Lakhi Siap

Lakhi Mangharam Siap was born and raised in Cebu City Philippines to an Indian mother and a Filipino-Chinese father. Being raised with multiple cultures in his home was never a boring moment in his upbringing. He graduated at Philippine High School for the Arts on a 4-year theater scholarship. He immigrated to Chicago in 2006 and immediately became involved with the Asian American community and began volunteering and taking on leadership positions for various non-for-profit organizations. 

From his community work, he saw a lack of representation and collaboration within the Asian American community that In 2010 He founded the Chicago Asian Network (CAN), a community focused full-service multicultural marketing agency dedicated to collaborating, connecting and representing Chicago’s Asian American community. 

In 2016, Lakhi was awarded President Obama’s Volunteer Service Award for Community Service and given the Distinguished Young Asian Professional Award by Asian Chronicle USA Cable Access TV. And was awarded the community service award by ATT’s Asian Pacific Islanders for Professional and Community Advancement.  He was also chosen by the former Philippine Ambassador to the US, Jose Cuisia Jr., to be part of the Filipino American Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO) in 2015.  

After being part of the program, Lakhi took on the role as the Immersion Program Director of FYLPRO and spent part of his time in the Philippines expanding his business to provide other services. He was part of the 2015 APECSME Summit Delegation in Manila, Philippines with the US Department of Commerce and was a guest speaker at the 2019 US-Philippine Dialogue hosted by the United States Embassy of Manila and the Ateneo School of Government at the Manila Peninsula Hotel. He regularly collaborates with the US State Department and the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs on US-Philippine leadership initiatives. 

About CAN:

Chicago Asian Network (CAN) is a community focused multicultural marketing agency serving the fast-growing Asian American community. The organization was founded in 2010 by a group of community leaders, creative volunteers and thought leaders of Chicago’s Asian Pacific American community. CAN began providing the community a platform for content that serves to consolidate and represent the multi-generational and diverse Asian American community through Internet resources, media, stories, and events. CAN educates, collaborates, and stimulates dialogue amongst Asian American organizations, programs and institutions and serves as a liaison to corporations and businesses that wish to effectively engage with Asian American leaders, organizations and the community.