Women of Ascend: Presence & Brand – Navigating Your Corporate Career with Authenticity, Impact, and Influence

Ascend GW proudly presents the second session of our Women of Ascend series, a three-part fireside chat series designed to empower Asian American women professionals in their leadership journeys.

Join us for another empowering and candid fireside chat looking to sharpen your executive presence and elevate your personal brand—without compromising authenticity.

Whether you're a Senior Manager, Junior Partner, or an ambitious leader on the rise, this conversation will dive deep into a reality many of us navigate daily: how we’re perceived in the workplace matters. As Carla Harris of Morgan Stanley puts it, “Perception is the co-pilot to reality.”

Our second session Women of Ascend session will tackle topics such as: 

• Why visibility isn't vanity—it's strategy. 

• How to define your personal brand in 3 powerful words.

• The cultural roadblocks many of us face when trying to “show up” in leadership.

• How to promote your brand without sounding like you’re promoting yourself.

• Real tactics that work—shared by leaders who’ve been in your shoes.

This isn’t just another leadership talk. It’s a space to connect, reflect, and walk away with actionable insights you can use immediately.

Join senior leaders from EY and a Founder and CEO of her own company who’ve navigated this journey firsthand. You’ll gain a real-world perspective on how to be seen, heard, and valued—on your own terms!

Dinner’s on us! Come for the food, stay for the fire conversation.

This session is eligible for CPE credits.

Featured Speakers:

Alexandra Gurney is a Principal within EY’s Government and Public Sector (GPS), bringing 30+ years of management consulting experience in the public and private sectors, including government, utility, security, pharmaceutical, hi-tech, and paper industries. She has 20+ years of providing strategic and operational consulting services to a myriad of clients in the Federal Civilian market. She links intimate knowledge of client missions to build and deliver insightful and practical solutions. She brings particularly deep experience with Federal Government Transformation and Strategy, having supported a number of strategic initiatives that have helped government organizations modernize and optimize their mission and mission-enabling operations.

In 2011, Alex joined the EY GPS practice to help expand its presence within the Civilian sector of the Federal Government. She led the growth of numerous accounts from the ground level, including Department of Transportation, General Services Administration, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.  She has served in various leadership capacities within GPS, including as the Federal Civilian subsector leader and Global Client Service Partner (GCSP) for the noted accounts.  Presently she serves as the GCSP for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which is one of the largest accounts within GPS. 

During the past year, Alex led and sponsored the acquisition of a highly successful woman-owned small business to accelerate the growth of the DHS business. She has focused on successfully integrating the company into EY and establishing a robust account team structure to position it for accelerated growth.  

Alex is active in community service, has co-chaired EY’s Pan Asian Professional Network, and regularly mentors and sponsors EY professionals for career advancement.  She is a wife to Joe Gurney and a mother of two daughters, Isabel (a sophomore in college) and Lily (a freshman in high school).

Sree Mitra is the founder of Q Studio, a cognitive performance company focused on upskilling the workforce with mind skills. Her personal mission to make mental fitness a priority in the workplace and in the everyone's lives led her to form Q Studio.

Prior to founding Q Studio, Sree spent over 25 years with EY and Deloitte, and consulted many notable global organizations on their business strategies, operational and financial processes, and risk management. One of her key responsibilities as a Partner at EY involved frequent interactions with the Boards of Directors, Audit Committees, and CXOs on matters related to strategic transformations and operational efficiency.

In her various leadership roles, Sree has led teams in multiple countries, bringing them together with a shared vision and purpose. She is consistently sought as a role model and mentor by women professionals.

Sree is passionate about contributing to the entrepreneurship ecosystem. Through her various sponsorship and advisory roles, she brings her deep business expertise and access to a wider network of resources, helping innovate programs and stratups scalable and sustainable.

• Date and Time: June 17th, 7:30pm

• Location: EY Tysons Corner Office,1775 Tysons Blvd, McLean, VA 22102

• Who Should Attend?  Asian American women professionals ready to elevate their careers

• Food: Dinner (special Bento boxes including noodles, three small plates, 1 bao bun, and dessert)

Register today and be part of the conversation! 

Know Before You Go:

• Member Tickets are $25, Non-Member Tickets are $50

• Dinner and dessert will be provided.

• Event is open to all (members and non-members).

• Guests must pre-register for the event (walk-ins are not permitted).

• Ticket sales will end once ticket limit is reached. Limited seats available.

• Registration information will be shared with Ascend GW.