The Adrian Tan Show

Why should opportunity depend on where you live? Marcelo Lebre, co-founder of Remote, joins Adrian Tan to discuss building a business that connects companies with talent across borders.

We explore Marcelo’s move from engineer to entrepreneur, Remote’s early days, choosing its domain, and building tools for global employment. The conversation also considers the needs of employers, employees and contractors as work becomes more distributed.

Originally published in March 2024. Company details and perspectives reflect the episode’s context.

Connect with Marcelo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcelolebre/

Remote (original affiliate link): https://remote.sjv.io/c/2671262/1964842/16274

More from Adrian: https://www.adriantan.com.sg/

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriantanck/

What can a career across different industries teach you about change? Sunny Saha joins Adrian Tan to discuss his journey from market research to media, theme parks and technology.

At the time of recording, Sunny was General Manager at Blue Prism. He reflects on his time leading Time Warner Asia-Pacific, launching a Cartoon Network theme park, and working through technology-driven industry shifts.

We explore the value of diverse perspectives and adapting your experience to new challenges.

Originally published in February 2024. Roles and career details reflect the episode’s context.

Connect with Sunny: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnysaha/

Blue Prism: https://www.blueprism.com/

More from Adrian: https://www.adriantan.com.sg/

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriantanck/

Why do employee experience scores stall—and what should organisations measure? Dr Cecelia Herbert joins Adrian Tan to unpack employee experience, engagement and the factors behind workplace trends.

At the time of recording, Cecelia was an organisational psychologist and principal behavioural scientist at Qualtrics.

We discuss engagement as a key metric, the components of a positive employee experience, and why the data deserves a closer look beyond debates about office versus remote work. The conversation draws on Qualtrics’ 2024 Employee Experience Trends study.

Originally published in February 2024. Study findings and roles reflect that period.

Connect with Cecelia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cecelia-herbert/

2024 EX Trends report: https://www.qualtrics.com/au/ebooks-guides/2024-ex-trends-report/

Qualtrics: https://www.qualtrics.com/sg/

More from Adrian: https://www.adriantan.com.sg/

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriantanck/

How do you turn a layoff into a new business? Cassandra Ong joins Adrian Tan to share her move from B2B SaaS marketing to founding Otterhalf, a fractional marketing agency.

We discuss the challenges of starting a business, why revenue and conversions matter in tech marketing, and how fractional marketing differs from traditional consulting through ongoing expertise and accountability.

Originally published in February 2024. Career and business details reflect the episode’s context.

Connect with Cassandra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassandraong/

Otterhalf: https://www.otterhalf.co/

More from Adrian: https://www.adriantan.com.sg/

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriantanck/

What is it like to work remotely from South Korea? Coach Gabrielle Loh joins Adrian Tan to share her experience with geoarbitrage—working from another location to make use of differences in living costs.

We explore daily life overseas, costs, safety considerations, the benefits and challenges of remote work abroad, and Gabrielle’s return to Singapore.

Recorded in December 2023. Costs and experiences discussed reflect her circumstances at that time.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction

00:13 Exploring geoarbitrage

01:08 Introducing Gabrielle Loh

02:20 Gabrielle’s journey

03:26 Living and working in South Korea

03:39 Experiences and challenges

06:44 Cost of living

08:46 Benefits and challenges of geoarbitrage

13:20 Advice for getting started

14:30 Returning to Singapore and future plans

21:12 Conclusion

Connect with Gabrielle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriellefrieda/

More from Adrian: https://www.adriantan.com.sg/

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriantanck/

Can a small business go global without becoming a large organisation? Charles H. Ferguson joins Adrian Tan to discuss international expansion, talent and the 2023 Global Growth Report.

At the time of recording, Charles was APAC General Manager at Globalization Partners. We explore why Singaporean workers are interested in global companies, cultural diversity, emerging markets and the agility of smaller businesses.

Recorded in December 2023. Report findings and roles reflect that period.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction

00:16 Globalization Partners and the report

01:26 Interview with Charles

01:49 Why workers aspire to global companies

02:15 Singapore’s connectivity and work culture

03:09 Multinational corporations

04:45 Benefits and cultural diversity

07:07 Changing jobs in Singapore

14:37 Why global presence matters

28:30 Small-business expansion: challenges and opportunities

46:00 Conclusion

Connect with Charles: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesferguson/

Globalization Partners: https://www.globalization-partners.com/

More from Adrian: https://www.adriantan.com.sg/

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriantanck/

How can businesses put AI to practical use? Gibu Mathew of Zoho joins Adrian Tan to discuss Zia, customer service, work efficiency and taking a long-term approach to technology.

At the time of recording, Gibu was Vice President and General Manager, Asia Pacific, at Zoho. He also reflects on his career there, the culture of ownership and advice for job seekers.

Recorded in December 2023. Roles, product examples and company practices reflect that period.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and background

01:13 Zia and AI in Zoho products

03:21 Zoho’s product coverage

05:03 AI and work efficiency

09:12 AI experiences and use cases

11:44 Scepticism and resistance

12:04 Data processing and security

16:56 Advice for smaller companies

19:55 Gibu’s career at Zoho

21:39 Growth and diversity at Zoho

21:57 Software developer journey

22:52 Culture of ownership

23:20 Learning from mistakes

23:54 Competing with large companies

24:27 Company evolution and opportunities

25:14 Zoho as an employer

25:43 Long-term decision making

27:40 Advice for job seekers

29:04 Choosing an industry

33:05 AI in customer service

37:19 The future of AI and work

38:24 Adopting AI in organisations

41:43 Overestimating AI’s impact

43:00 Conclusion

Connect with Gibu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gibumathew/

Explore Zoho: https://www.zoho.com/

More from Adrian: https://www.adriantan.com.sg/

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriantanck/

Generative AI offers new possibilities at work, but keeping up can feel daunting. Gavin Barfield joins Adrian Tan to discuss Salesforce’s survey of Singaporean workers and what employers can do to support AI adoption.

At the time of recording, Gavin was Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Solutions, Salesforce ASEAN.

We explore AI applications across sales, service, marketing and HR; the need for practical training and clear policies; and trust, ethics and data security. Gavin also discusses Salesforce’s Einstein Copilot as it stood in 2023.

Recorded in November 2023. Survey findings, roles and product examples reflect that period.

More from Adrian: https://www.adriantan.com.sg/

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriantanck/

How can adults reskill for a changing tech economy? Ryan Meyer of General Assembly joins Adrian Tan to discuss project-based learning, practitioner instructors and training that connects individual, employer and government needs.

We explore how curriculum evolves, the role of motivation and practice, remote versus in-person learning, and AI’s impact on education and workforce development.

Recorded in October 2023. Training examples and industry observations reflect that period.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction

01:27 General Assembly’s training programs

03:37 Getting people job-ready quickly

05:28 Practitioner instructors

07:35 Comparing training with university degrees

10:40 Keeping up with technology change

13:23 AI and education formats

15:18 Motivation and learning by doing

17:37 Applying AI internally

19:20 Ryan’s career journey

24:10 Evolving curriculum through job placements

26:28 The role of instructors

29:10 Remote versus in-person learning

32:25 Choosing training in Singapore

35:15 Government-sponsored programs

38:10 Engaging shorter attention spans

40:20 Using AI responsibly

43:30 The future of education

48:20 Training and competitive advantage

51:20 Finding hidden talent

53:10 Conclusion

More from Adrian: https://www.adriantan.com.sg/

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriantanck/

Could Friday afternoons off improve employee wellbeing while preserving client service? Danny Tan and Shirley Kettler join Adrian Tan to discuss Grayling Singapore’s 4.5-day workweek pilot.

The trial was planned for August through the end of 2023. Employees with more than a year of service could take Friday afternoons off, while a core team remained available for urgent client requests.

We explore the design of the pilot and its aims around wellbeing, satisfaction and productivity.

Recorded in August 2023. This episode discusses the pilot at that time, rather than its later results.

Grayling Singapore: https://grayling.com/our-offices/singapore/

More from Adrian: https://www.adriantan.com.sg/

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriantanck/