Clout Asia

For the past two years, I’ve had the privilege to tell the stories of Australians and their journey to Asia capability.

These are unique stories but also lived experiences shared by many Australians.

I hope that these stories gave you a glimpse of the diverse fabric of what it means to be Australian, the dynamic region of Asia, and the many different opportunities that building Asia capability can bring.

For our last episode, I am here with Peter Osborne, board director, advisor, surfer and Buddhist. I met Peter in Shanghai when he was the Managing Director Asia for Blackmores. By the time Peter left Blackmores, the Asian market accounted for 50% of the company’s profits.

We talked about Blackmores' successes and failures in Asia, Peter’s plateaued Chinese language skills, and how it’s never too late to build an Asia career.

Welcome to Clout Asia, where we ask guests to take us on their journey to Asia capability.

To help us understand, what being an Aussie with Clout, is all about.

I’m Lucy Du, and here is Peter.

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Noosa • China • Taiwan • Fiji • Bhutan • Nepal • Singapore • Asia

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FOOD: I'm a huge fan of Xiao Bing for breakfast, I guess it's the taste, the texture and the process to make them and they are such a classic Taipei breakfast and I've eaten them ever since my first trip to China in 1984 !

MOVIE: Once Upon a Time in China 《黄飞鸿》 I've done a lot of martial arts in my life and Jet Li is without doubt one of the greatest practitioners of Shaolin Wushi ever. The martial arts and Wong Fei-Hung's story in the movie(s) are so classic and I must have watch the movies 100 times I think  

PERSON: Audette Exel, AO. Audette is the founder and Chair of Adara Development and is a truly inspiration person and I have been a big supporter of Adara for many years, including doing a big project with Michelle Garnaut (of M on the Bund) sources PPE from China during 2020 to ship to Adara hospital in Uganda as Covid ravaged the world.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cloutasia.substack.com

Hi everyone,

Today’s a bittersweet moment, as Clout Asia comes to an end.

For our penultimate episode, I am here with Louise Tran, a strong advocate for Asian-Australian leadership and a leading profile in the food and sustainability sector.

Louise is the child of refugee parents, who fled Vietnam in the 70s.

Although growing up with privilege and opportunity, it was her parents story that shaped how Louise viewed her purpose, and ultimately how she saw she could make an impact not only in Australia, but in Vietnam.

Welcome to Clout Asia, where we ask guests to take us on their journey to Asia capability.

To help us understand, what being an Aussie with Clout, is all about.

I’m Lucy Du, and here is Louise.

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Sydney • Vietnam

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FOOD: Pho

MOVIE: Food Fighter. A documentary about OzHarvest CEO Ronni’s crusade as she partners with the United Nations, rubs shoulders with royalty and Jamie Oliver's juggernaut, rifles through dumpster bins, and holds government to account.

PERSON: Louise’s maternal Grandma

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cloutasia.substack.com

In this episode, I am joined by Weh Yeoh, a formidable force contributing to redefining the for-purpose space. Weh is the author of Redundant Charities and co-founder of Australian social enterprise Umbo.

The youngest in a family of doctors, surgeons, and pharmacists, Weh’s initial goal was to build an empire of physiotherapy clinics in Australia. When he realised that wasn’t his dream, he moved to Asia. It was Asia that helped Weh understand more of his Asian heritage, and Asia that took Weh out of his Sydney-bubble and showed him a perspective and opportunity of how he could make an impact.

Weh’s Clout is his decades of work in the social impact space, bringing his education and expertise into some of the world’s most needed places. He also has the humility to focus on building sustainable models for the for-purpose sector.

We talked about cliche moments, the importance of language and other qualities that are crucial for success in the for-purpose sector, and how reducing dependency on charities is key to making a long-term impact.

Welcome to Clout Asia, where we ask guests to take us on their journey to Asia capability.

To help us understand, what being an Aussie with Clout, is all about.

I’m Lucy Du, and here is Weh Yeoh.

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Sydney • China • Vietnam • Cambodia

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FOOD: Shanghai soup dumplings 小笼包 Xiǎo lóng bāo

MOVIE: Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India. It’s a Bollywood movie about a new land tax in India and how the villagers revolt, and then they get the British lords to agree to play them in a game of cricket - with the winner deciding whether or not the tax goes ahead.

PERSON: Weh’s 95-year-old Grandma

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cloutasia.substack.com

Welcome back to Season 3 of Clout Asia. For our first episode, I am joined by Penny Burtt, the former CEO of Asialink, Australia’s leading institution for driving Asia engagement and building Asia capability.

Born and raised in her early years in Penang, Malaysia, Penny’s calling to Southeast Asia started long before her extensive career across government, not-for-profit and corporate.

Penny’s Clout speaks for itself. A former senior diplomat, Penny represented Australia in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. She has held leadership positions with global multinationals in the region and is currently based in Singapore at a US fintech unicorn.

In my conversation with Penny, she helped break down to first principles, the importance of learning language, understanding culture, and why Australians should not just be thinking of Asia as it related to trade in goods, but also as a destination to invest and to engage in the services and digital economy.

Welcome to Clout Asia, where we ask guests to take us on their journey to Asia capability.

To help us understand, what being an Aussie with Clout, is all about.

I’m Lucy Du, and here is Penny Burtt.

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Penang • Sydney • Kuala Lumpur • Jakarta • Singapore

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FOOD: Thai food (despite never lived in Thailand)

BOOK: Anything by award-winning Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng. Currently reading Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang-Bo-Reum

PERSON: Peter Varghese

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cloutasia.substack.com

For our final episode in Season 2 of Clout Asia, I am joined by Edwin Chu, a Sydneysider who has had a compelling career in the commercial real estate sector across Asia.

Edwin started his career in financial services in the middle of the GFC, so in 2009, he decided he would put his career in asset management on hold, and relocate to Shanghai to study Mandarin.

Despite not fully mastering the language of his forefathers, Edwin’s Clout is his ability to stay relevant in a fast-moving market - He oversaw the development of Shanghai's iconic Xintiandi precinct and later managed a staggering $1.2 billion dollar commercial real estate fund for Capital Land, one of Asia's largest real estate groups.

Our conversation delves into Edwin's unique experience navigating his Australian-Chinese heritage in the context of Chinese culture, both in the workplace and inside vibrant KTV rooms.

We talk about the evolving landscape for foreigners in China and the need to up their game to stay competitive in the workforce.

We discuss the potential for impact and growth as an Asian-Australian in the Australian landscape.

And we unravel the captivating story of Howqua, a figure often overlooked, and his significant role in connecting China to the world.

Welcome to Clout Asia, where we ask Australians to take us on their journey to Asia capability by choosing a food, song, show, and person that captures the essence of their experience.

To help us understand, what being an Aussie with Clout, is all about.

I’m Lucy Du, and here is Edwin Chu.

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Sydney • Shanghai

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FOOD: BBQ “烧烤 shāo kǎo” and skewers “串串 chuàn chuàn”

MUSIC: California Love by Tupac

MOVIE: Comrades: Almost a Love Story

PERSON: Howqua

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cloutasia.substack.com

My guest today is Reggie Ba-Pe III, the founder of creative venture studio AWZA, and one of the great minds behind Shanghai’s nightlife scene in the mid to late-2010s.

Reggie is a Burmese-born Australian creative entrepreneur living in Melbourne with an incredible catalogue of entrepreneurial pursuits in Asia.

After a spontaneous decision to work in Shanghai as a music producer in 2006, Reggie saw an opportunity to bring a different type of music and nightlife culture to China’s youth. He kickstarted his 13-year stint in Shanghai with the groundbreaking promotion company STD and eventually gave birth to one of Shanghai’s legendary underground hotspots, Arkham.

Reggie’s Clout is about injecting diversity into Shanghai’s creative scene through music. He brought in underground music influences from Australia and elsewhere in the world and helped foster the evolution and identity of Shanghai’s youth culture.

We talk about Reggie’s personal creative inspirations, take a nostalgic walk back to 2015 Shanghai, and his advice on how Australian creatives should think about collaborating with and leveraging Asia today.

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Yangong • Rockhampton/Brisbane • Tokyo • Shanghai • Melbourne

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FOOD: Awzar - Burmese custard apple

MUSIC: Trent Reznor/NIN

MOVIE: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

PERSON: Björk

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cloutasia.substack.com

My guest today is Wesa Chau, the CEO and founder of Cultural Intelligence and one of the few Asian-Australians who ran as a candidate in the last Victorian state election.

When she was 7, Wesa moved to Australia from Hong Kong with her family. Despite growing up in 90s Australia and the pressures to fit in, Wesa liked being different from others. She was proud of her Chinese heritage, and the Chinese culture that came along with it like language, food and her favourite - martial arts movies.

Wesa’s Clout is the role that she played to advocate for the Asian Australian communities in Australia - first, for Chinese international students during her time at uni, and later giving a platform for Asian-Australians to have a stronger voice in Australia’s multicultural dialogue.

We talked about the moment Wesa understood the impact advocacy could make to a community. Wesa’s own pathway from a girl who never put her hand up in class to someone leading more visibility amongst Asian-Australians across the Australian discourse, and her reflections on how cultural understanding for organisations and individuals can help give the Chinese diaspora a stronger voice and influence in Australia

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Hong Kong • Melbourne

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FOOD: Fishballs 鯪魚球 Líng Yú Qiú

MUSIC: Relaxing healing music with Chinese guqin or flute

SHOW: Who Rules the World 《且试天下》 Qiě Shì Tiānxià

PERSON: Penny Wong

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cloutasia.substack.com

My guest today is Tom Parker, the Commercial Business Advisor at New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and the Vice President of the Australia China Business Council in Victoria.

Tom’s Asia journey was seeded in his mind when he saw his mum attend night school to study Chinese. Coupled with some rallying words from his Uncle Sharkey gave Tom enough encouragement to pursue studying Chinese in high school, then later at uni.

Tom’s Clout is the ability to bring his China know-how back to Australia to help Australian businesses, and later leverage that same skillset to drive engagement with the Chinese-Australian communities, both here in Australia and in China, through the one thing that unites Australians, sport.

We talked about Tom’s first memories of visiting China in the early 90s, how he got inspired by a professor wearing a tuxedo shirt which led him to do his thesis on a Chinese pop singer, and later setting up his own business in the Australia-China space and leading the first AFL regular season match for premiership points in China.

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Melbourne • Beijing • Shanghai

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FOOD: M&Ms

MUSIC: Teresa Teng 邓丽君

MOVIE: Hard Boiled《辣手神探》by John Woo

PERSON: Geremie Barmé

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cloutasia.substack.com

My guest today is Celeste Koravos, a Principal in Decarbonisation & Energy Transition at Xodus, focusing on Japanese investors in Australia and their partnerships with Australian companies to achieve Net Zero.

Celeste’s choice to study Japanese in high school led her to gain experience working as a foreign lawyer in Japan, and also to lead one of Australia’s oldest business organisations in the Australia-Japan space.

To me, Celeste’s Clout is her ability to leverage her Japanese language capability and understanding of the Japanese business culture to help build a stronger Australia-Japan community in Victoria, and to build partnerships that help connect Australian and Japanese expertise and capital.

We talked about Celeste’s experiences working in Japan, how she sees Australia’s expertise in helping Japan in their goal towards decarbonisation, how learning Japanese has shaped her Australia-identity and the Japanese contribution to female empowerment.

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Melbourne · Tokyo

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FOOD: Tokyo Banana

MUSIC: Noriko Tadano

BOOK: The Courage to be Disliked

PERSON: Celeste's Family

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cloutasia.substack.com

My guest today is Kevin Wang, Product Manager at a Ride-hailing Company.

Kevin’s Asia journey started in his birthplace Nanjing, where he lived until he moved to Sydney when he was 10. Kevin’s career has spanned across Asia, spanning financial payments platforms, a global digital advertising agency, and now SEA’s largest ride-hailing platform.

To me, Kevin’s Clout is having the conviction to leverage his language and cultural abilities, whilst being able to successfully build expertise within the technology verticle that cuts across all regions.

We talked about Kevin’s China experiences, being a bilingual Chinese-Australian but yet somewhat foreign in his birth country. And we talk about his perspectives as an Asian-Australian who has built a career in tech, on Australian innovation and the role that Asian-Australians play to uplift the Australian tech workforce.

Welcome to Clout Asia, where we ask Australians to take us on their journey to Asia capability by choosing a food, song, show, and person that captures the essence of their experience - to help us understand, what being an Aussie with Clout, is all about.

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Nanjing · Sydney · Beijing · Chengdu · Singapore

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FOOD: Bread soaked in fishhead soup 鱼头泡饼 Yú tóu pào bǐng

MUSIC: Chengdu by Zhao Lei 趙雷《成都》 

SHOW: Good Life《生活万岁》Shēnghuó wànsuì

PERSON: Kevin's Kiwi manager who hired him to move to China

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cloutasia.substack.com