Ascend A-List Awards to Recognize Pan-Asian Leaders

Spotlights Resilient, Impactful and Courageous Leadership During Disruptive Times

NEW YORK , May 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ascend A-List Awards Gala will be held on June 27th at The Plaza Hotel in New York City. The 2022 A-List Awards highlight the power of resilient, impactful, and courageous leadership of accomplished and exemplary leaders during a time when anti-Asian hate continues and the nation emerges from the global pandemic. Honorees, representing a cross section of Asian ethnicities, are selected for their professional achievements and advancement of others in their industries or communities aligning with Ascend's mission to develop and elevate all Asian and Pacific Islander (API) business leaders and empower them to become catalysts for change.

Ascend Foundation is pleased to announce the following  2022 A-List Awards honorees: Anu Aiyengar, J.P. Morgan; Aditya Bhasin, Bank of America; Muhammad Bhayat, Grant Thornton LLP; Chi-Foon Chan, Synopsys Inc.; Timothy Chandran, Ericsson; Lisa Chang, The Coca-Cola Company; Alex Chi, Goldman Sachs and Co.; Marvin Chow, Google LLC; Rishi Chugh, KPMG LLP; Ajay Dhaul, Johnson & Johnson; Tracey Doi, Toyota Motor North America; Julia Gouw, Piermont Bank; Rohit Gupta, Enact Mortgage Insurance; Xihao Hu, TD Bank; Derek Idemoto, Cisco; Simmi Kelly, Altria; Reshma Kewalramani, Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc.; Anand Kini, NBCUniversal; Michael Ku, Pfizer Inc.; Sandra Leung, Bristol Myers Squibb Company; Jean Lu, Vanguard; Vasant Narasimhan, Novartis; Dinesh Nirmal, IBM; Roger Park, Ernst & Young LLP;  Reshma Shetty, Ginkgo Bioworks; A.N. Sreeram, Dow; Padmasree Warrior, Fable Group Inc.; PK Yegneswaran, Merck & Co., Inc.; Deborah Yeh, Sephora.  The exceptional contributions and attainments of these leaders will be recognized and celebrated during the Awards Gala.

"Asian experiences and contributions are often untold, making this celebration of distinguished Pan-Asian leaders even more important for our community," said Anna Mok, President and Co-Founder, Ascend and Ascend Foundation, "We are proud to commend these leaders for their achievements as we continue to educate and recognize the impact Pan-Asian leaders make in the workplace and the community."

The work of the Ascend Foundation includes research and thought leadership reports that surface the lack of Asian advancement in the workplace and corporate boards and The Other Side campaign which features Ascend storytellers to shine a light on the long-held societal biases that make API less likely to be promoted to leadership levels.  These efforts and the A-List Awards reinforce Ascend Foundation goals to increase recognition of Pan-Asian leadership, drive awareness through shared experiences and encourage the hopes and dreams of future Pan-Asian leaders.

About Ascend Foundation and Ascend
The Ascend Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to educate, advocate, and enable Asian and Pacific Islander (API) business leaders to reach their full potential and make greater positive societal impacts.  Ascend Inc. is the largest non-profit Pan-Asian membership organization for business professionals in North America with a mission to drive workplace and societal impact by developing and elevating all API business leaders and empowering them to become catalysts for change.

Contact: Peyen Fong, [email protected]

SOURCE Ascend Foundation