Ascend A-List Awards

2026 A-List Awards

April 28, 2026
The Plaza Hotel | New York City

More than a celebration, the A-List Awards is the Ascend Foundation’s most important night of the year. Our annual gala on April 28th celebrates leaders who advance their industries, uplift others, and drive meaningful change in their communities. Every dollar raised creates new pathways through scholarships, research, and programs that expand opportunity and leadership access. Join us in helping us recognize the leaders shaping the future.

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

Nominate Now

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
Citi
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

Highlights

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 and allies, 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

FAQ

The Awards Gala will take place on April 28, 2026 at The Plaza Hotel in 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.
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:
- 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
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.
For more information on sponsorship or partnership opportunities, reach out to partnerships@ascendleadership.org

The Ascend Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that aims to drive positive and productive change in the workplace and foster business growth. In partnership with leading business organizations across the Fortune 1000, the Foundation launches cross-industry thought leadership programming and networking, builds community through social impact initiatives like Ascend Cares, provides student scholarships for the leaders of tomorrow, and publishes noteworthy research on the state of business.
Our mission is to build community, ignite change, and develop business leaders through research, advocacy, leadership development, and community engagement.
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.
Information coming soon.
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.