Ascend A-List Awards

2025 A-List Awards

April 29, 2025
The Plaza | New York City

The A-List Awards is our annual gala that recognizes highly accomplished and impactful business leaders representing a wide spectrum of industries. We celebrate leaders for their professional achievements and advancement of others in their industries or for igniting change in the workplace and society.

Nominations

Ascend seeks to recognize leaders who have demonstrated Professional Achievement & Community Advancement and meet several of the following criteria:

Made a significant impact to his/her industry and demonstrated a record of service to the Pan-Asian community
Demonstrated commitment to the development and advancement of Pan-Asians in the workplace
A senior level executive who is the CEO or within three levels from the Enterprise-wide CEO of a Fortune 1000/Global 500 corporation or equivalent
An executive currently serving on the Board of Directors of a Fortune 1000/Global 500 corporation or equivalent
Is either an entrepreneur; a partner at a top-tier professional services firm; a thought leader; an academic leader; an innovator; an investor or a philanthropist

Highlights

2025 A-List Honorees

Joe Adams

Global Strategy
RSM US LLP
KJ Amin

VP and Chief of Staff, CEO & President
MGM Resorts International
Dr. Maria Ansari

CEO & Executive Director
The Permanente Medical Group
Andrew Bregenzer

EVP, Co-Head U.S. Commercial Banking
TD Bank
Michelle Calope

SVP, Head of Intercon Region
Bristol Myers Squibb
Jenny Chan

Americas Telecommunications Sector Risk Leader
EY
Tony Cheng

President & CEO
Reinsurance Group of America (RGA)
Lorraine Chow Hansen

CMO, Commercial & Investment Bank
JPMorganChase
Steve Chung

General Counsel, Disney Entertainment Television
The Walt Disney Company
Moushmi Culver

SVP, Head of Manufacturing Strategy, Business Development & Alliances
Merck & Co., Inc.
Ivan Fong

EVP, General Counsel & Secretary
Medtronic PLC
Hari Gopalkrishnan

Head of Consumer, Business & Wealth Management Technology
Bank of America
Jennifer Guo

Chief Supply Chain Officer
Chevron
Yie-Hsin Hung

President & CEO
State Street Global Advisors
Anjuli Kelotra

Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer | Assistant General Counsel
The Coca-Cola Company
Shahmir Khaliq

Head of Services
Citibank
Sanjiv Lamba

Chief Executive Officer
Linde plc
Gloria Lio

Managing Director, Head of Enterprise Services
The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC)
Michael Lopez

US Head of Inclusion & Culture
HSBC US
Minjae Ormes

VP, Global Brand & Consumer Marketing
LinkedIn
Amrita Patel

EVP, Head of Equipment & Vendor Finance
Wells Fargo
Payal Sahni Becher

Chief People Experience Officer, EVP
Pfizer Inc.
Gurpreet Singh

Partner & Board Member
PwC
Dr. Henry Ting

SVP, Chief Health & Wellness Officer
Delta Air Lines
Agam Upadhyay

SVP, Chief Technology Officer
GSK
Julia Wang

EVP & CFO
Labcorp
Amy Whang

President, Maybelline, Garnier, and essie U.S.
L'Oréal Groupe
Christopher Yang

SVP, Enterprise Strategy & Solutions
Toyota Motor North America
Fareed Zakaria

Author & Host
CNN
Amit Zavery

President, CPO, & COO
ServiceNow

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Past Honorees

The past honorees list is a prestigious recognition given to individuals who have achieved significant accomplishments in their respective fields. This list celebrates the achievements of inspiring individuals who have made a positive impact on society through their work. Each year, new honorees are added to this list, highlighting the diversity and excellence of the human spirit.

Past Honorees List

Benefit Committee

A distinguished group of API community leaders, tasked with nominating deserving candidates for the upcoming award ceremony.

Benefit Committee List

"Organizations like Ascend are extremely important to create the platform, connectivity and allyship that is needed for Asian professionals to rise beyond great people to great management executives in the industry."

Raj Sharma
Americas Consulting Vice Chair, EY
"I grew up in a small town in Indiana and never in a million years would I have thought that I would come to an event like tonight where I see so many successful confident Asians being able to stand up and be recognized."

Nancy Quan
Senior Vice President & Chief Technical and Innovation Officer, The Coca-Cola Company
"Ascend is the largest non-profit serving Asian Americans in the country and you could see that, not just in the diversity of voices in the room but in the palpable energy and the joy. We really need an umbrella organization when the full diversity of the Asian American community can find its voice and we can come together on occasions like these."

Kenji Yoshino
Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law, NYU School of Law
"Ascend really empowers and enables Pan-Asian leadership to come together to learn and to really feel supported in a like-minded community. When I speak to team members, people I mentor, and early career professionals, they say what they need and what inspires them is to see representation in the executive ranks of the company."

Neeracha Taychakhoonavudh
Head of Global Customer Experience, Asana

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FAQ

The Awards Gala will take place on April 29, 2025 at The Plaza Hotel in New York City.
The A-List Awards, builds on Ascend’s recognition of Pan-Asian business leadership. The Ascend A-List Awards give visibility to the contributions of accomplished and impactful business leaders, elevating their profiles within their companies, their industries and their communities while spotlighting the business case for the continuous pipeline of Pan-Asian talent across North America. Proceeds from the event benefit Ascend Foundation's programs and initiatives.
Ascend seeks to recognize leaders who have demonstrated Professional Achievement & Community Advancement and meet several of the following criteria:
• Pan-Asian leader who has contributed significant impact to his/her industry
• Leader with record of service to the Pan-Asian community
• Leader with demonstrated commitment to the development and advancement of Pan-Asians in the workplace
• Senior level Pan-Asian executive who is the CEO or within three levels from the Enterprise-wide CEO of a Fortune 1000/Global 500 corporation or equivalent
• Pan-Asian executive currently serving on the Board of Directors of a Fortune 1000/Global 500 corporation or equivalent
• Notable Pan-Asian who is either an entrepreneur; a partner at a top-tier professional services firm; a thought leader; an academic leader; an innovator; an investor or a philanthropist
Aligned with Ascend's mission of professional and leadership advancement, the award recipients are selected for their contributions for the advancement of others in their industries or communities as well as their professional achievements or philanthropic endeavors.
To learn more about the Ascend A-List Awards and for sponsorship opportunities, please email molly.engen@ascendleadership.org.

Ascend Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Pan-Asian organization that is related to Ascend Inc., the premier professional organization dedicated to enabling its members, corporate partners and the professional Pan-Asian community to leverage the leadership and global business potential of Pan-Asian professionals worldwide. The Foundation: supports initiatives, campaigns, and scholarships to support the Pan-Asian community; and conducts research and provides thought leadership to enable Pan-Asians to become better leaders, innovators, role models and catalysts for work place and societal change.
Ascend adopted a 5-Point Action Agenda to: Promote Inclusion, Raise Awareness, Denounce Bias, Support Communities and Give Donations. To accelerate the tenets of the agenda, the Foundation’s Impact Fund has funded advocacy, allyship, education and mobilization campaigns, programs and initiatives.
Guests are encouraged to dress in Black Tie or Asian Festive.
JFK | LGA | EWR | HPN
Delta Air Lines is pleased to offer special discounts for Ascend.
Please click here to book your flights.

Eligible Dates: 4/24/2025 - 5/552025
Eligible Airports: JFK, LGA, EWR, HPN

You may also call Conferences and Events® at 1.800.328.1111* Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. (EST) and refer to Meeting Event Code NM4B2.
*Please note there is no service fee for reservations booked and ticketed via our reservation 800 number.
Information coming soon.
The safety of our guests is paramount to Ascend. Masks are optional, but please note that there will be over 400 guests at the event. Ascend will monitor the evolving nature of COVID and adjust the guidance accordingly.