, was honored for his championing of Baruch itself, having first started the Baruch in Israel alumni network, then pivoting during the pandemic to create the EMEA network for Baruch alumni living in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
“I founded the EMEA network because I realized there were many Baruch alumni living and working overseas who were feeling disconnected, as most alumni events are held in the U.S. or, in the case of virtual events, during U.S. hours,” Alex explained. The EMEA network, which has already held several events, schedules virtual meetings at times that are more convenient for people living in those areas, he added. “It’s alive and active.”
Amelia Tran (BBA, ’12), who started as a finance major before switching to entrepreneurship, is a marketing star who has collaborated with Google, L’Oréal, and other leading brands and won numerous accolades, including a 2020 fellowship for rising female leaders from the Advertising Club of New York. She also shares her time and expertise with industry newbies through Mosaic, a network of marketing professionals for which she is the events manager and a board member.
As a first-generation immigrant raised by a single mother who spoke no English, Amelia also goes out of her way to share the hardships she’s overcome with people of similar backgrounds. “Throughout my career, I’ve helped myself and others fight for fair compensation and move up the ranks, and I’ve led teams with no turnover,” she said.
“We are proud of our Zicklin alumni for the positive changes they have made,” said H. Fenwick Huss, Willem Kooyker Dean of the Zicklin School of Business. “Whether they’re changing the face of private equity, empowering women and minorities in advertising, or extending our alumni network around the world, they embody the Zicklin values of tradition, innovation, and excellence.”