2019 Ascend National Convention & Career Fair Drove Discussion and Action Toward "Endless Possibilities" for Pan-Asian Leadership and Advancement

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascend hosted its 12th annual Ascend National Convention & Career Fair from August 24 through August 26, 2019, bringing together more than 2,500 registered participants from over 75 companies and organizations to share and explore new ideas and creative approaches for Pan-Asians to lead, innovate, accelerate and learn. Ascend also continued the tradition to celebrate Pan-Asian leaders who have made meaningful contributions to the Pan-Asian community and shown leadership and commitment to society.

This year, the National Convention included programming for executives with parallel sessions for the Ascend Executive Network (AEN), Ascend Pinnacle: Pan-Asian Corporate Board Directors and Chief Diversity Officers. The executive level sessions support the goals of AEN to build a world-class business network of Pan-Asian corporate leaders, facilitate development and give-back opportunities for Pan-Asian leaders, and advance the visibility and influence of Pan-Asians in the workplace and in the broader Asian community. 

In line with this year's theme "Endless Possibilities" the convention featured sessions and in-depth discussions encompassing Pan-Asian leadership, storytelling, digitally and culturally resilient organizations, global inclusion, leading with imagination, influence and impact, the new generation of talent, and diversity and inclusion on the board level. The event culminated with Marquee Speaker, Dr. Indra Nooyi, Former CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors at PepsiCo in a conversation with Melissa Lee, Host, "Fast Money" & "Options Action", CNBC on the topic of Performing & Leading with Purpose where Dr. Nooyi shared her perspectives on why purpose matters, what it means to lead with purpose, and how to develop a purpose-driven growth strategy and organizational culture.

The convention also featured SEC Commissioner Robert Jackson Jr. who shared his perspectives on key characteristics of resilient organizations and why the 21st century demands organizations to be both digitally and culturally resilient, as well as Farooq Kathwari, CEO at Ethan Allen, who delved into what it means to lead by example and why leading by example is one of the most effective leadership styles.

"Our convention program continues to evolve and expand each year and I'm humbled and proud to be part of this Ascend community. Every year, our convictions grow stronger about the critical importance of diversity of thought, and the value of bringing together people with different viewpoints to unlock creativity and explore solutions," said Anna W. Mok, President Elect, Ascend. "We witnessed highly engaging discussions that will translate to action and to positive impact for Pan-Asians and our community."

"We built Ascend to enhance the presence and influence Pan-Asians and serve as a collective voice for Pan-Asian communities. Ascend and our annual Convention builds relationships and highlights our core focus areas of leveraging and elevating different viewpoints and experiences and the Pan-Asian experience in North America and globally," said Jeff Chin, President, Ascend. "Our ability to bridge the worlds of diversity and inclusion and business, throughout the career lifecycle, has never been more in demand."

Ascend continued the tradition of honoring business leaders who have created significant impact to the Pan-Asian community. At this year's convention, Ascend recognized: Dr. Indra Nooyi, Former CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors at PepsiCo with the Ascend Icon Award; Yie-Hsin Hung, CEO of New York Life Investment Management with the Ascend Inspiring Across Generations (IAG) Inspirational Leader Award; Kate Seitz, Partner at RSM US LLP with the Ascend IAG High-Impact Leader Award; and Zach Heng, Manager at Booz Allen Hamilton and Ashley Wu, Manager at Deloitte with the IAG Rising Star Awards. 

Accenture's Asian Pacific American Employee Resource Group and JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s AsPIRE, Asians & Pacific Islanders Reaching for Excellence, were awarded the Ascend Affinity/ERG Leadership Awards.

Ascend congratulates all the winners!

Follow and take part in the conversation with #ascendDC and #ascendleadership.

About Ascend

Ascend is the largest, non-profit Pan-Asian membership organization for business professionals and executives in North America. Established in 2005, Ascend, a career lifecycle organization, reaches 60,000+ senior executives, professionals, and MBA/undergraduate students involved in its 50+ chapters in the United States and Canada. Ascend is focused on advancing and supporting Pan-Asian corporate board directors and executives through Ascend Pinnacle, its Corporate Board Initiative and the Ascend Executive Network (AEN). Visit http://www.ascendleadership.org for more information.

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SOURCE Ascend