LEADING BY EXAMPLE, ASCEND’S 6TH ANNUAL NATIONAL CONVENTION & CAREER FAIR EXEMPLIFIED "INNOVATING LEADERSHIP IN A BORDERLESS WORLD”

September 17, 2013, New York, NY – Ascend had over 2,000 registered participants comprised of business leaders, young professionals, students, and senior executives from a wide cross-section of the Pan-Asian business community for the 6th Ascend Annual National Convention & Career Fair held in Anaheim CA, making it the largest Ascend Convention to date. The premier annual business event of its kind, this year’s program exuded "Innovating Leadership in a Borderless World”, the theme of the Convention.

Taking place August 23rd -26th at the sprawling Disneyland Hotel, the Convention had something to offer to all participants. A must-attend event for business executives, working professionals, job seekers, hiring managers, and students, this annual gathering lived up to its promise to Connect professionals, Inspire future leaders and help them Ascend to new heights through unparalleled talent development, mentoring and networking opportunities. For the corporate, government, academic, and non-profit partners and sponsors, this leading event offered unmatched branding and talent acquisition platform as well as professional development opportunities for their diverse employees.

Speaking at the Convention Welcome Reception on Saturday, August 24th, Jeff Chin, president of Ascend National said, "For Ascend, 2013 has been in many respects a year of new beginnings and many 'firsts", all of which help us achieve our mission of empowering and advancing Pan-Asians in global corporations, and give us our unique standing in the community.” He went on to highlight key Ascend programs: The Executive Insight Series for Women, a program for Pan-Asian women, developed by Pan-Asian women and led by Pan Asian women (launched at the Convention), Emerging Markets Leadership (EML) Program at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business for those that want to be global executives (first session to be held in May 2014) and Ascend Pinnacle, the Corporate Board program was also announced at the Convention. Pinnacle will create a platform to connect, engage and support Pan-Asians currently on Corporate Boards and develop candidates for future Board service.

The Leadership Luncheon and the prestigious Gala Awards Dinner celebrated global Pan-Asian talent and leadership, honoring exemplary leaders with the following awards:

·         Inspirational Leaders: Sue-Jean Lin, SVP & CIO, Allergan; Anil Matai Human Resources Executive, Bank of America

·         High Impact Leaders: Christine Park, Senior Director, BNY Mellon; Kathleen Nitta, Executive Tax Director, Ernst & Young

·         Rising Star: Irene Chan, Assistant VP, Swiss Re

·         Ascend President’s PhD (Passion, High energy and Dedication) Award: Kelvin Tran, SVP, TD Bank Group

·         Affinity Employee Resource Group (ERG) Award: Asian Leadership Pipeline Program (ALPP), Intel

Scholarship awards were presented to deserving graduate and undergraduate students from across the country.

Culminating an action-packed Convention, at the Gala, Mr. Chin encouraged all participants to become ambassadors of Ascend and said, "I have this call to action for all our guests here: don’t lose the momentum! Get involved! Become Ascend ambassadors and continue to pay it forward for yourself and for your peers.”

After much excitement building throughout the Convention about the location of 2014 Ascend Convention, the Gala guests were treated to a fun surprise as they opened fortune cookies revealing Washington D.C. as the host city for 2014. AscendNAAMBA (National Association of Asian MBAs) will hold its Annual National Leadership Conference & Career Exposition in Boston, MA. Stay tuned for details!

About Ascend

Ascend is the premier non-profit professional association dedicated to enabling its members, corporate

partners and the community to realize the leadership potential of Pan-Asians in global corporations.

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Media Contact: Anna Wei

Email: anna.wei@ascendleadership.org

Website: http://www.ascendleadership.org/page/Convention2013