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US President Trump is considering quickly announcing a nominee to replace Fed Governor Cook with Stephen Miran and former World Bank President Malpass potential candidates, according to WSJ citing sources.The Trump administration is reviewing options for exerting more influence over the Federal Reserve's 12 regional banks that would potentially extend its reach beyond personnel appointments in Washington, according to Bloomberg citing sources.US President Trump said he is talking about economic sanctions on Russia if there is no ceasefire; US President Trump thinks oil prices will break below USD 60/bbl soon.APAC stocks were mostly in the green but with trade rangebound; European equity futures indicate a positive cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.3% after the cash market closed with losses of 1.1% on Tuesday.Looking ahead, highlights include German GfK Consumer Sentiment, Comments from Fed's Barkin, Supply from UK & US, Earnings from NVIDIA, Snowflake, CrowdStrike, HP Inc. & Kohl's.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
In this episode of the Scaling Japan Podcast, we're joined by Robert Heldt, CEO of AIM B2B, to explore how marketing in Japan is transforming.Robert shares exclusive data and insights from the 2025 State of Marketing report in Japan and across APAC. From skyrocketing AI adoption to a sharp dip in content marketing effectiveness, this episode unpacks what's changing, why it matters, and how companies can adapt.If you're a marketing leader, brand manager, or agency working in Japan, this episode is your inside guide to what's working and what's next.AIM B2B – Integrated Marketing & PR in AsiaThis episode is sponsored by AIM B2B, Tokyo's leading integrated marketing and PR agency since 2008, formerly known as Custom Media. Helping global brands grow across Japan and the APAC region with:• Localized storytelling to build trust • Strategic performance marketing for measurable growth • Account‑based marketing (ABM), paid media, GEO, and SEO • HubSpot‑certified CRM & marketing automation • Data‑driven implementation with cultural expertiseLearn more: https://aim-b2b.com/Show Notes:00:00 – Introduction01:12 – Overview of the Podcast02:10 – Recap on 2024 Report03:10 – Surveys on Marketing Report06:15 – Significant Changes in Results: AI Usage for Marketing07:50 – Findings About Similarities: Storytelling, Content Objectives09:52 – Report Regarding Usage of Generative AI and AI in General14:00 – Significant Changes in Results: Content Marketing as A Strategy18:36 – Story of Rebranding AIM B2B from Custom Media24:50 – Finding that Impacted AIM B2B's Strategy: Outsourcing39:07 – Types of Content from B2B Companies41:30 – Importance of Thought Leadership Content45:55 – Content Marketing Trends in Japan49:32 – Top 3 Skills Marketers Will Need50:45 – How AIM B2B is Scaling Clients' Success52:33 – How to Connect with RobertLinks from Guest Appearance:Robert Heldt on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertheldt/Link to Report : https://aim-b2b.com/blog/longform/content-marketing-japan-2025-insights/AIM B2B Podcast : https://aim-b2b.com/podcast/AIM B2B: https://aim-b2b.comCoaching with Tyson Looking to take your business to the next level? Let our host Tyson Batino help you scale from $100,000 to $10,000,000 with his coaching and advisory services.
What if your company's approach to people management was fundamentally flawed, not because of a lack of intent, but because of outdated tools and mindsets? In this episode of Predictable B2B Success, Vinay Koshy sits down with Projjal Ghatak, founder of OnLoop and creator of the Collaborative Team Development (CTD) category, to unpack why traditional HR tech and performance management systems don't cut it for today's hybrid, high-growth organizations. Drawing from his global leadership experience at Uber and consulting stints in APAC and New York, Projjal reveals the invisible gap between best practices taught at places like Stanford and the harsh realities of business execution. He shares eye-opening statistics—did you know only 7% of employees truly understand company strategy?- and explains why real productivity hinges on clarity, energy, and consistent feedback. If you're tired of tick-the-box HR processes, frustrated by a lack of alignment in your teams, or wondering how to create truly high-performing managers, this conversation is for you. Get ready for fresh insights about metrics, motivation, and how to operationalize leadership in a hybrid world, plus practical strategies to move from checkbox compliance to measurable success. Some areas we explore in this episode include: The founding of Onloop and the creation of Collaborative Team Development (CTD)The disconnect between ROI focus and outdated team management toolsDifference between HR/admin functions and real people managementWidespread lack of strategic clarity and goal alignment in organizationsImportance of identifying and leveraging personal and team strengthsBreaking down silos and the critical role of cross-functional collaborationMeasuring productivity and developing meaningful organizational metricsExplaining the five-layer CTD framework (energy, clarity, feedback, growth)Empowering middle managers as essential nodes for organizational cultureBlending tech with human services—Onloop's approach to driving real changeAnd much, much more...
APAC stocks traded mostly lower after global markets faded last Friday's post-Powell dovish reaction.US President Trump threatened to impose substantial additional tariffs on countries that do not remove discriminatory actions such as digital taxes.US President Trump posted a letter removing Fed's Cook from her position with immediate effect; Cook says she will not resign.European equity futures indicate a lower cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures down 0.5% after the cash market closed with gains of 0.8% on Monday.FX markets are contained, EUR/USD is supported by the 1.16 mark, USD/JPY sits on a 147 handle.Looking ahead, highlights include US Durable Goods (Jul), Consumer Confidence (Aug), Atlanta Fed GDP, Riksbank Minutes, NBH Announcement, E3/Iran Nuclear talks, Fed Discount Rate Minutes, Fed's Barkin & BoE's Mann, Supply from Italy and the US.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
APAC stocks began the week on the front foot as the region took its opportunity to react to the dovish comments by Fed Chair Powell at Jackson Hole on Friday.European equity futures indicate a lower cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 future down 0.3% after the cash market closed with gains of 0.5% on Friday.DXY is a touch firmer but unable to recover much of Friday's lost ground. EUR/USD remains on a 1.17 handle.Bund futures have faded some of last Friday's gains, crude futures are steady.Looking ahead, highlights include German Ifo (Aug), US National Activity (Jul), Comments from Fed's Logan and Supply from the EU.Note, today is a UK bank holiday. The desk is open as usual. Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
Send us a textLinking the Travel Industry is a business travel podcast where we review the top travel industry stories that are posted on LinkedIn by LinkedIn members. We curate the top posts and discuss with them with travel industry veterans in a live session with audience members. You can join the live recording session by visiting BusinessTravel360.comYour Hosts are Riaan van Schoor, Ann Cederhall and Aash ShravahStories covered on this podcast episode include - Air France launch a “Short Connection Pass,” service at Paris CDG, enabling their customers in transit at the airport with a short connection to benefit from a fast-track service, triggered automatically.Qantas will now show you, in their app, detailed information about the exact aircraft you'll be flying on, including what type of power sockets are available at your seat.Robert Kiernan's post about his struggles with name change on air bookings, despite it being 2025, got a lot of attention and comments.The most engaged post of the week goes to Felix Dannegger, one of a series he is doing on the possible future of, or next steps for, Sabre Corporation.In an unexpected turn, Gaya's new airport can keep the code GAY after all.Riyaz Ahamed's post about the incredible complexities of cross-border travel payments in APAC is worth a read.Extra StoriesYou can subscribe to this podcast by searching 'BusinessTravel360' on your favorite podcast player or visiting BusinessTravel360.comThis podcast was created, edited and distributed by BusinessTravel360. Be sure to sign up for regular updates at BusinessTravel360.com - Enjoy!Support the show
While I discuss often how I prepared for an emergency while working in the World Trade Center I, of course, did not anticipate anything happening that would threaten my life. However, when a major emergency occurred, I was in fact ready. I escaped and survived. Since September 11, 2001, I have met many people who in one way or another work to help others plan for emergencies. Sometimes these people are taken seriously and, all too often, they are ignored. I never truly understood the difference between emergency preparedness and business continuity until I had the opportunity to have this episode's guest, Chris Miller, on Unstoppable Mindset. I met Chris as a result of a talk I gave in October 2024 at the conference on Resilience sponsored in London England by the Business Continuity Institute. Chris was born and lived in Australia growing up and, in fact, still resides there. After high school she joined the police where she quickly became involved in search and rescue operations. As we learn, she came by this interest honestly as her father and grandfather also were involved in one way or another in law enforcement and search and rescue. Over time Chris became knowledgeable and involved in training people about the concept of emergency preparedness. Later she expanded her horizons to become more involved in business continuity. As Chris explains it, emergency preparedness is more of a macro view of keeping all people safe and emergency preparedness aware. Business Continuity is more of a topic that deals with one business at a time including preparing by customizing preparedness based on the needs of that business. Today Chris is a much sought after consultant. She has helped many businesses, small and large, to develop continuity plans to be invoked in case of emergencies that could come from any direction. About the Guest: Chris has decades of experience in all aspects of emergency and risk management including enterprise risk management. For 20 years, she specialised in ‘full cycle' business continuity management, organisational resilience, facilitating simulation exercises and after-action reviews. From January 2022 to July 2024, Chris worked as a Short-Term Consultant (STC) with the World Bank Group in Timor-Leste, the Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and the South Asia Region (SAR) countries – Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand. Other clients have ranged in size from 2 to more than 100,000 employees. She has worked with large corporates such as NewsCorp; not for profits; and governments in Australia and beyond. Chris has received several awards for her work in business continuity and emergency management. Chris has presented at more than 100 conferences, facilitated hundreds of workshops and other training, in person and virtually. In 2023, Chris became the first woman to volunteer to become National President and chair the Board of the Australasian Institute of Emergency Services (AIES) in its soon to be 50-year history. Ways to connect with Chris: https://b4crisis.com.au/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismillerb4crisis/ with 10+K followers https://x.com/B4Crisis with 1990 followers About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us. . Well, hi everyone, and I want to welcome you to unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet, and today, I guess we get to talk about the unexpected, because we're going to be chatting with Chris Miller. Chris is in Australia and has been very heavily involved in business continuity and emergency management, and we'll talk about all that. But what that really comes down to is that she gets to deal with helping to try to anticipate the unexpected when it comes to organizations and others in terms of dealing with emergencies and preparing for them. I have a little bit of sympathy and understanding about that myself, as you all know, because of the World Trade Center, and we got to talk about it in London last October at the Business Continuity Institute, which was kind of fun. And so we get to now talk about it some more. So Chris, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're here. Chris Miller ** 02:22 Oh, thanks very much, Michael, and I was very impressed by your presentation, because in the emergency space, preparedness is everything that is the real return on investment. So you were wonderful case study of preparedness. Michael Hingson ** 02:37 Well, thank you. Now I forget were you there or were you listening or watching virtually. Chris Miller ** 02:42 I was virtual that time. I have been there in person for the events in London and elsewhere. Sometimes they're not in London, sometimes in Birmingham and other major cities, yeah, but yeah, I have actually attended in person on one occasion. So it's a long trip to go to London to go. Michael Hingson ** 03:03 Yeah, it is. It's a little bit of a long trip, but still, it's something that, it is a subject worth talking about, needless to say, Chris Miller ** 03:13 Absolutely, and it's one that I've been focusing on for more than 50 years. Michael Hingson ** 03:18 Goodness, well, and emergencies have have been around for even longer, but certainly we've had our share of emergencies in the last 50 years. Chris Miller ** 03:30 Sure have in your country and mine, yeah. Michael Hingson ** 03:34 Well, let's start maybe, as I love to do, tell us a little bit about the early Chris growing up and all that sort of stuff that's funny to talk about the early days. Chris Miller ** 03:47 Well, I came from a family that loved the mountains, and so it was sort of natural that I would sort of grow up in the mountains close to where I was born, in Brisbane and southeast Queensland. And we have a series of what we call coastal ranges, or border ranges, between Queensland and New South Wales, which are two of the largest states in Australia. And so I spent a lot of time hunting around there. So I sort of fell into emergency management just by virtue of my parents love of the mountains and my familiarity with them and and then I joined the police, and in no time at all, I was training other people to do search and rescues. And that was me in the early days. Michael Hingson ** 04:31 What got you involved in dealing with search and rescue? Chris Miller ** 04:36 Oh, it was volunteer in those days. It still is now actually with the State Emergency Service, but it's sort of become more formalized. It used to be sort of, you know, friends and family and people that knew the territory would help out from somebody managed to get themselves a bit tangled up some of those coastal ranges, even to this day, I. You can't use GPS because it's rain forest, and so the rain forest canopy is so dense that you'd have to cut trees down, and it's a national park, you can't do that and or climb the tree. Good luck with that one. You still can't get satellite coverage, so you actually have to know the country. But what? Michael Hingson ** 05:24 What caused you to actually decide to take that up or volunteer to do that? That's, you know, pretty, pretty interesting, I would think, but certainly something that most people don't tend to do. Chris Miller ** 05:38 Well, my family's interest in there. My parents have always been very community minded, so, you know, and it's the Australian way, if someone needs help and you can help, you throw them do so, Michael Hingson ** 05:51 okay, that makes sense. So you joined the police, and you got very much involved in in dealing with search and rescue. And I would presume, knowing you, that you became pretty much an expert in it as much as one can. Chris Miller ** 06:06 Oh, well, I wouldn't be so reckless as to say experts, because there's always so much to learn. And, yeah, and the systems keep changing. I mean, with GPS and and, for instance, in the early days of search and rescue helicopters were a rare treat. Now they're sort of part of the fabric of things. And now there's drones, and there's all sorts of high tech solutions that have come into the field in the lengthy time that I've been involved in. It's certainly not just ramping around the bush and hoping to find someone it's a lot more complex, but Michael Hingson ** 06:41 as you but as you pointed out, there are still places where all the tech in the world isn't necessarily going to help. Is it Chris Miller ** 06:52 exactly and interestingly, my mother in her teenage years, was involved with a fellow called Bernard O'Reilly, and he did a fantastic rescue of a plane crash survivors and and he he claimed that he saw a burnt tree in the distance. Well, I've stood on the Rift Valley where he claimed to see the burnt tree, and, my goodness, he's also it must have been better than mine, because it's a long way, but he was a great believer in God, and he believed that God led him to these people, and he saved them. And it's fascinating to see how many people, over the years, have done these amazing things. And Bernard was a very low key sort of fellow, never one to sort of see publicity, even though he got more than He probably wanted. And they've been television series and movies and, goodness knows, books, many books written about this amazing rescue. So I sort of grew up with these stories of these amazing rescues. And my father came from Tasmania, where his best friend David ended up mountain rescue. So I sort of was born into it. It was probably in my genes, and it just no escaping Michael Hingson ** 08:12 you came into it naturally, needless to say, so that just out of curiosity, you can answer or not. But where does all of this put you in terms of believing in God, Chris Miller ** 08:25 oh, well, there's probably been points in my life where I've been more of a believer than ever. Michael Hingson ** 08:33 Yeah. Well, there. There are a lot of things that happen that often times we we seem not to be able to explain, and we we chalk it up to God's providence. So I suppose you can take that as you will. I've talked about it before on unstoppable mindset, but one of my favorite stories of the World Trade Center on September 11 was a woman who normally got up at seven every morning. She got up, got dressed, went to the World Trade Center where she worked. I forget what floor she was on, but she was above where the planes would have hit, and did hit. But on this particular day, for some reason, she didn't set her alarm to go off at 7am she set it accidentally to go off at 7pm so she didn't get up in time, and she survived and wasn't in the World Trade Center at all. So what was that? You know, they're just so many stories like that, and it, it certainly is a reason to keep an open mind about things nevertheless, Chris Miller ** 09:39 well, and I've also worked with a lot of Aboriginal people and with the World Bank, with with other people that have, perhaps beliefs that are different to what we might consider more traditional beliefs in Western society. And it's interesting how their spirituality their belief system. Yeah. Has often guided them too soon. Michael Hingson ** 10:03 Well, there's, there's something to be said for that. Needless to say, well, so you, did you go to college? Or did you go out of whatever high school type things and then go into the police? Or what? Chris Miller ** 10:18 Um, yes, I joined the police from high school, I completed my high school graduation, as you call it in America, police academy, where in Brisbane, Oxley and then the Queensland Police Academy, and subsequent to that, I went to university part time while I was a police officer, and graduated and so on and so Michael Hingson ** 10:41 on. So you eventually did get a college degree. 10:45 True, okay, Michael Hingson ** 10:48 well, but you were also working, so that must have been pretty satisfying to do, Chris Miller ** 10:55 but, but it was tricky to especially when you're on shift work trying to going to excuse me, study and and hold on a more than full time job? Michael Hingson ** 11:09 Yeah, had to be a challenge. It was, Chris Miller ** 11:13 but it was worth it and, and I often think about my degree and the learnings I did psychology and sociology and then how it I often think a university degree isn't so much the content, it's it's the discipline and the and the analysis and research and all the skills that you Get as part of the the process. It's important. Michael Hingson ** 11:42 Yeah, I agree. I think that a good part of what you do in college is you learn all about analysis, you learn about research, you learn about some of these things which are not necessarily talked about a lot, but if you you do what you're supposed to do. Well those are, are certainly traits that you learn and things that you you develop in the way of tools that can help you once you graduate, Chris Miller ** 12:13 absolutely and continue to be valuable and and this was sort of reinforced in the years when I was post graduate at the University of Queensland, and was, was one of the representatives on the arts faculty board, where we spend a lot of time actually thinking about, you know, what is education? What are we trying to achieve here? Not just be a degree factory, but what are we actually trying to share with the students to make them better citizens and contribute in various ways. Michael Hingson ** 12:50 Yeah, I know that last year, I was inducted as an alumni member of the Honor Society, phi, beta, kappa, and I was also asked to deliver the keynote speech at the induction dinner for all of the the students and me who were inducted into phi, Beta Kappa last June. And one of the things that I talked about was something that I've held dear for a long time, ever since I was in college, a number of my professors in physics said to all of us, one of the things that you really need to do is to pay attention to details. It isn't enough to get the numeric mathematical answer correct. You have to do things like get the units correct. So for example, if you're talking about acceleration, you need to make sure that it comes out meters per second squared. It isn't just getting a number, but you've got to have the units and other things that that you deal with. You have to pay attention to the details. And frankly, that has always been something that has stuck with me. I don't, and I'm sure that it does with other people, but it's always been something that I held dear, and I talked about that because that was one of the most important things that I learned out of college, and it is one of the most important things that helped me survive on September 11, because it is all about paying attention to the details and really learning what you can about whatever you need to learn, and making sure that you you have all the information, and you get all the information that you can Chris Miller ** 14:34 absolutely and in the emergency space, it's it's learning from what's happened and right, even Though many of the emergencies that we deal with, sadly, people die or get badly injured or significant harm to their lives, lifestyle and economy and so on, I often think that the return for them is that we learn to do better next. Time that we capture the lessons and we take them from just lessons identified to lessons learned, where we make real, significant changes about how we do things. And you've spoken often about 911 and of course, in Australia, we've been more than passingly interested in what the hell happened there. Yeah, in terms of emergency management too, because, as I understand it, you had 20, 479, months of fire fighting in the tunnels. And of course, we've thought a lot about that. In Australia, we have multi story buildings in some of our major cities. What if some unpleasant people decided to bring some of them down? They would be on top of some of our important infrastructure, such as Metro tunnels and so on. Could we manage to do 20, 479, months of fire fighting, and how would that work? Do we have the resources? How could we deploy people to make that possible? So even when it isn't in your own country, you're learning from other people, from agencies, to prepare your country and your situation in a state of readiness. Should something unpleasant Michael Hingson ** 16:16 happen? I wonder, speaking of tunnels, that's just popped into my head. So I'll ask it. I wonder about, you know, we have this war in the Middle East, the Israeli Hamas war. What have we learned about or from all of the tunnels that Hamas has dug in in Gaza and so on? What? What does all that teach us regarding emergency preparedness and so on, or does it Chris Miller ** 16:46 presently teaches us a lot about military preparedness. And you know, your your enemy suddenly, suddenly popping up out of the out of the under underground to take you on, as they've been doing with the idea as I understand it, Michael Hingson ** 17:03 yeah. But also, Chris Miller ** 17:06 you know, simplistic solutions, like some people said, Well, why don't you just flood the tunnels and that'll deal with them. Except the small problem is, if you did that, you would actually make the land unlivable for many years because of salination. So it just raises the questions that there are no simple solutions to these challenging problems in defense and emergency management. And back to your point about detail, you need to think about all your options very carefully. And one of the things that I often do with senior people is beware of one track thinking. There is no one solution to any number of emergencies. You should be thinking as broadly as possible and bringing bringing in the pluses and minuses of each of those solutions before you make fairly drastic choices that could have long term consequences, you know, like the example of the possible flooding of the tunnel, sounds like a simple idea and has some appeal, but there's lots of downsides to Michael Hingson ** 18:10 much less, the fact that there might very well be people down there that you don't want to see, perishes, Chris Miller ** 18:20 yeah, return to their families. I'm sure they'd like that. And there may be other people, I understand that they've been running medical facilities and doing all sorts of clever things in the tunnel. And those people are not combatants. They're actually trying to help you, right? Michael Hingson ** 18:37 Yeah, so it is one of those things that really points out that no solutions are necessarily easy at all, and we need to think pretty carefully about what we do, because otherwise there could be a lot of serious problems. And you're right Chris Miller ** 18:55 exactly, and there's a lot of hard choices and often made hastily in emergency management, and this is one of the reasons why I've been a big defender of the recovery elements being involved in emergency management. You need to recovery people in the response activities too, because sometimes some of the choices you make in response might seem wonderful at the time, but are absolutely devastating in the recovery space, right? Michael Hingson ** 19:25 Do you find that when you're in an emergency situation that you are afraid, or are you not afraid? Or have you just learned to control fear, and I don't mean just in a in a negative way, but have you learned to control sphere so that you use it as a tool, as opposed to it just overwhelming you. Chris Miller ** 19:49 Yeah, sometimes the fee sort of kicks in afterwards, because often in the actual heat of the moment, you're so focused on on dealing with the problem. Problem that you really don't have time to be scared about it. Just have to deal with it and get on to next problem, because they're usually coming at you in a in a pretty tsunami like why? If it's a major incident, you've got a lot happening very quickly, and decisions need to be made quickly and often with less of the facts and you'd like to have at your fingertips to make some fairly life changing decisions for some people. But I would think what in quite tricky, Michael Hingson ** 20:33 yeah, but I would think what that means is that you learn to control fear and not let it overwhelm you, but you learn that, yeah, it's there, but you use it to aid you, and you use it to help move you to make the decisions as best you can, as opposed to not being able to make decisions because you're too fearful, Chris Miller ** 21:00 right? And decision paralysis can be a real issue. I remember undertaking an exercise some years back where a quite senior person called me into his office when it was over, was just tabletop, and he said, I'm not it. And I went. He said, I'm not really a crisis manager. I'm good in a business as usual situation where I have all the facts before me, and usually my staff have had weeks, months to prepare a detailed brief, provide me with options and recommendations I make a sensible decision, so I'm not really good on the fly. This is not me and and that's what we've been exercising. Was a senior team making decisions rather quickly, and he was mature enough person to realize that that wasn't really his skill set, Michael Hingson ** 21:55 his skill set, but he said, Chris Miller ** 21:59 he said, but I've got a solution. Oh, good, my head of property. Now, in many of the businesses I've worked with, the head of property, it HR, work, health and safety, security, all sorts of things go wrong in their day. You know, they can, they can come to the office and they think they're going to do, you know, this my to do list, and then all of a sudden, some new problem appears that they must deal with immediately. So they're often really good at dealing with whatever the hell today's crisis is. Now, it may not be enough to activate business continuity plan, but it's what I call elasticity of your business as usual. So you think you're going to be doing X, but you're doing x plus y, because something's happened, right? And you just reach out and deal with it. And those people do that almost on a daily basis, particularly if it's a large business. For instance, I worked with one business that had 155 locations in Australia? Well, chances are something will go wrong in one of those 155 locations in any given day. So the property manager will be really good at dealing, reaching out and dealing with whatever that problem is. So this, this senior colleague said, Look, you should make my property manager the chair of this group, and I will hand over delegations and be available, you know, for advice. But he should leave it because he's very good on the fly. He does that every day. He's very well trained in it by virtue of his business as usual, elasticity, smart move. And Michael Hingson ** 23:45 it worked out, Chris Miller ** 23:47 yes, yeah, we exercised subsequently. And it did work because he started off by explaining to his colleagues his position, that the head of property would step up to the plate and take over some more senior responsibilities during a significant emergency. Michael Hingson ** 24:06 Okay, so how long were you with the police, and what did you do after that? Chris Miller ** 24:17 With the police at nearly 17 years in Queensland, I had a period of operational work in traffic. I came from family of motorcycle and car racing type people, so yeah, it was a bit amusing that I should find my way there. And it actually worked out while I was studying too, because I had a bit of flexibility in terms of my shift rostery. And then when I started my masters, excuse me, my first masters, I sort of got too educated, so I had to be taken off operational policing and put the commissioner office. Hmm. Michael Hingson ** 25:01 And what did you do there the commissioner's office? Chris Miller ** 25:05 Yes. So I was much more involved in strategic planning and corporate planning and a whole lot of other moves which made the transition from policing actually quite easy, because I'd been much more involved in the corporate stuff rather than the operational stuff, and it was a hard transition. I remember when I first came out of operational policing into the commissioner's office. God, this is so dull. Michael Hingson ** 25:32 Yeah, sitting behind a desk. It's not the same, Chris Miller ** 25:37 not the same at all. But when I moved from policing into more traditional public service roles. I had the sort of requisite corporate skills because of those couple of years in the commission itself. Michael Hingson ** 25:51 So when you Well, what caused you to leave the police and where did you go? Chris Miller ** 25:59 Well, interestingly, when I joined, I was planning to leave. I sort of had three goals. One was get a degree leave at 30 some other thing, I left at 32 and I was head hunted to become the first female Workplace Health and Safety Inspector in Queensland, and at the time, my first and now late husband was very unwell, and I was working enormous hours, and I was offered a job with shorter hours and more money and a great opportunity. So I took it, Michael Hingson ** 26:36 which gave you a little bit more time with family and him, exactly. So that was, was that in an emergency management related field, Chris Miller ** 26:48 workplace health and safety, it can be emergencies, yeah? Well, hopefully not, yeah, because in the Workplace Health and Safety space, we would like people to prepare so there aren't emergency right? Well, from time to time, there are and and so I came in, what happened was we had a new act in Queensland, New Work, Health and Safety Act prior to the new Act, the police, fire and other emergency service personnel were statutory excluded from work health and safety provisions under the law in Queensland, the logic being their job was too dangerous. How on earth could you make it safe? And then we had a new government came in that wanted to include police and emergency services somehow or other. And I sort of became, by default, the Work Health and Safety Advisor for the Queensland Police at the time. There was no such position then, but somebody had to do it, and I was in the commissioner's office and showed a bit of interest that you can do that. Michael Hingson ** 28:01 It's in the training, Chris Miller ** 28:03 hmm, and, and I remember a particularly pivotal meeting where I had to be face the Deputy Commissioner about whether police would be in or out of that legislation, because they had to advise the government whether it's actually possible to to include police. Michael Hingson ** 28:28 So what did you advise? Chris Miller ** 28:31 Well, I gave him the pluses and minuses because whatever we decided it was going to be expensive, yeah, if we said no, politically, it was bad news, because we had a government that wanted us to say yes, and if we said yes, it was going to cost a lot of money make it happen. Michael Hingson ** 28:49 What finally happened? Yes one, yes one, well, yeah, the government got its way. Do you think that made sense to do that was Yes, right. Chris Miller ** 29:03 It always was. It always was right, because it was just nonsense that Michael Hingson ** 29:11 police aren't included Chris Miller ** 29:14 to exclude, because not every function of policing is naturally hazardous, some of it is quite right going forward and can be made safe, right, and even the more hazardous functions, such as dealing with armed offenders, it can be made safer. There are ways of protecting your police or increasing their bulletproof attire and various other pieces of training and procedures soon even possible. Michael Hingson ** 29:51 But also part of that is that by training police and bringing them into it, you make them more. Which also has to be a positive in the whole process, Chris Miller ** 30:05 absolutely, and I did quite a lot of work with our some people used to call them the black pajamas. They were our top of the range people that would deal with the most unpleasant customers. And they would train with our military in Australia, our counter terrorism people are trained with the military. The police and military train together because that expands our force capability. If something really disagreeable happens, so Michael Hingson ** 30:42 it's got to start somewhere. So when, so all this wasn't necessarily directly related to emergency management, although you did a lot to prepare. When did you actually go into emergency management as a field? Chris Miller ** 31:01 Oh, well. So I was involved in response when I was talking about rescue, search and rescue, and then increasingly, I became involved in exercising and planning, writing, procedures, training, all that, getting ready stuff, and then a lot more work in terms of debriefing, so observing the crisis centers and seeing if there could be some fine tuning even during the event, but also debriefing. So what did we actually learn? What do we do? Well, what might be do better next time? Well, there's some insights that the people that were most involved might have picked up as a result of this latest incident, whatever that might have been. Michael Hingson ** 31:58 And so when you so where did you end up, where you actually were formally in the emergency management field? Chris Miller ** 32:07 Well, emergency management is quite a broad field. Yeah, it's preparedness right through to response and recovery and everything in between. And so I've had involvement in all of that over the years. So from preparing with training and exercising right through to it's happening. You're hanging off the helicopter skids and so on. Michael Hingson ** 32:34 So did you do this? Working Chris Miller ** 32:36 it come back from you with a bit of a call. Oh, sorry. When through to response and recovery. You know, how are we going to respond? What are our options? What are our assets through to recovery, which is usually a long tail. So for instance, if it's a flood of fire or zone, it'll take a very long time to recover. You know, 911 you didn't rebuild towers and and rebuild that area quickly. It took years to put things back together again. Yeah, Michael Hingson ** 33:11 the only thing about it is One can only hope that was we put things back together, and as we move forward, we also remember the lessons that we should learn from what happened in the past, absolutely, and I'm not sure that that always happens Chris Miller ** 33:31 true, and that's why I often get a bit annoyed when I hear particularly politicians talk about lessons learned very hastily after The event. You know they say we will learn the lessons from this or that. No, don't you think? Because for those of us involved in the debriefing and lessons management space, we know that that you have observations, insights, lessons identified, but they're not learned, usually, until some considerable period thereafter when you make the necessary changes to training procedures, whatever it might be, so that those those learnings are embedded in the way forward. Michael Hingson ** 34:18 Yeah, and not everybody learns the lessons who should learn the lessons, and they don't always listen to the people who really do understand. But you can only do what you can do as well. Well, Chris Miller ** 34:34 we're trying to structure more of that with lessons management so that it's a lot less hit and miss. I mean, when I first came into emergency management, it was much more, much more, a sort of learning on the job, sometimes learning bad habits from people, and then gradually, hopefully and. Setting aside the bad habits and getting into the good habits. Now you can do a masters and PhDs in disaster management, thank goodness, so that we become much more sophisticated in terms of our evidence base and our research and our understanding. And as I said, this crossover so we learned a lot from what happened with 911 that might be applicable here in Australia, should something unpleasant in their larger cities happen too? So we learn from each other. It isn't a static environment, it's very much a fluid environment, and one that's moving forward. I'm happy to report. Michael Hingson ** 35:40 Well, that's important that it moves forward and that we learn from what has happened now, of course, we have all sorts of things going on over here with air traffic controllers and losing communications and all sorts of other things that once again, causes people to need to learn how to very quickly react and make strong decisions and not panic with what's going on. I heard on the news this morning about somebody who saw two aircraft that were about to collide, and he was able to get them to divert so that they didn't hit each other, but radar hadn't detected it. So, you know, they're just the people are very resilient when they when they learn and understand what they need to do. Chris Miller ** 36:34 And I've had the honor of working with air traffic controllers and doing some exercises with them. They're actually amazing people for a number of reasons. One is the stress levels of their job is just beyond belief. But two is they actually have to think in 3d so they've got their radar screens, which are 2d and they actually have to think in 3d which is a really rare and amazing skill. It's like a great sculptor. Yeah, in Europe, I've seen some wonderful sculpture, they actually have to think in 3d in terms of the positioning of their aircraft and how to deal with them. It's a it's a great set of skills, so never to be underestimated. And of course, it raises the question of aging infrastructure and an aging workforce too, something that in a lot of countries, yours and mine, it seems that we've been quite neglectful about legacy systems that we have not upgraded, and about the aging workforce that we have not invested enough effort in terms of bringing new people into the system so that, as our our long time warriors want to retire, and they're entitled to that can leave and Knowing that there will be more useful replacements. Michael Hingson ** 38:04 I flew last week, and actually for one of my flights, sat next to an air traffic controller who was going to a meeting, which was fascinating. And same point was made that a lot of the infrastructure is anywhere from 25 to 50 years old, and it shouldn't be. It's so amazing that I would, I guess I would say our politicians, even though they've been warned so many times, won't really deal with upgrading the equipment. And I think enough is starting to happen. Maybe they will have to do it because too much is failing, but we'll see and to Chris Miller ** 38:42 worry when people are doing things that are so important hastily. And interestingly, when I was exercising Sydney air traffic controllers, I usually got a glimpse of a new high tech solution that they were in the process of testing, which was going to put more cameras and more capability around the airfield than they'd ever had before, even though they're sitting in an $80 million tower that would be built for them with Australian tax dollars, but trying to get the system even more sophisticated, more responsive, because the flight levels coming in and out of Sydney continue to grow. 90% of Australians air traffic goes in and out of Sydney at some point in the day, yeah. So they're very busy there, and how can we provide systems that will support the capacity to do better for us and continue to maintain our sales flows? Michael Hingson ** 39:50 So we met kind of through the whole issue of the business continuity Institute conference last year. What's the difference between emergency. Management and business continuity management Chris Miller ** 40:03 interesting when I came out of emergency management, so things like the Bali bombings, the Indian Ocean tsunami and so on and so on. A deputy in the Department of Social Security where I used to work, said, oh, we need a business continuity manager. And I said, What's that? Yeah, excuse me, Hey, what's that? Well, I quickly learned it's basically a matter of scale. So I used to be in the business in emergencies, of focusing on the country, united, counter terrorism, all the significant parts of the country, blood, fire and so on, to one business at a time. So the basics of business, of emergency management, come across very neatly to business continuity. You're still preparing and responding and recovering, just on a smaller scale, Michael Hingson ** 41:08 because you're dealing with a particular business at a time true, whereas emergency management is really dealing with it across the board. Chris Miller ** 41:19 We can be the whole country, yeah, depending on what it is that you do in the emergency management space or a significant part of the country, Michael Hingson ** 41:29 when did you kind of transition from emergency management and emergency preparedness on a on a larger scale to the whole arena of business continuity? Chris Miller ** 41:40 Well, I still keep a foot in both camps. Actually, I keep, I keep boomeranging between them. It depends on what my clients want. Since I'm a consultant now, I move between both spaces. Michael Hingson ** 41:57 When did you decide to be a consultant as opposed to working for our particular organization Chris Miller ** 42:04 or the I was a bit burnt out, so I was happy to take a voluntary redundancy from the government and in my consultancy practice Michael Hingson ** 42:12 from there, when did that start? Chris Miller ** 42:16 October of 10. Michael Hingson ** 42:18 October of 2010, yep. Okay, so you've been doing it for almost 15 years, 14 and a half years. Do you like consulting? Chris Miller ** 42:29 Yeah, I do, because I get to work program people who actually want to have me on board. Sometimes when you work as a public servant in these faces. Yeah, you're not seen as an asset. You're a bit of an annoyance. When people are paying you as a consultant, they actually want you to be there, Michael Hingson ** 42:55 yeah? Which? Which counts for something, because then you know that you're, you're going to be more valued, or at least that's the hope that you'll be more valued, because they really wanted to bring you in. They recognize what you what you brought to the table as it were. Chris Miller ** 43:12 Yes, um, no, that's not to say that they always take your recommendations. Yeah. And I would learn to just, you know, provide my report and see what happens. Michael Hingson ** 43:24 So was it an easy transition to go into the whole arena of business continuity, and then, better yet, was it an easy I gather it was probably an easy transition to go off and become a consultant rather than working as you had been before? Chris Miller ** 43:39 Well, the hours are shorter and the pain is better. Michael Hingson ** 43:41 There you are. That helps. Chris Miller ** 43:48 Tell me if you would a lot more flexibility and control over my life that I didn't have when I was a full time public servant. Michael Hingson ** 43:55 Yeah, yeah. And that that, of course, counts for a lot, and you get to exercise more of your entrepreneurial spirit, yes, but Chris Miller ** 44:09 I think one of the things is I've often seen myself as very expensive public asset. The Australian taxpayer has missed a lot of time and effort in my training over very many years. Now they're starting to see some of the return on that investment Michael Hingson ** 44:25 Well, and that's part of it. And the reality is, you've learned a lot that you're able to put to you, so you bring a lot of expertise to what you do, which also helps explain why you feel that it's important to earn a decent salary and or a decent consulting fee. And if you don't and people want to just talk you down and not pay you very much, that has its own set of problems, because then you wonder how much they really value what you what you bring. Chris Miller ** 44:55 Yes. And so now i. Through the World Bank and my international consultancy work, I'm sharing some of those experiences internationally as well. Michael Hingson ** 45:11 So you mentioned the World Bank, who are some of your clients, the people that you've worked with, the Chris Miller ** 45:18 World Bank doesn't like you talking too much about what you do? Michael Hingson ** 45:20 Yeah, that's, I was wondering more, what are some of the organizations you worked with, as opposed to giving away secrets of what you Chris Miller ** 45:31 do? Well, for the wellbeing club, basically worked in the health sector in Africa and in APAC, okay, and that's involved working with Ministries of Health, you know, trying to get them in a better state of preparing this, get their plans and better shape, get them exercising those plans and all that kind of important stuff, stuff that we kind of take for granted in Our countries, in yours well, with FEMA, although, what's left of FEMA now? Yeah, but also in my own country, you know, we're planning and exercising and lessons management and all these things are just considered, you know, normal operations when you're talking to low and middle income countries. And no, that isn't normal operations. It's something that is still learning, and you have the honor to work with them and bring them into that sort of global fold about how these things are done. Michael Hingson ** 46:35 Well, you worked in some pretty far away and and relatively poor countries and so on. I assume that was a little bit different than working in what some people might call the more developed countries. You probably had to do more educating and more awareness raising, also, Chris Miller ** 46:55 yes and no. The African country I worked in a lot of these people had studied at Harvard and some of your better universities. But what I noticed was, as brilliant as those people were, and as well trained and educated, there weren't enough of them. And that was one of the real problems, is, is trying to expand the workforce with the necessary skills in emergency management or whatever else you might be trying to do pandemic preparedness or something. Don't have enough people on the ground in those countries that have the necessary skills and experience. Michael Hingson ** 47:44 Were you able to help change that? Chris Miller ** 47:48 Yeah, we set up some training programs, and hopefully some of those continue beyond our time with them. Michael Hingson ** 47:58 So again, it is some awareness raising and getting people to buy into the concepts, which some will and some won't. I remember while at the Business Continuity Institute, one of the people said the thing about the people who attend the conference is they're the what if people, and they're always tasked with, well, what if this happens? What if that happens? But nobody listens to them until there's really an emergency, and then, of course, they're in high demand. Which, which I can understand. Chris Miller ** 48:33 That's why you want exercises, because it raises awareness so that, so that the what if, the business continuity people are thinking that emergency managers are a bit more front of mind for some of the senior people, it's less of a surprise when something unpleasant happens. Yeah. Michael Hingson ** 48:56 Well, how is the whole concept and the whole structure or theory of emergency management, changed. You've been involved in this a long time. So how has it evolved and changed over the years? Chris Miller ** 49:10 Much more education, formal education, not learning on the job, actually going to university and learning properly, but much more evidence based, much more structured lessons management, much more technology. There's so many changes, at least to be very long. Michael Hingson ** 49:31 Does AI come into play in emergency management? Yet, Chris Miller ** 49:37 I think it's coming in. More and more we're using it for prediction of fire behavior and all sorts of things now, Michael Hingson ** 49:47 yeah, and that, and that makes sense, that we're, we're starting to see where the whole technology and the whole ability to monitor so many things. Can tell us there's a fire starting or something is happening a lot more quickly than we used to be able to do it. I'm not sure that we're there yet with earthquakes, but even with earthquakes, we're getting warnings a little bit more quickly than we used to. We had an earthquake here in Southern California a couple of weeks ago, and I forget exactly, but it was a number of seconds that people had some decent warnings. So by the time it was analyzed and determined that there was going to be an earthquake, there was still time to issue a warning that alerted people, because she still had to react pretty quickly if you wanted to take advantage of it. But I think that we're only going to see more and more technological changes that will help the process be better, Chris Miller ** 50:55 absolutely. And one of the big problems that we're having is a lot of our previous sort of fire mapping, fire behavior, flood mapping is out of date very quickly, because of development and climate change and all sorts of factors, previous behaviors are not actually a very good model, but an AI permits us to do things faster. Michael Hingson ** 51:24 Yeah, we're going to have to just continue, certainly to encourage it. And again, it's one of those areas where the reality is all of the skills that we and tools that we can bring to the to the process are absolutely appropriate to do, because otherwise we just either take a step backward or we don't progress at all Chris Miller ** 51:49 well. And to give you another example, um, Life Savers, New South Wales lifesavers. Here, I run the largest grain fleet in the country now for a long time, life saving used to be sort of volunteers, and in pretty old tech, not anymore, oh boy. And they're even looking at things like deploying life saving devices off their drones as they get bigger and smarter and heavier lifting to be able to drop things to people in distress. We're using it for shark netting, whereas we used to take a boat out and check the shark nets, now we can send the drones out, and then if you need to send the boat out, you're not wasting a lot of money chugging up and down in your boat. So there's all sorts of savings and adjustments in this space, in technology with AI and all sorts of other fancy devices like drones, Michael Hingson ** 52:54 how about emergency management and so on, in terms of dealing with different kinds of people, like people with disabilities, people who are blind or deaf or hard of hearing, maybe heavy people, people who are in the autism spectrum and so on has emerged. Have emergency managers gotten better at dealing with different kinds of disabilities? How much real awareness raising and understanding has gone into all of that Chris Miller ** 53:26 well. Towards the end of last year, there was a big package of work done by EMA Emergency Management Australia, being conducted in conjunction with AD the Australian Institute of disaster resiliency, and that's in the disability space and the whole lot of that's rolling out in workshops all over the country to try and do even better. Yes, it's still a weakness, I would have to agree, and we still need to do a whole lot better in that whole space of some of those vulnerable groups that you mentioned, and hopefully some of this important initiative that's sponsored by the government and will help raise awareness and improve response activities in the future. Michael Hingson ** 54:15 I would also point out, and it's, of course, all about training to a degree, because, you know, people say, well, blind people can't do this, for example, or they can't do that. And the reality is, blind people can, if they're trained, if they gain self confidence, if they're given and put it in an environment where they're able to be given confidence to do things. The reality is, blindness isn't the challenge that most sighted people would believe it to be, but at the same time, I think that one of the biggest things, and I saw it on September 11, one of the biggest things, is information, or lack of information. I asked several times what was going on, and no one who clearly had to know. Who would say what was occurring. And I understand some of that because they they didn't know whether I would just panic because they said airplanes had deliberately been crashed into the towers or not. But also, I know that there was also a part of it, which was, when you're blind, you can't deal with any of that. We're not going to tell you, we don't have time to tell you. Information, to me, is the most important thing that you can provide, but I but I do appreciate there. There are two sides to it, but it is also important to recognize that, with a lot of people who happen to have different kinds of disabilities, providing information may very well be an enhancement to their circumstances, because they can make decisions and do things that they might not otherwise have been able to do. Well, Chris Miller ** 55:50 it was certainly the case for you, because you had information and you had preparedness before 911 right? You were able to respond in more effective ways because you knew what was what. And we certainly saw that in covid, for instance, even things like translating information into different languages. In Australia, we have people from, I think the last census, 170 countries, they don't all speak English as their first language. And having worked with Aboriginal people for eight years, quite specifically, one of my dear friends, English was her sixth language. Michael Hingson ** 56:32 But at the same time, Chris Miller ** 56:33 go ahead, yeah, and yet we keep putting information out in all that well, no, we need to do much better in the language phase, in the preparedness space of people with all sorts of challenges. We need to reach out to those people so that as you were prepared for 911 and you knew where the fire escapes were, and this and that really paid benefits on the day that we've done that, that we've taken reasonable steps to prepare everyone in the community, not just the English speakers or the this or that, right? All people get the chance to understand their situation and prepare apparently, Michael Hingson ** 57:22 I know that if I had had more information about what had occurred, I may very well have decided to travel a different way to leave or after leaving the tower and the building. I might have gone a different way, rather than essentially walking very much toward tower two and being very close to it when it collapsed. But I didn't have that information because they wouldn't provide that. So not helpful. Yeah, so things, things do happen. So I'm sure that along the way you've had funny experiences in terms of dealing with emergencies and emergency management. What's the funniest kind of thing that you ever ran into? I'll Chris Miller ** 58:08 come back to the old packers, but just quickly, that whole crisis communication space is also a big development in emergency management. Yeah, a long time we kind of kept the information to ourselves, but we realize that knowledge is power. We need to get it out there to people. So we do a lot more with alerts on the phones and all sorts of clever things now, right? Funny things? Well, there's so many of those, which one probably most recently is the dreaded alpacas where I live now, as you see, well, as some people who might see the video of this, I live by the beach, which is pretty common for a lot of Australians. Anyway, we have had fires up in in a nice valley called kangaroo Valley. Then a lot of people that live there are sort of small farmlets. There are some dairy farms and people that are more scale farmers, but other people just have a small plot, excuse me, maybe a couple of horses or something or other. And and then when we had fires up there a few years back, we set up emergency evacuation centers for them, and we set them up for dogs and cats and small animals, and we had facility for horses at the nearby race grounds and so on. But we weren't expecting our hackers and alpacas are actually quite big, and they spit and do other things quite under manage. So I remember we rang up the race course manager and we said, we've got alpacas. What you got? What I. I said, Well, they're sort of about the size of a horse. He said, Yes, yes, but we know what to do with horses. We know what the hell to do without Yes. Anyway, eventually we moved the alpacas to horse stables and kept them away from the horses because we weren't sure how to do and interact. Yeah. And the owner of these alpacas was so attached to her animals that she she insisted on sleeping in her Carney her alpacas. And some people are very attached to their animals, even if they're a little on the large side. Yeah. Michael Hingson ** 1:00:37 Well, I know during the fires that we had here in Southern California back in January, there were a number of people who had horses and were very concerned about evacuating them, and, of course, other animals as well. But the horses especially were were dealt with, and they had emergency well, they had places to take them if they could get the horses out. I don't know whether we lost horses or how many we lost during all the big fires, but yeah, Chris Miller ** 1:01:10 I'm serious far as new Canberra, which is my city of residence for many years, and what happened? I decision. What happened was, quite often, the men were all fighting the fires, and the women were left with with smoke affected horses. Oh, and they were trying to get them onto the horse flight. Now, as we quickly discovered, horses are pretty smart, and they're not keen on being near fires. They don't want to be there, right? So they become quite a challenge to me. And to put a horse float onto your vehicle is no easy thing when you've never done it before and you're trying to do it in a crisis. So when all that was over, one of the lessons that we did learn was we arranged to have a sort of open day at the near, nearby race course. We've actually taught people to put the trailer on the back of the vehicle, to deal with a fractious horse, to sort of cover its face or protect it from the smoke and do all sorts of helpful things. So sometimes, when we get it wrong, we do learn and make some important improvements like it. Michael Hingson ** 1:02:32 What's the kind of most important advice you would give to somebody who's new in emergency management or interested in going into the field Chris Miller ** 1:02:42 and sign up for a good course, do a bachelor or master's degree in emergency management, because not only will you learn from your instructors, you'll learn from your colleagues, and this is a networking business, Michael Hingson ** 1:02:56 yeah. Well, I want to Oh, have you? I haven't asked you. Have you written any books? No, you haven't okay? Because if you had, I'd ask you to send me book covers so that we could put them in the show notes. Well, there's something for you to look at in the near future. You could learn to be an author and add that to your skill repertoire. I want to thank you for being Yeah. Well, there is always that right, too many emergencies to manage. Well, Chris, I want to thank you for being here, and I want to thank all of you for listening and being with us today. I hope that this has been helpful and interesting and educational. I found it so I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I'm sure Chris would as well. Chris, how can people maybe reach out to you if they'd like to do. So, Chris Miller ** 1:03:42 yeah, sure. LinkedIn is a good way to find me, and I've given you all those details. So Michael Hingson ** 1:03:49 go ahead and say your LinkedIn name anyway. Chris Miller ** 1:03:53 Good question. Yeah, it's before cross. This is my business Michael Hingson ** 1:03:58 name before being the number four crisis. That's it. Chris Miller ** 1:04:03 My LinkedIn name is, Michael Hingson ** 1:04:08 says before Chris Miller ** 1:04:09 process, yeah, and your email is going to be full process on LinkedIn. Michael Hingson ** 1:04:16 Chris Miller at before before crisis, and email is number four process. And in email, it's before, no, it's, it's Chris Miller, before crisis, again, isn't Chris Miller ** 1:04:30 it? It's Chris at default process, Chris at before crisis.com.au, Michael Hingson ** 1:04:35 yeah, okay, memorizing the Chris Miller ** 1:04:41 reason why it's led to be number four crisis right is I like to see my clients before the crisis, right, and I know they'll be more motivated after the crisis. Michael Hingson ** 1:04:53 Well, I hope that you'll reach out to Chris and find her on LinkedIn, and all the information is in the show notes. She is right. But. Always like to get people to say it, if they can. I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to email me at Michael H I M, I C H, A, E, L, H i at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S i b, e.com, or go to our podcast page, w, w, w, dot Michael hingson, that's m, I C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, s o n.com/podcast, podcast singular that is, wherever you're listening or watching, please give us a five star rating. We really value your ratings and your reviews and input. We appreciate it, and for all of you and Chris you as well, if you know of anyone who ought to be a guest, or you think should be a guest on unstoppable mindset, we're always looking for more people to talk with and have conversations with, so please introduce us. We're always excited to get that kind of thing from you as well. So once again, Chris, I just want to thank you for being here. This has been fun today. Chris Miller ** 1:05:54 Thank you, Michael. It was fun to meet Michael Hingson ** 1:06:02 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.
APAC stocks traded mixed amid cautiousness heading into Fed Chair Powell's remarks at Jackson Hole and following the subdued handover from Wall St, where participants digested a slew of data and mostly hawkish Fed comments.US President Trump said we will know in about two weeks regarding Russia-Ukraine. Ukrainian President Zelensky said Russia's overnight attacks show that Moscow is trying to avoid the need for meetings aimed at ending the war.Chinese President Xi is unlikely to attend ASEAN Leaders' Summit in October, "dashing hopes of a meeting with US President Tump at the summit", according to Reuters sources.European equity futures indicate a marginally lower cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures down 0.1% after the cash market closed with losses of 0.2% on Thursday.Looking ahead, highlights include Canadian Retail Sales, Fed's Jackson Hole Symposium (August 21st-23rd); Speakers include Fed Chair Powell & BoE Governor Bailey.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
Rants, Raptors, and Political Rebuke: A Libservative SmackdownJoin Dan and Corey for another raucous episode of Libservative, where they dive into the latest controversies, including JD Vance's unfortunate trending nickname and a deep dive into Michigan football's NCAA scandal. They also ponder the ineptitude of the NCAA, discuss the enduring geopolitical friction with Russia and Ukraine, and critique the current political landscape in the U.S. Expect a hearty laugh as they expose UnitedHealthcare's dark secrets and tear into APAC's controversial influence. Tune in for unapologetic commentary, comical rants, and unfiltered political analysis.00:00 Welcome to Libservative: Setting the Stage01:06 JD Vance Controversy: The Couch Incident02:19 Michigan Football Scandal: A Deep Dive04:13 NCAA's Power and College Football's Cheating Culture06:12 The Future of NCAA and College Football15:51 Putin-Trump Summit: A Disappointing Outcome17:38 Geopolitical Realities: Ukraine, Russia, and the West36:19 Marjorie Taylor Greene's Controversial Comments on Israel43:35 Political Realignment: The Future of U.S. Politics46:55 Discussing Lost Voters and Electoral Strategies48:33 The Rise of New Media and Its Consequences52:42 Marjorie Taylor Greene and Controversial Decisions59:57 Humanitarian Visas and Political Reactions01:14:28 Critique of APAC and Lobbying Influence01:19:11 UnitedHealthcare Whistleblower Revelations01:26:55 Senator Financial Integrity and Corruption01:29:38 Concluding Remarks and Sign-Off
APAC stocks traded mixed, albeit with a mildly positive bias as the region attempted to shrug off the lacklustre lead from Wall St, where sentiment was dampened amid continued tech weakness and hawkish-leaning FOMC Minutes.FOMC Minutes from the July meeting noted a majority of participants judged the upside risk to inflation was the greater risk compared with the labour market, although the meeting was conducted prior to the release of the latest NFP report with hefty downward revisions.Fed Governor Cook said she has no intention of being bullied to step down from her position because of some questions raised in a tweet by FHFA Director Pulte.European equity futures indicate a positive cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.2% after the cash market closed with losses of 0.2% on Wednesday.Looking ahead, highlights include Global Flash PMIs, UK PSNB, US Weekly/Continued Jobless Claims, Philly Fed Index, EZ Consumer Confidence, Fed Jackson Hole Symposium (21st-23rd), Speech from Fed's Bostic, Supply from France & US, Earnings from Walmart.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
Why institutional and family office investors are driving demand in crypto asset management The rise of strategies beyond ETFs: altcoins, market-neutral plays, and venture capital How fundamental analysis and on-chain data are applied to evaluate crypto tokens Why venture funds still play a critical role in early-stage crypto projects The sectors to watch: DeFi, gaming, AI, and decentralised physical infrastructure Powered by Phoenix Group The full interview is also available on my YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/4fKk8Sn
APAC stocks traded mixed after a lacklustre performance stateside, where mega-cap tech led the declines.RBNZ lowered the OCR by 25bps as expected, cut its OCR forecasts across the projection horizon and voted on the options of either a 25bps or 50bps reduction.European equity futures indicate a negative cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures down 0.7% after the cash market closed with gains of 0.9% on Tuesday.DXY is marginally higher for a third session in a row, NZD lags post-RBNZ, GBP eyes inflation data.White House is eyeing Budapest for peace talks with Zelensky and Putin, according to Politico.Looking ahead, highlights include UK CPI, EZ HICP (Final), Riksbank Policy Announcement & FOMC Minutes, Speakers including ECB's Lagarde, Fed's Bostic & Waller, Supply from Germany & US, Earnings from Target.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
In this episode of the Scaling Japan Podcast, we welcome Fariza Abidova, CEO of Trusted Corporation, and a seasoned expert in cross-border innovation, corporate partnerships, and global HR development.Fariza shares what's really happening inside Japan's corporate innovation ecosystem from the invisible blockers within large organizations to the cultural nuances that slow down high-potential projects. She dives into why open innovation often fails to scale, which Japanese cities are becoming more startup and innovation-friendly, and what kind of timeline expectations foreign partners should really have.She also pulls back the curtain on hard truth facts as: after 3/4 years of running pilot innovation projects, many companies shut them down if revenue isn't produced, regardless of long-term potential.If you're a startup founder, consultant, or part of a government innovation program working in or with Japan, this episode is your inside guide to navigating corporate innovation here.AIM B2B – Integrated Marketing & PR in Asia This episode is sponsored by Custom Media, Tokyo's leading integrated marketing and PR agency since 2008, helping global brands expand across Japan and APAC. They can help you with:Localized storytelling to build trust in Asian marketsStrategic performance marketing for measurable growthAccount‑based marketing (ABM), paid media, GEO, and SEOHubSpot‑certified CRM & marketing automationData‑driven implementation with cultural expertiseLearn more about AIM B2BShow Notes: 00:00 – Introduction 03:05 – Why Accelerating Innovation in Japan 08:05 – Open Innovation 14:10 – Working with Japanese Corporations 19:45 – Innovation Challenges in Japanese Companies 23:05 – Secret Challenges Only Insiders Know 29:50 – How to Foster Innovation in Corporates 31:50 – Cities in Japan to Launch Innovation Projects 35:30 – Strategies for Accelerating Innovation 43:30 – Government Policy Shifts 50:10 – Tips for Engaging with Large Corporations 52:05 – Timelines: Japan vs Global 56:31 – Final Message from Fariza Links from Guest Appearance:
"APAC represents 40% of global GDP. So you can see that there's huge opportunity in a very, very diverse region. The needs of Japan are different to the needs of China. India is exploding with SaaS, software, AI. Australia one of our larger markets, again, very different. And so Southeast Asia, the complexities of Asia make it a joy to work in." - Paul Harapin Fresh out of the studio, Paul Harapin, Chief Revenue Officer for Asia Pacific and Japan at Stripe, joined us in a conversation discussing Stripe's explosive growth in the region that represents 40% of global GDP. Paul dived deep into how Stripe is revolutionizing commerce through AI and stablecoins, sharing fascinating customer stories in the Asia Pacific and Japan. He delved into Stripe's current innovations specifically on agentic commerce toolkits, virtual card issuing, and adaptive pricing solutions that are transforming how businesses scale across the dynamic Asia Pacific region. Last but not least, Paul shared the key trends in AI-powered payments and stablecoin adoption, defining what great would look like for Stripe's user-first approach to building the financial infrastructure of the internet economy in APAC. Episode Highlights [00:00] Quote of the Day by Paul Harapin [02:30] Building tech companies, helping Silicon Valley expand Asia [03:27] How Paul talked himself into Stripe role [04:30] Key career lessons: people and passion matter most [07:05] Stripe's mission to increase GDP of internet [09:00] Asia represents 40% of global GDP opportunity [12:42] AI transformation like discovering fire, very early cycle [14:12] Agentic commerce toolkits downloaded thousands times weekly [18:04] Virtual card issuing for secure AI transactions [19:00] Stripe Link enables six second checkout process [21:26] Adaptive pricing increases conversion by 18 percent [24:23] Bridge acquisition brings stablecoin payment capabilities [26:00] Stablecoin enables stability in volatile currency markets [27:00] Japanese car exporter Zimbabwe cash bag example [29:20] Digital currency adoption growing at consumer level [31:00] Working closely with regulators across Asia Pacific [33:40] Asia's fast digitizing economy leads global innovation [34:05] India's UPI 10 billion transactions forecasted 100 billion [36:30] How Stripe helps businesses in Asia Pacific to scale [38:42] User-first founding principle drives everything at Stripe [40:20] Closing Profile: Paul Harapin, Chief Revenue Officer, Asia Pacific & Japan, Stripe. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulharapin/ Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. The proper credits for the intro and end music are "Energetic Sports Drive." G. Thomas Craig mixed and edited the episode in both video and audio format. Here are the links to watch or listen to our podcast. Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia Analyse Asia Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kkRwzRZa4JCICr2vm0vGl Analyse Asia Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/analyse-asia-with-bernard-leong/id914868245 Analyse Asia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/analyse-asia/ Analyse Asia X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/analyseasia Analyse Asia Threads: https://www.threads.net/@analyseasia Sign Up for Our This Week in Asia Newsletter: https://www.analyse.asia/#/portal/signup Subscribe Newsletter on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7149559878934540288
APAC stocks traded mixed following the ultimately flat performance stateside amid a lack of fresh macro catalysts, as focus centred on geopolitical updates and amid cautiousness ahead of Powell's speech at Jackson Hole on Friday.Russia's Kremlin said US President Trump and Russian President Putin held a phone call in which they discussed the idea of exploring the possibility of raising the level of Russian and Ukrainian representatives in the negotiations.S&P affirmed the US at AA+; Outlook Stable, S&P added that the revenue from President Trump's tariffs will offset the fiscal hit from his recent tax-cut and spending bill.European equity futures indicate a positive cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.2% after the cash market finished with losses of 0.3% on Monday.Looking ahead, highlights include US Building Permits & Housing Starts, Canadian CPI, Atlanta Fed GDPNow, Comments from Fed's Bowman, Earnings from Home Depot, Supply from UK & Germany.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
Doug Su is an investor at CMT Digital in Asia — a global electronic trading and investment firm specializing in blockchain and digital assets. Founded in 2017, CMT Digital was among the earliest firms to launch a dedicated crypto fund and has since backed more than 150 crypto-native protocols and blockchain ventures worldwide.Doug brings a diverse track record in venture capital and digital asset strategy, having previously worked at Insignia Ventures Partners, played a strategic role at Fireblocks, and led extensive crypto dealmaking efforts across the Asia-Pacific region.In today's conversation, Doug will share the story behind CMT Digital's entry into the crypto space in 2017 and how its mission has evolved over time. He'll discuss how he evaluates opportunities across token-based protocols versus traditional equity investments in both Asia and the U.S., the macro themes he's watching — from AI and stablecoins to blockchain infrastructure — and where he sees the ecosystem heading over the next two to five years through the lens of Venture Fund IV, launched in May 2024.We'll also explore how Doug leverages CMT Digital's expansive network — spanning 150+ portfolio companies, founders, LPs, and cross-border partners — to drive portfolio growth, support successful exits, and foster long-term ecosystem development.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglashsujf/ Note: This episode was recorded Pre-Genius Act passing
Danny Chong is co-chair of the Digital Assets Association (DAA) Singapore, a Singapore-based non-profit association dedicated to guiding individuals and organisations through the landscape of digital assets. Danny is also Co-Founder and CEO of Tranchess, a leading structured liquid staking protocol. Why you should listen Danny discusses the importance of regulatory clarity in driving digital asset growth across Asia and how to attract institutional investments from Asia's financial giants while protecting retail users. Bridging TradFi and digital assets for institutional adoption in Asia is underway. Drawing on his APAC expertise, Danny explains how integrating TradFi's risk management with blockchain's transparency enables institutions to adopt tokenised assets, positioning Asia as a pioneer in blending traditional finance with digital innovation. He's an advocate for RWA tokenisation's two-way flow: Aside from moving assets like bonds and equities on-chain, RWA tokenisation also brings DeFi innovations like liquid staking into TradFi. Supporting links Stabull Finance Digital Assets Assocation Tranchess Andy on Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin If you enjoyed the show please subscribe to the Crypto Conversation and give us a 5-star rating and a positive review in whatever podcast app you are using.
Trump hailed great progress at Putin meeting, but one or two significant items; no ceasefire was achieved.Trump to meet with European leaders and Zelensky later today; Zelensky supports trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the US and Russia.Kremlin said a trilateral summit with Ukraine was not discussed yet and there is no date set for another Trump-Putin meeting.APAC stocks began the week mostly higher following the recent Trump-Putin summit; Europe is set for a firmer open.DXY is steady with traders mindful of Jackson Hole later in the week, JPY narrowly lags across the majors.Crude futures were little changed post-Trump-Putin meeting, spot gold saw two-way price action before gaining.Looking ahead, highlights include US President Trump meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky and European LeadersRead the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
APAC stocks predominantly traded in the green after the region mostly shrugged off the indecisive performance seen on Wall St.US President Trump will participate in a bilateral program with the President of the Russian Federation in Alaska at 11:00 AM (15:00EDT/20:00BST) and will depart Alaska at 17:45 (21:45/02:45BST), according to the White House.Potential Fed Chair pick Zervos backed aggressive interest rate cuts, according to CNBC; Fed Chair Powell is to speak 10:00EDT/15:00BST on August 22nd at Jackson Hole, according to the Fed schedule.Nikkei 225 rallied above the 43,000 level and JPY was boosted with sentiment lifted following stronger-than-expected Japanese GDP data. European equity futures indicate a positive cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.5% after the cash market closed with gains of 0.9% on Thursday.Looking ahead, highlights include German WPI (Jul), US Retail Sales (Jul), US University of Michigan Prelim (Aug), Import/Export Prices (Jul), Industrial Production (Jul), Atlanta Fed GDP, Trump-Putin summit & Joint Press Conference.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
Trump and Putin will meet in Alaska at 20:00BST/15:00ET, Trump will then depart just under seven hours later.European bourses began with gains, Euro Stoxx 50 +0.4%; follows a mostly higher APAC handover as soft Chinese data was shrugged off.US futures firmer, but have drifted off best in the European morning, ES +0.1%; UNH +12% and INTC +4.5% in the pre-market.USD gives back some of its PPI-inspired gains, JPY tops the G10 leaderboard after domestic data.A contained start for USTs into Tier 1 data points and the Alaska summit, Bunds dipped on the constructive European risk tone.Crude benchmarks lower despite the tone and USD, looking to the Putin-Trump meeting; XAU firmer.Looking ahead, highlights include US Retail Sales (Jul), US University of Michigan Prelim (Aug), Import/Export Prices (Jul), Industrial Production (Jul), Atlanta Fed GDP, Fed's Goolsbee, Trump-Putin summit & Press Conference.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
In this episode of the Scaling Japan Podcast, we welcome Bela Schweiger, President and CEO of Enter Japan K.K. Bela brings over 20 years of leadership experience at global firms including The Coca-Cola Company, Nokia, Häagen-Dazs, and L'Oréal.Bela shares essential insights on how retail distribution works in Japan, including the roles of trading houses, drugstores, convenience stores, and corporate buyers. He also provides practical strategies for handling Japanese distributor inquiries and how to pitch your brand effectively in a market known for its high standards and relationship-driven business culture.If you're aiming to launch or expand your consumer product in Japan, this episode is a must-listen for learning how to enter and grow in Japan's highly structured retail landscape.---AIM B2B – Integrated Marketing & PR in AsiaThis episode is sponsored by Custom Media, Tokyo's leading integrated marketing and PR agency since 2008, helping global brands expand across Japan and APAC.They can help you with:Localized storytelling to build trust in Asian marketsStrategic performance marketing for measurable growthAccount‑based marketing (ABM), paid media, GEO, and SEOHubSpot‑certified CRM & marketing automationData‑driven implementation with cultural expertiseLearn more about AIM B2BShow Notes:0:00 – Introduction1:11 – Overview of Retail Distribution in Japan8:03 – Major Beverage Brands of Japan15:35 – Role of Trading Houses (Sogo Shosha)26:01 – How to Handle Inquiries and Leads from Japanese Distributors33:57 – Comparing Corporate vs. Small Retail Partners37:18 – Growth of Drug Stores and Convenience Stores as Retail Channels40:21 – How to Localize Marketing for Japanese Consumers44:01 – Tips on How to Pitch Your Brand in Japan49:14 – Key Takeaways from Bela SchweigerLinks from Guest Appearance:
In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan are joined by Andy Clark, a seasoned sales leader with extensive experience in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. Andy shares his journey, which began with an unexpected leg injury that redirected his career towards mastering the Japanese market. He discusses the complexities of business in APAC, the critical importance of localizing go-to-market strategies, and the common mistakes companies make when entering these markets. With anecdotes from his own career, Andy highlights the crucial elements of success, from hiring the right local talent to understanding cultural nuances. He also delves into the challenges and strategies of forming joint ventures, and why companies need to be prepared for a long-term commitment to succeed in the region. If you're considering expanding your business into APAC, this episode is a must-listen for invaluable insights and practical advice.ADDITIONAL RESOURCESLearn more about Andrew Robert Clark:https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewrobertclark/Watch Force Management's Panel Discussion on AI in Sales Leadership: https://hubs.ly/Q03rlW4Z0Download the CRO Strategy Checklist: https://hubs.li/Q03f8LmX0Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT[00:04:26] Breaking into the Japanese Market[00:07:27] Expanding Across Asia Pacific[00:11:09] Challenges and Strategies in the Asia Pacific[00:19:32] Hiring and Leadership in Japan[00:32:50] Entering the Asia Pacific Market: A Strategic Approach[00:34:39] Exploring Japan's Business Landscape[00:35:29] Challenges of Joint Ventures in Japan[00:38:29] Strategies for Entering the Japanese Market[00:40:41] Building a Successful Team in Japan[00:45:47] Pricing and Market Dynamics in Japan[00:47:36] Expanding Beyond Japan: Korea and China[00:55:43] The Expat Experience: Opportunities and ChallengesHIGHLIGHT QUOTES[00:11:51] "The complexity of Asia Pacific is underestimated significantly."[00:17:59] "One of the worst things you can do in APJ is false start."[00:26:37] "Solid leadership and caring for your team... leading from the front and showing them what good looks like."[00:28:33] "Japanification is really the best word... blending both sides into a process and methodology."[00:31:26] "Be the same before you establish your difference."[00:56:42] "The opportunity to go overseas and work should be snatched up by anyone at any time."[00:59:25] "The experience overseas is career building and eye-opening, and I wouldn't change a thing."
US President Trump said interest rates should be three or four points lower, while he thinks he will name a new Fed chairman "a little bit early" and noted that he is down to three or four names.Fed's Goolsbee (2025 voter) said that Fed meetings coming up are live but added that he doesn't like pre-committing on rates.Trump said he would like to do a second meeting with Russian President Putin almost immediately which would include Zelensky if the first meeting goes okay, but there may not be a second meeting if he feels it is inappropriate or if he does not get the answers he wants.APAC stocks were ultimately mixed despite the positive handover from Wall St, where the major indices extended on gains amid Fed rate cut hopes as money markets fully priced in a September rate cut.European equity futures indicate a flat cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures U/C after the cash market finished with gains of 1.0% on Wednesday.Looking highlights include UK GDP (Jun/Q2), EZ Flash GDP (Q2) and Employment (Q2), US PPI (Jul), Jobless Claims, Norges Bank Policy Announcement; Speakers include Norges Bank Bache & Fed's Barkin, Supply from US, Earnings from Applied Materials, JD,com, RWE & Antofagasta.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
In this episode of the APAC Wind Energy Summit podcast, Stewart Mullin, CIO at GWEC interviews Morten Dyrholm, Group Senior Vice President, Marketing, Communications, Sustainability and Public Affairs from Vestas about the significance of the Australian wind market, the challenges and opportunities in onshore wind, operational strategies, innovations in hybrid projects, and the importance of regional collaboration in the APAC wind sector. Dyrholm emphasizes Australia's strategic role in renewable energy and discusses the need for improved permitting processes and collaboration among countries in the region to accelerate the transition to renewable energy.
APAC stocks were mostly higher as the region took impetus from the gains stateside where the S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed at record highs.US Treasury Secretary Bessent said will need to see months, if not a year, of progress on fentanyl flows before Chinese tariffs come down.US Treasury Secretary Bessent stated that the Fed should think about a 50bp cut in September.European equity futures indicate a positive cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 future up 0.4% after the cash market closed with gains of 0.1% on Tuesday.DXY has stabilised after yesterday's selling pressure, EUR/USD ran out of steam ahead of 1.17, Cable has reclaimed 1.35.Looking ahead, highlights include German Final CPI (Jul), Spanish Final CPI (Jul), IEA OMR, BoC Minutes, US President Trump is to meet with E3 and Ukraine, speakers include Treasury Secretary Bessent, Fed's Bakin, Goolsbee & Bostic, supply from Germany.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
THE Leadership Japan Series by Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo, Japan
We are often leadership practitioners, rather than genteel philosophers, pontificating on leadership issues. Yet, we have probably developed a certain style of leadership nevertheless. We just haven't focused on it as a methodology, because we are too busy doing it. We leave the books and articles to the academics, who study this stuff with intellectual rigour, complete vast research projects and then write about business from atop their ivory towers. Or we leave it to other successful business people to have ghost writers assemble their mad ramblings into a coherent form and get it published. Or we have that rare bird amongst businessmen, someone who can write their own tome on the subject. If we think about the concept of kaizen, continuous improvement, it would make sense to apply this to ourselves, as leaders in our businesses. We should take a moment and examine just what we are doing, why we are doing it and how we are doing it. In this way, we can analyse where there are gaps, inadequacies and fluff. Maybe we received our business education in the University of Life or maybe at varsity, but we cannot rest on what went before, because business keeps changing. Sometimes you will read a book on leadership and think to yourself, “I could have written that”. It is a bit like comparing your kids daubs at playschool with some modern art and see the results as basically the same. The big difference is you didn't try and product that piece of art and you didn't write a book. The process of getting your random thoughts into a clear and coherent story is the discipline of the writer. We don't have to publish a book on leadership. If we search “leadership” on Google we get one billion eight hundred and seventy million results. On the US Amazon site it lists over sixty thousand books on leadership, so do we really need another book on the subject? However that same discipline needed to write a book is useful to uncover why we do what we do and why we think what we think. Start by breaking down what you do as a leader. This will be a bit of a shock, because you will quickly realise that you spend a lot of time managing and doing work, but it is not actually leading. That in itself is a good breakthrough to remind us that we need to work on the highest value items. One of those must be getting results through others and that means more time should be spent on leading the team. We can take a look at strategy. Is this just some fluff we pump out each year to keep HQ happy and we really haven't spent any significant time educating ourselves on strategies for growing our company? Have we noticed that a lot of what we do is down in the trenches and we are not spending any time standing on a sunny upland contemplating the bigger world and devising a strategy for the future direction of the business? We might reflect on our communication. Another shocker. We notice that we are telling people what to do most of the time. We are not engaging them to see what they think, to plumb their experience and garner their ideas. We are shouting out orders like a pirate captain. We also notice that we don't communicate much about the big issues facing the business. We don't do many town halls or regular update emails to keep everyone abreast of what is going on. If we attended a meeting of the regional heads for APAC or a get together with the top brass back at HQ, we keep it all to ourselves and forget to share the findings with the team. How much time do we spend on motivating the team? This is a trick question because we cannot motivate the team. We can only create the culture and environment where they motivate themselves. If you don't believe me, try shouting “be motivated” ten times to any staff member and watch the results. Leaders get the culture they deserve, so what have you been doing on the culture build front as a leader. Nothing much? It is a simple exercise to break down the various aspects of leadership in your business and then examine just what you are doing as opposed to what you should be doing. Yes, it is a bit scary, but better to be scared by yourself than a rival or the market. If it goes well, it might be time to reach for the search tool for that ghost writer or getting busy typing yourself.
US President Trump signed an Executive Order that will extend the tariff suspension on China for another 90 days.US President Trump announced on Truth Social that gold will not be tariffed.Fed Governor Bowman, Fed Vice Chair Jefferson, and Dallas Fed President Logan are reportedly under consideration for Fed Chair, according to Bloomberg.APAC stocks traded mostly higher (Japan outperformed post-holiday), Europe expected to open firmer (Eurostoxx 50 future +0.3%).DXY steady, AUD little changed after widely expected RBA rate cut, EUR/USD has returned to a 1.16 handle.US President Trump said there will be some swapping and changes in land between Russia and Ukraine.Looking ahead, highlights include UK Jobs Report (Jun), German ZEW Survey (Aug), US CPI (Jul), EIA STEO, OPEC MOMR, Fed's Barkin & Schmid, supply from the UK.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
Ep. 383 Ken and Dave discuss Derek making it official, bounty hunting in Venezuela, the shooting at Ft Stewart, green weenies on the court, Trump to meet with Putin, fleeing Texas, MTG might make some sense, and Chris Carr discovers he is actually Attorney General ----- New York Trip and Coffee Habits: Ken reflects on his trip to New York, enjoying the city despite not being a coffee fan. Dave discusses why coffee isn't good for your gut and the "break" culture in the army related to smoking . They share observations about Time Square, including its diverse characters and the general "melting pot" nature of the city. Gold's Record High: Discussion on gold hitting a record high, potentially due to tariffs. They note gold's historical role as a hedge and its differing behavior from Bitcoin now . Jim Lovell's Passing: Acknowledging the death of Jim Lovell, commander of Apollo 13, at 97 years old, and his character. Fantasy Football Punishment Leagues: Commentary on various fantasy football league punishments, including a notable one where the loser must read Kamala Harris's book. Howard Stern's Departure from Sirius: Discussing Howard Stern's career, the decline of his "shock jock" appeal, and past controversial segments like "That's Just Wrong". Political Texts and Senate Race: Frustration over early political texts from campaigns . Discussion on Derek Douly running for Senate, his "political outsider" claim, and criticisms from other candidates, including Buddy Carter and Mike Collins . Campaign Finance and Self-Funding: Insights into political donations and candidates' reluctance to spend their own money on campaigns . Bounty on Nicolás Maduro: The US offering $50 million for information leading to the arrest of Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro, and the complexities of such an action given diplomatic protections and international law . Fort Stewart Shooting Incident: Details on a shooting at Fort Stewart where a sergeant shot five soldiers. The bravery of six NCOs who tackled the shooter is highlighted. Discussion includes the media's inaccurate portrayal of military weapon access and the shooter's motives (bullying over a stutter, DUI) . Also, the inadequate "Meritorious Service Medals" awarded compared to the appropriate "Soldier's Medal" . Dildos at WNBA Games: Discussion about repeated incidents of sex toys being thrown onto WNBA courts, including a recent arrest for hitting a child. Theories on the motivation, including the high number of LGBTQ+ players in the league, are explored . Trump and Putin Meeting: News of a potential meeting between Trump and Putin to discuss the war in Ukraine, and the current state of the conflict . Also, the financial pressure on Russia and the difficulties of Westerners traveling to Russia. Texas House Democrats Fleeing to Break Quorum: Texas Republicans' efforts to redraw congressional maps and how Democrats are fleeing the state to prevent a quorum. The hypocrisy of CNN's stance on gerrymandering is noted . The financial implications and ethical questions for the fleeing Democrats are raised . Marjorie Taylor Greene and Israel/APAC: Marjorie Taylor Greene speaking out against Israel's actions in Gaza and challenging APAC, the Israel lobbying firm. Discussion on the distinction between Hamas and Palestinian civilians, and the financial aid from the US to Israel . False Accusation in Walmart: A woman's false claim of a child snatching attempt in a Walmart, leading to the arrest and release of an innocent man after video evidence exonerated him. Chris Carr vs. Savannah's Gun Laws: Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr suing Savannah over its local gun control ordinances. Criticisms of Mayor Van Johnson's past attempts to usurp state law and Chris Carr's timing of the lawsuit (during an election year) are highlighted . Empty Nesters: Ken Pullin shares thoughts on becoming an empty nester as his daughter moves to Georgia Tech .
APAC stocks were mostly in the green but with gains limited in the absence of notable catalysts from over the weekend and Japan away from market.US President Trump said he will meet with Russian President Putin on August 15th in Alaska; White House is considering inviting Zelensky.Fed's Bowman (voter) said that the latest job market data reinforces her forecast for three rate cuts this year.Fed Chair list now said to include former St. Louis Fed President Bullard and former George W. Bush adviser Sumerlin, according to WSJ.European equity futures indicate a positive cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 future up 0.2% after the cash market closed with gains of 0.3% on Friday.DXY is a touch softer, EUR is the marginal outperformer across the majors with price action overall contained.Looking ahead, highlights include Norwegian CPI (Jul) & BoC SLOS (Q2).Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
True wellness begins when we start asking not just how long we want to live, but how well. Dr. Sharad Paul blends science, storytelling, and soul in a refreshing conversation that challenges our modern approach to medicine and aging. From redefining healthspan over lifespan to empowering listeners with simple, actionable biohacks, he offers a roadmap for living with vitality, clarity, and purpose. With warmth and wisdom, he reminds us that food, mindset, and community aren't just lifestyle choices, they're our most powerful medicine. Key Takeaways: Learn the difference between healthspan and lifespan—and why focusing on quality of life is the real game-changer. Discover simple, evidence-based ways to influence your genes through daily habits, nutrition, and mindset. Shift your view of medicine from reactive treatment to proactive, personalized wellness. Understand how storytelling, positivity, and community can radically influence your health. Walk away with practical biohacks that are both intuitive and deeply rooted in scientific research. About Dr. Sharad Paul: Sharad P. Paul, doctor and professor, is the author of several notable nonfiction books for popular audiences in the field of skin, medicine, and genomics such as Skin, a Biography (4th Estate, 2012) and The Genetics of Health (Beyond Words/Atria Books, 2017). He also writes poetry and literary fiction. TIME magazine called him "open heart surgeon," and the NZ Medical Association noted that he has been described as "one of the most inspiring, intelligent, and compassionate men you are likely to meet." In 2015, at APAC, Asia-Pacific's largest health conference, he received the Ko Awatea International Excellence Award for "leading health improvement on a global scale" and for fostering patient-centered medicine across several countries. Connect with Dr. Sharad Paul: https://skininyourgameblog.drsharadpaul.com/ https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Biohacking-Your-Genes/Sharad-P-Paul/9781582709581 https://www.facebook.com/drsharadpaul https://www.instagram.com/skininyourgame/ https://www.tiktok.com/@skininyourgame Connect with Dr. Michelle and Bayleigh at: https://smallchangesbigshifts.com hello@smallchangesbigshifts.com https://www.linkedin.com/company/smallchangesbigshifts https://www.facebook.com/SmallChangesBigShifts https://www.instagram.com/smallchangesbigshiftsco Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.
For episode 572 of the BlockHash Podcast, host Brandon Zemp is joined by Allen Ng, Co-founder & CEO of Everest Ventures Group, one of APAC’s largest and most active Web3 product builders and publishers, with over 200 engineers and 10+ million users. ⏳ Timestamps: 0:00 | Introduction0:45 | Who is Allen Ng?2:36 | Everest Ventures Group explained4:33 | Use-cases8:38 | AI & Web3 in Asia13:22 | Future of AI19:05 | Everest Ventures Group at Permissionless22:17 | RAPID FIRE SESSION
POTUS suggested there will be India tariff talks until things are resolved; Bessent said China tariffs can be on the table "at some point".Trump appointed CEA Chair Miran as a temporary replacement to fill Kugler's seat at the Fed; BBG reported that Waller is now favourite for Chair.European futures point to a firmer cash open, APAC handover mixed amid earnings and into tariff updates.DXY firmer with G10s mixed/flat, USTs weak following a poor 30yr tapCrude remained near Thursday's lows with newsflow since the Putin-Trump updates light, gold indecisive, copper firmerLooking ahead, highlights include Canadian Jobs Report (Jul), Japanese LDP Joint Plenary Meeting, Speakers including BoE's Pill & Fed's Musalem, Earnings from fuboTV, Tempus AI, Wendy's, AMC Networks, Munich Re & Bechtle.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
Send Bidemi a Text Message!In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde spoke with Jeremy Samide, CEO of Blackwired, is one of the most trusted cyber intelligence experts working today. He's led high-profile ransomware investigations, traced criminal crypto flows across the dark web, and briefed government and private sector leaders on how to counter the next generation of cyber threats. Over the past 20+ years, Jeremy has supported clandestine operations for the U.S. Intelligence community, NATO, Interpol, and military forces across APAC and Europe specializing in state-sponsored threats, cyber warfare, and cryptocurrency tracking. His expertise has even been tapped by the writers of CBS's Person of Interest, Harvard's Master's Program, and NATO's Military University of Technology in Warsaw. Now as CEO of Blackwired, Jeremy is developing cutting-edge platforms that disrupt threat actors in real time including ThirdWatch, a system already reshaping how cybersecurity, crypto risk, and nation-state attacks are handled at the edge.Support the show
US President Trump said they are going to be putting a very large tariff on chips and semiconductors, which will be at approximately 100%, but added "if you're building in the US, there will be no charge."Crude futures declined yesterday amid Russia/Ukraine optimism following the discussion between the US and Russia which was said to have made progress and with President Trump intending to meet Russian President Putin as soon as next week.US President Trump said, regarding the Fed pick, that the interview process has started and it is probably down to three candidates, while he added that the two Kevins are very good, and a temporary governor is to be named in the next few days.APAC stocks traded mixed as reciprocal tariffs took effect overnight; European equity futures indicate a marginally higher cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.4% after the cash market closed with gains of 0.3% on Wednesday.Looking ahead, highlights include German Trade (Jun), Industrial Output (Jun), Swedish CPIF (Jul), French Trade Balance (Jun), US Jobless Claims, Wholesale Sales (Jun) NY Fed SCE, Atalanta Fed GDP, BoE Announcement, MPR & DMP, CNB & Banxico Announcements, Speakers including BoE's Bailey & Fed's Bostic, Supply from Spain, France & US.Earnings from Trade Desk, Eli Lilly, ConocoPhillips, Vistra Energy, Peloton, Warner Bros, DataDog, Kenvue, Siemens, Deutsche Telekom, Allianz, Merck, Henkel, Rheinmetall, Deliveroo, Serco, Maersk, Zurich Insurance & WPP.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
For this special edition of TCP Talks, Justin Brodley is joined by four distinguished guests from the FinOps Foundation following the recent FinOps X conference in San Diego. Rob Martin, Mike Fuller, Graham Murphy, and the TCP team dive deep into the evolution of FinOps from pure cloud cost management to the broader “Cloud Plus” world, the rapid adoption of Focus 1.2, and how AI is transforming both what we manage and how we manage it. About Our Guests Rob Martin has been with the FinOps Foundation for four years, currently focusing on the AI working group, ITAM initiatives, and the rapidly growing public sector adoption. His experience spans training development and strategic initiatives that have helped shape the foundation’s direction during a period of explosive growth. Mike Fuller is one of the founding members of the FinOps Foundation and co-author of the Cloud FinOps book. As a member of the Focus project steering committee, he’s been instrumental in developing the specification that’s standardizing cloud billing data across the industry. Graham Murphy serves as Director of SaaS P&L for Technology One in Brisbane. With 8-9 years in FinOps and recently nominated as both a FinOps Ambassador and Focus Ambassador, Graham brings a practitioner’s perspective from the APAC region and insights on implementing Focus in a SaaS environment. Conference Growth and Evolution The 2025 FinOps X conference in San Diego marked a significant milestone with approximately 2,000 attendees—a substantial increase from the previous year. Despite the larger venue, the conference maintained its intimate feel, allowing for meaningful connections and knowledge sharing. 2:49 Graham: “AI definitely grew a lot this year. A lot more talk about how you go about managing AI, how FinOps is going to drive better value out of your AI investments. And also just a lot of people trying to understand where to start.” The conference format evolved with more senior leadership participation, including executives from PepsiCo, Ticketmaster, and Nubank sharing their FinOps journeys. The quality of presentations notably improved, with practitioners willing to share deeper insights into their mature FinOps programs. The Cloud Plus Revolution A dominant theme throughout the conference was the expansion beyond traditional cloud cost management into what the foundation calls “Cloud Plus”—encompassing SaaS, data center, licensing, and AI costs. 4:31 Mike: “We saw that sort of echoed quite well across many of the breakout sessions by practitioners exactly how they’re sort of incorporating other costs into the conversation of their practices.” 6:56 Rob: “Ticketmaster said something that I loved, which was that they were ‘happily hybrid’… we understand that we’ve got all these different modalities that we’re going to use to deliver value—SaaS models and data center models and cloud models.” This shift represents a fundamental change in how organizations view FinOps, moving from a cloud-specific practice to a comprehensive IT financial management approach.
Fueled by AI, cloud migration, streaming and gaming, Asia-Pacific's data center capacity will more than double by 2030. Moody's analysts unpack regional trends, financing strategies, and how utilities are adapting to this power-hungry transformation. Host: Sarah Carlson - Senior Vice President, Moody's Ratings Guests: Nidhi Dhruv - Vice President, Senior Credit Officer, Moody's Ratings; Abhishek Tyagi - Vice President, Senior Credit Officer, Moody's Ratings Related research:Infographic - Asia-Pacific data center capacity will more than double by 2030 on AI surge 30 July 2025Data Centers – Asia-Pacific — APAC data center growth to spark power demand, with divergent impact on utilities 31 July 2025Data Centers – China — AI and geopolitics deepen China's domestic data center buildout 04 Aug 2025
APAC stocks traded somewhat mixed following the subdued handover from Wall St post-ISM services.European equity futures indicate a positive cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 future up 0.3% after the cash market closed with gains of 0.1%.DXY is flat, EUR/USD remains on a 1.15 handle and capped by its 200DMA, and antipodeans marginally lead.RBI kept the Repurchase Rate unchanged at 5.50%, as expected, and maintained a neutral stance.Looking ahead, highlights include German Industrial Orders (Jun), EZ Construction PMIs (Jul), EZ Retail Sales (Jun), Italian Industrial Output, Fed's Collins, Cook and Daly, Supply from Germany & US.Earnings from Airbnb, Lyft, Uber, Shopify, Walt Disney, McDonald's, Novo Nordisk, Siemens Energy, Commerzbank, Bayer, Fresenius, Beiersdorf, ABN AMRO & Glencore.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
APAC stocks were mostly higher following the rally on Wall St where the major indices clawed back post-NFP losses.European equity futures indicate a marginally higher cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 future up 0.3% after the cash market finished with gains of 1.5% on Monday.DXY trades higher, but remains below the 99.0 mark, EUR/USD retains its position on a 1.15 handle.Fed's Daly (2027 voter) said two rate cuts this year still seems to be the appropriate amount of recalibration.Looking ahead, highlights include Global Composite and Services Final PMIs, EZ Producer Prices, Canadian Trade, US ISM Services, International Trade Balance, RCM/TIPP Economic Optimism, Atlanta Fed GDPNow, New Zealand Jobs, Supply from UK, Germany & US.Earnings from AMD, Arista Networks, Snap, Pfizer, Caterpillar, BP, Diageo, Fresnillo, Infineon, Deutsche Post, Fresenius Medical Care, Continental, Hugo Boss, Bper Banca & Telecom Italia.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
Is your internal reporting program keeping up or falling behind the curve? With over 2.15 million reports analyzed from nearly 70 million employees worldwide, NAVEX's 2025 Regional Whistleblowing & Incident Management Benchmark Report offers a goldmine of insight into how companies are (and aren't) managing employee concerns. In this episode, Michael Volkov breaks down the key findings, regional trends, and what they really mean for compliance officers trying to build a stronger speak-up culture. NAVEX dominates the hotline market, and its annual benchmark report gives compliance professionals an unparalleled look at reporting behaviors across the globe. From rising retaliation concerns to surprising substantiation rates, the numbers speak volumes.You'll hear him discuss:Why Europe's sharp spike in reporting rates is likely tied to the EU Whistleblower DirectiveHow North American companies resolve reports faster and what that says about handling HR-driven complaintsWhy anonymous reporting is much higher in APAC, Europe, and South America and what it might reveal about employee trustHow retaliation claims are being substantiated at drastically different rates depending on geography and legal frameworksWhat's behind the higher substantiation rates at privately owned companies compared to public onesHow reporting channel preferences are shifting and why phone-based hotlines may be on the way outWhat “time to report” stats reveal about fear, hesitation, and the need for cultural change in the workplaceResourcesMichael Volkov on LinkedIn | TwitterThe Volkov Law Group
“We're now close to a quarter billion dollars in revenue, with operations across North America, EMEA, and APAC—and we're just getting started.” — Russ Reeder, CEO, XTIUM Technology Reseller News spoke with Russ Reeder, CEO, and Leon Schuurmans, Managing Director of EMEA at XTIUM, about the company's official launch of direct operations in Europe. The podcast, hosted by publisher Doug Green, offers a deep dive into XTIUM's journey from a merger of ATSG and Evolve IP into a global managed service provider (MSP) with a full suite of IT, UCaaS, CCaaS, MDR, and AI-powered offerings. The move into Europe builds on a longstanding foundation. Schuurmans recounted how the company—then Evolve IP—pioneered contact center and unified communications services in the Netherlands as early as 2007. Now, the new XTIUM brand brings integrated IT and communications services to a market increasingly seeking consolidation, scale, and security. Reeder emphasized the strategic advantages of global reach paired with local expertise. The company has over 1,700 customers and supports over one million endpoints. Backed by more than $1 billion in acquisitions and $350 million in private equity investment, XTIUM is well-positioned to serve multinational customers across North America, EMEA, and APAC. Key offerings discussed include: Full MSP services including managed network, help desk, UCaaS, and CCaaS AI-enabled services, from internal sales and support tools to client-facing AI onboarding, security, and optimization Cybersecurity and MDR, especially critical in the face of regulatory and infrastructure shifts like Windows 11 adoption The company also shared how its premium support model and customer success focus drive long-term growth. “We don't throw customers over the wall,” Reeder noted, outlining a high-touch process from onboarding to strategic reviews aimed at turning clients into evangelists. In EMEA, Schuurmans sees key vertical growth in healthcare, finance, retail, and professional services, driven by urgent needs around cybersecurity and desktop virtualization. He plans to scale both direct customer engagements and indirect channel partner relationships over the next 12–18 months. Looking ahead, XTIUM will continue to grow both organically and through acquisition. With a clearly stated goal to become the go-to global MSP for mid-market and enterprise customers, Reeder summed up the company's mission: “Think globally, act locally.” Learn more at: https://xtium.com
APAC stocks traded mixed following a quiet weekend of newsflow and last Friday's disappointing Non-Farm Payrolls data.US President Trump said on Sunday that he will announce a new head of BLS in the next three or four days.US President Trump said he is to announce a replacement for Fed's Kugler in the next couple of days after Kugler resigned on Friday.European equity futures indicate a positive cash market open with the Euro Stoxx 50 future up 0.4% after the cash market suffered losses of 2.9% on Friday.DXY is a touch firmer after Friday's selling pressure, EUR/USD ran out of steam ahead of 1.16, USD/JPY trades on a 147 handle.Crude slightly lower after OPEC+ agreed to increase oil output by 548k BPD in September.Looking ahead, highlights include Swiss CPI (Jul), EZ Sentix Index Aug), US Employment Trends (Jun), Durable Goods R (Jun) & Factory Orders.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
Amid growing uncertainty in the U.S. regulatory landscape, sponsors are increasingly looking to ex-U.S. markets as a strategic way to reduce clinical trial risk and maintain momentum. In this episode, Novotech experts Renita Hite and Scott Schliebner discuss how biotech and small to mid-sized pharma companies are adapting their global trial strategies—leveraging regions like APAC and Eastern Europe for faster startups, strong data quality, and significant cost savings. They explore: -Why sponsors are increasingly looking outside the U.S. amid regulatory and political uncertainty -Key benefits of ex-U.S. regions like APAC and Eastern Europe, including speed, quality, and cost savings -Strategic considerations for integrating global sites into clinical development plans -Common pitfalls and risk mitigation strategies when operating in international markets -How ex-U.S. trials support greater flexibility and resilience heading into 2025–2026 This episode is part 3 of 4 in the series “Navigating Regulatory Changes & Market Dynamics: CRO Perspectives on the Future of Clinical Trials”, featuring insights from Novotech on evolving trends impacting global clinical development. Stay tuned for the next episode, where we'll continue exploring the key forces shaping the future of clinical trials. Listen to part 1 here: Podcast Series: Navigating Regulatory Changes & Market Dynamics: CRO Perspectives on the Future of Clinical Trials Listen to part 2 here: Podcast Series: Navigating Regulatory & Market Shifts — CRO Perspectives on Clinical Trials
US President Trump announced tariffs on countries ranging from 10%-41% including a tariff rate of 10% for Brazil, 30% for South Africa, 20% for Taiwan and 25% for India. Canada's tariff increased from 25% to 35%, while Mexico received a 90-day extension of the current tariff rates.Japan eyes a 15% rate for the US chip tariff, on par with EU, with Japan's trade negotiator stating Japan should be able to secure a 15% rate for the new sectoral tariff the US is planning to impose on chips, according to Nikkei.US official said they are still working out technicalities of rules of origin terms for transshipment and will implement rules of origin details in the coming weeks.Amazon (AMZN) shares fell 6.5% after-market whilst Apple (AAPL) shares rose 2.3% post-earnings.APAC stocks traded mostly subdued following the weak handover from US peer; European equity futures indicate a negative cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures down 0.5% after the cash market closed with losses of 1.4% on Thursday.Looking ahead, highlights include Global Manufacturing PMI (Finals), Italian Retail Sales, EZ HICP, US NFP, ISM Manufacturing, UoM Sentiment Final, Atlanta Fed GDPNow, Speakers including Fed's Bowman & Waller (Unconfirmed), Earnings from Axa, Engie, Daimler Truck, Exxon, Chevron, Regeneron & Colgate.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
For episode 560 of the BlockHash Podcast, host Brandon Zemp is joined by Andrew Vranjes, CRO of Blockdaemon while at Permissionless 4.Previously, Andrew was VP and GM at APAC, where he has successfully led regional growth, forged strategic partnerships, and expanded market presence in the Asia Pacific Region. Prior to joining Blockdaemon, Andrew has held leadership roles in Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco Systems and Singtel/Optus. In AWS, Andrew built out the teams focussed on Startups, Digital Natives, Crypto/Fintech and AWS's partnerships with the Venture Capital and Private Equity community. ⏳ Timestamps: 0:00 | Introduction1:00 | Who is Andrew Vranjes?3:34 | Blockdaemon explained5:30 | RWAs & Tokenization9:00 | Blockdaemon roadmap10:37 | Blockdaemon at Permissionless13:07 | RAPID FIRE SESSION
US Treasury Secretary Bessent said he will see US President Trump regarding the China tariff pause on Wednesday and some technical details remain on the China tariff pause, while the China tariff extension decision will be up to Trump and if he does not approve tariff pause extension, tariffs on Chinese goods would 'boomerang' back to April 2nd levels, or another level that he chooses.US President Trump said Chinese President Xi wants to meet and he thinks it will happen before the end of the year, while he stated that they will either approve the trade extension or not. Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Li said the US and China have agreed to extend the trade truce; Bessent said China jumped the gun a little on the 90-day pause.Crude futures surged yesterday amid comments from US President Trump who confirmed changing the deadline for Russia to reach a Ukraine ceasefire agreement to 10 days, while there were simultaneous comments from Treasury Secretary Bessent who told Chinese officials that China could face high tariffs if it continues to purchase sanctioned Russian oil due to US secondary tariff legislation.APAC stocks traded mixed following the subdued handover from Wall St; European equity futures indicate a mildly positive cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.3% after the cash market closed with gains of 0.8% on Tuesday.Looking ahead, highlights include French GDP, Spanish CPI, German GDP & Retail Sales, Italian GDP, ECB Wage Tracker, EZ GDP & Sentiment, US ADP National Employment, GDP Advance (Q2), PCE (Q2), Fed, BoC, BCB Policy Announcements Speakers including Fed Chair Powell, BoC's Macklem & Rogers, Supply from Italy, US Quarterly Treasury Refunding Announcement.Earnings from Hermes, Airbus, Vinci, Danone, Capgemini, HSBC, GSK, Aston Martin, Santander, Caixabank, Telefonica, Intesa Sanpaolo, Leonardo, Mercedes Benz, Siemens Healthineers, BASF, Adidas, Porsche AG, Meta, Microsoft, RobinHood, Carvana, Lam Research, Qualcomm, Ford, Arm, eBay, FMC, Vertiv, Altria, Kraft Heinz, GE Healthcare & VF Corp.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk
I sat down with Craig Harman, former APAC MD at Opus and Global CEO to unpack what actually makes a recruitment business valuable and what doesn't.We talked about how he scaled across APAC, went through a private equity event, and everything he learned going through the process.You can connect with Craig here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harmancraig/-------------------------Watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8gFZLlX3JWM-------------------------Sponsors - Claim your exclusive savings from our partners with the links below:Job Adder: Check Out Job Adder & Claim Your Exclusive Offer HereSourcewhale - Check Out Sourcewhale & Claim Your Exclusive Offer Here.Raise - Check Out Raise & Claim Your Exclusive Offer Here.-------------------------Extra Stuff:Learn more about our online skills development platform Hector here: https://bit.ly/47hsaxeJoin 5,000+ other recruiters levelling up their skills with our Limitless Learning Newsletter here: https://limitless-learning.thisishector.com/subscribe-------------------------Get in touch:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hishemazzouz/-------------------------