ABROAD STAGE

Why does China launch at 80% while Europe waits for 120%? Patrik Ziman, CFO for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan at Boehringer Ingelheim, joins ABROAD STAGE to discuss China vs Europe, cross-cultural leadership and building an international career.Originally from Slovakia, Patrik has worked across six countries during 18 years with the same company. His career took him through Central Europe, Russia, Germany and China, bringing his wife and two daughters along for a life of new schools, languages and cultures.Now based in Shanghai, he shares what working in China has taught him about decision-making, motivating teams and questioning the European habits he once took for granted.One of his clearest examples is product development. In his view, Chinese businesses are often willing to launch, gather feedback and improve while European teams are still testing. By the time Europe is ready, a competitor may already be on its third version. But he also challenges the assumption that being busy means being efficient, or that the differences can be explained simply by who works harder.We discuss why an international promotion does not motivate everyone, why a “yes” might not mean agreement and how WeChat brings business communication and private life together in China.As a finance leader, Patrik explains three skills that helped him grow: making decisions with incomplete information, communicating across departments and speaking confidently at every level of a company. He also shares what he looks for when hiring, why developing your successor matters and how his understanding of leadership changed after university.Beyond work, we talk about raising children abroad, the competitive school environment his family encountered in China, cultural attitudes towards money and how living in Asia changed his view of Europe.Best parts of the episode:🌍 Working across 6 countries with 1 company🌍 Moving abroad with children and starting again🌍 Why overseas career opportunities do not motivate everyone🌍 WeChat and the reality of doing business in China🌍 Being busy vs. being efficient🌍 China’s 80% approach vs. Europe’s pursuit of perfection🌍 What Europe can learn from China and where it still has strengths🌍 Money, savings and long-term economic planning🌍 3 essential skills for an international finance career🌍 What a CFO looks for when hiring🌍 Career advice for young professionals who want to work abroadIf you are building an international career, managing multicultural teams, considering a move to China or trying to understand Chinese and European business culture, this conversation offers a perspective shaped by working and raising a family across borders.What should Europe learn from China, and what should China learn from Europe? Share your perspective in the comments.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━👤 GET IN CONTACT WITH PATRIK ZIMAN🔗 LinkedIn:  / patrikziman  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎙 ABOUT ABROAD STAGEHosted by Oana, ABROAD STAGE explores the lives and careers of people who built a life abroad.Each conversation looks at international careers, entrepreneurship, leadership, cultural differences and the personal lessons that come from starting again in another country.

In this episode of ABROAD STAGE, we sit down with Daniel Yoo, Chief Representative of VDMA in Shanghai, to explore China’s manufacturing transformation and the international career that gave him a front-row seat.Born and raised in Germany with Korean roots, Daniel first came to Shanghai in 2004 on a university exchange. He originally imagined a future in Korea, but his experience in China changed that plan.A connection from his student days led to his first job in Shanghai. Later, a conversation on a football pitch introduced him to a mentor and an opportunity to work in business consulting. He shares how networking, curiosity and saying yes to unfamiliar opportunities shaped his life abroad.Today, Daniel supports German and European machinery companies navigating the Chinese market. We discuss Germany’s “hidden champions”, why German engineering alone no longer guarantees sales and how faster decision-making help companies respond to China speed." A German manufacturer might be proud of a machine built to last 20 years, while a Chinese customer needs something that fits the next five", Daniel explains. Understanding your customer matters as much as the technology you bring.We also explore China’s robotics industry, humanoid robots, embodied AI and the future of manufacturing. Daniel shares the story he heard during a NIO factory visit: just two years from planning to operation. He discusses Chinese electric vehicles, Chinese companies expanding into Europe, and where he sees opportunities for German businesses.Beyond business, we talk about expat life in Shanghai, the reality of entrepreneurship, leading a young team and overcoming the fear of moving abroad. Daniel also explains how he uses artificial intelligence for video production and his daily work.Best parts of the episode:

• 🌍 How networking and opens career opportunities
• 🌍 Germany’s hidden champions and growing Chinese competition
• 🌍 Why companies need local empowerment to match China speed
• 🌍 When German machinery is more than the customer needs
• 🌍 China’s humanoid robots and the next wave of automation
• 🌍 Building an international career outside your comfort zone

If you work in manufacturing, robotics, automation or international business, are doing business in China or are considering living and working abroad, this episode is for you.What should European companies learn from China’s speed? Share your perspective in the comments.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━👤 GET IN CONTACT WITH DANIEL YOO🔗 LinkedIn -   / daniel-yoo-8aa2379  🌐 VDMA China - https://www.vdma.eu/en/office-china━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎙 ABOUT ABROAD STAGEABROAD STAGE is a podcast about people who stepped outside their comfort zone and built extraordinary lives around the world.Every episode explores international careers, entrepreneurship, personal growth, identity and the lessons learned from living abroad.Subscribe for more conversations about building a life and career abroad.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⏱ CHAPTERS00:00 Intro01:22 First Time in China08:58 How Shanghai Has Changed15:15 Building a Network in China19:23 Football, Mentorship and Business Consulting22:21 Homesickness and Settling Abroad26:02 What VDMA Does for German Companies in China29:24 Hidden Champions and Chinese Competition32:00 Making German Industry More Visible39:38 China Speed and Local Empowerment41:54 Why Companies Struggle to Adapt to China45:38 Can Chinese Companies Succeed in Europe?47:46 Opportunities for German and Chinese Industry49:37 China’s Robotics Boom and Humanoid Robots53:48 NIO’s Factory and the Meaning of China Speed55:28 Learning from Failure and Leading a Young Team59:41 Advice for Moving Abroad1:02:30 Keeping Up with AI and Robotics1:04:25 How Daniel Uses AI at Work

In this episode of ABROAD STAGE, we sit down with Jürgen Brunner, CEO APAC at AGILOX China. His 26 year international career has taken him across Europe, the Middle East, Australia, the United States and China.His career changed in 2003 when he took on an Australian project nobody else wanted. That decision opened the door to the United States and, in 2010, what was supposed to be a 5 day assignment in China, turned into 16 years here.He explains what it was like arriving in a city where almost nobody spoke English, restaurant menus had no pictures and foreign products were difficult to find. Instead of isolating himself, he learned through local food, local teams and the people who found ways to help him.The career developed alongside China’s transformation. He moved from technical engineering and project management into budgets, strategy, leadership and company management, eventually becoming a General Manager and later CEO APAC.We discuss how Chinese manufacturing evolved from importing European machinery to producing high-quality equipment locally, why China became so competitive in automotive manufacturing and industrial automation, and why international companies must localize to survive in the Chinese market.Jürgen also tells the story of AGILOX. How six founders developed an autonomous mobile robot in a garage after work. Their first trade fair produced dozens of orders before they had a purchasing department or assembly facility. Years later, one LinkedIn comment led Jürgen to join the company and build its China operation and APAC hub in Shanghai.One of the strongest parts of the conversation is his comparison between China speed and European business culture. After years in Asia, returning to an Austrian office felt painfully slow. Small decisions could require three meetings, while Chinese teams were ready to execute and adjust along the way. He believes slow decision-making is affecting Europe’s ability to compete with China and other Asian economies.Beyond business, Jürgen shares what 26 years abroad taught him about patience, adaptability and leadership. He also challenges the idea that university degrees alone create good leaders, arguing that practical experience and vocational education matter just as much.Best parts of the episode:🌍 How a f5 day China visit became a 16-year journey🌍 From engineering and project management to CEO APAC🌍 Why Europe feels slow after working in China🌍 How Chinese manufacturing caught up with Europe🌍 Why global companies must localize in China🌍 The garage startup story behind AGILOX🌍 How living abroad develops stronger leadersIf you work in manufacturing, logistics, warehouse automation, automotive, robotics or supply chain, are building a company in China or APAC, or want to understand European and Chinese business culture, this episode is for you.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━👤 GET IN CONTACT WITH JÜRGEN BRUNNER🔗 LinkedIn:   / j%c3%bcrgen-brunner-3366b813b  🌐 AGILOX: https://www.agilox.net/en/━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎙 ABOUT ABROAD STAGEABROAD STAGE explores the international careers, entrepreneurship, personal growth and lessons of people who built extraordinary lives abroad.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⏱ CHAPTERS00:00 Intro03:04 Working in the United States05:21 The Assignment in China That Changed His Life08:30 What Europe Gets Wrong About China12:13 Why He Stayed in China15:19 How Chinese Manufacturing Caught Up17:14 From Engineer to General Manager19:08 Leadership Mistakes and Learning Patience22:33 Joining AGILOX and Its Garage Startup Story27:28 Startup Culture vs. Corporate Structure28:11 Why Europe Feels Too Slow37:07 How Living Abroad Changed Him38:03 Advice for Moving Abroad40:23 Experience vs. University Degrees

n this episode of ABROAD STAGE, we sit down with Bjarne Bauer, Managing Partner at NAI Sofia Group Shanghai and one of the most experienced voices in China’s commercial and industrial real estate industry.It began with an interest in martial arts and a few Mandarin classes, then he went on to build his own company, join the global NAI network, advise international manufacturers entering China and work on transactions of millions of dollars.Bjarne explains why choosing a cheap factory can become an extremely expensive mistake. A factory might have lower rent, but if it is too far from talent, suppliers, customers and transportation infrastructure, the company may eventually be forced to relocate again. Sometimes moving a container across China can cost almost as much as shipping it from Shanghai to Europe or the United States.We also discuss China’s property crisis, ghost cities, industrial parks, apartment investments and why factories and logistics properties may offer very different opportunities from residential real estate.He's one of the best networkers I have ever met and his philosophy is simple: you harvest what you sow. Bjarne connects people, shares information and creates opportunities for others. Over time, this puts him at the centre of a network built on trust, generosity and long term relationships.On his Youtube channel you can find more info on properties and buildings in China. And as promised, here is the video on the BEST CITY in China according to Bjarne:    • China's Possibly Best City and Province  Best parts of the episode:🌍 How a 1 year China plan became a 22-year journey🌍 Building an industrial real estate company from scratch🌍 Why foreign companies are still investing in China🌍 The truth about China’s property market correction🌍 Renting versus building a factory in China🌍 The hidden costs of choosing the wrong location🌍 How foreign brands fail when they refuse to localise🌍 High context versus low context business cultures🌍 German and Chinese approaches to relationships and contracts🌍 Why apartments may be a questionable investment in China🌍 What outsiders misunderstand about modern China🌍 Undergoing open brain surgery while awake in Shanghai🌍 Why young professionals should experience living abroadThis is a conversation about China, entrepreneurship, industrial real estate, cultural intelligence, networking, trust and what happens when one more year becomes an entire life.If you are considering building a company in China, opening a factory, developing an international career or simply want to understand how business really works on the ground, this episode is for you.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━👤 GET IN CONTACT WITH BJARNE BAUER🔗 LinkedIn:linkedin.com/in/bjarne-bauer-sior-44513329▶️ YouTube:   /  ⁨@crazybuildingscre⁩    🔗 Email:[email protected]━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎙 ABOUT ABROAD STAGEABROAD STAGE is about people who stepped outside their comfort zone and built extraordinary lives around the world.Every episode explores international careers, entrepreneurship, personal growth, identity and the lessons learned from living abroad.Subscribe for new episodes twice a month.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⏱ CHAPTERS00:00 Intro01:21 How Bjarne Ended Up in China07:18 Building His Own Real Estate Company12:07 Are Foreign Companies Still Coming to China?15:41 Should Companies Rent or Build Factories?18:16 The Hidden Cost of Cheap Factory Locations28:08 How He Built a Powerful Network31:29 The Biggest Mistake Foreign Companies Make36:03 China’s Best, Worst and Ghost Buildings39:04 Is Chinese Real Estate Still a Good Investment?47:08 High-Context vs. Low-Context Cultures50:03 Skills Needed for Industrial Real Estate53:10 China’s Economy Explained Through One Building56:50 Having Open Brain Surgery in China1:02:16 How Living Abroad Changes Your Worldview1:03:49 Books That Shaped His Thinking1:04:51 Where to Find Bjarne

Marieke Bossek first came to China in 2007 as an exchange student. What started as a spontaneous decision turned into a 19 year journey that took her from building exhibitions to running German Center Taicang. Now she's preparing to lead German Center Shanghai, a 50,000 sqm ecosystem with office towers and a full business infrastructure. Marieke shares what she sees on the ground every day working with German companies in China.The reality is that you can no longer just put your European product on the Chinese market and expect it to sell. The market is more selective, the competition is fiercer and Chinese competitors are not sleeping, some are already exceeding in certain areas (Evs and robotics are the best examples)Companies that adapt to China speed, win. The ones that don't, fail.What many people don't realize is that for a lot of German companies, the China plant is the global money making machine. Some are shutting down plants in Germany and expanding R&D in China because that's where the customers, the data and the demand are.Marketing is a completely different game too. In Germany, work and private life are separated. In China, everything runs through WeChat (business and personal blended together). If your marketing isn't adapted, mobile first and integrated into platforms like WeChat and Xiaohongshu, you're invisible We dive deep into:🌍 What it was like working at the Shanghai Expo 2010🌍 Why Chinese language skills are a real superpower🌍 The truth about cultural differences between Germans and Chinese🌍 Why 565 German companies chose one small city in China🌍 Why companies that don't adapt to China speed will fail🌍 Marketing in China vs. Germany - completely different playbooks🌍 Stepping into a CEO's role🌍 Career advice for young professionals considering ChinaThis is a conversation about accidental paths, language as empowerment, adaptability, business realities in China and what happens when you stop planning and start living. If you've ever considered building a career in China, working in a cross-cultural environment or simply want to understand how German business really works on the ground in China, this episode is for you.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎙 ABOUT ABROAD STAGEABROAD STAGE is a podcast about people who stepped outside their comfort zone and built extraordinary lives around the world. Every episode explores international careers, entrepreneurship, personal growth, identity and the lessons learned from living abroad. Subscribe for new episodes every week.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⏱ CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction01:04 First Time Moving to China03:47 Exchange Year in Beijing06:45 Family's Reaction to Living Abroad08:06 First Job at Messe Düsseldorf10:41 Biggest Challenges and Failures12:20 Are Germans and Chinese Really That Different14:52 Drinking Culture and Hierarchy19:36 How Taicang Became a German Hub23:15 Advice for Companies Entering China28:37 China Plant as the Global Money Machine29:46 Do Patents Matter in China34:49 What Is German Center39:08 Why the Podcast Studio Is at German Center42:39 What Makes the Market Tough Right Now45:47 Chinese Language as Empowerment49:30 Career Advice for Young Graduates55:01 Long-Term Plans and China's Convenience

Most people dream about living abroad. Few understand the price that comes with it.In this episode of ABROAD STAGE, I sit down with Manuel Murrenhoff, an international business leader, author and global career strategist who has lived, studied and worked across 7 countries and 4 continents.From Germany to the United States. From Vietnam to Kenya. From Nigeria to China.Manuel built his international career from scratch, taking opportunities most people would never consider. Along the way, he experienced culture shock, led teams across different cultures, managed businesses in challenging environments and learned lessons that no classroom could ever teach.In this episode, we dive deep into:🌍 What it really takes to build a global career🌍 Why he moved to Nigeria when almost everyone told him not to🌍 Leadership lessons from managing teams across continents🌍 The biggest differences between Europe, Africa, and Asia🌍 Why China completely changed the way he thinks about business🌍 How environment shapes success🌍 The hidden costs of living abroad🌍 Why curiosity may be the most valuable skill you can develop🌍 What 7 countries and 4 continents taught him about lifeThis is a conversation about international business, risk, growth, identity, resilience and what happens when you choose opportunity over comfort.If you've ever considered moving abroad, building an international career, starting over in a new country or simply expanding your view of the world, this episode is for you.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━👤 GET IN CONTACT WITH MANUEL MURRENHOFF🔗 Website:https://www.manuelmurrenhoff.com🔗 LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/manuel-murrenhoff🔗 YouTube:   / @manuelmarcelmurrenhoff  📚 Book:www.amazon.com/Thriving-Expat-Master-Career-Abroad-ebook/dp/B07V42Q8GY━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎙 ABOUT ABROAD STAGEABROAD STAGE is a podcast about people who stepped outside their comfort zone and built extraordinary lives around the world.Every episode explores international careers, entrepreneurship, personal growth, identity and the lessons learned from living abroad.Subscribe for new episodes!

Francis showed up to China in 2004 after replying an email from a headhunter. He landed in Beijing with np plan, got picked up by strangers and ended up teaching English in some small city in HebeiSounds insane now. Probably was insane then too.But that trip planted the seed for everything that came afterHe went back to Germany, spent years building a career there first. He knew wanting to live abroad and actually being valuable enough to get hired abroad are two completely different things, so he built the resume. Made himself hirable and kept pitching himself aggressively until an Austrian company finally said yes in 2017Francis was very intentional about everything. Nothing happened overnight. Even the move back to China was part of a long game. He just kept showing up until someone saw the value.One of the key lessons from the episode: you need to understand what value you actually bringIn this episode we talk about the difference between expats and what he calls "Flexpats." People who don't just get sent abroad temporarily by headquarters. People who genuinely build a life in another country and create their own path inside a different culture.That identity crisis became the reason he started the Flexpat Podcast.175+ episodes later, it's not just a show, it's an actual community. Online and offline network across China. What started as curiosity turned into a movementHe started the podcast because he was trying to solve his own problems and understand his own life in ChinaWe also go deep into leadership, management, Chinese business culture, language learning, the differences between European and Chinese companies.Francis explains how German companies have deep expertise and structured systems, while Chinese companies move faster and execute aggressively even without perfect systems. And the ideal setup is to combine German quality with Chinese speed (easier said than done, obviously)Chinese learning is another big part of his life.His approach is very practical. Forget trying to memorize thousands of words. Learn 300 to 500 useful sentences. Use them every day and build exposure into your life. Language only sticks when it becomes part of your environment. Family, work, relationships, business negotiations. That's why he eventually wrote the book Chinese On Your Terms.Makes sense. You don't learn a language by studying it. You learn it by needing it.Biggest lesson from the episode is: think deeply about what you want, talk about it openly, keep putting it into the world. Eventually opportunities start forming around it. That mindset shaped his career, his podcast, his network, his entire life abroad.Follow Francis on LinkedIn:   / francis007  Listen to the Flexpat podcast: https://www.chinaflexpat.com/Get the book: https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Sofia-Xavi...

What happens when you grow up across five countries and never fully belong to just one?

In this episode of ABROAD STAGE, we talk about identity, language, culture and how it’s like rebuilding yourself in new environments. Today’s guest has lived across Israel, Hong Kong, France, Canada and China, constantly adapting to new languages, new systems and new ways of thinking.

We went deep into what happens when you spend decades living abroad and stop identifying with just one country, one culture or even one version of yourself. We talk about why China feels faster than the rest of the world, how language changes the way you think and why some people become addicted to movement, challenge and reinvention.

Nil Larom is the founder of Insaight.ai, focused on AI adoption, leadership training, workforce upskilling and helping companies navigate technology in a more human and practical way.

Topics we explore:

• Learning Chinese through work

• Growing up as a third culture kid

• Why China feels more alive than the West

• How different languages change your personality

• Why social media feels increasingly disconnected

• Identity, adaptation and rebuilding yourself abroad

• How technology is reshaping human interaction

• The real danger of AI and generic communication

• The emotional side of never fully belonging anywhere

• Why students should focus on projects instead of only degrees

• The difference between real communication and algorithm-driven content

If you’ve ever lived between cultures, questioned where home is or felt changed by another country, this episode will probably hit close to home.

Reach out to Nil on LinkedIn:   / nillarom  

Follow his work: www.insight.ai

What if career growth doesn’t come from job hopping every two years?

What if it comes from saying yes to uncomfortable opportunities, learning every department inside a business and adapting faster than everyone around you?

Nitin Sanan came to China for 1 week. He never planned to stay. 13 years later, he built a career across all departments. Started as a service engineer, became the only foreigner inside a factory, communicated through drawings when language failed, helped scale operations in China and built a team so loyal they relocated to another city with him.In this conversation, he shares what China taught him about speed, leadership, communication and building a life abroad.

You’ll learn:

• Why living abroad can completely change your standards for speed, execution and ambition

• Why his entire team moved cities with him and what creates real loyalty at work

• Why going back home feels slower after living abroad

• The cultural shocks he faced when first arriving in China

• How he built a multicultural family abroad after meeting his wife in China

• Why starting from the bottom makes better leadersIf you’ve ever thought about moving abroad, building a global career or becoming a better leader, this episode will challenge how you think about growth.

Get in Touch with Nitin on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nitinsanan06

Follow ABROAD STAGE on Youtube for more conversations with global professionals building extraordinary lives far from home: https://www.youtube.com/@abroadstage