"You can try to develop self-awareness and take a beginner's mind in all things. This includes being open to feedback and truly listening, even when it might be hard to receive. I think that's been something I've really tried to practice. The other area is recognizing that just like a company or country, as humans we have many stakeholders. You may wear many hats in different ways. So as we think of the totality of your life over time, what's your portfolio of passions? How do you choose—as individuals, as society, as organizations, as humans and families with our loved ones and friends—to not just spend your time and resources, but really invest your time, resources, and spirit into areas, people, and contexts that bring you meaning and where you can build a legacy? So it's not so much advice, but more like a north star." - Sabastian V. Niles

Fresh out of the studio, Sabastian Niles, President and Chief Legal Officer at Salesforce Global, joins us to explore how trust and responsibility shape the future of enterprise AI. He shares his journey from being a high-tech corporate lawyer and trusted advisor to leading AI governance at a company whose number one value is trust, reflecting on the evolution from automation to agentic AI that can reason, plan, and execute tasks alongside humans. Sabastian explains how Agentforce 3.0 enables agent-to-agent interactions and human-AI collaboration through command centers and robust guardrails. He highlights how organizations are leveraging trusted AI for personalized customer experiences, while Salesforce's Office of Ethical and Humane Use operationalizes trust through transparency, explainability, and auditability. Addressing the black box problem in AI, he emphasizes that guardrails provide confidence to move faster rather than creating barriers. Closing the conversation, Sabastian shares his vision on what great looks like for trusted agentic AI at scale.

Episode Highlights
[00:00] Quote of the Day by Sabastian Niles: "Portfolio of passions - invest your spirit into areas that bring meaning"
[01:02] Introduction: Sabastian Niles, President and Chief Legal Officer of Salesforce Global
[02:29] Sabastian's Career Journey
[04:50] From Trusted Advisor to SalesForce whose number one value is trust
[08:09] Salesforce's 5 core values: Trust, Customer Success, Innovation, Equality, Sustainability
[10:25] Defining Agentic AI: humans with AI agents driving stakeholder success together
[13:13] Trust paradigm shift: trusted approaches become an accelerant, not obstacle
[17:33] Agent interactions: not just human-to-agent, but agent-to-agent-to-agent handoffs
[23:35] Enterprise AI requires transparency, explainability, and auditability
[28:00] Trust philosophy: "begins long before prompt, continues after output"
[34:06] Office of Ethical and Humane Use operationalizes trust values
[40:00] Future vision: AI helps us spend time on uniquely human work
[45:17] Governance philosophy: Guardrails provide confidence to move faster
[48:24] What does great look like for Salesorce for Trust & Responsibility in the Era of AI?
[50:16] Closing

Profile: Sabastian V. Niles, President & Chief Legal Officer, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabastian-v-niles-b0175b2/

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. The proper credits for the intro and end music are "Energetic Sports Drive." G. Thomas Craig mixed and edited the episode in both video and audio format. Here are the links to watch or listen to our podcast.

Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia

Analyse Asia Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kkRwzRZa4JCICr2vm0vGl

Analyse Asia Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/analyse-asia-with-bernard-leong/id914868245

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"I quote a study that looked at  84 countries in terms of internal migration and India was dead last. That's not a knock against the culture. It's just not part of the culture that young women in particular leave home at 17, go to the other side of the country and work in a factory. You don't have that. So what's the phrase: Culture eats strategy for breakfast. Apple might have a plan, but  like good luck upending 5,000 years of Indian culture to make it happen." - Patrick McGee, author of "Apple in China"

Fresh out of the studio, Patrick McGee, San Francisco correspondent for the Financial Times and author of "Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company" joined us in a conversation to unravel the extraordinary story of how the world's most valuable company became inextricably entangled with China. Patrick shared the backstory behind Apple's century-defining Faustian bargain and progressed through how he uncovered the untold story of Asia's contract manufacturing history through Apple's supply chain point of view. He unpacks the famous "Apple Squeeze" philosophy of paying suppliers minimally while providing invaluable training, and shares fascinating stories from characters like the ruthless negotiator Tony Blevins to the tragic figure of Jackie Haynes. Throughout the conversation, Patrick demonstrates how Apple inadvertently created China's contract manufacturing capabilities and explains why the company's current attempts to diversify to India face insurmountable cultural and political barriers. Last but not least, he argues that Apple's very success in China has become its greatest vulnerability, trapped in a relationship where going too fast risks Beijing's ire, while going too slow means remaining stuck in an increasingly untenable position.

Episode Highlights:
[00:03] Quote of the Day by Patrick McGee
[01:00] Introduction: Patrick McGee, author of "Apple in China"
[03:12] Lessons from Patrick's Career Journey
[05:13] March 15, 2013: Xi Jinping's political awakening - Apple's first "oh shit moment" in China, just 12 hours after his inauguration
[10:25] Apple's manufacturing DNA - why they control supply chains differently than other tech companies
[12:09] The secret pyramid: ID → PD → MD - how Apple's industrial design gets translated into manufacturing reality
[16:11] Terry Gou's legendary call: "I can fix this" - the moment Foxconn became Apple's key manufacturing partner [19:38] OEM vs ODM strategy: Why Terry Gou chose to never compete with clients, focusing on vertical integration instead
[25:00] Tony Blevins' ruthless negotiations: "We don't have time for you to read the contract. You just need to sign it now"
[26:45] The "Apple Squeeze" revealed: "We won't pay you much, but the experience will be invaluable"
[28:27] Staggering impact: Apple trained 28 million people - greater than California's labor force, 6x Singapore's population
[34:03] The Gang of Eight: Apple's first senior team living in China to navigate political pressures
[41:45] Chinese dominance: Huawei, Xiaomi, and others now control 55% of global smartphone market share
[48:08] Apple's double whammy: Supply Chain locked in China and TSMC
[52:37] Apple's impossible balancing act in India: "Go too fast, risk Beijing's ire. Go too slow, remain stuck"
[53:11] Jackie Haynes tragedy: Apple's failed attempt to improve worker conditions caught between operational demands and Xi Jinping's crackdown
[57:09] Closing

Profile: Patrick McGee, Author of "Apple in China": https://appleinchina.com and San Francisco correspondent for Financial Times LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prmcgee/

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. The proper credits for the intro and end music are "Energetic Sports Drive." G. Thomas Craig mixed and edited the episode in both video and audio format. Here are the links to watch or listen to our podcast.

Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia

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"At IBM, we really work on two emerging technologies: hybrid cloud and AI for enterprise. These two are deeply connected. Hybrid cloud for us means that regardless of where the data sits whether the compute is on-premise, off-premise, or across multiple clouds. We believe the client should have the control and flexibility to choose where to run and place their data. If you look at the facts, a very high percentage of client data is still on-premise. It hasn't moved to the cloud for obvious reasons. So, how can you scale AI if you don’t have proper access to that data? AI is all about the data. That’s why we believe in a strategy that redefines and rethinks everything. We call it the Great Technology Reset." - Hans Dekkers

Fresh out of the studio, Hans Dekkers, General Manager of IBM Asia Pacific, joins us to explore how enterprise AI is reshaping business across the region. He shares his journey with IBM after business school, reflecting on the evolution of personal computers to AI today. Hans explains IBM's unique approach combining hybrid cloud infrastructure with AI for Enterprise, emphasizing how their granite models and data fabric enable businesses and governments to maintain control over their data while scaling AI capabilities. He highlights customer stories from Indonesian telecoms company to internal IBM transformations, showcasing how companies are re-engineering everything from HR to supply chains using domain-specific AI models. Addressing the challenges of AI implementation, he emphasizes the importance of foundational infrastructure and governance, while advocating for smaller, cost-effective models over GPU-heavy approaches. Closing the conversation, Hans shares his vision for IBM's growing presence in Asia as the key to enterprise AI success.

Episode Highlights:
[00:00] Quote of the Day by Hans Dekkers
[01:00] Introduction: Hans Dekkers from IBM
[05:00] Key career lesson from Hans Dekker
[06:51] IBM focuses on two emerging technologies: hybrid cloud and AI for Enterprise, deeply connected
[09:27] "Your data needs to remain your data" - IBM's fundamental AI principle for enterprise clients
[10:00] IBM's approach: Small, nimble, cost-effective AI models that can be owned and governed by clients
[13:59] "The cost of AI is still too high. It's about a hundred times too high" - IBM CEO's perspective on AI costs
[14:44] Small domain-specific models example: Banking AI trained for financial analysis, not Russian poetry
[18:00] IBM's internal transformation: HR, supply chain, and consulting completely re-engineered with AI
[21:18] Major partnership announcement: Indonesian telecom embracing IBM's watsonx platform
[22:23] AI agents demo: Multiple agents (HR, finance, legal) debating and constructing narratives
[25:00] "Everyone talks about AI equals GPU" - Hans wishes clients understood that inferencing is more important
[27:00] IBM's Asia Pacific vision: Reestablishing growing presence and differentiated technology approach
[28:00] Closing

Profile: Hans Dekkers, General Manager IBM Asia Pacific and China: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hans-a-t-dekkers/

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. The proper credits for the intro and end music are "Energetic Sports Drive." G. Thomas Craig mixed and edited the episode in both video and audio format. Here are the links to watch or listen to our podcast.

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"If you take a step back and ask, how has the last 10-15 years panned out? The truth of the matter is that Southeast Asia has not done as well as it should have based on the reports and projections that existed earlier. There have been fundamental flaws from a culture standpoint with respect to how the ecosystem has been shaped. I think there has been too much of a mirror of what's happening in Silicon Valley and figuring out how to replicate those concepts in Southeast Asia, whereas there should have been a better, more localized, customized, regional model to suit the culture and concepts in this region. We've mirrored our fundraising, our entire ecosystem to be too much like Silicon Valley - blitzscaling style model, power law style investing which in hindsight, maybe were not the right approaches. There's also been an over-reliance on funding." - Mohan Belani, CEO & Co-founder of E27, Partner at Orvel Ventures

Fresh out of the studio, Mohan Belani, CEO and co-founder of E27 and partner at Orvel Ventures, joins us to explore his 15 years of journey shaping Southeast Asia's startup ecosystem. In the conversation, Mohan reflected on the evolution of Southeast Asia's ecosystem through different eras and offered his perspectives in how startups need to navigate the current funding winter in Southeast Asia. He also shared the spark that inspired him to set Orvel Ventures and how the investment thesis will fit better for the Southeast Asia region. Last but not least, he offered his vision what great would look like for Orvel and E27 in the next decade.

Episode Highlights:
[00:01:00] The Spark from Silicon Valley
[00:03:00] Foundational Lessons for Entrepreneurs
[00:07:00] The Origin of E27
[00:10:00] E27’s Evolution into a Regional Powerhouse
[00:13:00] Navigating the Phases of Southeast Asia’s Ecosystem
[00:17:00] Media as Ecosystem Infrastructure
[00:20:00] Building Regionally with Roadshows
[00:22:00] Hard Lessons from Regional Expansion
[00:23:00] Adapting to Emerging Tech Waves
[00:25:00] Misaligned Expectations & the Silicon Valley Mirror
[00:28:00] The Birth of Orvel Ventures
[00:33:00] The Orvel Ventures Investment Model
[00:36:00] Red Flags & Green Flags in Founders
[00:40:00] Rethinking Exit Pathways in SEA
[00:45:00] Promising Sectors in 2024
[00:48:00] Thoughts on Governance Failures
[00:52:00] The Need for Critique in SEA Media
[00:54:00] Vision for E27 and Oval Ventures
[00:57:00] Closing and Echelon 2025

Profile: Mohan Belani: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohanbelani/

CEO and co-founder of E27: https://e27.co

Partner, Orvel Ventures: https://orvel.vc

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. The proper credits for the intro and end music are "Energetic Sports Drive." G. Thomas Craig mixed and edited the episode in both video and audio format. Here are the links to watch or listen to our podcast.

Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia

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"I think the why is so important, but it's always not really being asked. Most people want to know, 'What's your growth look like?' or 'How is this offering different from another offering?' Those are the questions we get most of the time. But going back to the real why we actually do this in the first place is the most critical question if you ask me. For myself personally, it is all about having a positive impact in society. We have chosen to go down the route of wellness, fitness, and longevity to have that positive impact, which we believe is extremely important and a strong one whereby I'm personally putting a lot of energy, funds, and capital behind it to ensure we educate the community and society to establish and adopt healthy and active lifestyles that will only benefit the entire population." - Allen Law

Fresh out of the studio, Allen Law, co-founder of MOVE Repeat, chairman of REVL, and principal of Seveno Capital, joins us to explore the holistic approach to wellness, fitness, and longevity across his entrepreneurial ventures. In the conversation, Allen explained his journey from "accidental hotelier" to longevity entrepreneur, outlining the six pillars of longevity. He emphasized that the gap isn't in knowledge but in action, highlighting how his upcoming 38,000 square foot facility in Singapore brings medical, fitness, recovery, sleep, and nutrition services under one roof to help people change their lifestyles. Allen discussed how MOVE Repeat has acquired three brands operating in 50+ studios across five countries and shifted from traditional subscription models to pay-as-you-go to ensure consistent customer satisfaction. Last but not least, Allen describes what great would look like for his fitness, wellness and longevity businesses.

Episode Highlights:
[00:00] Quote of the Day by Allen Law
[01:00] Introduction: Allen Law and his career journey
[04:00] Career Lessons Shared: The importance of first principles and purpose-driven business beyond financial success
[05:45] The six pillars of longevity: sleep, exercise, nutrition, avoiding harmful substances, social connections, and stress management
[08:00] Move Repeat's expansion to three brands across five countries with over 50 fitness studios
[11:45] Change of Business Model from Subscription to Pay as you go in Fitness Clubs focused on customer satisfaction
[18:15] The holistic approach to wellness and why focusing on just one pillar isn't enough
[20:00] Allen's upcoming 38,000 square foot facility combining medical, fitness, recovery, and nutrition services
[26:00] Bridging the gap between wellness knowledge and action through lifestyle change support
[31:00] Using science and data tracking to show measurable improvements in health metrics
[32:00] Democratizing wellness to make longevity accessible for the 50% rather than the wealthy 5%
[35:00] Community building as the foundation for growth in wellness businesses
[38:00] Closing

Profile: Allen Law, Co-Founder, MOVE Repeat, Chairman, REVL Training, Principal, Seveno Capital, Founder, Park Hotel Group.

Allen's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allenlawphg/

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. The proper credits for the intro and end music are "Energetic Sports Drive." G. Thomas Craig mixed and edited the episode in both video and audio format. Here are the links to watch or listen to our podcast.

Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia

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"Now, some people are only ever going to want to use WhatsApp to message the people in their life, and they should be able to carry on doing that and have an incredibly simple experience in doing so. But we're increasingly seeing that users want to use WhatsApp for more than messaging close friends and family. It's why we're doing things like business messaging. It's why we built new features like channels and status and updates tab separate from your personal chats. We think that if we carry on getting the core of private messaging right, it also gives us the opportunity to build more of these features that users want." - Alice Newton-Rex

Fresh out of the studio, Alice Newton-Rex, Vice President and Head of Product at WhatsApp, joins us to explore how the messaging platform balances innovation with privacy for over 3 billion users worldwide. In the conversation, Alice explained WhatsApp's three guiding principles: simple, reliable, and private. She emphasized that the features they say "no" to are often more important than those they approve, highlighting how WhatsApp has evolved beyond personal messaging to include business services that serve over 200 million businesses globally and balancing innovation with trust on how Meta AI is integrated into the platform. Last but not least, Alice describes what great would look like for WhatsApp continuing to be the most private way for people to communicate while maintaining simplicity and reliability at global scale.

Episode Highlights:
[00:00] Quote of the Day by Alice Newton-Rex, VP & Head of Product, WhatsApp
[01:34] Alice's Career Journey from Classics to WhatsApp.
[04:32] WhatsApp's three core principles: simple, reliable, and private.
[06:43] Best product decisions: knowing when to say "no".
[09:43] Mobile-first strategy shapes WhatsApp's business model.
[11:21] Small businesses use WhatsApp extensively in emerging economies.
[13:58] WhatsApp Business ecosystem reaches 200 million users globally.
[16:02] End-to-end encryption forms foundation of WhatsApp's privacy commitment.
[18:38] Features keep core experience simple while adding optional functionalities.
[21:18] User trust prioritized over speed of iteration.
[24:32] Messaging will be how most people interact with AI.
[26:40] AI features: optional, visually distinct, with clear user control.
[32:53] Privacy enables authenticity in everyday communication.
[34:13] Future WhatsApp: keeping simple, reliable, private communication for billions.
[35:35] Closing.

Profile: Alice Newton-Rex, Vice President & Head of Product, WhatsApp

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-newton-rex-4713191a/

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. The proper credits for the intro and end music are "Energetic Sports Drive." G. Thomas Craig mixed and edited the episode in both video and audio format. Here are the links to watch or listen to our podcast.

Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia

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" We did a survey with The Economist globally which obviously included Europe and APAC as well. And we asked the question, 'Does my organization's current architecture supports the unique demands of AI workloads.' Basically 85% said, 'No. We don't have the architecture to support it.' Some partially does, but it needs lots of modifications. So we can still feel a lot of people are still in the early stages and that data point ties back to: 85% of GenAI [proof of concepts] has not gone into production. I think that another interesting point is, 'Does your architecture connect AI application? -your relevant business data.' which is probably nearly even more important for me. Again, it was still about 80%- 'We don't have that.' Because that business data is all over the place. Without the clean data, you cannot get good AI." - Patrick Kelly

Fresh out of the studio, Patrick Kelly, Senior Director for Digital Natives, Startups & Enterprise and Commercial Sales in Southeast Asia at Databricks, joins us to discuss how data intelligence is powering enterprise AI applications in ASEAN. Beginning with his career journey from network engineering to tech leadership across Asian markets, Patrick explained how Databricks pioneered the Lakehouse architecture and integrated generative AI into enterprise workloads. Emphasizing the critical role of data quality in AI success, he showcased compelling customer case studies from across ASEAN and revealed striking generative AI trends in Asia - notably that 85% of organizations lack proper architecture to support AI workloads, reinforcing that clean data remains foundational for effective AI implementation. Patrick concluded by sharing his vision of what success looks like for Databricks in Southeast Asia.

Audio Episode Highlights:
[00:46] Quote of the Day #QOTD
[01:49] Introduction: Patrick Kelly from Databricks
[02:28] Career journey from network engineering to technology sales leadership
[06:43] Lessons from Patrick's career journey
[09:10] The Data & AI total market opportunity in Southeast Asia and How Databricks is poised to capture the market.
[10:08] How Databricks pioneered the Lakehouse concept, combining data lake and data warehouse capabilities.
[15:24] The One Thing that Patrick know about Databricks that very few do.
[17:52] Customer success stories from Grab, GetGo, GovTech to Siam Commercial Bank
[22:50] How Mosaic AI positioned Databricks to develop enterprise-quality AI solutions with customers.
[27:29] Key Trends in Asia Pacific on Generative AI.
[32:23] The Importance of Data Architecture for Enterprises adopting AI.
[35:13] Advice for Businesses on Implementation of AI
[37:25] What does great look like for Databricks?
[41:40] Closing remarks and invitation to the Data and AI Summit.

Profile: Patrick Kelly, Senior Director for Digital Natives, Startups & Enterprise and Commercial Sales in Southeast Asia at Databricks.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-kelly-aab6168/

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. The proper credits for the intro and end music are "Energetic Sports Drive." G. Thomas Craig mixed and edited the episode in both video and audio format. Here are the links to watch or listen to our podcast.

Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia

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"The thing that's most fascinating, we talk a lot about how complex North Korea is here but when you compare it to some of the other illicit groups, particularly those that are sanctioned, say your terrorist organization that's soliciting donations on Telegram or some other social media outlet understanding what that difference in the level of complexity is, I think is really fascinating to actually know about. When we're talking about DPRK, we're talking about laundering of funds through tens of thousands. By the time we're done, it'll be hundreds of thousands of wallets. And then on the other end of it, We have a terrorist organization that was, sanctioned mid last year for facilitating on behalf of Hamas. After they got sanctioned and their addresses that they were using, got seized and disrupted. They got annoyed and they tried to bridge funds with their new Ethereum wallet after they received a few donations and they didn't even have the gas fees to facilitate it. And the transaction,  when we're talking about the difference in the level of complexity here, it is really fascinating to know the nuance and it's not to say that, other nation states, like Russia or Iran don't have any level of complexity. They certainly do." - Andrew Fierman, Head of National Security Intelligence at Chainalysis Inc

Fresh out of the studio, Andrew Fierman, Head of National Security Intelligence at Chainalysis, provides an in-depth analysis of the recent $1.5 billion Bybit hack orchestrated by North Korea's Lazarus Group. Starting from his career journey from traditional banking to blockchain analytics, Andrew shares his expertise on how sanctioned entities operate in the cryptocurrency space and the sophisticated techniques employed by state-sponsored hackers. He explains how blockchain's transparency enables tracking of stolen funds. Andrew details how sanctioned states are increasingly turning to stablecoins and decentralized finance to evade traditional banking controls, while emphasizing the importance of KYC procedures and blockchain analytics in disrupting illicit activities. Last but not least, Andrew shares his perspectives on emerging threats in cryptocurrency security, including how AI-powered deepfakes and digital identity forgery are lowering barriers to sophisticated attacks.

Audio Episode Highlights:
[00:46] Quote of the Day by Andrew Fierman #QOTD
[02:38] Introduction of Andrew Fierman, Head of National Security Intelligence at Chainalysis
[05:54] Differences between traditional financial monitoring and blockchain transparency
[08:22] Explanation of the Bybit hack and how the hack occurred through a third-party vendor
[12:06] Lazarus Group's operational methods and their technical advancement
[15:10] Evolving tactics in the laundering process
[16:18] The importance of patience in tracking and disrupting funds
[19:39] Role of blockchain analytics in identifying and mitigating risks
[19:47] Challenges in tracing through bridges and DeFi protocols
[22:17] Comparison of North Korea's sophistication versus other sanctioned groups
[24:51] How exchanges can bolster their defenses against attacks
[27:52] Discussion of the Chainalysis 2025 Crypto Crime Report
[31:24] Secondary sanctions and their impact on international crypto payments
[35:28] Regulatory challenges around decentralized finance platforms
[37:42] Dusting attacks and their implications for everyday users
[40:43] Emerging threats in the crypto space
[41:38] Lowering barriers to sophisticated attacks through AI and deepfakes
[44:11] What success means for the crypto industry in fending off sanctioned groups
[46:35] Closing

Profile: Andrew Fierman, Head of National Security Intelligence at Chainalysis Inc https://www.chainalysis.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-fierman-87511611/

Chainalysis Crypto Crime Report: https://go.chainalysis.com/2025-Crypto-Crime-Report.html

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. The proper credits for the intro and end music are "Energetic Sports Drive." G. Thomas Craig mixed and edited the episode in both video and audio format. Here are the links to watch or listen to our podcast.

Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia

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"When I discuss with senior leaders, interview them, or assess them for senior roles, they often come to me, and I ask them: 'What makes you unique? How do you see yourself?' Eighty percent of them tell me what they can't do. They talk about their development needs, and I say, 'Is that how you pitch yourself? Is that what you really bring to the table? You sit with a headhunter and tell me what you can’t do—why not tell me what you’re really good at?' Your exceptional value-add, your competitive advantage—that’s what makes an impact, not what you cannot do. Development needs require a mitigation strategy, yes, but I believe that focusing on your unique strengths will take you further in your career." - Mark Reinecke

Fresh out of the studio, Mark Reinecke, SVP of Top Executive Management and Talent Acquisition at Airbus, shares his approach to the full life cycle of global talent management from acquisition to development and retention. Starting from his career journey, Mark shared his experiences and mental models in recruiting, developing and retaining top talent while emphasized how the STAR program in Airbus can gather experts from areas outside of Airbus to provide different perspectives on how the aviation industry can learn from best practices in other industries given the emerging technologies. Last but not least, Mark shared his perspectives on what does great look like for global talent management.

Audio Episode Highlights
[00:46] Lead with your unique strengths, not weaknesses
[02:05] Introduction of Mark Reinecke, SVP at Airbus
[02:41] Mark's career journey from automotive to aerospace
[05:47] Key career lessons: daily learning and focusing on strengths
[07:09] Mark's role managing top 250 leaders at Airbus
[09:02] Approach to analysing global talent landscape
[10:39] Integrating outside talent into aviation industry
[12:54] The STAR Program: creating an ecosystem of external expertise
[17:51] Challenges of integrating external talent into aviation culture
[20:38] Airbus's tailor-made onboarding process with buddy system
[21:40] Two-way learning between Airbus and STAR Program members
[23:20] AI's future role in HR and talent management
[28:25] The underestimated power of genuine professional networks
[32:21] What excellence in global talent management looks like
[34:40] Closing

Profile: Mark Reinecke, Senior Vice President, Top Executive Management and Talent Acquisition and STAR Program Director, Airbus. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-reinecke-6253b015/

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. The proper credits for the intro and end music are "Energetic Sports Drive." G. Thomas Craig mixed and edited the episode in both video and audio format. Here are the links to watch or listen to our podcast.

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"They will judge Masa to have been an extraordinarily consequential investor and historic figure in world investing and tech investing because he has made not just spectacular bets—but he's made so many people rich. I mean, with other people's money. All these founders, he's given them money, he's been an enormous disruptor, and he's built global businesses. He's built a huge business in Japan on the mobile operator. So for all these reasons, I know he sometimes feels dissatisfied with his legacy, and he's now trying to build his greatest legacy in the march to artificial general intelligence. Maybe the legacy will finally be judged by whether this bet pays off. What will his role be in the AI revolution? I would say to him, 'You've done pretty well so far.' " - Lionel Barber, author of "Gambling Man"

Fresh out of the studio, Lionel Barber, former editor of the Financial Times and author of "Gambling Man" joined us in a conversation to unravel the enigmatic figure of Masayoshi Son, the CEO of SoftBank Group. We began with Lionel's career journey as the former editor of Financial Times and why inspired him to work on this book. We progressed how he put together a nuanced portrait of Masa as a resilient outsider whose Korean-Japanese heritage fueled his drive to succeed in Japan's stratified society and shared stories of Masa's evolution from software distributor to global tech investor with Vision Fund. Lionel explains how this "eternal optimist" has consistently ridden technological waves for four decades while making and losing billions. He unpacks Masa's unique investment philosophy of thinking big, his revolutionary $100 billion Vision Fund that disrupted venture capital norms, and his latest half-trillion-dollar bet on AI. Throughout the conversation, Lionel reveals the complexity behind the caricature, arguing that history will remember Masa as an extraordinarily consequential figure in global tech investing despite his mixed record of spectacular wins and losses.

Episode Highlights:
[00:46] Introduction to Lionel Barber and his book on Masayoshi Son
[01:34] Lionel's journalism career origins
[03:57] Key lessons from Lionel's career
[05:25] What makes Masayoshi Son unique
[06:33] The resilience behind Masa's character
[07:49] The "Gambling Man" and core themes
[10:38] Challenges in documenting Masa's story
[13:07] How Masa's Korean heritage shaped him
[15:49] Defining moments in Masa's business career
[18:33] Evolution from software distributor to global tech conglomerate
[22:21] Masa's dual roles: operator and investor
[24:21] Understanding Masa's investment philosophy
[31:30] How Masa changed tech investing
[34:30] The hardest question about Masa
[35:23] Masa's historical legacy
[39:10] Closing remarks and book recommendations

Profile: Lionel Barber, Author of "Gambling Man"

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lionel-barber-473826135/

X: https://x.com/lionelbarber?lang=en

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:yv5ux5l7lcvmxexdswey5hqx

Gambling Man Profile Page: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Gambling-Man/Lionel-Barber/9781668070741

FT Profile: https://www.ft.com/lionel-barber

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. The proper credits for the intro and end music are "Energetic Sports Drive." G. Thomas Craig mixed and edited the episode in both video and audio format. Here are the links to watch or listen to our podcast.

Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia

Analyse Asia Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kkRwzRZa4JCICr2vm0vGl

Analyse Asia Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/analyse-asia-with-bernard-leong/id914868245

Analyse Asia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnalyseAsia

Analyse Asia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/analyse-asia/

Analyse Asia X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/analyseasia

Analyse Asia Threads: https://www.threads.net/@analyseasia

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