The XA Podcast: Fostering Inclusive Innovation in Southeast Asia

Are you a senior tech executive wondering how to level up with a board position? Why would they appoint you? And what would be the expectations, risks and rewards once you actually make it onto one? Find out in this latest instalment of the XA Governance Series.

Our SpeakersHowie Lau is the Managing Partner, Corporate Development, & Partnerships of NCS Group. He brings years of deep experience and thought leadership in the Info-Communications and Technology (ICT) sector. Prior to joining NCS, he was the Assistant Chief Executive, Media & Innovation Group, at the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), which is in charge of developing Singapore's technology, telecommunications, and media businesses, as well as developing technology capability. Prior to joining IMDA, Howie served as StarHub's Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Consumer Business, as well as Lenovo's Vice President of Corporate Development. He has over 25 years of corporate development, business leadership, and marketing experience with Lenovo and IBM in Asia Pacific, China, India, and Latin America. Howie is a member of several advisory committees and boards, including the Singapore Institute of Directors' Governing Council and the Science Centre Singapore's board. He was recognized as IT Leader of the Year 2020 by the Singapore Computer Society and received the Philip Kotler Marketing Excellence award in 2018.

Su-Yen Wong is the chairperson of the Singapore Institute of Directors, and she serves on the boards of several public, private, membership, and not-for-profit organizations in Australia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, and the United States. She was honored to be named in 'Financial Times' Agenda Directory of Top 100 Board Candidates With Pay-Setting Skills a few years ago – to date, the only individual from Asia to be included on the list. She chairs or serves on numerous nominating, remuneration, and audit committees, and she has expertise in business strategy, human capital development, and organizational transformation.She serves as the lead independent director at Yoma Strategic Holdings and on the boards of First Resources CSE Global and IMGA. She is a professor of global leadership at the National University of Singapore and a member of Duke University's Executive Education Faculty. She has also been a guest lecturer/speaker at programs hosted by IESE Business School (Spain), INSEAD (France), IPADE Business School (Mexico), Singapore Management University, and Yale University (USA).

[03:36]: How they secured their first board role

[09:51]: Career stages when they took their first board position

[11:54]: What it takes to be a good board member

[16:31]: Why a board might onboard someone with no prior experience

[19:38]: How to find companies that might want your expertise on their board

[24:11]: Preparing to be a good board member

[28:01]: What’s the compensation going to be like?

[29:38]: How to determine whether you are doing well

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The XA Network (formerly Xoogler Angels) was founded in 2018 as an exclusive investment network comprising senior executives from leading global and regional technology companies. Our mission is to provide smart capital to early-stage companies across Southeast Asia. The XA podcast brings together voices from the ecosystem that powers early stage investing across this vibrant region. Our guests include entrepreneurs, Venture Capitalists and of course XA Network investors.

Find us online: ⁠Website⁠ | ⁠LinkedIn⁠ | ⁠Twitter⁠

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When everyone is saying No, how do you eventually get to a Yes? Sheer persistence. Roger Egan, Co-founder of and former CEO of RedMart joins Reza Behnam to discuss his journey of founding RedMart, overcoming many naysayers on the path to acquisition and what he's working on now.

Our Speakers

Roger Egan is a serial entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Nurture, a startup reimagining early childhood learning and development. Prior to this, he co-founded RedMart, a Singapore-based grocery business that was eventually acquired by Alibaba.

Discussion Points

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The XA Network (formerly Xoogler Angels) was founded in 2018 as an exclusive investment network comprising senior executives from leading global and regional technology companies. Our mission is to provide smart capital to early-stage companies across Southeast Asia. The XA podcast brings together voices from the ecosystem that powers early stage investing across this vibrant region. Our guests include entrepreneurs, Venture Capitalists and of course XA Network investors.

Find us online: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter

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This podcast is powered by CrazyTok: We help experts become influencers.

Find us on our Website, LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter

What would you say about a VC that uses all its profits to help establish economic opportunity in emerging markets? Or one that professes to back entrepreneurs for life, rather than on the strength of their business plan? Hear all about it from Allen Taylor, managing partner of Endeavor, a one-of-a-kind VC explicitly trying to use capitalism for good.

Our Speakers

Allen Taylor leads Endeavor Catalyst, Endeavor’s innovative co-investment fund that has been recognized as one of the most active global venture investors in markets like Latin America and the Middle East. Since launching in 2012, Endeavor Catalyst has raised over $500M+ across four funds and made 250+ investments in 30+ different countries, including 47 unicorns. He also serves on the boards of several entrepreneurship and venture capital-focused organisations, including Kauffman Fellows, Alter Global and Scale-Up Ventures (Brazil).

Discussion Points

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The XA Network (formerly Xoogler Angels) was founded in 2018 as an exclusive investment network comprising senior executives from leading global and regional technology companies. Our mission is to provide smart capital to early-stage companies across Southeast Asia. The XA podcast brings together voices from the ecosystem that powers early stage investing across this vibrant region. Our guests include entrepreneurs, Venture Capitalists and of course XA Network investors.

Find us online: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter

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This podcast is powered by CrazyTok: We help experts become influencers.

Find us on our Website, LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter

In this episode, a little reminiscent of a Shark Tank investing recap, we bring together a founder and their investor to hear both sides of the investment story. Why did the founder, Damien, choose the XA Network and what value did he get from it? And what did Keemin, the investor, see in iPiD to make him want to invest? Plus, get a peek into the problem that they are solving and how it’s going so far.

Our Speakers

Damien Dugauquier is the co-founder and CEO of iPiD, a first-of-its-kind service that makes cross-border payments easy by needing only a simple proxy for the payee’s identity. Prior to founding iPiD, he worked at SWIFT and various financial institutions.

Keemin Ngiam is Head of Legal at Netease and was previously Director, Legal at Netflix. He is a long-time angel investor and is one of the investors in iPiD, where he is also serving as a legal advisor.

Discussion Points

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The XA Network (formerly Xoogler Angels) was founded in 2018 as an exclusive investment network comprising senior executives from leading global and regional technology companies. Our mission is to provide smart capital to early-stage companies across Southeast Asia. The XA podcast brings together voices from the ecosystem that powers early stage investing across this vibrant region. Our guests include entrepreneurs, Venture Capitalists and of course XA Network investors.

Find us online: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter

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This podcast is powered by CrazyTok: We help experts become influencers.

Find us on our Website, LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter

There’s a lot a Board of Directors can do for a company. Its efficacy and vision play a tremendous role in a company’s success. Needless to say, a lot of thought goes into who should be on the board in the first place. Abby Adlerman and Sze Meng Soon join guest host Reza Benham to discuss this in detail.

Our Speakers

Abby Adlerman is the CEO and founder of Boardspan, a leading cloud based software and advisory company that focuses exclusively on helping Boards of Directors succeed. Abby brings more than 25 years of governance and board experience to Boardspans clients. Previously, she was on the leadership team at Russell Reynolds in Singapore and San Francisco. Abby is an alumnus of Lafayette College and Yale University, where she's a member of the entrepreneurship advisory board.

Sze Meng has senior leadership roles at Temus, JD.com, SingTel, PayPal and Visa and was a consultant at McKinsey and Monitor Deloitte. He is also the Managing Director of SSM Global Advisory. He was a board member of Go Jek, Tiki, JD.ID and JDL Express Indonesia. He is currently a Board Member of the Singapore Institute of Technology and various social entreprises. He graduated from Stanford University and Kellogg School of Management. He is an angel investor and certified coach.

Discussion Points

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The XA Network (formerly Xoogler Angels) was founded in 2018 as an exclusive investment network comprising senior executives from leading global and regional technology companies. Our mission is to provide smart capital to early-stage companies across Southeast Asia. The XA podcast brings together voices from the ecosystem that powers early stage investing across this vibrant region. Our guests include entrepreneurs, Venture Capitalists and of course XA Network investors.

Find us online: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter

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This podcast is powered by CrazyTok: We help experts become influencers.

Find us on our Website, LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter

They say the third time’s a charm. And it really was for Eric Cheng, whose third attempt at a start-up turned out to become a leading car e-commerce platform. Were the previous two ventures in vain? No. He took their lessons and applied them to perfect Carsome. He reveals all in this episode.

Our Speakers

Eric Cheng is the co-founder of Carsome, the largest car e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia. The company has digitized the used car industry and caters to a wide market in Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.

Eric has significant experience across the realms of digital strategy, technology, mobile advertising, and search advertising.

Discussion Points

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The XA Network (formerly Xoogler Angels) was founded in 2018 as an exclusive investment network comprising senior executives from leading global and regional technology companies. Our mission is to provide smart capital to early-stage companies across Southeast Asia. The XA podcast brings together voices from the ecosystem that powers early stage investing across this vibrant region. Our guests include entrepreneurs, Venture Capitalists and of course XA Network investors.

Find us online: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter

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This podcast is powered by CrazyTok: We help experts become influencers.

Find us on our Website, LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter

Starting and building a successful start-up is no mean feat. And Max Bittner has seen it all—from founding and building the Lazada Group to seeing its rapid growth across a span of just 4 years to it finally being acquired by Alibaba. Listen to his conversation with host Michele Ferrario to know about his journey.

Our Guest

Max Bittner is the CEO of the Vestiaire Collective, the leading online marketplace to buy and sell authenticated pre-owned luxury fashion. Prior to Vestiaire, he co-founded the Lazada group and served as the CEO from 2012 to 2018. He was the driving force behind the rapid growth of Lazada and the acquisition by Alibaba. Max served as Regional Partner at Rocket Internet before he launched Lazada in March 2012.

In This Episode

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Your Host

Michele Ferrario is an XA Member, as well as the co-founder and CEO of StashAway, a leading digital wealth manager that offers investment portfolios and wealth management solutions for both retail and accredited investors. Before founding StashAway, Michele was the CEO of the fashion e-commerce company Zalora and was a Managing Director at Rocket Internet. He started his career at McKinsey and spent time in private equity.

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The XA Network (formerly Xoogler Angels) was founded in 2018 as an exclusive investment network comprising senior executives from leading global and regional technology companies. Our mission is to provide smart capital to early-stage companies across Southeast Asia. The XA podcast brings together voices from the ecosystem that powers early stage investing across this vibrant region. Our guests include entrepreneurs, Venture Capitalists and of course XA Network investors.

Find us online: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter

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This podcast is powered by CrazyTok: We help experts become influencers.

Find us on our Website, LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter

Startups are expected to move fast and break things. But too much of that and you land in hot water! That's why high quality startups spend time establishing a responsible and active Board. Find out how in this episode jointly presented by Singapore Institute of Directors and the XA Network

Our Guests

Carmen Yuen is a general partner at Vertex Ventures. For many years, she has served in Singapore’s government-backed venture capital initiatives, including EVBI. She’s also served as general mana of seeds capital, where she formulated policies to steer funding for seed-stage startups in the country. She currently serves on the boards of Tickle Media, Sunday Insurance, Speed Doc, and Turn Key Lender.

Ferish Patel is the Managing Partner of Cooley Singapore, which he founded in 2019. He has 20 years of experience advising founders and boards across the full life cycle of the new-age economy, including private financing, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, and IPOs. His breadth of experience spans Asia, the USA, and Europe. He regularly mentors founders on founder impact groups and platforms across Asia.

In This Episode

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Reza Behnam, Founder of digital.direction and Senior Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Mach49, is a veteran in the tech and digital space. He has founded and exited a number of companies in the MarTech and business analytics spaces and is an active angel investor in innumerable ventures. He is an active member of the Singapore Institute of Directors as well as the XA Network

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The XA Network (formerly Xoogler Angels) was founded in 2018 as an exclusive investment network comprising senior executives from leading global and regional technology companies. Our mission is to provide smart capital to early-stage companies across Southeast Asia. The XA podcast brings together voices from the ecosystem that powers early stage investing across this vibrant region. Our guests include entrepreneurs, Venture Capitalists and of course XA Network investors.

Find us online: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter

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This podcast is powered by CrazyTok: We help experts become influencers.

Find us on our Website, LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter

Hear from an acclaimed tech recruiter on how he got started in the business, the challenges of finding the perfect C-Suite fit, the importance of self-awareness and generalist skill-sets and some of his most memorable projects

Our Speakers

Alex Gold is the MD for True Search in South East Asia. True Search hires leadership for privately held, growth stage and PE/ VC backed internet and software businesses. Prior to this, he was the founder of Quantum Search, before which he held roles in S&P Global and Korn Ferry.

He is interviewed by Sergio Salvador, Chief People Officer of Carsome, who has prior experience at Egon Zehnder, Google, Electronic Arts, Yahoo!, Nokia as well as his own startup.

Discussion Points

Links

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The XA Network (formerly Xoogler Angels) was founded in 2018 as an exclusive investment network comprising senior executives from leading global and regional technology companies. Our mission is to provide smart capital to early-stage companies across Southeast Asia. The XA podcast brings together voices from the ecosystem that powers early stage investing across this vibrant region. Our guests include entrepreneurs, Venture Capitalists and of course XA Network investors.

Find us online: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter

—

This podcast is powered by CrazyTok: We help experts become influencers.

Find us on our Website, LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter

How do you build a great founding team? How do you handle moments of disruption, such as mergers or the mental health issues and increased isolation caused by working from home? And in a fundamentally people-oriented function, do you rely on your gut or act based on data and experimentation? In this episode we have Vicky Chai and Sergio Salvador discuss Vicky's long journey from software engineer to Chief People Officer and the challenges and lessons on the way

Our Speakers

Vicky is a versatile HR practitioner who designs and uses HR transformational initiatives to support business growth and solve long-term people issues. She relishes start-up roles and organisations, in companies that need to drive agility and constant change in order to grow. She has had both consulting and in-house operational & specialist roles across the full spectrum of HR in her 20+ years of HR career and was most recently the group head of people for Singlife with Aviva.

She is interviewed by Sergio Salvador, Chief People Officer of Carsome, who has prior experience at Egon Zehnder, Google, Electronic Arts, Yahoo!, Nokia as well as his own startup.

Discussion Points

Links

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The XA Network (formerly Xoogler Angels) was founded in 2018 as an exclusive investment network comprising senior executives from leading global and regional technology companies. Our mission is to provide smart capital to early-stage companies across Southeast Asia. The XA podcast brings together voices from the ecosystem that powers early stage investing across this vibrant region. Our guests include entrepreneurs, Venture Capitalists and of course XA Network investors.

Find us online: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter

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This podcast is powered by CrazyTok: We help experts become influencers.

Find us on our Website, LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter