Winson is a leader in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as well as Culture, and Veteran initiatives. He is a frequent speaker and panelists. He serves on the Board of Directors of Ascend Greater Washington Area (GWA) Chapter. He helped launch the Ascend GWA Corporate Executive Initiative (CEI) and the Corporate Executive Leadership Program (CELP). He is a member of the National Ascend Executive Network (AEN) leadership team. Winson served as the Deloitte Rosslyn Office Culture Champion and was on the Deloitte National Asian and Allies Community leadership team. He previously served as Partner Champion for Deloitte’s GWA FourBlock initiative and as an Advisor to the Veteran Leadership Council (VLC) GWA Chapter. Winson is a U.S. Navy veteran and retired at the rank of Commander. He holds a B.Sc. degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and an M.B.A. degree in Finance from Oklahoma City University. |
Rakesh Bhatia is a retired partner in PwC and led the Global Business Services practice in the US. He had 35+ years of progressive leadership experience in sales, delivery, and operations for consulting and outsourcing with P&L responsibilities and working with global clients in Healthcare, Energy, Telecom, Media, and Technology industries. He was focused on the Fit-for-Growth platform and helping C-Suite clients in driving Operational and Financial Transformation, Strategy, Change management, Global Business Services, Organization Redesign and Automation benefits. Rakesh served as the Transformation Office Leader to drive Transformation to the "The New Equation" Strategy across PwC Consulting Solutions Organization. Rakesh has a deep experience of not only advising clients in leveraging their investments in the global delivery and shared services operations, but he has also operated delivery centers and CoEs in multiple countries to have a practical hands on knowledge of the opportunities and constraints while managing such operations. As a PwC US partner and Service Delivery Network (SDN) leader, Rakesh had overall accountability for building scale, managing operations in multiple countries, driving adoption, resources, delivery, automation and quality control in the Acceleration Centers worldwide. Currently, he also serves as a Global Relationship Partner for a large software industry client. Before joining PwC, as a partner in KPMG, Rakesh was also the global relationship partner for Fortune 50 Telecom client and as Senior Vice President, led the global delivery for BearingPoint (formerly KPMG Consulting). Rakesh also has an extensive experience in sales and marketing. He led business development organization in the US and South America for one of the largest System Integrator. Rakesh has served on multiple boards including the Board Chair, PwC Acceleration Centers in India & China, Executive Board member of PwC Charitable Foundation (Humanitarian/Disaster Response Leader), President of Pratham DC Board, and Advisory Board Member of Ascend DC Chapter. Rakesh has a degree in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from University of Delhi. He has been an invited speaker in many industries and universities forums for Telecom, Broadband convergence, outsourcing trends,speaker program management and global consulting landscape. Rakesh was one of the keynote speakers for the Ascend Annual convention, 2013 – “Innovative Leadership in the Borderless World.” Rakesh lives in Great Falls, VA with his wife and two adult children. |
Amy has spent over 20 years in the financial services industry, with significant time spent in front office, support and consulting roles. Amy holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BS from Stanford University. Most recently she was EVP, Strategic Implementation (Regulation) for HSBC, North America, where she was responsible for coordinating key regulatory responses for the Bank including managing the implementation of the Dodd-Frank legislation. Prior to HSBC, she held positions at Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley, Bear Stearns, Bank of America and MMG Partners. Amy is a strong advocate for enhancing workplace diversity. While at HSBC, she was a member of US Diversity Council and served as Chairperson to the employee networking group for Asians and Pacific Islanders. Amy continues her advocacy efforts for the community as an Executive Advisor to ASCEND, the largest, non-profit Pan-Asian organization for business professionals in North America with the mission of enhancing the presence and influence of current and future Pan-Asian business leaders and serve as a collective voice for Pan-Asian business communities. Amy and her husband live in Maryland and are recent empty nesters after sending their son off to college. |
Most recently, Bhavini was the Chief Marketing and Revenue Operations Officer at CoreLogic, which acquired Roostify, a fintech, B2B SaaS company, where Bhavini helped lead the organization through a period of rapid growth; maturing marketing capabilities, building a revenue operations function and setting the company up for acquisition. Bhavini is also an active advisor within the startup ecosystem including VCs, Accelerator Programs and Startup Incubators globally particularly helping India-based startups looking to expand into the US markets. Prior to CoreLogic, Bhavini has made significant contributions in her roles at top Fortune 500 companies such as Freddie Mac, T. Rowe Price, Bank of America, Vanguard, Northwestern Mutual, and Merrill Lynch. Bhavini holds an MBA in management and marketing from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Science in finance and international business from the University of South Carolina |
Andrew Ko is the Founder of Kovexa an advisory company assisting education institutions modernize education by accelerating technology companies that create pathways for high-tech skills and drive the use of advanced machine learning improve education. He is also a partner at a venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley. Prior to his companies, Andrew was the Managing Director at Amazon Web Services for Global Education and Workforce where he was responsible for education business growing double digital annually while creating new programs for upskilling and creating new incubation sites in over 30 countries. These initiatives created innovative solutions with cloud-based solutions for EdTechs, Higher Education Institutions, and K-12 systems improving student outcomes and enabling the workforce. Prior to joining Amazon, Andrew was the Corporate Vice President of Samsung Global Education, based in South Korea, where he launched mobile learning solutions for Education in Croatia, India, Italy and the U.S. Andrew was also General Manager for Microsoft Corporation’s U.S. Education business where he led efforts implementing cloud solutions across the U.S., creating the Microsoft Innovative Educator Program, and leading the White House ConnectED initiative that enabled a billion-dollar technology investment towards the U.S. education system and was recognized during President Obama’s State of the Union. In January 2014, Governor Terry McAuliffe appointed Andrew as a member of the Virginia State Board of Education and in 2016, he was appointed to the Virginia’s School Readiness Committee for improving the early childhood education workforce in the Commonwealth. In 2018, Governor Ralph Northam appointed Andrew to the Online Virginia Network Authority for the purpose of providing a means for individuals to earn degrees and postsecondary education credentials to online degree and credential programs. Currently, Andrew serves on several appointed boards including Virginia’s Innovation Partnership Authority and the Northern Virginia Community Foundation board. |
Winson Heng is a Retired Principal in Deloitte Consulting Government and Public Services Practice. He provided technology and management consulting services to Public Sector clients. 
Amy Shang, Executive Advisor, Ascend National; Former HSBC - EVP, Strategic Implementation (Regulation) for North America
Bhavini Amin is a senior executive with 25+ years of experience driving strategy, growth, and operations across fintech, banking, investment management, and lending organizations at CoreLogic.
Ms. Abiusi holds various roles in Inclusion & Diversity: US Executive Sponsor of the Asian Pacific American Employee Resource Group and Accenture Federal Services Inclusion and Diversity council. Ms. Abiusi graduated in 1996 from Johns Hopkins with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and served on the University’s elite Alumni Council for two terms. In her personal life, Ms. Abiusi is married with two children: a seventeen-year-old daughter and a thirteen-year-old son. Ms. Abiusi is a National Park lover and a self-professed soccer mom |
Wes was formerly a global executive at the IBM corporation. He has held several senior executive positions throughout Asia, Europe, and the US. He has been responsible for multiple international lines of business, global sales and operations, the Venture Capital Group, and business development assignments for emerging markets. Wes was also the first Pan-Asian American to be appointed Executive Assistant in IBM's corporate office, serving the Chairman, CEO, President, CFO, and Senior Vice President of Human Resources. He chaired IBM's Asian Diversity initiatives, where he was recognized as the "conscience & guardian" of the Asian community throughout IBM. Wes served on the boards of many professional and community organizations, such as the Business Advisory Council for the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) and international venture capital firms. He was recognized as one of the "Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business" by the Asian American Business Development Center and received the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) Dynamic Achievers Award. Today, he advises on business development, diversity, equity and inclusion, leadership and talent development initiatives with major international universities, global corporations, and senior management teams. Wes is an executive advisor and co-developer of Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, Asian American Executive Program. He also serves as an executive advisor to Ascend. He was previously an officer and served on Ascend's national board. Wes has multiple degrees from NYU's Stern School Of Business. He was a member of IBM's Certified Client Director Profession through the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. |
Urvi Bham is CEO and Founder @ Vikara Risk & Compliance Solutions | Risk and Compliance Advisory Services. Prior to starting her venture, Urvi worked at Bank of America as Senior Vice President (SVP) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) where she was highly successful in developing firm-wide risk and control strategies to address global complex issues, towards sustaining a strong risk culture within the Bank’s risk appetite. Urvi’s Executive Mentors | 2 background also includes leadership tenure with Freddie Mac, America Online and Ernst & Young LLP. She is highly regarded for developing next generation leaders and leading diverse multi-disciplinary teams through direct and indirect influence. Urvi is a strong advocate for her community and consistently reaches back to pay it forward. At Bank of America, Urvi sponsored the Asian Leadership Network. She is an Advisory Board Member for Ascend Greater Philadelphia Chapter, a member of the Ascend Greater Washington Corporate Executive Leadership team, a motivational speaker, and an executive coach. Urvi holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Pittsburgh. Urvi resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and two children. |
Previously, Ms. Meher-Homji spent a number of years in executive search where her client work included placing Board Directors, CEOs, Presidents, and C-Suite Executives across multiple industries. She was a Partner and Leader of Global Development at Korn Ferry for eight years and also served on the firm's Diversity & Inclusion Council. Previously, she was at Russell Reynolds Associates where she worked across multiple industries and launched operations to establish the firm's presence in India. Earlier in her career, she served as a global relationship manager for Fortune 500 companies at the Corporate Executive Board where she managed clients within the U.S. and Australia. Ms. Meher-Homji is the Board Chair for APIA Scholars, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Society for International Development, and the International Public Management Association for HR, and has served on the boards of Girl Rising and the YWCA USA. She currently serves on Gartner’s Recruiting Customer Advisory Board. She holds a M.A. degree in International Affairs and Economics from Old Dominion University and a B.A. degree in International Studies and English Literature from Aquinas College. |
Ian Asvakovith is the Co-Founder and CEO of Piedmont Fund Services, Inc., an award-winning fund administrator for hedge funds, private equity, venture capital, and institutional investors headquartered in the Washington DC Metro area with offices in New York, Kuala Lumpur, and Manila. At Piedmont, Ian advises his clients from pre-launch to various stages of their business lifecycle. As a member of Piedmont’s leadership committee, Ian is responsible for developing growth strategies and long-term vision for the firm. Ian is a frequent speaker at alternative investment conferences and investor roundtables. Ian was recognized as Top 10 Best CEOs by Industry Era Magazine and 2020 Top Hedge Fund Solution Provider for Piedmont’s technology innovation in the marketplace. Ian is also an honoree for 2021 Ascend Trailblazer Award for his leadership and commitment to the Asian American business community. Prior to co-founding Piedmont in 2005, Ian was with the global asset management division at Ernst & Young in New York, where he oversaw the audits of hedge funds, private equity funds, fund of funds, broker-dealers, and mutual funds clients with assets under management ranging from $100 million to $200 billion. In addition, Ian served on various consulting projects including internal control reviews, forensic accounting, and internal audit outsourcing. At EY, Ian also served as the first Co-Chair of EY/Asia for the Tri-State Area. An entrepreneur at heart, Ian started his first business in his college dorm room at UC Santa Barbara. Ian is a certified public accountant (Inactive) in the State of California. Ian is a graduate of the University of California Santa Barbara with a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics with Accounting Emphasis. Ian serves on the executive committee/board of directors for a number of professional organizations and is actively involved with various charitable organizations in the Washington DC Metro area. Ian resides in Northern Virginia with his wife and three young children. |
Sara Abiusi is the Quality and Deputy Delivery lead for Accenture Federal Services. In this role, she is responsible for the quality and delivery of all client-facing work for Accenture Federal Services. Prior to that Sara spent 25 years supporting and delivering large complex technology modernization programs for Civilian and State and local clients. 
Wes Hom, Former IBM Vice President and Managing Director; Executive advisor and co-developer of Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, Asian American Executive Program; Executive Advisor, Multiple Asian Community NGOs.
Aimée Meher-Homji is the Senior VP of Global Talent Acquisition at Nielsen and is Executive Sponsor of its Native American BRG. Previously, she was the VP of Talent Acquisition at Adidas and a member of its Global DEI Council. Prior to that Aimée served as the VP of Talent Acquisition at Sodexo also served as Co-Executive Sponsor for PANG, Sodexo’s Asian American EBRG. Ms. Meher-Homji’s career spans 20+ years of experience in talent acquisition, sales and strategy across the public and private sectors on a global platform. Her experience also includes leadership roles include the Global Inclusion & Diversity Recruiting Lead and the Global Operations Lead for Leadership Recruiting at Accenture.