For the first time this year, CRIEC had the honour of shining the spotlight on the remarkable achievements of Asian professionals who are helping shape Calgary’s social, economic, and cultural fabric. Asian Professionals Making History in Calgary 2025 is more than just an awards celebration—it’s a tribute to the leadership, creativity, and perseverance of a diverse community.
From trailblazing professionals to emerging voices, the individuals we honour have navigated complex journeys—often balancing cultural expectations, systemic barriers, and the challenges of building new lives in Canada. Their stories remind us of the strength found in heritage and the power of community.
Asian Professionals Making History in Business
Cindy Rogers
Originally from Vietnam, Cindy Rogers brings over 25 years of experience in accounting, finance, and operations, with deep expertise in both the energy and private sectors. A recognized thought leader, she has served as a subject matter expert with the Association of Financial Professionals since 2013, contributing to the development of the globally respected FP&A certification. Currently the CFO at ICM Asset Management, she oversees financial strategy for a firm managing over $2 billion in assets.
Beyond her corporate achievements, she is a passionate advocate for equity, social impact, and inclusive investment. She mentors internationally trained professionals through CRIEC and serves on its Board of Directors, while also sitting on the advisory boards of The51 and the UCeed Social Impact Fund at the University of Calgary. Whether championing diverse talent or supporting ventures that drive change, she’s committed to building a better Calgary—with the support of her husband and two daughters by her side.
Asian Professionals Making History in Technology
Akshay Gulati
Akshay Gulati is a passionate Cloud Engineer, community builder, and technology advocate. He is the founder of Tech Connect Alberta and AMG (Aspire. Motivate. Give.)—two grassroots initiatives focused on empowering individuals and small businesses through technology, mentorship, and skill development.
With a strong foundation in IT and a heart rooted in service, Akshay has dedicated his efforts to bridging the gap between opportunity and access—particularly for underrepresented communities, newcomers, and aspiring entrepreneurs.
Through his mission-led leadership, Akshay has launched programs such as AI literacy workshops for youth, cybersecurity training for seniors, and volunteer-powered digital transformations for local businesses. Under his guidance, Tech Connect Alberta has become a thriving network of professionals and changemakers building a more inclusive, tech-enabled Alberta.
Since 2024, Tech Connect has directly supported over 80 individuals in securing meaningful employment opportunities through upskilling, mentorship, and networking initiatives. Akshay also leads Tech Connect’s Women Entrepreneurship Program, offering free digital support to help women launch and grow their businesses. In collaboration with partners like the Calgary Food Bank, he continues to champion purpose-driven innovation and community impact.
Asian Professionals Making History in Advocacy – Equity Deserving Communities
Anne-Marie Pham
Anne-Marie Pham is a nationally recognized leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion with over 25 years of experience advancing workplace and community belonging across Canada. As former CEO and current Vice-President of Engagement at the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI), she works with over 700 employers, schools, and organizations to build a more inclusive society.
Anne-Marie has dedicated her career to strengthening partnerships, facilitating dialogue, and equipping leaders to embed equity and anti-racism into their work. She has held senior roles across government, corporate, and non-profit sectors, and was the inaugural Executive Director of Action Dignity (formerly the Ethno-Cultural Council of Calgary).
A passionate community-builder, Anne-Marie has co-founded numerous grassroots initiatives including the Asian Professional Network of Calgary, the Calgary Vietnamese Youth Association, the Calgary Diversity and Inclusion Network, and the most recent National Council of Asian Canadians.
She has served on the boards of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, the City of Calgary’s Anti-Racism Action Committee, contributing her expertise in governance, public policy, and intercultural dialogue. Bilingual in English and French, and fluent in Vietnamese, Anne-Marie is a sought-after speaker, advisor, and the host of Leader Talks Podcast, committed to fostering a more equitable, respectful, and united Canada. Anne-Marie received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee award and the Alberta Centennial Medal for her community service.
Cesar Cala
Cesar’s experience spans many fields – community development, social innovation, popular education, coalition building and social advocacy. Before moving to Canada in 1996 with his life partner Marichu Antonio and their two children, Cesar was involved for more than 15 years in social movements in the Philippines and other parts of the world on issues of human rights, democratic reform, people’s participation and grassroots development.
In Calgary, he first worked with the Developmental Disabilities Resource Centre where he helped initiate community-based collaborations to support vulnerable Calgarians. He later worked with the Calgary Foundation and United Way of Calgary where he led in establishing citizen-led grantmaking and community hubs. At the Foundation, he directed Calgary’s first Vital Signs initiative.
In 2018, he worked with the Office of the Deputy Premier in Alberta as Special Advisor. With other community advocates, he helped establish a number of community organizations like the Ethno Cultural Council of Calgary (now known as ActionDignity), Asian Heritage Foundation of Southern Alberta, the Children’s Legal and Educational Resource Centre and Filipinos Rising.
He was a Board Member of Oxfam-Canada and the Arusha Centre. He currently is on the Board of Directors of Calgary Scope Society and Filipinos Rising. He continues to advice civic organizations like Calgary Arts Development, Asian Heritage Foundation, the Act2End Racism and the Art for Social Change Network Guiding Collective. He occasionally lectures at the University of Calgary on community development and social justice.
Cesar has received several awards for his work. These include the Alberta Centennial Medal in 2005, Immigrant of Distinction for Community Service in 2009, the Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, the Governor General Caring Canadian Award in 2015 and the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2023.
Today, Cesar continues to pursue several interests, mentoring and being mentored by emerging leaders on issues of identity, leadership and community inclusion, exploring the intersections of art, social justice and community empowerment, and developing new tools for research, community engagement and social innovation that incorporate equity, diversity and inclusion.
Teresa Woo-Paw ECA
Teresa is a tireless advocate for diversity, social inclusion and active civic participation for almost 50 years. She is known for her ability in bringing diverse people together to joint efforts, break new grounds and create bigger impacts in society.
She is the first Canadian woman of Asian descent elected to the Calgary Board of Education (1995-2000), the Alberta Legislature and Cabinet Minister in Alberta (2008-2015).
Teresa holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in social work from the University of Calgary. She founded and built eight non-profit entities over a span of 45 years including Action Dignity (Ethno-Cultural Council of Calgary) and DiverseCities (Calgary Chinese Community Service Association). She has worked with almost 100 organizations in Canada.
Teresa received Governor in Council appointment and is the Chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation since 2018. She is the Founder and Chair of Actions, Chinese Canadians Together-ACCT Foundation and created the Inspire to Lead Chinese Canadian Leaders’ Summit and the Aspire to Act Leadership Training Program. Teresa created the Asia Canadians Together -ACT2EndRacism Network and now Co-Chair of the National Council of Asian Canadians. Teresa is founder and current Chair of Asian Heritage Foundation; Board member of Calgary Arts Foundation; City of Calgary- Chinatown Working Group.
Teresa’s is a regular presenter on issues of equity, inclusion and leadership at conferences, post-secondary, business, professional, public institutions and civil society education sessions and events.
Asian Professionals Making History in Health
Lucy Reyes RN, MN
Lucy Reyes is an example of an Internationally Educated Nurse who was able to overcome the many challenges of an Internationally Educated Nurse and created many successes.
Her passion for the Nursing profession got her elected to sit on the provincial council of the Alberta Association of Registered Nurses (College of Registered Nurses of Alberta). for two terms a total of 6 years’ experience in professional governance culminating with a Vogel Award for Exemplary Service to the profession.
Lucy Reyes has contributed more than four decades of progressive and diverse experience in acute and ambulatory settings as a frontline clinical manager, health informatics specialist, and as a project management leader to several organizational initiatives.
More recently, she was instrumental in connecting patients living with a Cardiac Electrical Implantable Devices (CIED) remotely from their homes to their clinics in both urban and rural areas, thus reducing their travels to the clinics especially during the winter times. This project received the HQCA Patient Experience Award in 2020, the Canadian Council of Cardiovascular Nurses Patient Advocacy and Health promotion Award in 2021.
Lucy is also the recipient of the Filipino Women’s’ Net-work Global (FWN.org) award in Health Innovation and Thought Leader in 2021 and the 2022 the Alberta Queen Elizabeth II Golden Platinum Award.
Dr. Anmol Kapoor
Dr. Anmol Kapoor is a visionary cardiologist, parallel entrepreneur, and global health innovator transforming the future of precision medicine.
As the founder and CEO of BioAro Inc., CardiAI Inc., and several other MedTech, Digital Health and Blockchain ventures such as The Bio Sport: Empowering Superhumans, Biongevity: Longevity with Biology, Vautra: A Web 3 Data Storage Platform, Anryton: Layer One Blockchain Network, he is pioneering breakthroughs in genomics, AI, and blockchain to create more predictive, preventative, and personalized healthcare.
With over 70 global patent claims spanning AI, quantum science, blockchain, medical devices, and digital platforms, Dr. Kapoor is reshaping how we manage and understand human health.
He is also the co-founder of the Dil Walk Foundation, a registered Canadian charity delivering free heart care to underserved populations, and the recipient of multiple international humanitarian awards. In May 2025, he launched his family office at Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) in Abu Dhabi, anchoring a portfolio valued at over $1 billion USD.
Asian Professionals Making History in Law
Lillian Pan
Lillian Pan is a senior practitioner at Dentons Canada LLP who focuses on commercial litigation, including the areas of business litigation, securities, product liability, shareholder disputes, energy and employment litigation among other things.
She has appeared before many levels of court, including the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, the Alberta Court of Appeal, the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Ontario Superior Court and the Federal Court; as well as the Alberta Securities Commission and the Ontario Securities Commission.
Lillian is passionate about mentoring and an advocate for diversity. She is a senior advisor and mentor to the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (FACL) since 2014, and an instructor in the trial advocacy programme at the University of Calgary Law School.
She is the Vice Chair of the Board of the Chinatown Business Improvement Area, which assists the business community of Calgary Chinatown. She is part of the China Services Desk for Dentons Canada LLP and a member of the Dentons Diversity and Women’s LEAD groups.
She is starting her second term as a Board member for United Way Calgary. She frequently teaches or is a panelist for The Advocates’ Society (TAS) and served for 4 years on its National Board. TAS has over 6000 litigation members across Canada.
Lillian has been a partner at three different law firms – one on Bay Street in Toronto, the second at a mid-sized law firm in Calgary and joined Dentons Canada LLP as a partner in 2017. She has practiced for over 35 years as a civil litigator. She speaks Mandarin fluently, coming to Canada as an immigrant at the age of 6 years old.
In November 2019, Lillian was awarded the Leadership in the Profession & Private Practice Award in the 9th Annual WILL Awards which is described as a lawyer who has shown extraordinary leading in a number of areas namely mentoring of law students and junior lawyers, demonstrated leadership in law and diversity initiatives, and a commitment to being a positive role model for other lawyers. Additionally, Lillian was the recipient in February 2025 of the Law Society/CBA Distinguished Service Award for Service in Promoting Equity, Diversity & Inclusion in the Legal Profession.
Asian Professionals Making History in Research and Academia
Dr. Qian Liu
Dr. Qian Liu is Assistant Professor of Law and Society in the Department of Sociology at the University of Calgary. She is a law and society scholar with research interests in the place of law in everyday life, legal cultures, legal profession, dispute resolution, and law and family relations.
Dr. Liu is currently working on a research project on dispute resolution within the Chinese community in Alberta and British Columbia (funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada) and another project on the lived experiences of Asian Canadian lawyers (funded by UCalgary Faculty of Arts EDIA Grant).
Dr. Liu is the author of Leftover Women in China: Understanding Legal Consciousness through Intergenerational Relationships (University of California Press, 2025). She has published numerous articles in top-tier journals and received the Asian Law and Society Association Distinguished Article Award in 2024.
Her research has also been featured in BBC World News and The Canadian Press. As a passionate educator, Dr. Liu’s outstanding contributions to teaching and learning have been recognized by the 2024 University of Calgary Teaching Award for Full-Time Academic Staff.