Zak Dychtwald is the founder and CEO of BridgeWorks Global, a cross-geography collaboration lab based in Shanghai. He is the author of Young China: How the Restless Generation Will Change Their Country and the World, has lived in China for over a decade, and speaks Mandarin. His clients include Google, Qualcomm, Microsoft, Medtronic, Walmart, and Ant International. His work has appeared four times in Harvard Business Review, most recently in a piece on how highly effective global teams collaborate across cultures — now running as a feature in HBR Magazine.

In Part 1, Zak makes the case that global teams don't break down on culture — they break down on operating design. He lays out a framework of seven elements that determine how well global teams work, split into friction amplifiers (time zones, language, country culture), which leaders can manage but never really change, and trust-and-alignment multipliers (HQ-region power dynamics, company culture, market knowledge, process), which they can redesign. Most leaders pour their energy into the first three and ignore the last four, where all the leverage actually sits.

He introduces bridge people — the senior leaders and frontline operators whose real job is holding the seams of a global company together by translating context between headquarters and the market, absorbing the time-zone load, and moving decisions across language and hierarchy — and the global collaboration tax, what those people absorb on the company's behalf. He explains what happens when a crisis hits a team that has never designed for one, and where leaders should start when they recognise the problem in their own organisation.

Discussion Points

·       Why global team collaboration breaks down at the level of systems, not culture — and what the data from the Global Collaboration Index actually shows

·       The seven elements of cross-border collaboration: friction amplifiers (time zones, language, country culture) vs trust-and-alignment multipliers (HQ-region power dynamics, company culture, market knowledge, process)

·       Bridge people: who they are, what they carry, and why most companies fail to acknowledge or reward them

·       The global collaboration tax: what it costs a business in speed, opportunity, and attrition when bridge people absorb the friction the system creates

·       What happens when a crisis hits a global team that hasn't defined decision rights in advance — and where leaders should start when they recognise the problem in their own company

Jim Fields is an American entrepreneur who has spent over 15 years living and building businesses in China. He speaks fluent Mandarin, began his career at Adobe in Silicon Valley, and moved to China, where he worked at Nokia and Reckitt Benckiser before founding Relay Video in 2016 - a Beijing-based creative marketing agency that helped Chinese tech companies including Xiaomi, Tencent, and Lenovo tell their stories to global audiences. He later founded Relay Club, an influencer management platform for Chinese brands going outbound. He now serves as Chief Growth Officer at Nuon Medical and is involved with Oren Medical, a Shenzhen-based manufacturer within the Kaiyan Medical Group.

In this episode, Jim talks about his journey from Silicon Valley to China, what he learned building Relay Video, and the most common mistakes Chinese tech companies make when trying to go global. He explains why he pivoted from marketing into medtech, and breaks down both companies he works with today: Nuon Medical, which embeds clinical technologies like red light therapy, microcurrent, and PEMF directly into cosmetics applicators for brands including Clarins and Vagheggi, and Oren Medical, which manufactures red light therapy and medical wellness devices with over 300 patents across six FDA-cleared facilities.

Jim also discusses his TEDx talk arguing that light is a fourth macronutrient alongside oxygen, water, and food - the science behind red and near-infrared light therapy and why he believes it belongs in everyday consumer products. He covers the beauty tech market in China versus the West, how US-China trade tensions and tariffs affect a cross-border business like his, and what he's learned from 15-plus years of building across both markets.

Discussion Points

·       Jim's journey from Silicon Valley to 15+ years building businesses in China

·       Relay Video's thesis: Chinese brands are the brands of the future but need help telling their stories globally

·       The most common mistakes Chinese tech companies make when going global, from working with Xiaomi, Tencent, and Lenovo

·       The pivot from marketing to medtech and how Jim's China background connects to his work in beauty tech

·       Nuon Medical: embedding clinical technologies (light therapy, microcurrent, PEMF) into cosmetics packaging

·       Jim's TEDx argument that light is a fourth macronutrient - the science behind red and near-infrared light therapy

·       Oren Medical: China's medical device manufacturing sophistication, 300+ patents, six FDA-cleared facilities

·       Beauty tech market maturity in China versus the West and where China is leading

·       How US-China trade tensions and tariffs affect a cross-border business built on Chinese manufacturing

·       Lessons from 15-plus years building businesses that span China and the West

Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. It was a tournament full of drama, upsets, and cultural moments - not least in China, where Xiaohongshu streamed all 104 matches for free and Norwegian striker Erling Haaland generated nearly 1.8 billion views on the platform. China's national team, meanwhile, watched from home. Again. Mark Dreyer has spent nearly two decades trying to explain that paradox.

Mark is the founder of China Sports Insider, author of Sporting Superpower: An Insider's View on China's Quest to Be the Best, and one of the most respected English-language journalists covering sport in China. His recent piece in The Economist on the state of Chinese football went viral, laying out why a country with enormous resources, a football-obsessed president, and 1.4 billion people has qualified for the World Cup exactly once - in 2002 - and shows few signs of returning anytime soon.

In this episode, Mark gives his verdict on the 2026 World Cup - the football, the format, and the final. As a dual English-Canadian citizen, he also has personal stakes in two teams: England, who reached the semi-finals before losing to Argentina and finished third with a thrilling 6-4 win over France, and Canada, who bowed out in the round of 16. He breaks down the state of Chinese football at every level - the national team, the domestic league, and the youth development pipeline - and explains why the problems run much deeper than money or political will can fix.

Mark also digs into how China consumed this World Cup differently: Xiaohongshu's landmark streaming deal, the Haaland phenomenon and what it reveals about how Chinese fans engage with foreign athletes, and whether China will ever host - let alone win - a World Cup of its own.

Discussion Points

·       Overall verdict on the 2026 World Cup: the football, the 48-team format, North America as hosts, and Spain's win over Argentina

·       England's semi-final run and third-place finish, and Canada's round of 16 exit - Mark's personal take as a dual citizen

·       North America as a three-country host and whether England or China could host a future World Cup

·       The state of the Chinese men's national team: why investment and political will haven't translated into results

·       Youth football in China: structural problems, academic pressure, and what a genuine grassroots culture would require

·       The Chinese Super League post-boom-and-bust: where the domestic league stands after the salary caps and corruption investigations

·       Xiaohongshu's landmark streaming deal: all 104 matches free of charge, and what it signals about sports broadcasting in China

·       The Haaland phenomenon: 1.8 billion Xiaohongshu views, 'Ha Bao,' romance game edits, and what it tells us about Chinese fan culture

·       Xi Jinping's three football ambitions - host, qualify, win - and which, if any, are achievable

·       The single most important thing that needs to change for Chinese football to genuinely improve

Most influencers build an audience on one platform and stay there. Crystal Yu operates across two ecosystems that couldn't be more different: Instagram in the West and Xiaohongshu in China. The content strategies, audience expectations, brand partnership dynamics, and even the definition of authenticity diverge significantly between them. Crystal has built a following on both, and in this episode, she pulls back the curtain on what that actually looks like.

Crystal walks us through how she became an influencer, what she's learned about creating content for two very different platforms, and how she approaches each one differently. She also breaks down the business side of influencing — fee structures, how brand partnerships come together, and what brands consistently get wrong when approaching creators for collaborations.

For brands and marketers trying to understand how influencer marketing works in China versus the West, this episode offers a rare insider perspective. Crystal explains how Chinese brands approach collaborations differently from Western brands, why authenticity means something different on Xiaohongshu than it does on Instagram, and how to build trust with audiences on both sides of the divide.

Discussion Points

·       How Crystal became an influencer and whether it was a deliberate choice or an organic evolution

·       The key differences between Instagram and Xiaohongshu as platforms: audience expectations, content formats, and culture

·       How Crystal's content strategy differs across platforms and whether she creates separate content for each

·       The business side of influencing: fee structures, compensation models, and how deals are structured

·       How brand partnerships come together: inbound vs outbound, agency involvement, and selection criteria

·       What brands consistently get wrong when approaching influencer collaborations, and what makes one successful

·       How Chinese and Western brands approach influencer partnerships differently

·       Balancing sponsored content with audience trust, especially on Xiaohongshu, where authenticity is paramount

·       Where influencer marketing is heading over the next few years, particularly in China

·       Advice for anyone looking to build a cross-platform presence or pursue influencing as a career

Rui Ma, founder of Tech Buzz China and one of the most trusted English-language voices on China's technology sector, is back to break down everything happening in China’s tech landscape, from DeepSeek to humanoid robots.

Rui runs in-person tech immersion trips to China for investors and executives, giving her a ground-level view of what's actually being built and deployed - not just what's being announced. In this episode, she shares her biggest takeaways from recent trips, from what surprised her to what confirmed what she already suspected about China's AI and hardware trajectory.

She walks us through the humanoid robotics sector - who the leading Chinese companies are, what the realistic near-term use cases look like, and whether Americans will ever be able to buy Chinese-made robots. She unpacks Alibaba's Taobao and Qwen integration, Tencent's quieter but consequential AI strategy, DeepSeek's latest moves, and the OpenClaw explosion. She also gives her read on Nvidia export controls: whether they're working, and how Chinese companies are adapting.

Rui also weighs in on the X debate about quality of life in lower-tier Chinese cities, assesses the broader US-China AI competition including the talent landscape, and gives her takes on Zhipu and Minimax as publicly traded AI plays. If you want to understand where China tech is headed and what it means for the rest of the world, this is the episode to listen to.

Discussion Points

·       Takeaways from Rui's recent Tech Buzz China immersion trips to China and information on upcoming trips

·       Humanoid robotics in China: leading companies, near-term use cases, and whether Americans can buy Chinese-made robots

·       The X debate on quality of life in lower-tier Chinese cities and what it reveals about Western misperceptions of China

·       Alibaba's Taobao and Qwen integration: what it signals about AI-powered e-commerce and Alibaba's broader AI strategy

·       Tencent's AI strategy: what's happening under the hood and where the company is positioning itself

·       DeepSeek update: latest model releases, competitive position, and what to watch next

·       The OpenClaw explosion: what it is, why it took off, and what it tells us about Chinese innovation under chip restrictions

·       Nvidia export controls: current status, whether they're achieving Washington's goals, and how Chinese companies are adapting

·       US-China AI competition scorecard: how each side stands across models, infrastructure, and talent

·       Zhipu and Minimax as public AI plays, plus other China tech names Rui is watching closely

For North American sports in China, the appetite is there - millions of fans, growing middle-class purchasing power, a government actively promoting winter sports and athletic culture. However, the path from interest to revenue remains complicated. Leif Rogers has spent his career navigating exactly that path. As Founder and CEO of Red Phoenix Entertainment, he helps North American athletes, leagues, and franchises build real commercial presence in Asia.

Leif previously joined The Negotiation alongside his colleague Gino Gordon to lay out the Red Phoenix thesis. He's back for a follow-up episode to share what he's been working on since, including recent deals and campaigns, and to give us his most current read on the sports market in China. A lot has shifted: platform dynamics, broadcast rights, Chinese fan consumption habits, and the role of individual athletes as commercial anchors have all evolved.

In this episode, Leif breaks down which North American sports are gaining traction in China and which are struggling, which athletes are resonating with Chinese fans and why, and how Chinese brands are thinking about North American sports sponsorships today. He also covers how fans are consuming sports content across digital platforms, what the biggest overlooked opportunities are for leagues and franchises, and what advice he'd give any sports property serious about building a presence in the region.

Discussion Points

·       Red Phoenix Entertainment overview: what the firm does and how Leif came to build it

·       Recent deals and campaigns: what Red Phoenix has been working on since the last episode

·       Current state of the sports market in China: what's changed and what the landscape looks like in 2026

·       Sport-by-sport breakdown: which North American sports are gaining traction in China and which are not

·       Which North American athletes are resonating most with Chinese fans and what makes them stand out

·       How Chinese brands are approaching North American sports sponsorships today and what they're looking for

·       How Chinese fans are consuming North American sports content across platforms and streaming services

·       The biggest challenges North American sports properties face when entering or scaling in China

·       The most overlooked opportunities in the Asia sports market that most leagues and teams are missing

·       Leif's outlook for North American sports in Asia and advice for any property serious about the region

The headlines about China's economy often tell two contradictory stories at once: recovery and stagnation, consumer confidence and persistent caution, tech boom and structural drag. Making sense of what's actually happening requires someone who's tracking the data closely, week by week, from the ground up. Robert Wu does exactly that through Baiguan, a consultancy and popular newsletter that covers the Chinese economy, consumer trends, and business developments.

In this episode, Robert gives us his unfiltered read on the state of China's economy in 2026. He breaks down two trends his recent newsletter highlighted: what's happening in the real estate market and whether salary recovery is real or overstated. He also assesses consumer sentiment and what it's actually showing up in spending behaviour across categories.

Robert then takes us through a series of sector-specific spotlights: the auto market and whether robotaxis are genuinely scaling or still in hype territory; Pop Mart's trajectory and what it signals about Chinese consumer brands going global; DeepSeek's latest model and what it reveals about China's AI competitive position; and the food delivery war between Meituan and its challengers, and what that tells us about the state of China's consumer internet.

He closes with the key variables that will shape the rest of the Chinese economy in 2026, and what international businesses should understand about China that isn't making it into the headlines.

Discussion Points

·       What Baiguan is, who Robert writes for, and what led him to cover the Chinese economy

·       High-level read on the state of China's economy in 2026: recovery, stagnation, or something more complex

·       Real estate market update: what the data is showing and whether the sector has turned a corner

·       Salary recovery: how real it is, which segments are seeing it, and what it means for consumer spending

·       Consumer sentiment assessment: how people are actually feeling and how it's showing up in spending patterns

·       Auto market dynamics and the robotaxi question: genuine scaling or early-stage hype

·       Pop Mart: bullish or bearish, and what its trajectory tells us about C-brand globalisation

·       DeepSeek's new model and what it signals about China's AI competitive position relative to the West

·       The food delivery war: who's winning, who's losing, and what it reveals about China's consumer internet

·       Key variables to watch for the rest of 2026 and what international businesses are missing about China

Most global businesses enter Asia with a playbook built elsewhere. The pricing models, growth assumptions, labour structures, and definitions of value that worked in North America or Europe get applied to markets that operate by fundamentally different rules. The result, as Eric Stryson has observed across nearly two decades of on-the-ground leadership work in Asia, is failure - not dramatic failure, but the slow erosion of credibility that comes from never truly understanding where you are.

Eric Stryson is Managing Director at The Global Institute For Tomorrow (GIFT), an independent pan-Asian think tank with offices in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur. He has designed and facilitated more than 60 experiential leadership programmes across fifteen countries in Asia and the Middle East, working with over 3,000 executives from organisations including HSBC, Petronas, Marriott, MasterCard, and Standard Chartered. His public sector clients include the Hong Kong SAR Government, the Dubai Government, and the Central Bank of Malaysia.

In this episode, Eric argues that much of what organisations believe they know about Asia is filtered through AI systems, research, and analysis shaped by Western institutions and historical precedents. Even conventional online research surfaces insights produced predominantly by incumbent Western policy and academic bodies, reinforcing a narrow and often distorted lens. Challenging these assumptions, he contends, requires moving beyond second-hand analysis and grounding decision-making in on-the-ground observation and lived experience.

From renegotiating what 'value' means to understanding why Western growth models break down in Asia's diverse political and social contexts, Eric offers a rare perspective on what it actually takes to operate credibly in a post-Western, Asia-led growth environment.

Discussion Points

·       Why Western-filtered research and AI-generated analysis fail businesses trying to understand Asian markets

·       Concrete examples of Western business models and assumptions breaking down on the ground in Asia

·       How Asian markets define value differently - and why pricing strategies built elsewhere so often misfire

·       Why 'scale fast, dominate markets' growth assumptions need renegotiating in Asia's diverse contexts

·       What nearly 20 years of field project work in Asia reveals that research reports and case studies don't

·       How consumption patterns and labour structures in Asia require businesses to rethink core operating models

·       What 'post-Western world' means in practice for businesses operating in China, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East

·       How to use AI tools responsibly when the training data reflects predominantly Western institutional perspectives

·       Why Hong Kong businesses face an urgent reinvention moment - and what that looks like in practice

·       The single most important thing Western businesses should do differently before entering or scaling in Asian markets

Guest Bio

Eric Stryson is Managing Director at The Global Institute For Tomorrow (GIFT), an independent pan-Asian think tank with offices in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur. He has designed and facilitated more than 60 experiential leadership programmes across fifteen countries in Asia and the Middle East, working with over 3,000 executives from C-suite to high-potential talent. His corporate clients include AIA, BASF, CITIC, DBS, FedEx, HSBC, Marriott, MasterCard, Panasonic, Petronas, Prudential, and Standard Chartered. His public sector clients include the Hong Kong SAR Government, the Dubai Government, the Central Bank of Malaysia, and various provincial and county governments in mainland China. Eric's articles have appeared in the South China Morning Post, Financial Times, China Daily, and The Straits Times, and he has been interviewed by CNBC.

Links & Resources

·       GIFT website: www.global-inst.com

·       Eric Stryson profile: global-inst.com/team/eric-stryson

·       SCMP: Reinvention must start now if Hong Kong businesses are to survive change

·       FT Letter: A Bric in a de-dollarised wall or a new architecture?

·       Digital Transformation Documentary: Eric Stryson on technology causing problems

Lisa Nan, Beauty Editor at Jing Daily, joins The Negotiation to break down what's really happening in China's beauty and luxury markets right now. From the rise of C-beauty brands challenging international players to the unexpected virality of Kris Jenner as China's 'money goddess,' Lisa tracks the trends that are reshaping how brands sell in the world's largest beauty market.

In this episode, Lisa covers the hottest brands and sub-categories driving growth, the emergence of male beauty and the silver beauty market (50+ consumers), and the decline of mega-anchors in China's livestreaming ecosystem. She explains which domestic and foreign brands are winning, what's replacing the mega-anchor model, and how moments like the Winter Olympics and viral memes reveal deeper shifts in Chinese consumer behavior.

Lisa also discusses the current state of China's overall beauty and luxury markets, functional beauty trends like scalp care and science-backed skincare, and the emerging developments international brands should be monitoring closely. Whether you're a brand considering China entry or navigating the market's rapid evolution, this conversation offers actionable insights from one of the industry's sharpest observers.

Discussion Points

·       Current state of China's beauty market: strengths, weaknesses, and key dynamics shaping 2026

·       Overall luxury market health: which brands are cutting stores, which are doubling down, and why

·       Hottest domestic C-beauty brands (Proya, Florasis, Winona) and foreign brands succeeding in China

·       Fastest-growing sub-categories: scalp care, fragrance, functional beauty, and science-backed products

·       Male beauty market expansion: how brands are approaching male consumers differently

·       Silver beauty market (50+) finally taking off: who's getting it right and what's driving demand

·       Decline of mega-anchors in livestreaming: what happened and what's replacing the mega-anchor model

·       Kris Jenner as China's 'money goddess': what viral memes reveal about Gen Z consumer engagement

·       Winter Olympics impact: Eileen Gu, Su Yiming, and how brands leverage winter sports moments

·       Emerging trends to watch: what's on the radar that international brands might be missing

In this episode of The Negotiation, host Todd Embley welcomes Dr. Nici Sweaney, founder of AI Her Way and one of the most compelling voices on ethical AI adoption, gender equity in technology, and responsible AI systems.

Nici has an extraordinary background. She started in butterfly ecology, spent 17 years as a quantitative scientist in academia, and has worked with the United Nations, World Bank, WWF, Hewlett-Packard, and Salesforce. Named one of Microsoft's Top 10 Trailblazing Entrepreneurs in AI, she's now helping organizations across over 20 industries adopt AI in ways that drive efficiency while maintaining ethical standards.

This conversation explores how AI is fundamentally reshaping consumer behavior and brand discovery. Nici breaks down what AI means for marketing strategy, how brands should be thinking about the funnel differently, and where the biggest operational transformations are happening inside consumer businesses.

The discussion also tackles critical equity and representation questions. Nici explains why it matters who builds AI systems, how different global models shape what consumers are exposed to, and the practical implications of bias in training data for brands using AI in customer-facing applications.

Finally, Nici shares systems-level thinking on AI adoption. She walks through how leadership teams should be approaching this strategically, why governance and ethics need to be built in from the start, and where overwhelmed organizations should begin.

This is essential listening for anyone leading AI adoption, building consumer brands, or trying to understand how AI is changing the way people discover, evaluate, and buy products.

Discussion Points

·       Nici's journey from butterfly ecology to quantitative science to founding AI Her Way

·       What AI Her Way does and who it serves across 20+ industries

·       How AI is reshaping consumer behavior, brand discovery, and purchasing decisions

·       Marketing transformation: rethinking the funnel, channels, and content creation in an AI-driven world

·       Operational impact: where consumer brands are seeing the biggest AI-driven transformations

·       Why equity and representation in AI matter for consumer-facing applications

·       How different global models (Western vs Chinese vs others) shape what consumers see

·       Practical implications of bias in AI training data for brands

·       Systems-level thinking: how leadership teams should approach AI adoption strategically

·       Building governance and ethical frameworks from the start, not as an afterthought

·       Where overwhelmed organizations should start with AI adoption

·       Closing the AI gender gap and why women need to help shape AI's future

·       Big shifts coming in AI over the next 2-5 years for consumer behavior and brand marketing

·       Key takeaway for business leaders and marketers on AI