Ascend A-List Awards Recognizes Pan-Asian Leaders

Cross-Industry Business Leaders Celebrated for Achievements and Community Impact

NEW YORK, June 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ascend Foundation hosted a one-of-a-kind vibrant Ascend A-List Awards Gala at the iconic Plaza Hotel in New York City on Monday evening to celebrate Pan-Asian business leaders.  Spotlighting resilient, impactful, and courageous leadership during disruptive times, honorees were recognized for their professional achievements and advancement of others in their industries or for being catalysts for change in their workplace and society.

The Honorable Eric Adams, Mayor of New York City, made a special appearance to address the Asian and business communities at this sold-out celebration and was introduced by Seema Mody, Master of Ceremonies for the event, CNBC Global Markets Reporter and Host, "Trading Nation".  

Ascend Foundation congratulates the 2022 Ascend A-List 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 leadership and attainments of this exemplary group of Pan-Asian executives serve as a model for future generations.  The positive impact they provide reinforces Ascend Foundation's focus on mobilizing leaders with initiatives that address pressing societal needs, support communities and develop future API leaders," said Anna Mok, President & Co-Founder, Ascend & Ascend Foundation.

"It is an honor to be selected for this award with this group of esteemed leaders," said Reshma Kewalramani, Chief Executive Officer and President Vertex Pharmaceuticals.  "The Ascend A-List Awards has turned a spotlight on the very important need for the Asian American community to support each other, motivate and inspire each other, and pay it forward to the next generation of leaders."

"What a wonderful way to celebrate Asian success in North America," said Sandeep Gupta, Event Chair, Past Board Director & Officer, Ascend. "Our awardees individually and collectively, inspire us and create a sense of belonging for all of us to grow and surpass our aspirations and achieve more than our full potential in the workplace and in society."

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, 212-248-4888, [email protected]

SOURCE Ascend Foundation