Shirley Young

Shirley Young (; May 25, 1935 – December 26, 2020) was an American businesswoman. She was an executive at Grey Advertising and later at General Motors (GM). She was also a cultural ambassador between the United States and China.

Biography Young was born in Shanghai. She was the daughter of Clarence Young, a Chinese diplomat, and Juliana Young Koo, who was the long-term mistress for the diplomat and politician V.K. Wellington Koo, while her father was still living.

Career She started at Grey Advertising in 1959 where she led an internal market research division until 1988; she was among the only women and Asian-American employees at the firm at the time. In 1963, when Young was pregnant with her first child, she forced Grey to rethink their maternity leave policies as she didn't leave the company or take the severance package they offered. GM had been a client of Young's at Grey Advertising since at least 1985.

Young left GM in 2000 to found her own consulting firm, Shirley Young Associates, which advised US companies interested in Chinese opportunities.

Young helped to found the Committee of 100 and served as a chair of the organization, and used classical music to bridge divides between the United States and China.

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