Sylvia has led philanthropic initiatives for some of the world’s wealthiest families, transforming countless lives while shining a light on the worst human rights abuses of our time. Her pioneering investigations into the dark underworld of sex trafficking and modern-day slavery for two decades – even at the risk of her own life – shattered barriers and charted a course for a new generation of philanthropists and activists. Sylvia is an award-winning Penguin Random House Author, TV Host, Filmmaker, Serial Entrepreneur, and Philanthropy Advisor. She hosts a digital interview show on LinkedIn called 'Inspiring YOU with Sylvia Yu' that puts a spotlight on remarkable individuals. She also has a TV series in development inspired by her life and memoir, A Long Road to Justice. Since 2005, Sylvia has managed and directed millions of dollars to major humanitarian portfolios impacting at least one million people. This work has given her access to many influential networks. Sylvia is the author of 4 books: A Long Road to Justice: Stories from the Frontlines in Asia (Penguin Random House); Silenced No More: Voices of Comfort Women, the only journalistic account of historical Japanese military sex slavery during WWII, and Heart and Soul: The Life Story of Pastor Augustus Chao. She is the editor of the Penguin book Rethink the Couch: Into the Bedrooms and Boardrooms of Asia with an Expat Therapist. Her latest book, Fearless: A Guide to Freedom and Fulfilling Your Fullest Potential, will be released in October 2024 by Penguin Random House. A former TV anchor, Sylvia was awarded the Global Top 50 Women In Sustainability Awards 2022 by The SustainabilityX® Magazine. In 2017, she was included in the Top 100 Human Trafficking & Slavery Influence Leaders List. In 2013, she won the prestigious International Human Rights Press Award for her documentary series on human trafficking. After ten years of intensive research and interviewing elderly survivors, academics and lawyers in different nations for her book Silenced No More, Sylvia is considered an expert on Japanese Imperial military sex slavery known by the terrible euphemism "comfort women." Sylvia has been recognized as one of the Top 200 Global LinkedIn Creators and Top 10 LinkedIn Creators in Hong Kong by Favikon (She is ranked #6). The Favikon Top 200 LinkedIn Creators list features the most influential and inspiring personalities from around the globe. Sylvia is married to Matthew Friedman, a top-ranked keynote speaker, CEO of The Mekong Club, and former U.N. and U.S. diplomat. Matthew Friedman is the author of Where Were You? A Profile of Modern Slavery (Penguin Random House).