Analyse Asia

08/07/2025

Our latest episode features Sabastian Niles, President and Chief Legal Officer from Salesforce as we discuss how trust and responsibility can be incorporated into the era of Agentic AI. https://youtu.be/-0Wv7750jqE

"You can try to develop self-awareness and take a beginner's mind in all things. This includes being open to feedback and truly listening, even when it might be hard to receive. I think that's been something I've really tried to practice. The other area is recognizing that just like a company or country, as humans we have many stakeholders. You may wear many hats in different ways. So as we think of the totality of your life over time, what's your portfolio of passions? How do you choose—as individuals, as society, as organizations, as humans and families with our loved ones and friends—to not just spend your time and resources, but really invest your time, resources, and spirit into areas, people, and contexts that bring you meaning and where you can build a legacy? So it's not so much advice, but more like a north star." - Sabastian V. Niles

We discussed how trust and responsibility are operationalized in how Salesforce products are built and what it means for in the future.

Fresh out of the studio, Sabastian Niles, President and Chief Legal Officer at Salesforce Global, joins us to explore how trust and responsibility shape the ...

06/07/2025

Fresh out of the studio, Mohan Belani, CEO and co-founder of E27 and partner at Orvel Ventures, joins us to explore his 15 years of journey shaping Southeast Asia's startup ecosystem. In the conversation, Mohan reflected on the evolution of Southeast Asia's ecosystem through different eras and offered his perspectives in how startups need to navigate the current funding winter in Southeast Asia. He also shared the spark that inspired him to set Orvel Ventures and how the investment thesis will fit better for the Southeast Asia region. Last but not least, he offered his vision what great would look like for Orvel and E27 in the next decade.

"If you take a step back and ask, how has the last 10-15 years panned out? The truth of the matter is that Southeast Asia has not done as well as it should have based on the reports and projections that existed earlier. There have been fundamental flaws from a culture standpoint with respect to how the ecosystem has been shaped. I think there has been too much of a mirror of what's happening in Silicon Valley and figuring out how to replicate those concepts in Southeast Asia, whereas there should have been a better, more localized, customized, regional model to suit the culture and concepts in this region. We've mirrored our fundraising, our entire ecosystem to be too much like Silicon Valley - blitzscaling style model, power law style investing which in hindsight, maybe were not the right approaches. There's also been an over-reliance on funding." - Mohan Belani, CEO & Co-founder of E27, Partner at Orvel Ventures

Episode Highlights:
[00:01:00] The Spark from Silicon Valley
[00:03:00] Foundational Lessons for Entrepreneurs
[00:07:00] The Origin of E27
[00:10:00] E27’s Evolution into a Regional Powerhouse
[00:13:00] Navigating the Phases of Southeast Asia’s Ecosystem
[00:17:00] Media as Ecosystem Infrastructure
[00:20:00] Building Regionally with Roadshows
[00:22:00] Hard Lessons from Regional Expansion
[00:23:00] Adapting to Emerging Tech Waves
[00:25:00] Misaligned Expectations & the Valley Mirror
[00:28:00] The Birth of Orvel Ventures
[00:33:00] The Orvel Ventures Investment Model
[00:36:00] Red Flags & Green Flags in Founders
[00:40:00] Rethinking Exit Pathways in SEA
[00:45:00] Promising Sectors in 2024
[00:48:00] Thoughts on Governance Failures
[00:52:00] The Need for Critique in SEA Media
[00:54:00] Vision for E27 and Oval Ventures
[00:57:00] Closing and Echelon 2025

24/06/2025

Just dropped our latest episode: A deep-dive conversation with Patrick McGee, author of Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company and San Francisco correspondent at the Financial Times.

We explored how Apple’s rise in China wasn't just a manufacturing strategy—it was a century-defining Faustian bargain. Patrick takes us behind the scenes of how Apple unintentionally helped build China’s contract manufacturing dominance, revealing the infamous “Apple Squeeze” model: paying suppliers the bare minimum while delivering invaluable training and scale.

He shares unforgettable stories—from Apple’s ruthless negotiator Tony Blevins to tragic figures like Jackie Haynes—and explains why Apple’s push to move production to India faces cultural, political, and structural barriers.

His key insight? Apple’s greatest success in China may now be its biggest vulnerability and why it is close to impossible to shift from China to India

🎧 Tune in to understand how global tech, geopolitics, and supply chains truly intersect:
🔗 Watch the full YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/TPJ2e-fKTg4

Fresh out of the studio, Patrick McGee, San Francisco correspondent for the Financial Times and author of "Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greates...

16/06/2025

Fresh out of the studio, Hans A.T. Dekkers, General Manager of IBM Asia Pacific, spoke to our host Bernard Leong on how IBM's enterprise AI is transforming businesses across the region. Hans offered deep insights into IBM’s unique approach—combining hybrid cloud infrastructure with AI to help enterprises and governments scale securely while retaining full control over their data. He spotlighted real-world examples, from transforming HR and supply chains with domain-specific models to a major collaboration with Telkom Indonesia. Hans also addressed the real challenges of AI adoption, emphasizing the need for robust infrastructure, strong governance, and cost-effective models over GPU-heavy solutions. https://youtu.be/TKBzsNVga_w

"At IBM, we really work on two emerging technologies: hybrid cloud and AI for enterprise. These two are deeply connected. Hybrid cloud for us means that regardless of where the data sits whether the compute is on-premise, off-premise, or across multiple clouds. We believe the client should have the control and flexibility to choose where to run and place their data. If you look at the facts, a very high percentage of client data is still on-premise. It hasn't moved to the cloud for obvious reasons. So, how can you scale AI if you don’t have proper access to that data? AI is all about the data. That’s why we believe in a strategy that redefines and rethinks everything. We call it the Great Technology Reset." - Hans Dekkers

Fresh out of the studio, Hans Dekkers, General Manager of IBM Asia Pacific, joins us to explore how enterprise AI is reshaping business across the region. He...

15/06/2025

Fresh out of the studio, Allen Law, co-founder of MOVE Repeat, chairman of REVL, and principal of Seveno Capital, joins us to explore the holistic approach to wellness, fitness, and longevity across his entrepreneurial ventures. In the conversation, Allen explained his journey from "accidental hotelier" to longevity entrepreneur, outlining the six pillars of longevity. He emphasized that the gap isn't in knowledge but in action, highlighting how his upcoming 38,000 square foot facility in Singapore brings medical, fitness, recovery, sleep, and nutrition services under one roof to help people change their lifestyles. Allen discussed how MOVE Repeat has acquired three brands operating in 50+ studios across five countries and shifted from traditional subscription models to pay-as-you-go to ensure consistent customer satisfaction. Last but not least, Allen describes what great would look like for his fitness, wellness and longevity businesses.

"I think the why is so important, but it's always not really being asked. Most people want to know, 'What's your growth look like?' or 'How is this offering different from another offering?' Those are the questions we get most of the time. But going back to the real why we actually do this in the first place is the most critical question if you ask me. For myself personally, it is all about having a positive impact in society. We have chosen to go down the route of wellness, fitness, and longevity to have that positive impact, which we believe is extremely important and a strong one whereby I'm personally putting a lot of energy, funds, and capital behind it to ensure we educate the community and society to establish and adopt healthy and active lifestyles that will only benefit the entire population." - Allen Law

Episode Highlights:
[00:00] Quote of the Day by Allen Law
[01:00] Introduction: Allen Law and his career journey
[04:00] Career Lessons Shared: The importance of first principles and purpose-driven business beyond financial success
[05:45] The six pillars of longevity: sleep, exercise, nutrition, avoiding harmful substances, social connections, and stress management
[08:00] Move Repeat's expansion to three brands across five countries with over 50 fitness studios
[11:45] Change of Business Model from Subscription to Pay as you go in Fitness Clubs focused on customer satisfaction
[18:15] The holistic approach to wellness and why focusing on just one pillar isn't enough
[20:00] Allen's upcoming 38,000 square foot facility combining medical, fitness, recovery, and nutrition services
[26:00] Bridging the gap between wellness knowledge and action through lifestyle change support
[31:00] Using science and data tracking to show measurable improvements in health metrics
[32:00] Democratizing wellness to make longevity accessible for the 50% rather than the wealthy 5%
[35:00] Community building as the foundation for growth in wellness businesses
[38:00] Closing

13/06/2025

"Now, some people are only ever going to want to use WhatsApp to message the people in their life, and they should be able to carry on doing that and have an incredibly simple experience in doing so. But we're increasingly seeing that users want to use WhatsApp for more than messaging close friends and family. It's why we're doing things like business messaging. It's why we built new features like channels and status and updates tab separate from your personal chats. We think that if we carry on getting the core of private messaging right, it also gives us the opportunity to build more of these features that users want." - Alice Newton-Rex

Fresh out of the studio, Alice Newton-Rex, Vice President and Head of Product at WhatsApp, joins us to explore how the messaging platform balances innovation with privacy for over 3 billion users worldwide. In the conversation, Alice explained WhatsApp's three guiding principles: simple, reliable, and private. She emphasized that the features they say "no" to are often more important than those they approve, highlighting how WhatsApp has evolved beyond personal messaging to include business services that serve over 200 million businesses globally and balancing innovation with trust on how Meta AI is integrated into the platform. Last but not least, Alice describes what great would look like for WhatsApp continuing to be the most private way for people to communicate while maintaining simplicity and reliability at global scale.

Episode Highlights:
[00:00] Quote of the Day by Alice Newton-Rex, VP & Head of Product, WhatsApp
[01:34] Alice's Career Journey from Classics to WhatsApp.
[04:32] WhatsApp's three core principles: simple, reliable, and private.
[06:43] Best product decisions: knowing when to say "no".
[09:43] Mobile-first strategy shapes WhatsApp's business model.
[11:21] Small businesses use WhatsApp extensively in emerging economies.
[13:58] WhatsApp Business ecosystem reaches 200 million users globally.
[16:02] End-to-end encryption forms foundation of WhatsApp's privacy commitment.
[18:38] Features keep core experience simple while adding optional functionalities.
[21:18] User trust prioritized over speed of iteration.
[24:32] Messaging will be how most people interact with AI.
[26:40] AI features: optional, visually distinct, with clear user control.
[32:53] Privacy enables authenticity in everyday communication.
[34:13] Future WhatsApp: keeping simple, reliable, private communication for billions.
[35:35] Closing.

08/06/2025

Fresh out of the studio, Mohan Belani, CEO and co-founder of E27 and partner at Orvel Ventures, joins us to explore his 15 years of journey shaping Southeast Asia's startup ecosystem. In the conversation, Mohan reflected on the evolution of Southeast Asia's ecosystem through different eras and offered his perspectives in how startups need to navigate the current funding winter in Southeast Asia. He also shared the spark that inspired him to set Orvel Ventures and how the investment thesis will fit better for the Southeast Asia region. Last but not least, he offered his vision what great would look like for Orvel and E27 in the next decade.

Watch the Full YouTube Video:

Fresh out of the studio, Mohan Belani, CEO and co-founder of E27 and partner at Orvel Ventures, joins us to explore his 15 years of journey shaping Southeast...

07/06/2025

" We did a survey with The Economist globally which obviously included Europe and APAC as well. And we asked the question, 'Does my organization's current architecture supports the unique demands of AI workloads.' Basically 85% said, 'No. We don't have the architecture to support it.' Some partially does, but it needs lots of modifications. So we can still feel a lot of people are still in the early stages and that data point ties back to: 85% of GenAI [proof of concepts] has not gone into production. I think that another interesting point is, 'Does your architecture connect AI application? -your relevant business data.' which is probably nearly even more important for me. Again, it was still about 80%- 'We don't have that.' Because that business data is all over the place. Without the clean data, you cannot get good AI." - Patrick Kelly

Fresh out of the studio, Patrick Kelly, Senior Director for Digital Natives, Startups & Enterprise and Commercial Sales in Southeast Asia at Databricks, joins us to discuss how data intelligence is powering enterprise AI applications in ASEAN. Beginning with his career journey from network engineering to tech leadership across Asian markets, Patrick explained how Databricks pioneered the Lakehouse architecture and integrated generative AI into enterprise workloads. Emphasizing the critical role of data quality in AI success, he showcased compelling customer case studies from across ASEAN and revealed striking generative AI trends in Asia - notably that 85% of organizations lack proper architecture to support AI workloads, reinforcing that clean data remains foundational for effective AI implementation. Patrick concluded by sharing his vision of what success looks like for Databricks in Southeast Asia.

Episode Highlights:
[00:00] Quote of the Day
[01:03] Introduction: Patrick Kelly from Databricks
[01:42] Career journey from network engineering to technology sales leadership
[05:57] Lessons from Patrick's career journey
[08:24] The Data & AI total market opportunity in Southeast Asia and How Databricks is poised to capture the market.
[09:22] How Databricks pioneered the Lakehouse concept, combining data lake and data warehouse capabilities.
[14:38] The One Thing that Patrick know about Databricks that very few do.
[17:06] Customer success stories from Grab, GetGo, GovTech to Siam Commercial Bank
[22:04] How Mosaic AI positioned Databricks to develop enterprise-quality AI solutions with customers.
[26:43] Key Trends in Asia Pacific on Generative AI.
[31:37] The Importance of Data Architecture for Enterprises adopting AI.
[34:27] Advice for Businesses on Implementation of AI
[36:39] What does great look like for Databricks?
[40:54] Closing remarks and invitation to the Data and AI Summit.

01/06/2025

Fresh out of the studio, Andrew Fierman, Head of National Security Intelligence at Chainalysis, provides an in-depth analysis of the recent $1.5 billion Bybit hack orchestrated by North Korea's Lazarus Group. Starting from his career journey from traditional banking to blockchain analytics, Andrew shares his expertise on how sanctioned entities operate in the cryptocurrency space and the sophisticated techniques employed by state-sponsored hackers. He explains how blockchain's transparency enables tracking of stolen funds. Andrew details how sanctioned states are increasingly turning to stablecoins and decentralized finance to evade traditional banking controls, while emphasizing the importance of KYC procedures and blockchain analytics in disrupting illicit activities. Last but not least, Andrew shares his perspectives on emerging threats in cryptocurrency security, including how AI-powered deepfakes and digital identity forgery are lowering barriers to sophisticated attacks.

"The thing that's most fascinating, we talk a lot about how complex North Korea is here but when you compare it to some of the other illicit groups, particularly those that are sanctioned, say your terrorist organization that's soliciting donations on Telegram or some other social media outlet understanding what that difference in the level of complexity is, I think is really fascinating to actually know about. When we're talking about DPRK, we're talking about laundering of funds through tens of thousands. By the time we're done, it'll be hundreds of thousands of wallets. And then on the other end of it, We have a terrorist organization that was, sanctioned mid last year for facilitating on behalf of Hamas. After they got sanctioned and their addresses that they were using, got seized and disrupted. They got annoyed and they tried to bridge funds with their new Ethereum wallet after they received a few donations and they didn't even have the gas fees to facilitate it. And the transaction, when we're talking about the difference in the level of complexity here, it is really fascinating to know the nuance and it's not to say that, other nation states, like Russia or Iran don't have any level of complexity. They certainly do." - Andrew Fierman, Head of National Security Intelligence at Chainalysis Inc

Episode Highlights:
[00:00] Quote of the Day by Andrew Fierman
[01:52] Introduction of Andrew Fierman, Head of National Security Intelligence at Chainalysis
[05:08] Differences between traditional financial monitoring and blockchain transparency
[07:36] Explanation of the Bybit hack and how the hack occurred through a third-party vendor
[11:20] Lazarus Group's operational methods and their technical advancement
[14:24] Evolving tactics in the laundering process
[15:32] The importance of patience in tracking and disrupting funds
[18:53] Role of blockchain analytics in identifying and mitigating risks
[19:01] Challenges in tracing through bridges and DeFi protocols
[21:31] Comparison of North Korea's sophistication versus other sanctioned groups
[24:05] How exchanges can bolster their defenses against attacks
[27:06] Discussion of the Chainalysis 2025 Crypto Crime Report
[30:38] Secondary sanctions and their impact on international crypto payments
[34:42] Regulatory challenges around decentralized finance platforms
[36:56] Dusting attacks and their implications for everyday users
[39:57] Emerging threats in the crypto space
[40:52] Lowering barriers to sophisticated attacks through AI and deepfakes
[43:25] What success means for the crypto industry in fending off sanctioned groups
[45:49] Closing

30/05/2025

What does Great look like for Talent Acquisition in Airbus? Mark Reinecke breaks it down

26/05/2025

Fresh out of the studio, Mark Reinecke, SVP of Top Executive Management and Talent Acquisition at Airbus, shares his approach to the full life cycle of global talent management from acquisition to development and retention. Starting from his career journey, Mark shared his experiences and mental models in recruiting, developing and retaining top talent while emphasized how the STAR program in Airbus can gather experts from areas outside of Airbus to provide different perspectives on how the aviation industry can learn from best practices in other industries given the emerging technologies. Last but not least, Mark shared his perspectives on what does great look like for global talent management.

"When I discuss with senior leaders, interview them, or assess them for senior roles, they often come to me, and I ask them: 'What makes you unique? How do you see yourself?' Eighty percent of them tell me what they can't do. They talk about their development needs, and I say, 'Is that how you pitch yourself? Is that what you really bring to the table? You sit with a headhunter and tell me what you can’t do—why not tell me what you’re really good at?' Your exceptional value-add, your competitive advantage—that’s what makes an impact, not what you cannot do. Development needs require a mitigation strategy, yes, but I believe that focusing on your unique strengths will take you further in your career." - Mark Reinecke

Episode Highlights:
[00:00] Lead with your unique strengths, not weaknesses
[01:19] Introduction of Mark Reinecke, SVP at Airbus
[01:55] Mark's career journey from automotive to aerospace
[05:01] Key career lessons: daily learning and focusing on strengths
[06:23] Mark's role managing top 250 leaders at Airbus
[08:16] Approach to analyzing global talent landscape
[09:53] Integrating outside talent into aviation industry
[12:08] The STAR Program: creating an ecosystem of external expertise to provide thought leadership to Airbus management
[17:05] Challenges of integrating external talent into aviation culture.
[19:52] Airbus's tailor-made onboarding process with buddy system.
[20:54] Two-way learning between Airbus and STAR Program members.
[22:34] AI's future role in HR and talent management.
[27:39] The underestimated power of genuine professional networks
[31:35] What excellence in global talent management looks like
[33:54] Closing

18/05/2025

Fresh out of the studio, we had the pleasure of hosting Allen Law—co-founder of MOVE REPEAT, chairman of REVL Training, and principal at Seveno Capital—for a compelling conversation on wellness, fitness, and longevity through the lens of entrepreneurship. https://youtu.be/BqWEK86IrRc

Allen shared his transformation from “accidental hotelier” to longevity-focused founder, outlining the six pillars of longevity and emphasizing that the real challenge isn’t knowledge, but taking action. He revealed plans for a groundbreaking 38,000 sq ft wellness facility in Singapore, integrating medical, fitness, recovery, sleep, and nutrition—all under one roof to drive meaningful lifestyle change. He also shed light on MOVE Repeat’s rapid growth, having acquired three brands with 50+ studios across five countries, and their strategic shift from subscriptions to pay-as-you-go to better align with customer needs. To wrap up, Allen painted a vision of what “great” looks like in the future of fitness, wellness, and longevity—and how his ventures aim to redefine it.

"I think the why is so important, but it's always not really being asked. Most people want to know, 'What's your growth look like?' or 'How is this offering different from another offering?' Those are the questions we get most of the time. But going back to the real why we actually do this in the first place is the most critical question if you ask me. For myself personally, it is all about having a positive impact in society. We have chosen to go down the route of wellness, fitness, and longevity to have that positive impact, which we believe is extremely important and a strong one whereby I'm personally putting a lot of energy, funds, and capital behind it to ensure we educate the community and society to establish and adopt healthy and active lifestyles that will only benefit the entire population." - Allen Law

Watch the Full YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/BqWEK86IrRc
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1jobqJKONZ33agHy2qjXcn?si=5UDBHn2qSdOwa6KAupbYow

"I think the why is so important, but it's always not really being asked. Most people want to know, 'What's your growth look like?' or 'How is this offering ...