About Us

Jason Mugford is a veteran financial technology executive, serving as Ascendant’s Chief Executive Officer since its founding in 2010. Prior to Ascendant, Jason worked as Vice President of Global Corporate Development at Custom House Foreign Exchange (Western Union Business Solutions) from 2001 to 2010.  From 1992 to 2001, Jason served as Director of Global E-commerce at Thomas Cook Financial Services.

Bernard Beck, as the Chief Compliance Officer, brings over 35 years of extensive legal and regulatory experience to Ascendant. He leads a team of legal and compliance professionals to ensure adherence with laws and an effective compliance program. Before Ascendant, Bernard was CCO at Custom House Global Foreign Exchange (Western Union Business Solutions), and prior to that he was a Commander, Financial Crimes in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In 2024, Bernard received the King Charles III Coronation Medal for significant contributions to Canada and British Columbia.

Shemina Jiwani has established Ascendant as a market leader in international payments, since being appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2019. Leading the marketing, sales, payment delivery and banking team, she brings over 20 years of experience in cross-border payments. Shemina has been with Ascendant for over 10 years, leading successful partnerships with Fintech giants such as FIS and Fiserv. Prior to Ascendant, Shemina was with Custom House Global Foreign Exchange, which was purchased by Western Union Business Solutions.

David Ryde, as the Chief Financial Officer, brings over 25 years of extensive experience at large and mid-sized financial institutions. David has a proven track record of leading businesses through significant growth. Prior to joining Ascendant, David was the Chief Financial Officer of Flexiti and the Chief Financial Officer at Sun Life Health Canada.

Iftikhar Ali joined Ascendant as the Chief Information Officer in August of 2012. With over 25 years of experience, Iftikhar oversees technology operations, strategy, and product development. In addition to his role as CIO, he also serves as Chief Information Security Officer, leading the company’s information security strategy and operations.   He is the driving force behind Ascendant’s international payments platform aPay. Prior to Ascendant, Iftikhar was the director of IT at Western Union Business Solutions. 

Ramnath Ramhit leads the UK & Europe region, bringing a wealth of knowledge and a track record of success from 30 years in the foreign exchange payment industry. Prior to joining Ascendant, Ramnath supported a number of high growth PE/VC backed FinTech & Software companies to transform their go to market strategies and effect organizational change. Ramnath’s distinguished career includes significant tenure and senior roles at HSBC Global Markets and Travelex Business Payments.

Jeanne has over 30 years of experience in accounting, tax, and regulation. Jeanne spent a large part of her career working for consultancy firm BDO, as a Client Service Partner. Joining Ascendant in 2017, Jeanne leads the Finance team, ensuring that Ascendant remains fiscally responsible. Jeanne also leads HR and is a champion of employee well-being and promotion.

Gary is an experienced treasury management executive with over 30 years of experience in the international payments space. Gary’s focus is to establish lean, efficient, and profitable operations to support the scaling and monetization of global businesses. Prior to Ascendant, Gary was at Cambridge Global Payments for more than 20 years working in a variety of roles.