Inspiring Across Generations (IAG) Conference

Pioneering Your Career Path

Event Details:

Date: Friday, January 10, 2020
Time: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Venue: Knott's Berry Farm Hotel, 7675 Crescent Ave., Buena Park, CA 90620
Admission:
- $125 for Ascend members
- $150 for non-members
- $200 for 1-year Ascend membership + IAG admission*

*Breakfast, lunch, and a ticket to the Knott’s Berry Farm Park are included!

Attire: Business Casual

Description:

You are invited to join Ascend SoCal for the 2020 Inspiring Across Generations Conference (IAG) presented jointly by Ascend Los Angeles Metro and Ascend Orange County chapters! We will dive into how to take charge of your development and pioneer your own career path.

What does it mean to pioneer? To pioneer is “to take part in the beginnings” or “to initiate.” We hope that this IAG inspires you to begin carving out the career path you desire. Another aspect to being a pioneer is being among the first to do something, and we want attendees to feel confident in going down the road less travelled if that is the path they wish. Our keynote speaker and panel discussions will emphasize taking charge of your career development and becoming a pioneer among your peers as well as those that will come after you.

Agenda:

8:00 AM

Registration and Breakfast Networking

8:45 AM

Opening Remarks

9:00 AM

Icebreaker

9:30 AM

Fireside Chat with Keynote Speaker

10:45 AM

Break

11:00 AM

Myths of Asian Leadership Session

12:00 PM

Lunch and Networking

1:00 PM

Panel Discussion

2:00 PM

Closing Remarks and Networking (Feel free to go to the park whenever)

3:00 PM

ERG & Stakeholders Meeting in Talbert Room (By invitation only)

Keynote Speaker:

Janice Chua

Associate Producer for Crazy Rich Asians and

VP, International Development and Production at Imagine Entertainment & Television

Born and raised in Singapore, Janice Chua graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic's Film, Sound and Video diploma course in 2004 in Singapore, where she learnt the technical skills of the trade, and became a freelance video editor in her early 20s.

In 2010, she enrolled in Chapman University Singapore, a private university that partnered with Ngee Ann Polytechnic and obtained a degree in creative producing. During which, Chua secured an internship with Santa Monica-based independent entertainment company Myriad Pictures and had a flavor of working in Hollywood.

In 2012, Chua took take a leap of faith and went to Beijing, where she found a job as a sales assistant for a production company, representing Chinese films to be sold to a Western audience. While in China, Janice was involved in the development and sales of international and Chinese projects including John Woo’s The Crossing. Chua joined American production company Ivanhoe Pictures in 2015.

She was the associate producer of Warner Brother’s Crazy Rich Asians. She joined Imagine Entertainment as VP of international development production a year ago to help expand into global content.

Myths of Asian Leadership:

Wesley Hom

Former IBM Vice President and Global Managing Director

Ascend Vice President and National Board Member

Co-Developer and Executive advisor, Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Asian American Executive Program

Read bio

There have been numerous researches conducted on US Asian and Pacific Islanders (API demographics resulting in the portrayal of the Asian community as the model minority.

Ascend has conducted extensive research into the realities of the model minority. We have found that Asians have failed to reach senior leadership positions in corporate America. We have called this the curse of the model minority.

This session will shed light on misconceptions about Asian and Pacific Islanders (API) and why so few APIs in corporate America reach the C-suite level. How many corporate CEOs, CFOs, or CIOs, or Senior VPs are US Asian and Pacific Islanders? What is preventing Asian and Pacific Islanders from achieving positions in the C-Suite?

Discussions around the "Myths of Asian Leadership" will focus on:

Where are the Asians? Are they represented throughout the leadership teams of global corporations? Data from our research will be presented.
Why are there so few Asians? Are there cultural implications that affect their aspirations?
How does culture affect leadership behaviors, challenges, and alignments?
Framework for success – What skills and behaviors are needed to overcome these barriers, myths, and or excuses?
Can your culture impede your aspirations and alignment with western management styles?

Sharing of insights on what behaviors and skills are needed by Asians to achieve their career aspirations, ultimately resulting in a more diverse senior leadership team. We will also share our leadership framework for corporate success.