Clout Asia

My guest today is Natalie Lowe, an Aussie entrepreneur who has built her brand and business in Asia.

In 1999, Nat packed her bags with $1,000, bought herself a one-way ticket, and flew to Singapore. 20 years on and she is still in Asia and has built a thriving creative agency business headquartered in Shanghai with her husband.

We talk about Nat’s struggles with her identity as a global citizen versus the girl growing up in Sydney’s inner West, the importance of communication, and never believing failure to be an option.

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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Sydney · Singapore · Hong Kong · Shanghai

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DRINK: Coffee (lots of it)
MUSIC: Lose Yourself by Eminem 
MOVIE: Fight Club
PERSON: Natalie's Father

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 Andy Curtain, a recovering comedian having spent years touring China and Asia performing in Chinese and English.

Andy is currently the APAC Head of Comedy for Asia, at US multinational entertainment company, Live Nation.

Andy’s Asia journey started in the same way he ventured into comedy - on a whim.

After moving to Shanghai in 2009, Andy built a thriving local comedy community that fostered the rise of stand-up comedy in mainland China.

He owned and ran Shanghai’s Kung Fu Komedy Club, before moving to Hong Kong to launch the ill-fated Riff comedy club.

We talk about lawyers becoming comedians, language as a tool to help unpeel the layers of a city, a Canadian becoming China’s “favourite foreigner”, and eggplants.

 

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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Melbourne· China · Hong Kong

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FOOD: Eggplant
MUSIC: She Came to My Concert by Jacky Cheung 张学友《她来听我的演唱会》
SHOW: Dwelling Narrowness 《蜗居》
PERSON: Dashan 大山

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

Karan Anand is the Managing Director for Australia at fintech company Hnry.

Unlike my other guests, I didn't know much about Karan's background apart from what was on his LinkedIn, but we had a great conversation. Perhaps it was because our journeys were so parallel yet so different.

We discuss Karan's experience growing up in Darwin as the only kid with a turban and delve into the inspiration behind his creation of a community that empowers Sikh young professionals.

Today, Karan cuts across cultures and diasporas, standing at the forefront of revolutionizing how freelancers and self-employed professionals approach taxes. As the Managing Director for Australia at Hnry, he tackles a universal issue faced by many in Western nations.

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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FOOD: Butter Chicken

MUSIC: Enter Sandman by Metallica 

TV SHOW: The West Wing

PERSON: Virat Kohli (Indian cricketer)

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 our mini bonus episode, Lucy interviews Victoria about her new role at the ANU's Centre for Asian-Australian Leadership (CAAL). Victoria shares insights about her position and highlights some of the exciting projects that CAAL is currently involved in. These projects aim to break the bamboo ceiling and encourage more Asian-Australians to take up leadership roles.

More on the Counting for Change project

More on the William Ah Ket Leadership Program (applications close Sunday 25 June 2023 at 5pm AEST)

More on the Centre for Asian-Australian Leadership

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

Victoria Kung is an Australian-born Chinese to Shanghainese and HK parents.

At uni, Victoria was one of the few Asians who studied English Lit and Philosophy. Upon graduation, she took a non-linear career path and accepted an offer to study international relations at Tsinghua University. After returning to Australia, she joined the Australia China Business Council and later the School of Asia-Pacific at ANU.

Since our interview, Victoria has joined the esteemed Jieh-Yun Lo at the ANU’s Centre for Asian-Australian Leadership.

We delve into Victoria's cherished childhood comfort food - Shengjianbao, her most influential figure, and the challenges she faced professionally upon returning to Australia, as companies did not recognize the value of her experience in Asia.

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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FOOD: Pan-fried Pork Buns 生煎包

SONG: Simple Love by Jay Chou 《简单爱》 

TV SHOW: Nothing but Thirty《三十而已》

PERSON: Victoria's Mother

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

James Scullin is the Programs Director at Asia Society.

James' Asia journey started when his Melbourne school made Mandarin studies compulsory for the first four years of high school.

James and I first crossed paths via our China connection. But what intrigued me about his Asia journey was his experience leading guided tours to North Korea, which later inspired him to create a photo book documenting the hotels in the country’s capital city.

We talk about the juxtaposition of China’s rapid development versus its enduring cultural identity, I discover James’ love for Japanese surf rock, and we dive behind the scenes into his time in North Korea, including the making of his book Hotels of Pyongyang.

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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FOOD: Pyongyang cold noodles

MUSIC: Takeshi Terauchi

TV SHOW: Early movies by Zhang Yimou

PERSON: Ri So Hyang (North Korea tour guide)

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

Joanna Capon is an Art Historian, Industrial Archaeologist, curator, writer, art consultant, cataloguer, and lecturer.

Joanna was born in the UK, and her interest in Asia, specifically China, began when she received the book The Dragon Fish by Pearl S Buck for her 8th birthday.

In 1974, Joanna travelled to China for the first time, and since then, visited almost all of its provinces, mostly to visit Museums and Buddhist sites.

We talked about her memories of her first time in China, walking across the bridge that connected HK to Guangdong, her excitement when she flew over the Yangtze River, and how she saw the country and people grow over the past 50 years.

Welcome to Clout Asia, where we ask our guests to take us on their journey to Asia capability and nominate a food, song, TV show, and person that captures the essence of this remarkable journey.

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FOOD: Steamed Crab

SONG: East is Red

TV SHOW: Martial Arts Series

PERSON: Mr Han (Joanna's first China tour guide)

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

Andrew Nip is a Chinese-Australian born to Shanghainese parents in Hong Kong.

Andrew moved to Australia when he was in Year 7 and lived in Sydney until 2012 when he moved to Shanghai with his former employer, Hays.

11 years later, Andrew is still in Shanghai and is now the Director of Talent for LVMH Fashion Group APAC, and the proud father to a 5-year-old son.

Professionally, Andrew is passionate about helping businesses see the true potential of maximising talent capabilities, through innovative HR practices and building an inclusive culture.

Personally, he’s a big advocate for supporting the next generation of talent and is involved in a number of volunteering commitments across both education and consulting.

We talked about Andrew’s Chinese-Australian identity, building empathy, connecting with people through words, and the rise of Asian leaders and how multinationals should reframe their definition of leadership as it relates to the Asian market.

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FOOD: Chicken Noodle Soup

SONG: Finding Nemo Soundtrack

TV SHOW: The West Wing

PERSON: Andrew's Wife

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

Friska is Indonesian-Australian and has worked for the biggest names in mining, engineering and technology, leading change programs that have influenced over 20,000 people across 6 continents, transforming organisations to enable them to better respond to the changing environment.

Not just a global change management leader, Friska has led by example for women in business and women in leadership, and Friska regularly speaks and advocates for minority women in leadership on the global stage at events such as TEDx, Women in Tech, Women in Leadership, Future of Mining Sydney.

We asked Friska to take us on her journey to Asia capability by nominating a food, song, movie, and person that help us understand what being an Asia-capable Australian is all about.

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FOOD: Durian

SONG: Gregorian monk chanting

MOVIE: Minari directed by Lee Isaac Chung

PERSON: Esther Perel

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

James Oswald is an Aussie in Beijing who has had more careers than he's had farmers union ice coffee. Not only does he have a doctorate in Asian Studies, but he's also a qualified electrician. Jimmy's career has crossed the fields of translation, policy research, and government relations, leading him in taking on the cloud industry in China as Product Manager for AWS

We asked Jimmy to take us on his journey to Asia capability by nominating a food, song, movie, and person that help us understand what being an Asia-capable Australian is all about.

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FOOD: Yóu Miàn "Oat Noodles" 莜面 (special mention to 莜面窝窝)

SONG: Friend《朋友》 by Wakin Chau 周华健

BOOK: The Importance of Living by Lin Yutang

PERSON: Associate Professor Xianlin Song

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