2025 Leadership Award Recipients

April 16, 2025Announcements

At Ascend Canada, we proudly celebrate and uplift Pan-Asian leaders who are shaping the future of corporate Canada and their communities through purpose, passion, and perseverance.

Our 2025 Leadership Awards honour six extraordinary individuals who exemplify leadership, service, and impact across industries, disciplines, and generations. From trailblazing executives to student changemakers, each recipient reflects the spirit of inclusion, innovation, and excellence that drives our mission forward.

Please join us in celebrating this year’s remarkable honourees:

Student of the Year Award

Samarah Maqbool

Student McMaster University, Network Representative for Jack.org

Samarah has been volunteering with Jack.org, a national mental health charity since her sophomore year of high school. Her involvement in numerous mental health committees ranges from advisory leadership positions to public speaking in front of hundreds of students in schools or sponsors at large scale fundraising galas.
Her work with Jack.org spurred her inclination to make more of an impact in intertwining fields. She worked with her University’s Faculty of Science on reports and policies that influence 8000+ undergraduate students, including evaluation of teaching as well as accommodations for missed work.
She instructs in a first-year introductory scientific research course, enabling first-years to develop the tools needed for the course of their undergraduate education, and acting as a mentor, coaching them through professional needs and their personal transition to university.

Mentor of the Year

Max Chan

SVP and Corporate Development Officer at Enbridge

Max has been mentoring undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business for over 20 years(the longest serving mentor in the program), which connects students with experienced business professionals. His commitment goes beyond program requirements, as he dedicates personal time to help students tackle significant career challenges. Many of his mentees maintain long-term relationships with him, benefiting from his guidance even as their careers evolve.
In addition, Max has contributed to the Enbridge Mentorship Program for over 12 years, supporting employees in their professional growth and networking efforts. His passion for mentoring stems from a genuine desire to see others succeed, especially those from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Max was recognized in 2022 by the Globe & Mail ROB Magazine as one of Canada’s Top 50 Changemakers for his efforts at Enbridge and in the community.

Social impact Award

Aditi Sivakumar

Founder/Board Vice Chair of My Empowerment Platform/ Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) Hosted by the World Heald Organization

Aditi Sivakumar is a doctor, philanthropist, and women’s rights advocate. She created “My Empowerment Platform”, a website offering a wide range of tools and information on gender-based violence which includes medical, legal and safety-planning resources. This digital portal is primarily designed for women and children facing violence.
“My Empowerment Packs”, wellness kits and resource booklets distributed to homeless youth and individuals fleeing violence. Through her efforts, over $40,000 worth of items were provided to domestic violence shelters across Canada.
Aditi created a web application to aid survivors of domestic violence. The web application outlines the various medical and legal services that all survivors of violence can access, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The web application was created in collaboration with 13 organizations nationally and internationally that work directly with women and children facing violence. The web application has been distributed to domestic violence shelters across the nation and has won numerous national and international accolades.

Inclusion Champion of the Year

Bobby Yanagawa

Division Head of Cardiac Surgery at St Michael’s Hospital

Yanagawa is a trailblazer in equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in surgery and in medicine. As a founder of Operation Inspire, a registered nonprofit, and Director of the EDI Taskforce for the Canadian Society for Cardiac Surgery, he has spearheaded transformative initiatives to empower underrepresented communities and to address gender equity. His work through Operation Inspire has opened pathways for youth, particularly Black and women students, to explore surgical careers through mentorship and hands-on training.
A leader in diversity with the Next Surgeon program with its mentorship pipeline for marginalized youth, offering workshops, didactic teaching and hands-on training. These efforts are completely transforming the landscape of heart surgery in Canada.
Dr. Yanagawa has redefined inclusion in medicine through his dual role as a policy leader and community advocate. As Director of the EDI Taskforce, he authored the “Declaration of Values, Vision, and Approaches” from the Canadian Society for Cardiac Surgery, setting foundational guidelines for diversity in cardiac surgery.

Woman of Distinction Award

Christine Chen

General Counsel at University Pension Plan

Christine is also a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion. She played a key role in recruiting UPP’s C-Suite team, which includes six women, and most recently, she has successfully expanded UPP’s legal team to include 10 lawyers, 3 paralegals, and an admin. The team comprises 11 women and 8 racialized individuals, showcasing her commitment to creating an inclusive workplace. Additionally, she led recent efforts to bring on an articling law student to UPP—a rare initiative in the pension space.
Beyond her professional work, Christine is a devoted community leader, serving on the boards of the Trails Youth Initiative and Canada’s National Ballet School, where she also contributes to its Investment Committee.
Christine is a passionate advocate for advancing women and visible minorities in the legal profession. She has been a mentor to many, including women lawyers outside her organization, and actively participates in key mentoring associations, including the National General Counsel Network and Women General Counsel Canada.

Executive of the year

Jennifer Wong

CEO, Aritzia.

Having ascended the ranks at Aritzia from sales associate to Chief Executive Officer, Jennifer Wong is the driving force behind the Canadian-based, Everyday Luxury™ design house’s tremendous growth and expansion in the US.
Wong began her journey with Aritzia in 1987 as a part-time, seasonal sales associate at the Robson Street boutique in Vancouver, Canada, while earning her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of British Columbia. Tenacious and visionary, she rose through various retail and managerial roles to VP of Operations in 1995, and Chief Operating Officer and President in 2015. She was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2016 and became Chief Executive Officer in 2022.
Throughout her 38 year tenure, Wong has driven Aritzia’s most significant milestones, spearheading critical infrastructure development and growth initiatives, including Aritzia’s U.S. expansion, the launch of its eCommerce platform, and a successful IPO.
Recognized as one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, The Glossy 50, The Business of Fashion 500 and a recipient of Business in Vancouver’s 2023 BC CEO Award, Wong is also a member of the Business Council of Canada.

These leaders remind us of what’s possible when inclusion meets excellence. We look forward to honouring them in person at the Ascend Canada Leadership Awards Gala on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 at the Ritz-Carlton Toronto.

Together, we rise.

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