As ESG issues continue to play a role in the public discourse, companies must be sure to reflect these ideals in their day-to-day operations to reduce their ecological footprint, promote fair labour practices, and enhance accountability. By the same token, the days of claiming ignorance when supply chain abuses come to light are over and consumers demand transparency and accountability from the companies they support. 

Dr Darian McBain is a globally experienced Chief Sustainability Officer, and a world recognised expert, speaker and author on sustainability, ESG, supply chains, business human rights and sustainable finance. Currently she is the head of OCSO, a Singapore-based advisory firm that enables businesses to run a sustainability function without hiring a full-time chief sustainability officer. 

Doing business amid a connected and inquisitive media landscape can be intimidating. With the power of social media and online platforms, news spreads rapidly, and any misstep or questionable behaviour by a company can quickly lead to reputational damage, loss of customer trust, and a decline in sales. Prioritising transparency, ethical practices, and open communication is vital, and understanding how the media works when building stories on these issues is an important skill to have. 

On this episode we chat with Sharanjit Leyl, a veteran business journalist and commentator. She’s spent 18 years working for the BBC throughout Asia Pacific and around the world, interviewing some of the world’s top political and business leaders as well as moderating and chairing a wide range of panels and conferences. 

Asia’s business landscape has seen rapid change over the past few years, with old structures and hierarchies making way for a dynamic new social and cultural landscape. To stay ahead of the curve, any company that wants to do business in Asia must know how to react to these changes while understanding that the old rules of “East vs West” simply don’t apply anymore. On the other end of the scale, Asian companies need to be especially ready to meet the needs of Gen Z and Gen Alpha, who are looking for more than just a paycheck and a desk if they want to stay engaged in their work and loyal to their employers.

This is what we discuss on episode one of our new podcast. Our guest is David Black, founder and CEO of Blackbox, one of the region’s leading research and advisory firms. By gathering data, talking to people, and analysing trends, Blackbox provides its clients with solutions to problems and advice on how to navigate social changes before they occur.