More than a celebration, the A-List Awards is the Ascend Foundation’s most important night of the year.
We host our annual gala in celebration of 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.
Ascend seeks to recognize leaders who have demonstrated Professional Achievement & Community Advancement and meet several of the following criteria:
SVP, Clinical Development & Operations
Pfizer Inc.
SVP, Synergy, Integrated Planning & Distribution Marketing
Disney Entertainment Television
SVP, Product Development
Bristol Myers Squibb
Chief Technology & AI Officer
Circle
Chief AI & Data Officer
Accenture
COO & CFO
UiPath
Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration
Harvard Business School
Executive Vice President
Robert Half & Protiviti
Americas Vice Chair, Office of Strategy & Execution (Retired 2026)
Ernst & Young LLP (EY US)
Head of Digital Banking, Payments & Contact Centers
TD Bank U.S
MD, Head of Investor Relations
Moody’s
President
eos Products
EVP & CFO
Target
COO, International Consumer Bank
JPMorganChase
U.S. Line of Business Leader, Financial Services
KPMG
Treasurer
Chevron
SVP, HR Energy Management Business
Schneider Electric
Global Director, Operational Excellence & Leveraged Services
Dow
Chief Operations Executive
Bank of America
EVP & Chief Financial and Growth Officer
Levi Strauss & Co.
SEVP & U.S. General Counsel
HSBC
Chief Brand, Experience & Marketing Officer
Edward Jones
EVP, Chief People & Experience Officer
Prudential Financial
Chief Digital & Marketing Officer
L’Oréal USA
VP, Business Operations
Nvidia Corporation
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.
A distinguished group of community leaders and allies, responsible for nominating deserving candidates for the award ceremony.
President & Executive Board Chair
Ascend & Ascend Foundation
President Emeritus & Co-Founder
Ascend & Ascend Foundation
Event Chair, Board Member
Ascend Foundation
"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
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.
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.
