Cathay General Bancorp, the holding company for Cathay Bank (the "Bank"), elected two new members, Ann Yee Kono and Elizabeth Woo, to the Board of Directors of the Company and the Bank respectively at the Company Annual Stockholders Meeting on May 13, 2024, and the Banks Board of Directors meeting held yesterday. Ann Yee Kono is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Leda Advisory Group, a management consulting firm that partners with asset managers to advise on growth and scale. Prior to Leda, among her many accolades, Ms. Kono spent 11 years at Ares Management Corporation ("Ares"), a global alternative investment manager operating in the credit, private equity, and real estate markets, where she held the position of Chief Information and Risk Officer and oversaw Ares operational, investment, and enterprise risks. Prior to that role, Ms. Kono also held the positions of Chief Technology Officer and Head of Operations at Ares. Ms. Kono has over 25 years of experience in the finance industry focused on operational scale and digital transformation and holds a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance. Elizabeth Woo is a Lecturer of Accounting at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Ms. Woo spent over 20 years in the accounting and financial services sector and has accumulated extensive business, accounting, and auditing acumen from her tenure at public accounting firms. Prior to her academic endeavors, Ms. Woo previously served as the Head of Audit Methodology and Managing Director at Crowe, LLP and was a Senior Manager in the National Assurance Office of BDO, LLP. Ms. Woo holds a Master of Business Administration degree and is a Certified Public Accountant. "I am pleased to welcome the two new members to the Board," says Dunson K. Cheng, Executive Chairman of the Board. "Ann is a seasoned c-suite executive with tactical and strategic insights and a strong track record of risk management, and Elizabeth comes with a deep knowledge and understanding of data analytics and audit oversight. Their expertise and fresh perspectives are invaluable to us. We are excited to have them on board and look forward to their contribution at Cathay."

Cathay General Bancorp Announces Two New Board Directors

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Ann is a Member of the Board of Directors at Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc. since December 2020. She is the Chief Executive Officer of Leda Advisory Group, a management consulting firm she founded in January 2019. Ann is also a Member of the Board of Directors at Siepe since July 2022. She is the Founder of Leda Advisory Group and a Co-Founder of TeachAAPI.

Previously, Ann served as a Board Member at Stable Road Acquisition Company (SPAC) from December 2019 to August 2021 and at Treehouse Real Estate Investment Trust, Inc from January 2019 to December 2020. Her experience includes being a Partner, Chief Information and Risk Officer at Ares Management Corporation from April 2007 to December 2018 and working at Western Asset Management as a Mortgage Operations Manager and Head of Global Application Delivery from September 2002 to April 2007. Ann was also the Head of Software Development at WHN.com from October 2000 to April 2001 and a Senior Systems Manager at John Hancock Financial Services from 1999 to 2000.

Ann holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance from USC Marshall School of Business (Sep 2002 - Jun 2005) and a Certificate in Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare from MIT Sloan School of Management (May 2023 - Jul 2023).

Elizabeth is a Board Member at Cathay Bank since May 2024. She is an experienced Audit & Assurance leader with over two decades of expertise in US accounting and auditing standards (GAAP, GAAS, PCAOB). Elizabeth is also a Lecturer at UCLA Anderson School of Management since March 2018 and an Accounting Consultant since March 2020. Prior to these roles, she served as Managing Director, Head of Audit Methodology, National Assurance at Crowe from December 2013 to March 2020. Elizabeths earlier experience includes positions at BDO USA, LLP from October 2002 to November 2013, where she held roles from Associate to Senior Manager, National Assurance Office. She holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management (2009) and a BA in Accounting and Music from UCLA (2002).

Cathay Bank of Los Angeles, California provides personal and commercial banking and financial services. The Bank accepts deposits, makes loans, checking accounts, and issues credit and debit cards, as well as home equity financing and foreign exchange services. Cathay Bank operates in the United States.

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Cathay General Bancorp Announces Two New Board Directors