2024 Ascend Vancouver Year End Celebration - Elevate Your Impact

Join us for an unforgettable evening as we celebrate the achievements of the past year and look forward to new horizons. The Ascend Vancouver Year End Gala 2024 promises to be a night of unparalleled networking, thought-provoking discussions and a heartfelt celebration of leadership excellence.

This exciting event will bring together influential leaders, industry pioneers and rising stars from various sectors. Engage in enriching conversations, share insights and connect with like-minded professionals in a vibrant atmosphere dedicated to knowledge sharing and connection. As you mingle with fellow attendees, you will have the chance to forge new relationships, strengthen existing ones, and explore potential partnerships that can lead to exciting ventures in the year ahead.

There will be dynamic discussions moderated by Steven Ngo with a panel of speakers including Katie Yu, the Regional VP of Business Financial Services at RBC, Andrew Tong, the former CIO of Concert Properties, and Hussein Hallak, the Founder and CEO of Next Decentrum. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a transformative evening that honours excellence and fosters collaboration across our community. We look forward to celebrating with you!

Your ticket purchase also includes 2 drink tickets, hors d'oeuvres, and a chance to win 1 out of 5 door prizes valued at $50 each.

Early bird pricing ($60 + applicable tax) ends on Nov 4th. Register Now!

About the speakers

Steven Ngo, Senior Counsel at Rivian (Moderator)

Steven Ngo works as Senior Counsel at Rivian and was recognized as one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers by Canadian Lawyer Magazine. He is a recipient of the BC Medal of Good Citizenship for his efforts against anti-Asian hate crimes and leads Fix Police Reporting, an initiative focused on removing barriers to reporting hate crimes.

Steven is also an adjunct professor at the Allard School of Law at UBC where he teaches corporate law and a guest lecturer at the UC Berkeley Changemaker Program. He is the past president of FACL BC and serves on the board of NAPABA, the largest equity seeking bar organization in the US and Canada with over 80,000 members.

Outside of law, Steven is a "certified girl dad" as a father to a three-year old daughter and the founder of 2 Dads 1 Car, a podcast that discusses modern fatherhood and the unspoken truths about parenting (2dads1car.com).

Hussein Hallak, CEO of Next Decentrum (Speaker)

Hussein Hallak is a serial entrepreneur and thought leader with over 25 years of experience in emerging branding, tech, gamification, and education. As the Founder and CEO of Next Decentrum, he is leading a world-class team that is revolutionizing how businesses and cultural institutions harness the power of AI innovation and immersive technology.

Hussein has launched over 20 successful ventures and trained thousands of entrepreneurs worldwide. Specifically at Launch Academy, which is North America’s premier tech incubator, he supported 6,500+ founders from 100+ countries who raised over $2.5B in funding.

Recognized as one of Vancouver’s top 30 tech influencers, Hussein is a strategic advisor to numerous tech startups. His work has been featured in Forbes, BBC, Business Insider, and Entrepreneur.

Driven by an insatiable curiosity and a passion for transformation, Hussein inspires audiences to challenge the status quo and harness innovation, digital transformation, and emerging technologies to reshape our world.

Andrew Tong, Managing Director at Integral Strategic Real Estate (Speaker)

Andrew is the Managing Director of Integral Strategic Real Estate, with over 30 years of experience in the Canadian real estate market. His firm specializes in real estate investment, asset & portfolio management, and advisory services which cater to clients and partners such as high-net-worth families, institutional investors, developers and even not-for-profit organizations across various asset classes.

Previously, Andrew was the Chief Investment Officer of an $8 billion real estate development company and Managing Director of a $3 billion real estate income fund, one of Canada’s top 10 open-ended institutionally managed real estate funds. He is known for his multi-disciplinary expertise, leadership, and extensive professional network.

Andrew also serves as an Independent Board Member for the Burnaby Housing Authority, a municipal corporation, contributing to increasing and accelerating affordable housing initiatives. Andrew actively shares his knowledge as a speaker and has received several awards including the Emerging Leaders Award by NAIOP North America, Business in Vancouver’s Top 40 Under 40 and UBC Sauder School of Business’ 10 Alumni to Watch.

Katie Yu, Regional Vice President, Business Financial Services, Bristish Columbia at RBC (Speaker)

As Regional Vice-President, Business Financial Services, RBC Royal Bank, Katie leads a team of over 300 employees and partners dedicated to providing financial advice and services to small businesses and commercial clients. In this role, Katie co-leads the Business Financial Services team in British Columbia by enhancing employee engagement, cultivating exceptional client experiences, and enabling One RBC partnerships. Katie is known for her strategic, collaborative and enterprising leadership style, she leads by example with authenticity, empowerment and curiosity. Katie is also passionate about community service; she firmly believes community work is an essential and rewarding aspect in a person’s life.

Throughout the years she has volunteered and worked closely with organizations such as Association of Women in Finance (AWF), SheEO, Women of Influence, UBC Sauder School of Business Career Centre and BC Children’s Hospital, to name a few. During her career, Katie has received several distinctions and recognitions. Recently, she was recognized as one of the recipients of the 2024 Business in Vancouver’s, Forty under 40 Award and in 2020 she received the RBC Convention Award which is given to employees ranked in the Top 1%.

About Ascend

Ascend Canada was founded in 2012 to enhance the presence, visibility and influence of current and future Pan-Asian business leaders. With the support of our numerous corporate partners, our objectives are to develop the full potential of our 3,000+ members by leveraging our networks and providing programs and events that inspire, as well as educate.

Ascend is the largest, non-profit Pan-Asian organization for business professionals in North America. Ascend reaches 60,000 people with 40+ student chapters and 18 professional chapters located in both the United States and Canada around major business hubs and educational institutions.

Our Mission

Develop and advance Pan-Asian talent by building meaningful and engaging experiences which elevate our Members.

Our Vision

To build a diverse, equitable, and inclusive Canada where Pan-Asian talent may achieve their full potential.

Visit us at https://ascendleadership.ca or contact us at vancouver@ascendleadership.org with any questions.