Blog

At the age of 19, Manjit Minhas sold her Toyota RAV4 to enter the alcohol industry with her $10,000 return and her brother, Ravinder. They were up against the multinational corporations that had controlled the…

Celebrating Excellence: Meet the 2024 Ascend Canada Leadership Award Winners

A PanAsian ERG unites diverse Asian identities in Canadian workplaces, offering a practical playbook for building belonging, efficiency, and strategic impact.

Global DEI Developments and Their Impact on Canada The conversation around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has shifted in recent years—especially in the United States, where legislative and cultural tensions have reshaped the landscape. For…

Appointments of Andrew Kwong as President of Ascend Canada and Kathleen Butterfield as Board Chair, effective January 1, 2026.

Opening the Executive Door: Data, Dialogue, and Action from the Ascend Executive Roundtable  Senior leaders from across Canadian industries gathered for the Ascend Canada Executive Roundtable. The purpose was to hear and absorb data about…

What began as a fortunate mistake set medical resident and philanthropist Aditi Sivakumar on a path to leading global advocacy campaigns. For the past seven years, she has been redefining women’s rights advocacy through innovation,…

What does leadership look like today? Increasingly, it defies traditional expectations – and Samarah Maqbool is someone who is helping redefine the image. A recent university graduate, daughter of immigrant parents and passionate mental health…

A chef’s journey from farm to plate to purpose  Chef TJ Conwi is a well-regarded Filipino chef whose career spans kitchens and executive roles in the hotel industry. Today, he leads Ono Vancouver, a catering…

In many organizations, leaders rise through the ranks by excelling in their area of expertise – and staying squarely within it. Bindhu Alvar Thiruvenkadathan took a different path. CIO for Wealth Management at the BMO…