The Ascend Canada Conference will be an in-person event at the Arcadian Court in Toronto on September 16, 2026. We will be joined by 400 participants to inspire, educate, and empower pan-Asian professionals in Corporate Canada. Celebrating this year’s theme, Thriving Through Transformation, the conference will consist of workshops, fireside chats and a closing cocktail reception.
VenueArcadian Court, 401 Bay St., Simpson Tower, 8th Floor Toronto, ON, M5H 2Y4
DateWednesday, September 16, 2026
Andrew HungCanadian Commercial Banking &North American Integrated Solutions
Andrew is recognized for his collaborative leadership style and commitment to fostering innovation within the organization. He brings 20+ years of banking experience and most recently successfully guided teams through a significant transformation and is focused on driving positive outcomes for clients and stakeholders.
Andrew joined BMO in 2003 as a Commercial Account Manager and progressed through various roles, entering into leadership in 2011 as Vice President of Business Banking then as Senior Vice President & Head, British Columbia, Corporate Finance. Most recently, Andrew served as Senior Vice President & Head of Mid-Market in the Canadian Commercial bank, driving meaningful growth in deposits, loans, and revenue, while strengthening client loyalty and contributing to a strong winning culture.
Andrew Hung was appointed COO of CCB & NAIS in August, 2025. In this role, he leads the Strategic Business Enablement team that supports the business structure leveraging shared capabilities across common platforms, optimizes synergies, minimizes complexity, and positions us to effectively serve our clients.
Andrew holds a Bachelor of Commerce in accounting from the University of Northern British Columbia and an MBA from Dalhousie University. He is an active member of the business community and serves on various boards and advisory committees in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Bindhu Alvar ThiruvenkadathanCIO, Wealth Management Technology,BMO
Bindhu Alvar Thiruvenkadathan is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Wealth Management Technology at BMO. Since late 2020, Bindhu has led a high-performing team that delivers technology products and services to BMO’s Wealth Management clients across the U.S. and Canada in the areas of retail, self-directed investing, Global Asset Management, and Insurance. Bindhu has a passion for driving excellent client, advisor, and business value fueled by innovation, automation, and agility.
Prior to joining BMO, Bindhu assumed key roles in development and architecture. Always drawn to opportunities to help clients achieve their technology goals, Bindhu soon moved into prominent delivery, consulting, and transformation roles. Bindhu led the sales and delivery for a few large Canadian banks before moving into the CIO role at BMO where our purpose-driven culture strongly aligns with her values – both personally and professionally.
With over 20 years of leadership experience in tech strategy, digital alignment, delivery, and in building high-performing teams, Bindhu has a reputation for being a transformational change agent and a trusted advisor. She is committed to championing an inclusive environment, and is passionate about her involvement in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives by imagining, promoting, mentoring, and leading related programs. Bindhu holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Computer Science, and lives in the Toronto, Canada area with her family.
Rohit ThomasPresident and CEO,BMO Insurance
Rohit Thomas is the President and CEO of BMO Insurance, responsible for leading the organization’s strategy, growth, and customer-focused innovation across its insurance businesses.
He has held a broad range of progressively senior roles in the insurance industry, spanning product development, pricing, finance, and corporate functions, with experience across Life & Health, Wealth, and Annuity products.
Rohit is a graduate of the University of Waterloo and is a Fellow of both the Society of Actuaries and the Canadian Institute of Actuaries.
Rohit serves on the Boards of Burgundy Asset Management, BMO Insurance Solutions, and BMO Life Assurance, and is the Chair of the Bank of Montreal’s Pension Risk Committee.
Wes HomFormer IBM Vice President and Managing DirectorExecutive Advisor and Co-Developer, Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, Asian Leadership Program (ALP)Executive Advisor, Ascend
Janet S WongIndependent Board Director & Business Advisor
Janet Wong is an Independent Board Director and business advisor with experience in the technology, manufacturing, consumer products and financial services industries. She is a partner (retired) with KPMG LLP, a Big 4 accounting firm. She is a licensed CPA with recognition as an experienced Financial Expert as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the New York Stock Exchange, and Nasdaq. She is a NACD (National Association of Corporate Directors) Certified Director®.
She has over 10 years of public company board experience and currently serves on the boards as well as Audit Committee Chair of both TWFG, Inc. (Nasdaq: TWFG), a national independent distribution platform for personal and commercial insurance and Valvoline, Inc. (NYSE: VVV), a company that delivers quick, easy, trusted service for automotive maintenance. Previously, she served on the boards of Lucid Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: LCID); Lumentum Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: LITE); Enviva, Inc. (Nasdaq: EVA); Allegiance Bancshares, Inc. (Nasdaq: ABTX) and Shine Technologies, Inc., a private company.
In 2024, Directors & Boards named her to its list of Public Company Women Directors to Watch for her governance and leadership experience. In 2023, BoardProspects named her to its list of the Top 30 Asian American Board Directors in the U.S. In 2022, NACD named her to its Directorship 100™, an annual honor for leading directors and governance professionals.
Janet is a frequent speaker on topics including board governance, Audit Committees, leadership and succession planning, risk management including oversight of AI and cybersecurity governance. She is a founding member of the WSJ (Wall Street Journal) Board of Directors Council and a founding member of the Alpha Council; an organization focused on AI governance in the corporate boardroom where she also co-leads the Agentic Audit Council.
She volunteers as an Executive Advisor to Ascend and served as the leader of Ascend Pinnacle, the largest network of experienced and aspiring Asian corporate board directors.
Amy ShangFormer HSBC – EVP, Strategic Implementation (Regulation) for North America;Executive Advisor, Ascend
Amy Shang is a seasoned financial services executive with more than two decades of experience spanning front office, operations, regulatory transformation, and consulting. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BS from Stanford University. At HSBC North America, she served as EVP of Strategic Implementation (Regulation), leading the bank’s response to major regulatory initiatives, including implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act. Earlier in her career, Amy held leadership and consulting roles at Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley, Bear Stearns, Bank of America, and MMG Partners.
Passionate about developing leaders and expanding opportunities for others, Amy is a dedicated advocate for workplace fairness and inclusion. While at HSBC, she served on the bank’s U.S. Diversity Council and chaired its employee resource group for Asians and Pacific Islanders. Today, she continues that commitment as an executive advisor to Ascend, North America’s largest nonprofit dedicated to advancing Pan-Asian professionals. She designs and facilitates leadership workshops that inspire current and emerging leaders to grow with confidence, authenticity, and purpose. greater Asian representation in leadership.
Empty nesters, Amy and her husband recently relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada, where they continue to cheer on their son as he begins graduate studies.
Pauline Chiu
Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer,TD Wealth National Office
Pauline began her career in HR Consulting, supporting clients in the development of total compensation strategies. She later moved into marketing before transitioning to Product Management roles at CIBC and TD. During nearly a decade with TD’s Personal Bank, she held Product and P&L leadership positions across Credit Cards, Everyday Banking, and Payments.
She subsequently joined TD Insurance, where she led both process and digital transformation teams, and later served as EPO within Platform and Technology. Pauline then moved to Wealth Management to lead an enterprisewide initiative focused on enhancing the experience of the Bank’s highestvalue clients. In her current role as Senior Vice President, she is accountable for making Wealth faster, more scalable, and more cost‑efficient.
Originally from Vancouver, Pauline lives in Toronto with her husband, their 15yearold daughter, and their two dogs, Tabasco and Johnny. A fun fact: Pauline enjoys board games.
Mona Kothari-Chitalia
Managing Director, Industry Advisory,Worldwide Financial Services at Microsoft
Mona Kothari-Chitalia, Managing Director, Industry Advisory, Worldwide Financial Services at Microsoft, is a distinguished C-Suite digital strategy advisor. Mona has successfully led high-profile business transformations within financial services and technology sectors. At Microsoft, she spearheads co-innovation efforts with financial services clients, unlocking new value, delivering differentiated experiences, and accelerating innovation for sustainable growth. She also creates thought leadership and is as a regular speaker at industry events. Mona also enjoys being an Executive-in-Residence at Rotman School of Management as it allows her to support early in career talent.
