Kenneth Isaiah Abante, cofounder and president of WeSolve Foundation Inc., and Ariestelo Asilo, founder and CEO of Varacco Inc. and ThinnkFarm, have been selected as part of the Asia 21 Next Generation Fellows Class of 2025. They join 28 other fellows representing 27 countries and regions in this prestigious global network of young leaders committed to advancing the greater good through impactful leadership and collective action.
The 2025 cohort includes notable figures such as Jie Ding, director general of the Wuhu Qingye Community Development Promotion Center (China); Qazi Zaid, editor in chief of Free Press Kashmir (India); Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Ema Ryan Yamazaki (Japan); Ainura Sagyn, CEO and founder of Tazar (Kyrgyzstan); Safaath Ahmed Zahir, cofounder and president of Women & Democracy at Commonwealth Foundation (Maldives); Syeda Shehr Bano, assistant superintendent of Police, Punjab Police (Pakistan); Yinghui Tng, head of government affairs, Southeast Asia, platforms and devices at Google (Singapore); and Phillip An, cofounder and CEO of Skylarq AI (United States).
All fellows are under 40 years old and will convene with earlier cohorts at the Asia 21 Next Generation Fellows Summit in Manila from December 5 to 7, 2025. The summit’s theme is “The Journey to Courageous Leadership.”
Asia 21 is an initiative of the Asia Society, a nonpartisan nonprofit institution founded in New York in 1956 by American tycoon and philanthropist John Rockefeller. Today, Asia Society operates globally with locations across Asia, the United States, and Europe, fostering dialogue and collaboration among leaders in policy, arts, culture, business, and education through lectures, exhibitions, performances, and networking events.