Simon Large was born in Hong Kong, spent childhood years in Japan, was educated in Great Britain, then returned to Asia for executive life, currently as Director of Cargo for Cathay Pacific Airways.  A true global citizen, he is curious about the world around him and combines what he learns into a unique worldview.  In this podcast he explains why Hong Kong – no longer British yet noticeably distinct from Mainland China—is an ideal place to live.   And he talks of how China’s diaspora has built among the Chinese an understanding of Western culture, perhaps more accurate than that of Westerners.  He has interesting things to say about millennials of all cultures and their growing appetite to experience the world face-to-face, with the Chinese—in sheer numbers—leading the way.  We also talk about the opportunities presented by the efforts of Asia and the West to communicate and what gets in the way.

Derek Elmer is Founder and CEO of I-On-Asia, a firm that specializes in intelligence gathering and analysis, anti-counterfeiting and what he calls sensitive operations, notably in China.  He shares in this podcast some of what he knows about who is doing what to whom (at least in Asia) and for how much.   He’s got provocative but credible backup for his predictions, among them that the US, Russia, Eastern Europe and China will be involved in armed conflict within the next 3-5 years.  

We talk about that and corruption, anti-corruption, counterfeiting of everything from Nike shoes to cars, how the Chinese manage to send their kids to school in the West for free (it’s all about shrewd real estate purchases) and much more in this can’t-miss episode of Asia and the West.

Hear Digital Media expert David Ko describe his concern about recent destabilizing behaviors around the world and how they threaten efforts to bridge Asia and the West through “open hearts, open minds.”  Much of what Asians perceive of Western culture comes from Hollywood, without similar exposure in the other direction.   China’s recent economic slowdown has affected many companies, but has only increased interest in use of digital media.  So far, so good, says Davis, but hard to predict the impact of a trade war between the US and China could have.

David Ketchum is an American in Asia for the long haul.  He came before Great Britain’s “hand over” of its colonial control of Hong Kong to China and, except for vacations in Maine, is committed to life in Asia. In this podcast he traces the trajectory of his experience, starting with multi-national companies who came into China with the promise of providing investment dollars and technology transfer and job creation in exchange for access to China as a market.  The narrative has changed with the fortunes of China, and David’s been there in the thick of it. His latest business is riding the hockey stick growth of digital with customers who seek help mapping their customers’ journey, a skill set David has built over his years of experience in Asia.  He describes his efforts as a Western entrepreneur working out of Hong Kong and how Hong Kong is morphing into a place that will soon be considerably different in many ways from what it looks and feels like today.    We talk about all this and more, including what the Zhuhai bridge connecting Hong Kong to Macau and Zhuhai symbolizes for Mainland China from a social and cultural point of view and why the sheer size of commerce between the West and Asia makes it so important for us to keep the lines of communication open.

Stuart Spencer, as CEO of Asia Pacific for global insurer Zurich Insurance Company Limited, responsible for over $3 billion P&L, covering 9 countries and 6,000 employees in the Asia Pacific, has 25 years experience in the insurance and financial services industry, spanning the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.  He’s a senior executive whose intelligence spans globally; not only highly knowledgeable about his own industry, but able to see it contextually in light of the powerful geographical and political influences that surround it.  In this podcast conversation, Stuart shares his emotional response as a Westerner arriving in Hong Kong for the first time, and the views he has developed since then, gleaned from his experience in Asia that has spooled out in fascinating ways. Now an “Asia Hand” able to deliver clear answers to questions on the minds of those interested in the next chapter of Asia’s growth, he explains in concise and understandable language what we need to consider in determining whether China—and other developing countries— can succeed, and what that will mean for the West.

In this podcast we talk with Bin Wolfe, who knows a lot about what it takes to attract top talent to work for you in Mainland China.  She is Managing Partner of EY (Ernst & Young), responsible for People in the Asia Pacific region and speaks from a dual perspective:  She grew up in China, then left at 17 to attend college in the United States where she stayed, married and had children before returning to China two decades after she left.  She knows first-hand the changes that occurred during her absence and their importance to China’s new place in the world.   Bin talks of the new confidence and sense of patriotism the Chinese exhibit.  Mandarin has replaced hundreds of dialects spoken earlier, reflecting the remarkable shift to a unified language across the entire country.  She talks of the focus on education that is producing smart, ambitious, innovative millennials, just the kind of people EY wants to hire.  You’ll hear about these topics and more, including Alibaba, and the importance of distinguishing nationalism from patriotism.

Alistair Angus runs SI Partners out of Hong Kong which gives clients access to cross-border transaction expertise, often advising on the purchase or sale of businesses, specifically in the creative and tech industries. They help Western companies, for example, who want to do business in Asia but don’t know where to begin, deal with language, licensing, cultural issues and the like. He talks about the appetite for talent, for people who can operate in multiple languages, and can work effectively on a diverse team. Sometimes, he says it’s easier simply to acquire another company that already has an effective team in place. In this podcast you’ll hear Alistair’s perspective on what it takes for a Westerner to succeed in business in Asia.

The second in the Asia and the West Series

Pearl Lam’s life is a work of art itself, a singular fusion of East and West cultures. Born in an English colony, she went to Shanghai for the first time in 1992 and it is there she “became Chinese.” Truly a unique personality, Pearl bemoans China’s turn from “one of the most fascinating places in the world where there was a surprise around every corner,” to the “new Modernity” in which communication between China and the West has been lost in translation.  Despite all the contradictions, Pearl has become one of the leading taste makers and dealers in the contemporary Chinese are scene. In this podcast, recorded in the Sky Lounge at Upper House in Hong Kong, you’ll see China through the eyes of an of-the-moment visionary whose fast-moving conversation can be exotically charming.

Matthew Smith, a senior executive who heads Cisco’s market development globally for the Internet of Things, remembers a childhood in Hong Kong which had a cricket pitch on what is now the most valuable piece of real estate in Central Hong Kong. Born in the UK and schooled there, Matthew has lived in Asia pretty much ever since so he’s observed first hand—and participated in-- its process of phenomenal change.  He’s been in the thick of the consolidation of Asia’s emerging economies into a technology-drvien powerhouse that is outpacing the West. In this episode of Asia and the West, you’ll hear his perspective on developments since those early days in Hong Kong. He talks of our increased ability to connect with one another, facilitating global addressing systems that will fundamentally change the way real estate is bought and sold, as well as accelerating innovation at the local community level, resulting in mass customization of products and services.   We also talk about data security and privacy, China’s serious investment in Fin-Tech, block chain, how employers use algorithms to make hiring decisions based on character analysis rather than resumes…and how pollution and population scale will challenge China’s continued growth.  Join us.