Podcasts about Apac

What if marketing worked like architecture, not guesswork? Do you know what's actually driving your marketing results?In this episode of The Business Ownership Podcast I interviewed Emiliano Giovannoni. Emiliano Giovannoni is a global-minded marketing executive and consultant based in Brisbane, Australia with twenty years of marketing management experience working for international organizations ranging from ASX and NASDAQ listed multinationals – to VC-funded digital start-ups in the United Kingdom, Europe, and Singapore, including leading the Social Media Marketing function for the APAC region at Microsoft.He is the creator of the FAPI Marketing Framework™, a marketing organizational management method featured in the University of Queensland MBA program. The framework is designed to help businesses better rationalize and control their marketing functions.He is the author of multiple marketing planning and management publications, including ‘Digital Marketing Planning,' ranked one of the top 100 digital marketing books in 2020, and ‘Modern Marketing Architecture.'As a UQ Strategic Marketing MBA Alumni, Certified Agile-Scrum Master, and an Associate Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute (AFAMI CPM), Emiliano is committed to continuous professional development and learning.His commitment to the development of the marketing profession includes Judging panelist for the yearly AMI Australian Marketing Institute Marketing Awards and participating as an industry mentor at UQ University BEL Career Mentoring Program.Are you guessing with your marketing—or planning for results?Check this out and rethink your approach.Show Links:Chasefive Website: https://www.chasefive.com/Emiliano Giovannoni on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilianogiovannoniBook a call with Michelle: https://go.appointmentcore.com/book/IcFD4cGJoin our Facebook group for business owners to get help or help other business owners!The Business Ownership Group - Secrets to Scaling: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessownershipsecretstoscalingLooking to scale your business? Get free gifts here to help you on your way: https://www.awarenessstrategies.com/

Global managed services contracts are experiencing reduced momentum as buyers display notable hesitation to commit to long-term agreements during a period defined by organizational pivots toward artificial intelligence. The Information Services Group reported only a 1.2% quarter-over-quarter increase in large managed services contracts in late 2025, totaling $10.9 billion, with full-year growth barely above 1%. While U.S. activity partially offsets contractions in EMEA and APAC, the prevailing environment is one of caution, shaped less by CIOs and more by business and finance leaders redirecting budgets to support internal AI initiatives and flexible operating arrangements.The growth in technology distributor activity in North America highlights increased market fragmentation rather than expanded service levels. Omdia Tech Services data indicates distributor billings grew almost 15% in 2024, reaching $16.6 billion, with over 72% of transactions concentrated among six distributors. Most billings originated with technology advisors, and both value-added resellers and MSPs contributed smaller shares. This shift points to a market emphasizing flexible sourcing—with more intermediaries and shorter deals—but raises questions about MSP control, as authority and accountability can become diluted.Intel's latest financial disclosures reveal persistent supply and execution challenges in delivering AI infrastructure solutions. Despite exceeding earnings expectations, weak revenue forecasts and admission of supply constraints resulted in a 13% decrease in company stock. The vendor attributed its underperformance to capacity shortages and forecasting issues, underscoring the risks MSPs now face in hardware planning for AI deployments. Additionally, the commoditization of key offerings such as Microsoft 365 backup and the automation of technology review processes further compress execution margins, reducing traditional revenue sources for service providers.For MSPs and IT leaders, these developments reinforce the need to reassess risk allocation, authority, and pricing models in client engagements. With execution becoming both cheaper and less differentiated, value must shift toward governance, outcome accountability, and explicit decision ownership. Delays or misjudgments related to hardware supply and service fulfillment present direct threats to project continuity and client satisfaction, emphasizing the importance of operational flexibility, active vendor management, and strategic repositioning of service offerings. Three things to know today 00:00 As Managed Services Stall Globally, Distributor-Led IT Buying Gains Momentum04:58 Intel Beats on Earnings but Misses on Confidence as AI Demand Outpaces Capacity07:27 As Backup and Reviews Are Automated, MSP Differentiation Shifts from Execution to Decision Ownership This is the Business of Tech.     Supported by:  https://scalepad.com/dave/

On the latest Nomad Futurist Podcast, co-hosts Nabeel Mahmood and Phillip Koblence sit down with Adam Gibson, Director of techvox and a Nomad Futurist Foundation Ambassador, to discuss his unconventional journey into data centers and fiber. The conversation spans his work across Australia, New Zealand, and APAC, highlighting how curiosity, community, and fundamentals can drive a long, global career in digital infrastructure. Adam's journey begins in his early teens, as a 13-year-old immersed in video games, building LANs with friends and running grassroots events that unknowingly set the foundation for his first data center role: “I came straight from high school into the space and haven't looked back… I'm still technically uneducated. However, data centers make you run fast and learn quick.” Throughout the episode, Adam underscores a core truth of the industry: today's AI platforms, hyperscale campuses, and cloud services are built on the same foundational principles he first encountered in early server farms and the dial-up gaming era. He argues that the Internet has become a true utility, selected alongside power, water, and gas when moving into a home, yet its physical foundations are often taken for granted: “We still need the fundamentals… people's crazy cat videos, AI videos, e-mails and everything else need to be stored somewhere, cooled somewhere, powered somewhere and connected somewhere.” That perspective carries into Adam's work as a Nomad Futurist Foundation Ambassador, where he is focused on attracting new talent as data center and subsea investment accelerates across APAC. He highlights Australia's role in global subsea connectivity and New Zealand's renewable energy strength as forces turning the region into a critical digital crossroads in need of skilled people. His message to newcomers is clear and encouraging. Opportunities span mechanical systems, networking, AI, and operations, and success comes from respecting the fundamentals and staying curious: “Don't just jump in as a VP going ‘I've got this'… work yourself into it; there's a spot for you.” The episode also shows the human side of a global career: Adam relies on music, movement, and simple meals to stay grounded while traveling for industry events and work, logging more than 100 flights and navigating relentless time zones. He highlights major event hosts, all partners and supporters of the Foundation, showcasing the community-driven side of the industry. While he plans to slow down, his commitment to the field remains unwavering: “I'll never miss a PTC, I'll never miss an ITW, I'll never miss a Capacity or a DataCloud… but at some point it's about lifestyle and support.” Connect with Adam Gibson on LinkedIn to continue the conversation and learn more about his work across APAC, digital infrastructure, and talent development.

Transforming schools through ethical, large-scale Al integration and collaborative learning. About Jamie Toner Jamie is an education technology and innovation leader with experience across K-12 and Higher Education in the UK, Middle East, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. As Director of Technology and Innovation at Singapore American School, he leads digital transformation, AI integration, and the development of forward-looking learning ecosystems.  Previously Founding Director of Digital Learning and Information Services at Harrow International School Shenzhen, Jamie has driven major projects in digital strategy and information services. Named on the recent CILIP 125 List of future leaders and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, he researches and presents internationally on digital leadership and knowledge sharing. He is currently in the final stages of his PhD at the University of Sheffield on how legitimacy and epistemic authority are unevenly constructed and sustained within international schools. Jamie Toner on Social Media LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-toner-611b2478/  About Claire Simms Claire is an experienced international educator and digital learning leader with over 25 years in schools across Hong Kong, Malaysia, Switzerland, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Singapore. She is currently Assistant Principal - Innovation and Technology at St. Joseph's Institution International School where she leads initiatives that enhance teaching and learning through technology. Since joining SJI International in 2016, Claire has held key leadership roles including Head of IPC and Head of Grade, helping to shape both curriculum and digital strategy. A Google Trainer, Coach, Innovator, and GEG Leader, Apple Learning Coach, and Seesaw Educator Lead, she regularly presents across the APAC region on digital learning and leadership. Claire holds a PGCE in Primary Education from the University of Sunderland and is currently completing her National Professional Qualification in Senior Leadership (NPQSL). Claire Simms on Social Media LinkedIn: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/claire-simms-13679643  Resources https://www.sas.edu.sg/  https://www.sji-international.com.sg/  John Mikton on Social Media LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmikton/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jmikton Web: beyonddigital.org Dan Taylor on social media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/appsevents  Twitter: https://twitter.com/appdkt  Web: www.appsevents.com Listen on: iTunes / Podbean / Stitcher / Spotify / YouTube Workspace Audit by AppsEDU Find and Fix Security Gaps in Your Google Workspace at https://workspaceaudit.com/  Get a complete, automated overview of your security posture. Our read-only scanner identifies misconfigurations and provides actionable steps to harden your environment. We also help you STAY secure. With our automated monitoring functionality you schedule daily, weekly or monthly scans, allowing you to fix issues before they become a problem. Get started for free with no obligation, your first scan is on us! https://workspaceaudit.com/ 

In this episode of the Influence Global Podcast, host Gordon Glenister speaks with pioneering talent manager and licensing specialist Jennifer Powell, Founder and CEO of Jennifer Powell Inc. Based in Los Angeles, Jennifer has been at the forefront of the creator economy since its infancy, having transitioned from a successful career in modelling agencies to becoming one of the first representatives of fashion bloggers. Jennifer shares how the earliest creators like Rumi Neely (Fashion Toast) unexpectedly drove product sell-outs in the late 2000s, and how she helped shift brands' thinking—treating creators with the same commercial value as professional models. She explains how licensing has become one of the most powerful, scalable revenue streams for creators, often surpassing traditional brand deals, and why strategic management, legal support and long-term brand development are essential. From discovering creators via DMs, to negotiating global licensing deals, to guiding talent through product collaborations and multi-market launches, Jennifer gives a transparent look into what great talent management should look like—and the pitfalls creators must avoid. A standout case study includes her long-standing representation of Sincerely Jules, whose partnership with Billabong grew from simple Instagram posts to a multi-region fashion collection that reached Selfridges, Galleries Lafayette and major retailers across the US, Europe, Latin America and APAC. This is a must-listen for creators, agents, and brands wanting to understand licensing, product development, talent management best practice, and the real work behind building a creator into a global brand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Allen, Joel, Rosemary, and Yolanda cover major offshore wind developments on both sides of the Atlantic. In the US, Ørsted’s Revolution Wind won a court victory allowing construction to resume after the Trump administration’s suspension. Meanwhile, the UK awarded contracts for 8.4 gigawatts of new offshore capacity in the largest auction in European history, with RWE securing nearly 7 gigawatts. Plus Canada’s Nova Scotia announces ambitious 40 gigawatt offshore wind plans, and the crew discusses the ongoing Denmark-Greenland tensions with the US administration. Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly newsletter on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard’s StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on YouTube, Linkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary’s “Engineering with Rosie” YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us! The Uptime Wind Energy Podcast brought to you by Strike Tape, protecting thousands of wind turbines from lightning damage worldwide. Visit strike tape.com. And now your hosts, Alan Hall, Rosemary Barnes, Joel Saxon and Yolanda Padron. Welcome to the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast. I’m Allen Hall, along with Yolanda, Joel and Rosie. Boy, a lot of action in the US courts. And as you know, for weeks, American offshore wind has been holding its breath and a lot of people’s jobs are at stake right now. The Trump administration suspended, uh, five major projects on December 22nd, and still they’re still citing national security concerns. Billions of dollars are really in balance here. Construction vessels for most of these. Sites are just doing nothing at the minute, but the courts are stepping in and Sted won a [00:01:00] key victory when the federal judge allowed its revolution wind project off the coast of Rhode Island to resume construction immediately. So everybody’s excited there and it does sound like Osted is trying to finish that project as fast as they can. And Ecuador and Dominion Energy, which are two of the other bigger projects, are fighting similar battles. Ecuador is supposed to hear in the next couple of days as we’re recording. Uh, but the message is pretty clear from developers. They have invested too much to walk away, and if they get an opportunity to wrap these projects up quickly. They are going to do it now. Joel, before the show, we were talking about vineyard wind and vineyard. Wind was on hold, and I think it, it may not even be on hold right now, I have to go back and look. But when they were put on hold, uh, the question was, the turbines that were operating, were they able to continue operating? And the answer initially I thought was no. But it was yes, the, the turbines that were [00:02:00] producing power. We’re allowed to continue to produce powers. What was in the balance were the remaining turbines that were still being installed or, uh, being upgraded. So there’s, there’s a lot going on right now, but it does seem like, and back to your earlier point, Joel, before we start talking and maybe you can discuss this, we, there is an offshore wind farm called Block Island really closely all these other wind farms, and it’s been there for four or five years at this point. No one’s said anything about that wind farm.  Speaker: I think it’s been there, to be honest with you, since like 2016 or 17. It’s been there a long time. Is it that old? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So when we were talk, when we’ve been talking through and it gets lost in the shuffle and it shouldn’t, because that’s really the first offshore wind farm in the United States. We keep talking about all these big, you know, utility scale massive things, but that is a utility scale wind farm as well. There’s fi, correct me if I’m wrong, Yolanda, is it five turbos or six? It’s five. Their decent sized turbines are sitting on jackets. They’re just, uh, they’re, they’re only a couple miles offshore. They’re not way offshore. But throughout all of these issues that we’ve had, um, with [00:03:00] these injunctions and stopping construction and stopping this and reviewing permits and all these things, block Island has just been spinning, producing power, uh, for the locals there off the coast of Rhode Island. So we. What were our, the question was is, okay, all these other wind farms that are partially constructed, have they been spinning? Are they producing power? And my mind goes to this, um, as a risk reduction effort. I wonder if, uh, the cable, if the cable lay timelines were what they were. Right. So would you now, I guess as a risk reduction effort, and this seems really silly to have to think about this. If you have your offshore substation, was the, was the main export cable connected to some of these like revolution wind where they have the injunction right now? Was that export cable connected and were the inter array cables regularly connected to turbines and them coming online? Do, do, do, do, do. Like, it wasn’t like a COD, we turned the switch and we had to wait for all 62 turbines. Right. So to our [00:04:00] knowledge and, and, uh, please reach out to any of us on LinkedIn or an email or whatever to our knowledge. The turbines that are in production have still have been spinning. It’s the construction activities that have been stopped, but now. Hey, revolution wind is 90% complete and they’re back out and running, uh, on construction activities as of today. Speaker 2: It was in the last 48 hours. So this, this is a good sign because I think as the other wind farms go through the courts, they’re gonna essentially run through this, this same judge I that. Tends to happen because they have done all the research already. So you, you likely get the same outcome for all the other wind farms, although they have to go through the process. You can’t do like a class action, at least that’s doesn’t appear to be in play at the minute. Uh, they’re all gonna have to go through this little bit of a process. But what the judge is saying essentially is the concern from the Department of War, and then the Department of Interior is. [00:05:00] Make believe. I, I don’t wanna frame it. It’s not framed that way, the way it’s written. There’s a lot more legalistic terms about it. But it basically, they’re saying they tried to stop it before they didn’t get the result they wanted. The Trump administration didn’t get the result they wanted. So the Trump administration ramped it up by saying it was something that was classified in, in part of the Department of War. The judge isn’t buying it. So the, the, the early action. I think what we initially talked about this, everybody, I think the early feeling was they’re trying to stop it, but the fact that they’re trying to stop it just because, and just start pulling permits is not gonna stand outta the court. And when they want to come back and do it again, they’re not likely to win. If they would. Kept their ammunition dry and just from the beginning said it’s something classified as something defense related that Trump administration probably would’ve had a better shot at this. But now it just seems like everything’s just gonna lead down the pathway where all these projects get finished. Speaker: Yeah, I think that specific judge probably was listening to the [00:06:00] Uptime podcast last week for his research. Um, listen to, to our opinions that we talked about here, saying that this is kind of all bs. It’s not gonna fly. Uh, but what we’re sitting at here is like Revolution Wind was, had the injunction against it. Uh, empire Wind had an injunction again, but they were awaiting a similar ruling. So hopefully that’s actually supposed to go down today. That’s Wednesday. Uh, this is, so we’re recording this on Wednesday. Um, and then Dominion is, has, is suing as well, and their, uh, hearing is on Friday. In two, two days from now. And I would expect, I mean, it’s the same, same judge, same piece of papers, like it’s going to be the same result. Some numbers to throw at this thing. Now, just so the listeners know the impact of this, uh, dominion for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project, they say that their pause in construction is costing them $5 million a day, and that is. That’s a pretty round number. It’s a conservative number to be honest with you. For officer operations, how many vessels and how much stuff is out there? That makes sense. Yep. [00:07:00] 5 million. So $5 million a day. And that’s one of the wind farms. Uh, coastal, Virginia Wind Farm is an $11 billion project. With, uh, it’s like 176 turbines. I think something to that, like it’s, it’s got enough power, it’s gonna have enough production out there to power up, like, uh, like 650,000 homes when it’s done. So there’s five projects suspended right now. I’m continuing with the numbers. Um, well, five, there’s four now. Revolution’s back running, right? So five and there’s four. Uh, four still stopped. And of those five is 28. Billion dollars in combined capital at risk, right? So you can understand why some of these companies are worried, right? They’re this is, this is not peanuts. Um, so you saw a little bump in like Ted stock in the markets when this, this, uh, revolution wind, uh, injunction was stopped. Uh, but. You also see that, uh, Moody’s is a credit [00:08:00] rating. They’ve lowered ORs, Ted’s um, rating from stable to negative, given that political risk.  Speaker 2: Well, if you haven’t been paying attention, wind energy O and m Australia 2026 is happening relatively soon. It’s gonna be February 17th and 18th. It’s gonna be at the Pullman Hotel downtown Melbourne. And we are all looking forward to it. The, the roster and the agenda is, is nearly assembled at this point. Uh, we have a, a couple of last minute speakers, but uh, I’m looking at the agenda and like, wow, if you work in o and m or even are around wind turbines, this is the place to be in February. From my  Speaker: seat. It’s pretty, it’s, it’s, it’s shaping up for pretty fun. My phone has just been inundated with text message and WhatsApp of when are you traveling? What are your dates looking forward to, and I wanna say this right, Rosie. Looking forward to Melvin. Did I get it? Did I do it okay.  Speaker 3: You know how to say it.  Speaker: So, so we’re, we’re really looking forward to, we’ve got a bunch of people traveling from around the [00:09:00] world, uh, to come and share their collective knowledge, uh, and learn from the Australians about how they’re doing things, what the, what the risks are, what the problems are, uh, really looking forward to the environment down there, like we had last year was very. Collaborative, the conversations are flowing. Um, so we’re looking forward to it, uh, in a big way from our seats. Over here,  Speaker 2: we are announcing a lightning workshop, and that workshop will be answering all your lightning questions in regards to your turbines Now. Typically when we do this, it’s about $10,000 per seat, and this will be free as part of WMA 2026. We’re gonna talk about some of the lightning physics, what’s actually happening in the field versus what the OEMs are saying and what the IEC specification indicates. And the big one is force majeure. A lot of operators are paying for damages that are well within the IEC specification, and we’ll explain.[00:10:00] What that is all about and what you can do to save yourself literally millions of dollars. But that is only possible if you go to Woma 2020 six.com and register today because we’re running outta seats. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. But this is a great opportunity to get your lightning questions answered. And Rosemary promised me that we’re gonna talk about Vestus turbines. Siemens turbines. GE Renova turbines. Nordex turbines. So if you have Nordex turbines, Sulan turbines, bring the turbine. Type, we’ll talk about it. We’ll get your questions answered, and the goal is that everybody at at Wilma 2026 is gonna go home and save themselves millions of dollars in 26 and millions of dollars in 27 and all the years after, because this Lightning workshop is going to take care of those really frustrating lightning questions that just don’t get answered. We’re gonna do it right there. Sign up today.  Speaker 3: [00:11:00] You know what, I’m really looking forward to that session and especially ’cause I’ve got a couple of new staff or new-ish staff at, it’s a great way to get them up to speed on lightning. And I think that actually like the majority of people, even if you are struggling with lightning problems every day, I bet that there is a whole bunch that you could learn about the underlying physics of lightning. And there’s not so many places to find that in the world. I have looked, um, for my staff training, where is the course that I can send them to, to understand all about lightning? I know when I started atm, I had a, an intro session, one-on-one with the, you know, chief Lightning guy there. That’s not so easy to come by, and this is the opportunity where you can get that and better because it’s information about every, every OEM and a bit of a better understanding about how it works so that you can, you know, one of the things that I find working with Lightning is a lot of force MA mature claims. And then, um, the OEMs, they try and bamboozle you with this like scientific sounding talk. If you understand better, then you’ll be able to do better in those discussions. [00:12:00] So I would highly recommend attending if you can swing the Monday as well.  Speaker: If you wanna attend now and you’re coming to the events. Reach out to, you can reach out to me directly because what we want to do now is collect, uh, as much information as possible about the specific turbine types of the, that the people in the room are gonna be responsible for. So we can tailor those messages, um, to help you out directly. So feel free to reach out to me, joel.saxo, SAXU m@wglightning.com and uh, we’ll be squared away and ready to roll on Monday. I think that’s Monday the 16th.  Speaker 2: So while American offshore wind fights for survival in the courts, British offshore wind just had its biggest day ever. The United Kingdom awarded contracts for 8.4 gigawatts. That’s right. 8.4 gigawatts of new offshore wind capacity, the largest auction in European history. Holy smokes guys. The price came in at about 91 pounds per megawatt hour, and that’s 2024 pounds. [00:13:00] Uh, and that’s roughly 40% cheaper than building a new. Gas plant Energy Secretary Ed Milliband called it a monumental step towards the country’s 2030 clean power goals and that it is, uh, critics say that prices are still higher than previous auctions, and one that the government faces challenges connecting all this new capacity to the grid, and they do, uh, transmission is a limiting factor here, but in terms of where the UK is headed. Putting in gigawatts of offshore wind is going to disconnect them from a lot of need on the gas supply and other energy sources. It’s a massive auction round. This was way above what I remember being, uh. Talked about when we were in Scotland just a couple of weeks ago, Joel.  Speaker: Yeah, that’s what I was gonna say. You know, when we were, when we were up with the, or E Catapult event, and we talked to a lot of the different organizations of their OWGP and um, you know, the course, the or e Catapult folks and, and, and a [00:14:00] few others, they were really excited about AR seven. They were like, oh, we’re, we’re so excited. It’s gonna come down, it’s gonna be great. I didn’t expect these kind of numbers to come out of this thing. Right? ’cause we know that, um, they’ve got about, uh, the UK currently has about. 16 and a half or so gigawatts of offshore wind capacity, um, with, you know, they got a bunch under construction, it’s like 11 under construction, but their goal is to have 43 gigawatts by 2030. So,  Speaker 2: man.  Speaker: Yeah. And, and when 2030, put this into Conte Con context now. This is one of our first podcasts of the new year. That’s only four years away. Right. It’s soon. And, and to, to be able to do that. So you’re saying they got 16, they go some round numbers. They got 16 now. Pro producing 11 in the pipe, 11 being constructed. So get that to 27. That’s another 16 gigawatts of wind. They want, they that are not under construction today that they want to have completed in the next four years. That is a monumental effort now. We know that there’s some grid grid complications and connection [00:15:00] requirements and things that will slow that down, but just thinking about remove the grid idea, just thinking about the amount of effort to get those kind of large capital projects done in that short of timeline. Kudos to the UK ’cause they’re unlocking a lot of, um, a lot of private investment, a lot of effort to get these things, but they’re literally doing the inverse of what we’re doing in the United States right now.  Speaker 2: There would be about a total of 550, 615 ish megawatt turbines in the water. That does seem doable though. The big question is who’s gonna be providing those turbines? That’s a. Massive order. Whoever the salesperson is involved in that transaction is gonna be very happy. Well, the interesting thing here  Speaker: too is the global context of assets to be able to deliver this. We just got done talking about the troubles at these wind farms in the United States. As soon as these. Wind farms are finished. There’s not more of them coming to construction phase shortly, right? So all of these assets, all these jack up vessels, these installation vessels, these specialized cable lay vessels, they [00:16:00]can, they can fuel up and freaking head right across, back across the Atlantic and start working on these things. If the pre all of the engineering and, and the turbine deliveries are ready to roll the vessels, uh, ’cause that you, that, you know, two years ago that was a problem. We were all. Forecasting. Oh, we have this forecasted problem of a shortage of vessels and assets to be able to do installs. And now with the US kind of, basically, once we’re done with the wind farms, we’re working on offshore, now we’re shutting it down. It frees those back up, right? So the vessels will be there, be ready to roll. You’ll have people coming off of construction projects that know what’s going on, right? That, that know how to, to work these things. So the, the people, the vessels that will be ready to roll it is just, can we get the cables, the mono piles, the turbines and the cells, the blades, all done in time, uh, to make this happen And, and. I know I’m rambling now, but after leaving that or e Catapult event and talking to some of the people, um, that are supporting those [00:17:00] funds over there, uh, being injected from the, uh, the government, I think that they’ve got  Speaker 2: the, the money flowing over there to get it done too. The big winner in the auction round was RWE and they. Almost seven gigawatts. So that was a larger share of the 8.4 gigawatts. RWE obviously has a relationship with Vestus. Is that where this is gonna go? They’re gonna be, uh, installing vestus turbines. And where were those tur turbines? As I was informed by Scottish gentlemen, I won’t name names. Uh, will those turbines be built in the uk? Speaker 3: It’s a lot. It’s a, it’s one of the biggest challenges with, um, the supply chain for wind energy is that it just is so lumpy. So, you know, you get, um, uh. You get huge eight gigawatts all at once and then you have years of, you know, just not much. Not much, not much going on. I mean, for sure they’re not gonna be just building [00:18:00] eight gigawatts worth of, um, wind turbines in the UK in the next couple of years because they would also have to build the capacity to manufacture that and, and then would wanna be building cocks every couple of years for, you know, the next 10 or 20 years. So, yeah, of course they’re gonna be manufacturing. At facilities around the world and, and transporting them. But, um, yeah, I just, I don’t know. It’s one of the things that I just. Constantly shake my head about is like, how come, especially when projects are government supported, when plans are government supported, why, why can’t we do a better job of smoothing things out so that you can have, you know, for example, local manufacturing because everyone knows that they’ve got a secure pipeline. It’s just when the government’s involved, it should be possible.  Speaker 2: At least the UK has been putting forth some. Pretty big numbers to support a local supply chain. When we were over in Scotland, they announced 300 million pounds, and that was just one of several. That’s gonna happen over the next year. There will be a [00:19:00] near a billion pounds be put into the supply chain, which will make a dramatic difference. But I think you’re right. Also, it’s, they’re gonna ramp up and then they, it’s gonna ramp down. They have to find a way to feed the global marketplace at some point, be because the technology and the people are there. It’s a question of. How do you sustain it for a 20, 30 year period? That’s a different question. Speaker 3: I do agree that the UK is doing a better job than probably anybody else. Um, it it’s just that they, the way that they have chosen to organize these auctions and the government support and the planning just means that they have that, that this is the perfect conditions to, you know. Make a smooth rollout and you know, take care of all this. And so I just a bit frustrated that they’re not doing more. But you are right that they’re doing the best probably  Speaker 4: once all of these are in service though, aren’t there quite a bit of aftermarket products that are available in the UK  Speaker: on the service then? I think there’s more.  Speaker 4: Which, I mean, that’s good. A good part of it, right? Speaker: If we’re talking Vestas, so, so let’s just round this [00:20:00] up too. If we’re talking vest’s production for blades in Europe, you have two facilities in Denmark that build V 2 36 blades. You have one facility in Italy that builds V 2 36 blades, Taiwan, but they build them for the APAC market. Of course. Um, Poland had a, has one on hold right now, V 2 36 as well. Well, they just bought that factory from LM up in Poland also. That’s, but I think that’s for onshore term, onshore blades. Oh, yes, sure. And then Scotland has, they have the proposed facility in, in Laith. That there, that’s kind of on hold as well. So if that one’s proposed, I’m sure, hey, if we get a big order, they’ll spin that up quick because they’ll get, I am, I would imagine someone o you know, one of the, one of the funds to spool up a little bit of money, boom, boom, boom. ’cause they’re turning into local jobs. Local supply  Speaker 2: chain does this then create the condition where a lot of wind turbines, like when we were in Scotland, a lot of those wind turbines are. Gonna reach 20 years old, maybe a little bit older here over the next five years where they will [00:21:00] need to be repowered upgraded, whatever’s gonna happen there. If you had internal manufacturing. In country that would, you’d think lower the price to go do that. That will be a big effort just like it is in Spain right now.  Speaker: The trouble there though too, is if you’re using local content in, in the uk, the labor prices are so much  Speaker 2: higher. I’m gonna go back to Rosie’s point about sort of the way energy is sold worldwide. UK has high energy prices, mostly because they are buying energy from other countries and it’s expensive to get it in country. So yes, they can have higher labor prices and still be lower cost compared to the alternatives. It, it’s not the same equation in the US versus uk. It’s, it’s totally different economics, but. If they get enough power generation, which I think the UK will, they’re gonna offload that and they’re already doing it now. So you can send power to France, send power up [00:22:00] north. There’s ways to sell that extra power and help pay for the system you built. That would make a a lot of sense. It’s very similar to what the Saudis have done for. Dang near 80 years, which is fill tankers full of oil and sell it. This is a little bit different that we’re just sending electrons through the water to adjacent European countries. It does seem like a plan. I hope they’re sending ’em through a cable in the water and not just into the water. Well, here’s the thing that was concerning early on. They’re gonna turn it into hydrogen and put it on a ship and send it over to France. Like that didn’t make any sense at all. Uh. Cable’s on the way to do it. Right.  Speaker: And actually, Alan, you and I did have a conversation with someone not too long ago about that triage market and how the project where they put that, that that trans, that HVDC cable next to the tunnel it, and it made and it like paid for itself in a year or something. Was that like, that they didn’t wanna really tell us like, yeah, it paid for itself in a year. Like it was a, the ROI was like on a, like a $500 million [00:23:00]project or something. That’s crazy. Um, but yeah, that’s the same. That’s, that is, I would say part of the big push in the uk there is, uh, then they can triage that power and send it, send it back across. Um, like I think Nord Link is the, the cable between Peterhead and Norway, right? So you have, you have a triage market going across to the Scandinavian countries. You have the triage market going to mainland eu. Um, and in when they have big time wind, they’re gonna be able to do it. So when you have an RWE. Looking at seven gigawatts of, uh, possibility that they just, uh, just procured. Game on. I love it. I think it’s gonna be cool. I’m, I’m happy to see it blow  Speaker 2: up. Canada is getting serious about offshore wind and international developers are paying attention. Q Energy, France and its South Korean partner. Hawa Ocean have submitted applications to develop wind projects off Nova Scotia’s Coast. The province has big ambitions. Premier, Tim Houston wants to license enough. Offshore [00:24:00] wind to produce 40 gigawatts of power far more than Nova Scotia would ever need. Uh, the extra electricity could supply more than a quarter of Canada’s total demand. If all goes according to plan, the first turbines could be spinning by 2035. Now, Joel. Yeah, some of this power will go to Canada, but there’s a huge market in the United States also for this power and the capacity factor up in Nova Scotia offshore is really good. Yeah. It’s uh, it  Speaker: is simply, it’s stellar, right? Uh, that whole No, Nova Scotia, new Brunswick, Newfoundland, that whole e even Maritimes of Canada. The wind, the wind never stops blowing, right? Like I, I go up there every once in a while ’cause my wife is from up there and, uh, it’s miserable sometimes even in the middle of summer. Um, so the, the wind resource is fantastic. The, it, it is a boom or will be a boom for the Canadian market, right? There’re always [00:25:00] that maritime community, they’re always looking for, for, uh, new jobs. New jobs, new jobs. And this is gonna bring them to them. Um, one thing I wanna flag here is when I know this, when this announcement came out. And I reached out to Tim Houston’s office to try to get him on the podcast, and I haven’t gotten a response yet. Nova Scotia. So if someone that’s listening can get ahold of Tim Houston, we’d love to talk to him about the plans for Nova Scotia. Um, but, but we see that just like we see over overseas, the triage market of we’re making power, we can sell it. You know, we balance out the prices, we can sell it to other places. From our seats here we’ve been talking about. The electricity demand on the east coast of the United States for, for years and how it is just climbing, climbing, climbing, especially AI data centers. Virginia is a hub of this, right? They need power and we’re shooting ourselves in the foot, foot for offshore wind, plus also canceling pipelines and like there’s no extra generation going on there except for some solar plants where you can squeeze ’em in down in the Carolinas and whatnot. [00:26:00] There is a massive play here for the Canadians to be able to HVD see some power down to us. Speaker 2: The offshore conditions off the coast of Nova Scotia are pretty rough, and the capacity factor being so high makes me think of some of the Brazilian wind farms where the capacity factor is over 50%. It’s amazing down there, but one of the outcomes of that has been early turbine problems. And I’m wondering if the Nova Scotia market is going to demand a different kind of turbine that is specifically built for those conditions. It’s cold, really cold. It’s really windy. There’s a lot of moisture in the air, right? So the salt is gonna be bad. Uh, and then the sea life too, right? There’s a lot of, uh, sea life off the coast of the Nova Scotia, which everybody’s gonna be concerned about. Obviously, as this gets rolling. How do we think about this? And who’s gonna be the manufacturer of turbines for Canada? Is it gonna be Nordics? Well,  Speaker: let’s start from the ground up there. So from the or ground up, it’s, how about sea [00:27:00] floor up? Let’s start from there. There is a lot of really, really, if you’ve ever worked in the offshore world, the o offshore, maritime Canadian universities that focus on the, on offshore construction, they produce some of the best engineers for those markets, right? So if you go down to Houston, Texas where there’s offshore oil and gas companies and engineering companies everywhere, you run into Canadians from the Maritimes all over the place ’cause they’re really good at what they do. Um, they are developing or they have developed offshore oil and gas platforms. Off of the coast of Newfoundland and up, up in that area. And there’s some crazy stuff you have to compete with, right? So you have icebergs up there. There’s no icebergs in the North Atlantic that like, you know, horn seats, internet cruising through horn C3 with icebergs. So they’ve, they’ve engineered and created foundations and things that can deal with that, those situations up there. But you also have to remember that you’re in the Canadian Shield, which is, um, the Canadian Shield is a geotechnical formation, right? So it’s very rocky. Um, and it’s not [00:28:00] like, uh, the other places where we’re putting fixed bottom wind in where you just pound the piles into the sand. That’s not how it’s going to go, uh, up in Canada there. So there’s some different engineering that’s going to have to take place for the foundations, but like you said, Alan Turbine specific. It blows up there. Right. And we have seen onshore, even in the United States, when you get to areas that have high capacity burning out main bearings, burning out generators prematurely because the capacity factor is so high and those turbines are just churning. Um, I, I don’t know if any of the offshore wind turbine manufacturers are adjusting any designs specifically for any markets. I, I just don’t know that. Um, but they may run into some. Some tough stuff up there, right? You might run into some, some overspeeding main bearings and some maintenance issues, specifically in the wintertime ’cause it is nasty up there. Speaker 2: Well, if you have 40 gigawatts of capacity, you have several thousand turbines, you wanna make sure really [00:29:00] sure that the blade design is right, that the gearbox is right if you have a gearbox, and that everything is essentially over-designed, heated. You can have deicing systems on it, I would assume that would be something you would be thinking about. You do the same thing for the monopoles. The whole assembly’s gotta be, have a, just a different thought process than a turbine. You would stick off the coast of Germany. Still rough conditions at times, but not like Nova Scotia.  Speaker: One, one other thing there to think about too that we haven’t dealt with, um. In such extreme levels is the, the off the coast of No. Nova Scotia is the Bay of Fundee. If you know anything about the Bay of Fundee, it is the highest tide swings in the world. So the tide swings at certain times of the year, can be upwards of 10 meters in a 12 hour period in this area of, of the ocean. And that comes with it. Different time, different types of, um, one of the difficult things for tide swings is it creates subsid currents. [00:30:00] Subsid currents are, are really, really, really bad, nasty. Against rocks and for any kind of cable lay activities and longevity of cable lay scour protection around turbines and stuff like that. So that’s another thing that subsea that we really haven’t spoke about.  Speaker 3: You know, I knew when you say Bay Bay of funding, I’m like, I know that I have heard that place before and it’s when I was researching for. Tidal power videos for Tidal Stream. It’s like the best place to, to generate electricity from. Yeah, from Tidal Stream. So I guess if you are gonna be whacking wind turbines in there anyway, maybe you can share some infrastructure and Yeah. Eca a little bit, a little bit more from your, your project.  Speaker 2: that wraps up another episode of the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast. If today’s discussion sparked any questions or ideas. We’d love to hear from you. Just reach out to us on LinkedIn and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. And if you found value in today’s conversation, please leave us a review. It really helps other wind energy professionals discover the show For Rosie, Yolanda and Joel, I’m Alan Hall, and we’ll see you here next week on the Uptime [00:36:00] Wind Energy Podcast.

Doing more, faster, better with less has become the permanent setting in modern business. Post-pandemic, with tighter budgets, higher customer expectations, and AI speeding up competitors, leaders can't rely on "the boss with the whiteboard marker" to magically produce genius ideas on demand. You need a repeatable innovation system that draws out creativity from the whole organisation—especially the people closest to customers. Below is a practical nine-step innovation process leaders can run again and again, so innovation becomes a habit—not a lucky accident.  How do leaders define "success" before trying to innovate? Innovation gets messy fast unless everyone is crystal clear on what "good" looks like. Step One is Visualisation: define the goal, the "should be" case, and what success looks like in concrete terms—customer outcomes, cost, quality, time, risk, or growth. In practice, this is where executives at firms like Toyota or Unilever would translate strategy into a shared target: "Reduce onboarding time from 14 days to 3," or "Increase repeat purchase by 10% in APAC by Q4." Compare that with many SMEs where the goal is vague ("be more innovative") and the team sprints hard in random directions. Do now (mini-summary): Write a one-sentence "should be" target and 3 measurable success indicators (KPI, timeline, customer impact). Align the team before you chase ideas. What's the fastest way to gather the right facts without killing creativity? Great ideas come from great inputs, and Step Two is Fact Finding—collect data before opinions. Leaders should separate "facts" from "feelings" by digging into who/what/when/where/why/how. This is where many organisations discover their measurement systems are weak—or worse, wrong. In the US, you might lean on product analytics, A/B testing, and voice-of-customer tools. In Japan, you'll often combine frontline observation (genba thinking) with structured reporting—useful, but sometimes filtered by hierarchy. Either way, don't judge yet. Just get the evidence: customer complaints, churn reasons, sales cycle delays, defect rates, staff turnover, and time wasted in approvals. Do now (mini-summary): Collect 10 hard facts (numbers, patterns, examples) and 10 "customer voice" quotes. No solutions yet—just reality. How do you frame the real problem so you don't solve the wrong thing? The way you state the problem determines the quality of the ideas you'll get. Step Three is Problem (or Opportunity) Finding: clarify what's actually holding you back, where resources leak, and what success constraints exist. This is harder than it sounds. Ask five people the main problem and you'll get eight opinions—especially in matrixed multinationals or fast-moving startups. Use smart problem framing techniques: "How might we…?", "What's the bottleneck?", "If we fixed one thing this quarter, what would move the needle?" Compare Japan vs the US here: US teams may jump to action quickly; Japan teams may seek consensus early. Both can miss the root cause if the framing is sloppy. Do now (mini-summary): Rewrite your problem three ways: customer-impact, process-bottleneck, and cost-leakage. Pick the clearest, most actionable version. How do you run ideation so the loud people don't crush the good ideas? Step Four is Idea Finding, and the golden rule is: no judgement, chase volume, and do it in silence. This is where most leaders accidentally sabotage innovation—someone blurts an idea, the "bolshie" confident voices start critiquing, and the timid thinkers shut down. Silent idea generation (think brainwriting rather than brainstorming) helps deeper thinkers contribute and reduces status bias—critical in hierarchical cultures and in teams where junior staff defer to seniority. If you want better ideas, ask the people closest to the coal face: new hires, customer support, frontline sales, and the group that best matches your buyers' profile. Often they see problems the C-suite never touches. Do now (mini-summary): Run 10 minutes of silent brainwriting: each person writes 10 ideas. No talking. Then collect and cluster ideas by theme. How do leaders choose the best ideas without politics or "rank wins"? Step Five is Solution Finding—now you're allowed to judge, but you must judge fairly. The risk here is predictable: seniority dominates, juniors defer, and the "easy consensus" becomes a polite rubber stamp. Use a structured selection method: score ideas against agreed criteria (impact, effort, speed, risk, customer value). Borrow from frameworks like Stage-Gate, Lean Startup (testable hypotheses), and even RICE scoring (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort). Compare sectors: in B2B, feasibility and implementation risk often weigh more; in consumer markets, speed and customer delight can dominate. The point is to remove the "who said it" factor. Do now (mini-summary): Build a simple 4-criteria scorecard and rank the top 10 ideas. Make scoring anonymous if hierarchy is distorting decisions. How do you get buy-in and actually execute innovation in the real world? Ideas don't win—execution wins, and Steps Six to Nine turn creativity into results. Step Six is Acceptance Finding: sell the idea internally for time, money, and people. Step Seven is Implementation: define who does what by when, with budget and resources. Step Eight is Follow Up: check progress early so you don't discover the team is zigging when you needed zagging. Step Nine is Evaluation: did it work, was it worth it, and what did we learn? In 2025-era organisations, this is also where AI can help: drafting business cases, mapping risks, creating implementation plans, and summarising learnings—without replacing leadership accountability. Startups might run faster experiments; conglomerates might need governance and change management. Either way, the process keeps you moving. Do now (mini-summary): Assign an owner, set a 30-day milestone, and define the success metric. Review weekly. Capture learnings as you go. Final wrap-up A surprising number of companies still have no shared system for generating ideas—so innovation depends on mood, meetings, or the loudest voice in the room. A repeatable nine-step process creates better ideation, stronger decision-making, and cleaner execution. Run it consistently, and innovation becomes part of your organisational DNA—not a once-a-year workshop. Quick next steps for leaders Pick one business pain point and run Steps 1–4 in a 60-minute session this week. Use silent idea generation to protect the deeper thinkers. Score ideas with a simple rubric to avoid politics. Pilot one idea in 30 days, then evaluate and repeat. FAQs Is brainstorming or brainwriting better for innovation? Brainwriting usually beats brainstorming because it reduces groupthink and status bias. Silent idea generation produces more ideas and more diverse ideas in most teams. How long does the nine-step innovation process take? You can run Steps 1–5 in a half-day and Steps 6–9 over 30–90 days. The timeline depends on complexity, risk, and resources. What if leadership won't support the idea? Treat Step Six like a sales process—build a business case and show trade-offs. If you can't win resources, scale the idea down into a testable pilot.   Author credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan. 

Ash Alexander-Cooper OBE is a former soldier, world-championship athlete, award-winning international musician and artist. During a 28-year regular and reserve career, Ash served as an airborne soldier, helicopter pilot, jungle warfare and counter-terrorist specialist, spending 82 months deployed on operations. Since retirement, Ash has been a Senior Partner at McChrystal Group, led international business development at Palantir, runs a Leadership Development firm and is VP EMEA & APAC for Dedrone by Axon. Wounded multiple times in combat, Ash is passionate about giving back and is proud to support several veteran and mental health charities. To that end, he has committed to donate all author profits from the sale of his upcoming book - Mindful Soldier: Building Resilience to Overcome Life's Challenges – which publishes in the UK on 22 January 2026 and is available worldwide from 27 January 2026. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Asia Pacific is redefining cross-border and real-time payments. While market volatility persists, data is becoming more actionable as treasurers prepare for faster decisions, sharper liquidity strategy and another year of intense regional momentum.

APAC stocks were mostly higher following the positive handover from Wall Street, where all major indices gained amid outperformance in energy and a softer yield environment.US President Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks at a GOP member retreat at 10:00EST/15:00GMT on Tuesday and will participate in a meeting at 14.30EST/19:30GMT on Tuesday.Witnesses reportedly heard loud blasts near the Presidential Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, according to Bloomberg's Erik Wasson. There were then reports of a shooting near the Presidential Palace in Caracas, although the Venezuelan government said the situation was under control.NVIDIA (NVDA) CEO said there is strong demand from China for H200 chips, while he added that the Co. has applied for licenses to ship H200 chips to China, and the US government is working to process them.European equity futures indicate a mildly positive cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.1% after the cash market closed with gains of 1.3% on Monday.Looking ahead, highlights include French CPI Prelim (Dec), German CPI Prelim (Dec), US S&P PMI Final (Dec), Speakers including ECB's Cipollone & Fed's Barkin, Fed Discount Rate Minutes, Supply from Germany & US.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Welcome back, Cloud 9fin listeners! To bring in the new year, 9fin's Asia editor Richard Macauley and US deputy editor Sasha Padbidri kick off our first-ever Asia podcast by unpacking the first successful use of the cross-class cramdown provision in GP APAC's restructuring — a move that established a legal milestone for Singapore's restructuring and insolvency framework.For more details, check out the full story here.Have any feedback for us? Send a note to podcast@9fin.com, or reach out to rich.macauley@9fin.com to learn more about our APAC offering!

REGIME change in Venezuela, shifting shadow fleets and the small matter of how to decarbonise one of the world's most critical industries. Who'd be a shipowner in 2026? To kick off the new year, Lloyd's List is bringing you a series of shorter podcast episodes highlighting key issues to watch out for in each of our key topics, including the tanker, container and dry bulk markets, risk and compliance plus the ongoing decarbonisation saga. But to start with, editor-in-chief Richard Meade and APAC editor Cichen Shen give you a broader, overall picture of the most pressing issues facing shipping. And the list is a long one. Learn more about Lloyd's List Intelligence here: https://www.lloydslistintelligence.com/products/lloyds-list

US President Trump announced on Saturday that the US successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela, while he added that President Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of Venezuela.US President Trump said they are ready to stage a second strike if necessary and had assumed a second wave was needed, but now probably not.US President Trump signalled the US could widen its focus in the region to Cuba, and he will be meeting with House Republicans in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday. Further, Trump said it “sounds good” to him regarding whether there will be an operation in Colombia.Crude futures fluctuated and pared most of their earlier losses after initially slumping by more than 1% as participants digested the geopolitical events from over the weekend.APAC stocks were mostly higher as the region shrugged off the US strike on Venezuela and resumed last year's semiconductor-led rally which lifted the KOSPI to a record high; European equity futures indicate a higher cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.7%.Looking ahead, highlights include US ISM Manufacturing PMI (Dec).Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

In this episode, Jeremy is joined by Rob Hart, Horizontal Talent Country Director for Australia, to discuss establishing a high-quality service offering in the Australian market.They dive into:Rob's transition to Horizontal, relocating to Melbourne and balancing personal and professional commitments Opportunities in the Australian market for staffing, professional services and offshoring solutions Collaboration with APAC offices to deliver tailored, high-touch solutions for clients How AI and workforce transformation are reshaping corporate needs and talent strategies Future opportunities in Australia

APAC stocks traded mixed and within narrow ranges following a largely positive lead from Wall Street. APAC lacked conviction amid light newsflow and anaemic volumes as markets wound down ahead of the holidays.DXY was choppy, and JPY strengthened before trimming some gains. G10 FX largely moved with the USD.Spot gold and silver both hit fresh all-time highs at above USD 4,500/oz and USD 72.70/bbl. European equity futures are closed as Eurex observes the Christmas Eve holiday. UK equity futures point to a flat open, with FTSE 100 futures U/C after the cash market closed 0.2% higher on Tuesday.Looking ahead, highlights include US Jobless Claims (w/e 20 Dec), Supply from the US.Note: The Newsquawk desk will run until 18:05GMT/13:05EST on Wednesday, 24th December. FOMC Minutes on 30th December 2025 will be covered. Normal service will resume at 0700GMT/02:00EST on Friday 2nd of January 2026 for the beginning of the European Session. Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

APAC stocks eventually traded mixed after initially taking their cue from Wall Street, although volumes and news flow remained subdued as markets wound down for the holiday period.JPY extended its prior session's advances, and USD/JPY eventually dipped under 156.00, whilst the CNH saw notable strength. US President Trump said the US will keep the ships and oil seized near Venezuela.Novo Nordisk (NOVOB DC) said the Wegovy pill is approved in the US as the first oral GLP-1 treatment for weight management.European equity futures are indicative of an uneventful cash open with the Euro Stoxx 50 U/C after cash closed -0.3% on Monday.Looking ahead, highlights include German Import Prices (Nov), Spanish GDP Final (Q3), US Richmond Fed (Dec), Durable Goods (Oct), GDP Advance (Oct), PCE Prices (Q3), Industrial Production, Consumer Confidence, Canadian GDP, BoC Minutes (Dec Meeting), Supply from US. Click for the Newsquawk Week Ahead.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

APAC stocks kicked off the week with gains across the board as the region coat-tailed on the strength seen stateside. Tech outperformance continued across the region.US Coast Guard officials over the weekend tracked two oil tankers in international waters close to Venezuela, marking three tankers within the past week.Russia's Kremlin said changes made by Ukrainians and Europeans to peace proposals did not bring agreements closer or add anything positive, IFAX reported.Israeli PM Netanyahu reportedly plans to brief US President Trump on possible new Iran strikes, according to NBC News.European equity futures are indicative of a slightly softer cash open, with the Euro Stoxx 50 future down 0.2% after cash closed +0.3% on Friday.Looking ahead, highlights include Italian Producer Prices (Nov), Canadian Producer Prices (Nov), and supply from the US.Click for the Newsquawk Week Ahead.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Between tariffs landing faster than expected, Amazon tightening its grip on customer expectations, B2B finally stepping into the spotlight, and APAC proving it's anything but a “secondary” market, this was a year that forced operators to rethink fundamentals.In this special wrap-up episode of Add To Cart, Bushy revisited the eight conversations that personally shaped how he thinks about ecommerce, leadership, and growth. Not the most downloaded episodes. Not the loudest trends. But the ones that landed, lingered, and changed perspective.SMS us to request a guest!Support the showWant to level up your ecommerce game? Come hang out in the Add To Cart Community. We're talking deep dives, smart events, and real-world inspo for operators who are in it for the long haul. Connect with Nathan BushContact Add To CartJoin the Community

APAC stocks were mostly higher as the region took impetus from the positive handover from Wall Street, where the major indices gained following softer CPI data and strong Micron earnings, while the attention overnight turned to the BoJ.USD/JPY edged higher alongside the positive risk appetite and despite the BoJ decision to hike rates, as widely expected, and with no mention of FX-related concerns.US President Trump's administration initiated a multi-agency review of NVIDIA (NVDA) H200 licenses for sales to China, according to sources cited by Reuters.US President Trump is scheduled to make an announcement at 13:00EST/18:00GMT on Friday and will deliver remarks on the economy at 21:00EST/02:00GMT.European equity futures indicate a lower cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures down 0.4% after the cash market closed with gains of 1.1% on Thursday.Looking ahead, highlights include German GfK Consumer Sentiment (Jan), UK PSNB (Nov), UK Retail Sales (Nov), GfK Consumer Confidence (Dec), Canadian Retail Sales (Oct), EZ Consumer Confidence (Dec), US Employment Trends (Nov), and CBR Announcement. Speakers include BoJ's Ueda, ECB's Cipollone, Lane & Fed's Williams.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Sherilyn is the Founder & Global CEO of The Marketing Academy – a unique non-profit organisation dedicated to developing leadership talent in Marketing, Media&Advertising. The Marketing Academy opened in 2010, bringing together some of the world's best known & popular brands to provide world-class learning for all levels of talent from emerging leaders to CMOs. Their highly respected Scholarship and Fellowship programs are delivered in the UK, EMEA, USA, Australia & APAC.  When she gets the chance, she writes about talent development and all things ‘leadership' featuring in many articles in The Sunday Times, FastCo, Telegraph, AdNews, Marketing Week, AdWeek, MarketingMagazine, Management Today and CMO.com. She has been frequently recognised for her work; receiving the CIM Women in Marketing 'Special Award for Contribution to Marketing', inducted into the Courvoisier Future 500, invited to join the Marketing Group of Great Britain, identified as one of the UK's Vision 100 by Adobe and included in AdNews Top 50 list of most powerful influencers in Australia. 

In this episode of Ikigai with Jennifer Shinkai, I welcome Hendrik, a friend and professional contact since 2019, to discuss talents and strengths. We reconnect after several years and reflect on how their collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic was crucial for Jennifer's business survival. Hendrik shares his experience working at Manulife Japan, emphasizing the importance of cultural diversity and the positive energy at the Indonesian Pavilion Expo. We delve into Hendrik's journey to Japan, his struggles and learnings in a different culture, and his newfound passion for Gallup's CliftonStrengths assessment. Hendrik highlights the importance of knowing one's talents and leveraging them to live a fulfilled life, aligning this with the concept of Ikigai. We also discuss the potential pitfalls of overusing strengths and the paradigm shift required in corporate environments to focus on strengths rather than weaknesses. If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we'd love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. In this episode you'll hear:How Hendrik discovered his passion and Ikigai through the CliftonStrengths assessment, including his journey from Indonesia to Japan and his unique experiences in the Japanese workplaceThe importance of focusing on strengths rather than weaknesses, and how a strengths-based approach differs from trying to fix weaknessesHow leveraging individual strengths can boost workplace morale, enhance engagement, and improve overall quality of lifePractical steps to uncover and use your hidden talents in daily lifeThe crucial role that connections and community play in achieving professional success and finding purposeThings mentioned in the episode:CliftonStrengths: https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/253676/how-cliftonstrengths-works.aspx32 CliftonStrengths team synergy sessions, 498 people over the last 2 years (Jan 2024 – Dec 2025)About Hendrik:Hendrik joined Manulife in January 2023 as Global Learning Partner, reporting into Asia Learning Lead and rolled up to Katherine MacNaughton`s organization. While sitting in the global team, Hendrik`s role is to build a learning culture in the Japan market. Hendrik ensures Japan programs are aligned with Manulife strategies & priorities while meeting the Japan market needs. Prior to joining Manulife, Hendrik had similar roles and responsibilities in companies such as Philip Morris International and Bridgestone. Hendrik also performed an APAC regional role during his time in Bridgestone where he led regional talent management related projects covering 11 countries working in the Regional HQ of Bridgestone in Singapore. Hendrik`s background is in talent management and development areas. Hendrik was awarded an MBA from Murdoch University in Singapore in 2018 and graduated with a Bachelor of Business from Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia.Outside of work, Hendrik is a father of 2 daughters.Connect with Hendrik:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hendrik-kwee-2512474b/Contact: https://www.gallup.com/learning/certification/en/10644108/profile.aspxConnect with Jennifer:Linked In:

APAC stocks were mostly lower following on from the tech-led selling stateside and ahead of US inflation data and a slew of upcoming central bank decisions.US President Trump's primetime address to the nation made no mention of a US blockade against Venezuela or Russian sanctions.US President Trump said he will soon announce the next Fed chair and that the new Fed chair will believe in lowering interest rates by a lot.US equity futures traded rangebound with little reaction seen following President Trump's primetime address and as participants awaited US CPI data.European equity futures indicate an uneventful cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures U/C after the cash market closed with losses of 0.6% on Wednesday.Looking ahead, highlights include US CPI (Nov), Jobless Claims (w/e 13 Dec), Philly Fed (Dec), Japanese CPI (Nov), NZ Trade Balance (Nov), ECB Announcement, BoE Announcement, Norges Bank Announcement, Riksbank Announcement, CNB Announcement, Banxico Announcement. Speakers include Norges Bank's Bache, Riksbank's Thedeen, ECB's Lagarde & BoE's Bailey, Supply from US, Earnings from Carnival, Nike & FedEx.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

What if your CEO asked you to double revenue without adding budget or headcount? Robert Chatwani, President and General Manager of Growth at DocuSign, believes not only is it possible - there's never been a better time to make it happen. In this conversation, Robert unpacks the frameworks and organisational changes required to achieve exponential growth with existing resources. From building agile growth squads that operate like engineering teams to leveraging AI agents for hyper-personalised prospecting, he reveals how DocuSign is transforming from an e-signature company into an AI-powered platform. If you're facing budget cuts but still expected to deliver results, this episode offers a roadmap. Guest Introduction Robert Chatwani is President and General Manager, Growth at DocuSign, where he leads the Marketing & Growth organisation to scale its digital strategy across marketing, product, technology and sales. Before joining DocuSign, Robert was CMO of Atlassian, where he helped scale the business to nearly $3 billion in revenue. He also spent more than a decade at eBay, ending his tenure as Chief Marketing Officer for North America where his teams supported $35 billion in trading volume. Robert is the 2023 American Heart Association Bay Area Heart Walk Chair and serves as a West Coast Board Member at the American India Foundation. Key Topics The 2x-10x challenge: Why companies expect exponential output increases without adding resources, and why Robert believes marketing teams can deliver.Thomas Barta's V-Zone framework: Maximising the overlap between customer needs and company needs to drive business impact and secure executive support.The harsh realities facing B2B teams: CAC is up 60% since the pandemic, traditional channels show diminishing returns, and most GTM models are obsolete - creating opportunities for teams willing to rethink their approach.Operating principles over company values: DocuSign's five core principles - "we before me," "dreaming big," "take action," "ignite the way," and "delivering customer delight" - that guide team behaviours and decisions.Growth squads and agile methodologies: Why effective GTM teams operate like engineering teams with two-week sprints, daily standups, and experiment backlogs instead of traditional campaign structures.Building a culture of experimentation: Robert's framework for systematic testing - generating ideas, prioritising experiments, executing with discipline, and scaling what works.AI-powered prospecting in action: How DocuSign used AI agents to turn tens of thousands of exhausted leads into millions in the pipeline, generating 60 replies and 15 meetings within 72 hours.Designing for the future you want: Why leaders must ask whether their current team structure and capabilities match what they would design from scratch to achieve ambitious growth goals. Resources & Links People Mentioned: Thomas Barta-Marketing leadership expert and author of "The 12 Powers of a Marketing Leader"Jeff Bezos-Founder of Amazon, referenced for the "two pizza team" principle Companies & Platforms: DocuSign-Agreement management platformAtlassian-Collaboration softwareeBay-Online marketplaceAmazon-Benchmark for experimentation cultureNetflix-Benchmark for experimentation cultureAirbnb-Benchmark for experimentation cultureUber-Benchmark for experimentation culture Concepts & Frameworks: The V-Zone (Value Creation Zone)-Maximising overlap between customer and company needsThe 12 Powers of a Marketing Leader-Book by Thomas Barta and Patrick BarwiseTwo-Pizza Team-Amazon's principle for keeping teams small (5-8 people) Subscribe to the xG Weekly Newsletter for weekly insights on B2B growth across APAC: https://xgrowth.com.au/newsletter Contact & Credits Host: Shahin Hoda Guest: Robert Chatwani Produced by:  Shahin Hoda and Alexander Hipwell Edited by: Alexander Hipwell Music by: Breakmaster Cylinder APAC's B2B Growth Podcast is Presented by xGrowth

In this episode, host Jeremy Schrand welcomes Jamie Glavic, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications & Community Engagement and Program Lead of CTI Cares, and Kirsten Wellige, Associate Director, Clinical Project Coordination and Global Chair of the EU CTI Cares Committee, to discuss CTI Cares, CTI's global employee-driven program that brings company values to life through community engagement, volunteering, health and wellness initiatives, environmental efforts, and cultural celebrations. The conversation highlights inspiring stories, regional initiatives, and the program's growth, including the launch of the Belonging Committee and plans for the year ahead. 00:48 – Guests Jamie Glavic and Kirsten Wellige introduced. 01:09 – CTI CARES overview: Connecting company values to global and local impact. 02:11 – Program history: Shift to regional leadership approach. 03:16 – Why community engagement matters at CTI. 04:38 – Employee benefits: Personal fulfillment and professional growth. 08:09 – 2025 highlights: North America: CancerFree Kids challenge, school partnerships.Europe: Master Chef competitions, blood drives, cleanups, Universal Children's Day.11:26 – Regional flexibility and global sharing of ideas. 15:00 – Employee-driven activities and creative input. 18:55 – Program evolution: Belonging Committee and expanded APAC involvement. 20:38 – Hopes for next year: More global participation and new wellness initiatives. 22:34 – Closing remarks: CTI CARES as a vibrant, employee-powered community.

US President Trump is to give an address to the nation on Wednesday night, live from the White House at 21:00EST (02:00GMT Thursday). White House Press Secretary said that Trump's address will be about accomplishments, while he will talk about what's to come and maybe tease new year policies.US threatened to retaliate against EU companies over digital tax, while it will use 'every tool' to counter the EU digital tax and may consider fees and foreign services restrictions.US House China Panel wrote a letter to US Commerce Secretary Lutnick, stating that NVIDIA (NVDA) H200 chip sales to China risk US' advantage.US President Trump announced a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.APAC stocks were indecisive for most of the session; European equity futures indicate a slightly firmer cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.1% after the cash market closed with losses of 0.6% on Tuesday.Looking ahead, highlights include UK Inflation (Nov), German Ifo Survey (Dec), EZ CPI Final (Nov), NZD GDP (Q3), Speakers including Fed's Waller, Williams & Bostic, Supply from US, Earnings from Micron.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Tariffs, currency pressures, a property slump: China faces challenges on multiple fronts. Meanwhile, Australia's resilient economy risks triggering inflation. How will these and other factors affect the region's economies in 2026? Joining Rod Ireland, Head of Global Markets for APAC, to break down the outlook are Abbas Keshvani, Asia Macro Strategist, and Rob Thompson, Macro Rates Strategist.

With government spend poised to spike, defense valuations in Europe are at record highs. But the response to global threats brings opportunities for a much wider set of industrials and innovators. Dominic Hudson, Head of Investment Banking for Europe and APAC, is joined by Cliff Bayer, Head of Aerospace, Defense and Government Services; Rob Jurd, Head of Industrials for Europe; and Claire Sturgess, Head of Canadian Industrials and CME Investment Banking, to explore the sector's outlook for 2026.

APAC stocks were mostly lower after the weak lead from Wall Street, as the tech-related pressure rolled over into the region; Nikkei 225 fell beneath the 50,000 level amid a firmer currency.China Securities Times commentary noted that China should set a positive yet 'pragmatic' 2026 GDP growth target with leeway, while researchers are said to be divided between an around 5% or 4.5%-5.0% growth target for 2026.US President Trump said they are looking into whether Israel violated the ceasefire by killing a Hamas leader; Ukrainian President Zelensky said there was still no ideal peace plan as of now.European equity futures indicate a lower cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures down 0.7% after the cash market closed with gains of 0.6% on Monday.Looking ahead, highlights include UK Jobs Report (Oct), EZ/UK/US Flash PMIs (Dec), German ZEW Survey (Dec), Japanese Trade Balance (Nov), US Average Weekly Prelim Estimate ADP (4-week, w/e 29 Nov), Non-Farm Payrolls (Oct), Jobs Report (Nov), Retail Sales (Oct), Business Inventories (Sep), NBH Announcement, Comments from BoC's Macklem, Supply from UK.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

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APAC stocks were mostly pressured at the start of a risk-packed week and following on from the tech-led declines stateside amid a rotation out of AI, while participants digested economic releases, including the BoJ Tankan and Chinese activity data.The BoJ Tankan survey showed sentiment of Large Manufacturers was at the highest in four years, which supports the case for a rate hike.Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were subdued after the latest Chinese activity data disappointed, and house prices continued to contract, with tech and biotech leading the declines in Hong Kong.US President Trump said on Friday that he is leaning towards Kevin Warsh or Kevin Hassett to lead the Fed and that the next Fed Chair should consult with him on interest rates.European equity futures indicate a positive cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.4% after the cash market closed with losses of 0.6% on Friday.Looking ahead, highlights include German Wholesale Price Index, EZ Industrial Production (Oct), Canadian CPI (Nov), US Advance Goods Trade Balance (Sep), and Australian PMI (Dec). Speakers include Fed's Miran, Williams, & RBA's Jones.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Jeremy sits down with Michelle Teoh, Horizontal Talent Country Director for Malaysia, to discuss building a high-performing team and market presence in a growing APAC hub.Key topics include:Michelle's journey from launching her own company to leading Horizontal's Malaysia operationsThe empowerment of local leadership to drive strategy, hire the right talent and shape cultureCollaboration with India and Australia to share insights, best practices and drive regional growthThe impact of government initiatives and investment in Malaysia's GBS ecosystemPlans for 2026

APAC stocks were predominantly higher following on from the mostly positive handover from Wall Street, where the S&P 500 and DJIA notched record closes, but the Nasdaq lagged on Oracle-related headwinds.US President Trump said they would help on security with Ukraine, and he thought they were close to a deal.US President Trump said that it is going to start on land soon regarding Venezuela; the US is reportedly preparing to seize more ships transporting Venezuelan oil.European equity futures indicate a positive cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.6% after the cash market closed with gains of 0.8% on Thursday.Looking ahead, highlights include UK GDP Estimate (Oct). Speakers include Fed's Paulson, Hammack, Goolsbee, Schmid, & Miran.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

FOMC cut rates by 25bps to 3.50-3.75%, as expected, while the vote split was 9-3, as Miran voted for a 50bps cut. Goolsbee and Schmid voted for unchanged.Fed said it is to assess incoming data, evolving outlook and balance of risks in considering the extent and timing of further adjustment (tweaked from “in considering additional adjustments”), and it will monitor implications of incoming information for the economic outlook.Powell said adjustments to rates since September should help stabilise the labour market and keep pressure down on inflation, while the Fed is well positioned to determine adjustments to rates, and rates are now in a plausible range of neutral.Powell also noted there is a lot of data due before the next meeting, and the Fed can wait and see how the economy evolves when asked about whether the 'risk management' phase of rate cuts is over.APAC stocks were ultimately subdued after failing to sustain the early positive momentum from the dovishly perceived FOMC; US equity futures gave back their post-FOMC spoils as tech/AI concerns were stoked following a slump in Oracle shares.European equity futures indicate a softer cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures down 0.1% after the cash market closed with losses of 0.2% on Wednesday.Looking ahead, highlights include Swedish CPI (Nov), US Initial Jobless Claims (6 Dec, w/e), SNB/CBRT Rate Announcements, IEA OMR, OPEC MOMR, Speakers including SNB's Schlegel, BoE's Bailey, ECB's de Guindos, Supply from Italy & US, Earnings from Broadcom, Costco & lululemon.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

The podcast discusses the recent decline in Middle East sour crude prices amid global oversupply and shifting trade flows. Argus crude experts explore the impact of OPEC+ production changes, alternative crude sources, and the effects of sanctions on market demand. Main topics:  OPEC+ production increases and their effect on the Middle East sour crude oversupply Shifting demand patterns due to sanctions on Russian oil and increased competition from Brazil, Canada, and Guyana Pricing strategies and market share defense by Middle East producers in response to global competition

In Part One we covered three foundational human relations principles: avoid criticism, offer honest appreciation, and connect your requests to what the other person wants. In Part Two, we level up the relationship-building process with three more principles that are simple, timeless, and strangely rare in modern workplaces. How do leaders build trust when everyone is time-poor and transactional? Trust is built by slowing down "relationship time" on purpose—because rushed efficiency kills human connection.In post-pandemic workplaces (hybrid, remote, overloaded calendars), teams can become purely transactional: tasks, Slack messages, deadlines, repeat. The problem is: efficiency is a terrible strategy for relationships. If people don't feel known or understood, you don't have trust—you have compliance (and even that is fragile). Across Japan, the US, and Europe, the pattern is consistent: when leaders invest time in people, cooperation rises; when leaders treat people as moving parts, motivation drops. Relationship-building is a leadership system, not a personality trait—schedule it like you'd schedule a customer meeting. Do now: Put one 15-minute "relationship slot" on your calendar each day this week and use it to learn something real about one team member.  How can a leader "become genuinely interested" without it feeling fake? Genuine interest means curiosity without agenda—because people can smell manipulation in seconds. A lot of leaders worry, "If I ask personal questions, won't it look like I'm trying to use them?" That's a fair concern, because we've all met the "networking vampire" who's only being nice to get something. The reality is: being "nice" to take advantage of people usually works once—then you're done, especially in a hyper-connected organisation where word spreads fast. The difference is intent. Real interest isn't a technique; it's respect. Every colleague has a story—skills, family background, side projects, passions, scars, ambitions. The workplace becomes richer and happier when leaders make space for that humanity, rather than pretending everyone is a job title. Do now: Ask one non-work question you can genuinely listen to: "What are you into outside of work these days?" Then shut up and learn.  Why does "shared interests" matter so much for team performance? Shared interests create closeness, and closeness makes cooperation easier when pressure hits. In any team—whether it's a Japanese HQ, a Silicon Valley startup, or a regional APAC sales unit—conflict isn't usually about the task. It's about interpretation: "They don't care," "They're lazy," "They're political," "They're against me." When you know someone's point of view (and why they think that way), you stop writing hostile stories about them. This is where relationship-building becomes performance insurance. When deadlines tighten, the team with trust can debate hard and move forward. The team without trust gets passive-aggressive, silent, or stuck. Leaders who take an honest interest create the bonds that prevent small issues from turning into culture damage. Do now: Find one "common point" with each direct report (sport, kids, music, learning, food) and remember it.  Does smiling actually improve leadership outcomes—or is it just fluff? A deliberate smile makes you more approachable and lowers threat levels, which increases cooperation. It sounds too simple, so leaders dismiss it—then wonder why people avoid them. Walk around most offices and you'll see the default face: stressed, pressured, serious. Not many smiles. Technology was supposed to give us time, yet in the 2020s it often makes us busier and more tense—meaning we're losing the art of pleasant interaction. A smile is not weakness. In Japan especially, a calm, friendly demeanour can change the whole atmosphere before you even speak. In Western contexts, it signals confidence and openness. Either way, it reduces friction. Start with the face, and the conversation gets easier. Do now: Before your next team conversation, smile first—then speak. Watch how their body language changes.  Why is using someone's name a leadership "power tool" in Japan and globally? A person's name is a shortcut to respect, recognition, and connection—so forgetting it is an avoidable disadvantage. In organisations, you'll deal with people across divisions, projects, and periodic meetings. In Japanese decision-making, multiple stakeholders are often involved, and you can't afford to blank on someone when you run into them at their office or in the hallway. The same is true at industry events and client meetings: you represent your organisation, and names matter. This isn't about being slick. It's about sending a signal: "I see you." If competitors remember names and you don't, they feel warmer, more attentive, and more trustworthy—even if their offering is identical. Do now: Use the name early: "Tanaka-san, quick question…" then use it once more before you finish.  What if I'm terrible with names—how do I get better fast? You don't need a perfect memory—you need a repeatable system that works under pressure. Leaders often say, "I'm just bad with names," as if it's permanent. It's not. Treat it like any business skill: practise, build a method, and improve. In a hybrid world, you often have fewer in-person touchpoints, which means you must be more intentional when you do meet. Try this in Japan, the US, or anywhere: repeat the name immediately, connect it to something visual or contextual ("Kato = key account"), and write it down after the meeting. If it's a client team with multiple stakeholders, map names to roles the same day. This one skill upgrades your executive presence quickly. Do now: After your next meeting, write down three names and one detail for each—then review it before the next interaction.  Conclusion These principles aren't "soft skills"—they're leadership mechanics. Genuine interest builds trust. Smiling changes the emotional temperature. Names create recognition and respect. In any market—Japan, the US, Europe, or Asia-Pacific—the leaders who practise these consistently get more cooperation, fewer misunderstandings, and better results. FAQs Can I build trust without spending lots of time? Yes—small, consistent moments of genuine interest beat rare, long catch-ups. Will smiling make me look weak? No—a calm smile reduces stress and increases cooperation without lowering standards. What's the fastest relationship habit? Use people's names correctly and give one sincere recognition each day. Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー).  Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan. 

APAC stocks were mostly subdued amid cautiousness ahead of today's Fed policy decision and dot plots, while the region also digested the latest Chinese inflation data.China is buying US soybeans again, but is reportedly falling short of the goal set by the Trump trade agreement, according to CNBC.US Trade Representative Greer said China's rare earths continue to flow and expects to sign more trade deals over the coming weeks.US President Trump is to kick off the final round of Fed Chair interviews this week, while senior administration officials said Kevin Hassett remains in pole position to succeed Powell as Fed Chair, according to the FT.European equity futures indicate a marginally lower cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures down 0.2% after the cash market finished with losses of 0.1% on Tuesday.Looking ahead, highlights include Norwegian CPI (Nov), US Employment Costs (Q3), BoC/FOMC/BCB Rate Announcement. Speakers include BoE's Bailey, ECB's Lagarde, BoC's Macklem & Fed's Powell. Supply from the UK. Earnings from Oracle, Adobe & Synopsys.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

APAC stocks were subdued following the lacklustre lead from Wall Street, with markets cautious ahead of the FOMC policy announcement on Wednesday.US President Trump announced that he informed Chinese President Xi that the US will allow NVIDIA (NVDA) to ship its H200 products to approved customers.RBA unsurprisingly kept the Cash Rate unchanged at 3.60%, although comments from RBA Governor Bullock at the press conference leaned hawkish.Ukrainian President Zelensky said talks in London were productive and there is small progress towards peace.European equity futures indicate an uneventful cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures -0.1% after the cash market closed flat on Monday.Looking ahead, highlights include German Trade Balance (Oct), US Average Weekly Prelim Estimate ADP (4-week, w/e 22 Nov), JOLTS (Sep), EIA STEO, Speakers including ECB's Nagel, BoJ's Ueda, BoE's Ramsden, Lombardelli, Mann, Dhingra & RBNZ's Breman, Supply from UK & US, Earnings from GameStop.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Hex Trust's Annette Lu breaks down Singapore's digital asset licensing regime, custody safeguards, Travel Rule enforcement, and how to scale compliance across APAC. From MAS expectations to the operational grind behind licensing, this episode is packed with practical insights for compliance leads, founders, and regulators alike.

EUR/USD gained, while DAX and Bund futures fell as ECB's Schnabel said she is 'comfortable' on bets that next move will be a hike.APAC stocks were mixed following a lack of major macro drivers over the weekend and with markets tentative ahead of this week's risk events, while participants also digested data, including the latest Chinese trade figures.USD/JPY briefly retreated beneath the 155.00 handle amid a softer buck and as the latest wages data from Japan supported the case for a December BoJ rate hike, although Q3 GDP revisions were disappointing and showed a wider-than-feared contraction.Chinese trade data showed a stronger-than-expected recovery in Exports, but Imports disappointed.European equity futures indicate a slightly softer cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures down 0.2% after the cash market closed with gains of 0.1% on Friday.Looking ahead, highlights include German Industrial Output, EZ Sentix, Comments from ECB's Cipollone, BoE's Taylor & Lombardelli, Supply from the US.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

ABOUT BRYAN:LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/bryanmeszarosWebsites:openeyeglobal.com (Company)marketscale.com/industries/podcast-network/experience-by-design/ (Experience By Design Podcast)experienceunitedsocialclub.com (Experience United Social Club)email: bmeszaros@openeyeglobal.comBio:Bryan Meszaros is a 25-year veteran of the digital signage and experience design industry, known for blending innovation with measurable impact. As the founder of OpenEye Global, he proved that a small, focused team can deliver big results and helped shape the early evolution of digital engagement.He later made history as the youngest President of SEGD and the first with a digital centric background, while also contributing to the Digital Signage Federation and Shop! Association to advance industry standards.Bryan is also the founder of the Experience United Social Club (XUSC), an international networking series all about bringing together creative minds from the AV, digital signage, and design industries to share ideas and collaborate. With global experience across Europe and APAC, he has spoken at major events including EuroShop, ISE, InfoComm, and DSE, and regularly contributes to leading industry publications.Dedicated to pushing boundaries, Bryan remains focused on shaping what comes next in digital signage and experiential design.SHOW INTRO:SHOW INTRO:Welcome to Episode 83! of the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast…In every episode we continue to follow our catch phrase of having “Dynamic Dialogues About DATA: Design, Architecture, Technology and the Arts.” And as we continue on this journey there will be thought provoking futurists, AI technology mavens, retailers, international hotel design executives as well as designers and architects of brand experience places.We'll talk with authors and people focused on wellness and sustainable design practices as well as neuroscientists who will continue to help us look at the built environment and the connections between our mind-body and the built world around us. We'll also have guests who are creative marketing masters from international brands and people who have started and grown some of the companies that are striking a new path for us follow.If you like what you hear on the NXTLVL Experience Design show, make sure to subscribe, like, comment and share with colleagues, friends and family.The NXTLVL Experience Design podcast is always grateful for the support of VMSD magazine. VMSD brings us, in the brand experience world, the International Retail Design Conference. I think the IRDC is one of the best retail design conferences that there is bringing together the world of retailers, brands and experience place makers every year for two days of engaging conversations and pushing us to keep on talking about what makes retailing relevant. You will find the archive of the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast on VMSD.com.Thanks also goes to Shop Association the only global retail trade association dedicated to elevating the in-store experience. SHOP Association represents companies and affiliates from 25 countries and brings value to their members through research, networking, education, events and awards. Check then out on SHOPAssociation.org Today, EPISODE 83… I talk with Bryan Meszaros founder of EpenEye Global. Bryan is a 25-year veteran of the digital signage and experience design industry, known for blending innovation with measurable impact. Naturally, in a world that is increasingly digitally mediated, Bryan's business is significantly focused on the emergence of Artificial Intelligence as a tool in his experience place-making toolbox.We'll get to more of how Bryan sees the use of AI in digital applications in brand experience places in a minute but... first a few thoughts…*                     *                          *                          *I grew up on Star Trek. They original version with Shatner as Captain James T Kirk. These were the sightly campy years in black and white but wonderfully prescient in foretelling what was to come. I used to say that my father, who lived to the ripe old age of 97 was so into it that was holding out until he could just beam up through the transporter to the next phase of his existence. We all watched, my 4 brothers and I every week, my mom? Well not so much…I got used to thinking about digital communication, robots, space travel and technology integrated into our lives facilitating everything from washing dishes to extending lifespans. There isn't a day that goes by now where my media consumption doesn't include something on the evolution of Artificial Intelligence. Both the amazing and the alarming.  How it will make workplaces completely different replacing much of what we now do with human brain and brawn with algorithms and computer chips that can fit 1000 computers from the old Star Trek days on your fingertip. How it is changing the way human brains are wired, though when it comes to our neural networks that trundle along at a speed ridiculously slow compared to the digital pace of change that is exponential and moving at the speed of light.How as a visualization tool it is becoming indistinguishable from real life people and places. Creating deep fakes that are so good at impersonating humans that avatars are no longer cartoonish but facsimiles of us that are, well, exactly like us - but whose knowledge base is the compendium of all human knowledge that can be accessed on the internet and provide cogent answers to well-crafted prompts and have them served up in a few seconds. ‘The times they are a changin' but at a pace that even Dillan couldn't have imagined. Don't even get me started about when we finally, and I don't think it is going to take too long, get to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and what that portends for humankind. I am often concerned for my sons and the world they are growing into as young adults. I wish sometimes that they'd have had the experience of growing up in the 60's and 70's when times were simpler – but of course they weren't really. Every decade has it's messes – sometime beautiful sometimes not and sometimes each of these ends of the human experience spectrum were happening at the same time.What we are experiencing now is evolution at a revolutionary pace. A slow simmering flame has exploded into a blast furn ace of change propelling us all, whether we like it or not, on a path that at times seems to be heading towards the edger of a cliff. Concerned? Well you'd have good reason to be.But then again, if you accept the Ray Bradburry adage of sometimes while standing at the edge of the cliff ‘you need to jump and build your wings on the way down', may we all then transform in midflight into some sort of lemmings with wings.The subject of AI has surfaced a number of times on this podcast notably with data visualization artists like Refik Anadol and architect artist Samar Younes,  spatial computing specialist and near futurist Neil Redding and Synchronicity Architect Justin Bolognino. Each of these creators and theorists shape the AI narrative to their own ends, each of them proclaiming the virtues and vices of the technology.Uses of AI in design and architecture, as well as other industries, is multifarious and, I would admit, well beyond my more general appreciation for using it as an ideation tool and writing assistant in my everyday work.In the world of experience design there are at least 2 ways - although I would guess many more - to look at it:- on a very basic level there is the physical integration of digital media facilitated by Ai and then there is actual content that ends up on the digital interface – be it a touch screen kiosk, a display array in a sports bar or an enormous multi-story wall in Times Square. Getting these screens to work with the environment is always a challenge. Mainly I believe because they come as an afterthought rather than an integrated design solution and part of a digital experience strategy.In the second case of content, one size does not fit all. Places and people are different. The same content being played on those screens all day are visual noise detracting from overall experience rather than enhancing it. These days, every minute of every day things are changing. Why should digital content on screen of any size and shape be any different?If purveyors of brand experiences are not changing content to adapt to customers everchanging needs across the journey, digital content simply becomes part of the visual texture of the environment slipping into irrelevancy and lending nothing to the embodied memory of a place.This is one area Ai is able to change the game – creating content to meet customer needs more directly. Now it would be difficult, if not impossible to change digital content in Times Square to continually meet the needs of the thousands of people in that digital epicenter in New York. But then we all carry cell phones – person digital devices. All of those phones are geolocated. Each of those those has an address – a personal identifier about who it belongs to and bunch of other information about you – personal, financial, home address, etc.Are a bunch of guys at google looking at you individually as you make your way across Times Square – not really – but your Hazel and Gretel trail of ones and zeros from purchases, GPS searches, app use, etc., etc., tell a lot about you should anyone want to do a little digital forensics.The idea here is that we are giving up this information every time we turn our phones on. That information isn't snatched from us without our consent (generally) it's in our service agreement terms and conditions – that impossibly long text that most of us scroll through to the end and click “agree.”But that information could be used to make your path across Times Square more relevant to you. Perhaps your device communicates with other devices or screens and changes the content that you see.This isn't quite Minority Report yet, where Tom Cruise courses through a store and the displays are talking to him because they recognize his retinas – but it is possible to create messaging that is more personalized to you, specifically, as a customer.Digital signage can change either on the wall of as shelf signage.It is about recognizing your customer and understanding that they are used to creating experience narratives that are more relevant to them because they, in part, have contributed to their making. Want to stay relevant to your customers, new or old? Support their collaboration in the shopping journey offering up opportunities for them to write themselves into the narrative. Story and strategy must be connected. Doing good by your customer is about building a relationship and Ai can support that effort but including engaging digital content that recognizes them as individuals, with relatable and relevant messaging.But the whole enterprise needs to be seamless. Sometime I think that the best tech is the tech you don't see, but it think it is also perfectly OK to see it if there are no disconnects in journey. Signature moments in the customer journey have to link up so the customer follows the bouncing ball from their first connection point through the purchase moment and then beyond. And this is where this episode's guest comes into the picture.Bryan Meszaros is a 25-year veteran of the digital signage and experience design industry, known for blending innovation with measurable impact. As the founder of OpenEye Global, he proved that a small, focused team can deliver big results and helped shape the early evolution of digital engagement.Bryan was the youngest President of SEGD and the first with a digital centric background, while also contributing to the Digital Signage Federation and Shop! Association to advance industry standards.He is also the founder of the Experience United Social Club (XUSC), an international networking series all about bringing together creative minds from the AV, digital signage, and design industries to share ideas and collaborate. With global experience across Europe and APAC, he has spoken at major events including EuroShop, ISE, InfoComm, and DSE, and regularly contributes to leading industry publications.Bryan likes the idea of staying dedicated to pushing boundaries, so he is a natural fit for the show. ABOUT DAVID KEPRON:LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/david-kepron-9a1582bWebsites: https://www.davidkepron.com    (personal website)vmsd.com/taxonomy/term/8645  (Blog)Email: david.kepron@NXTLVLexperiencedesign.comTwitter: DavidKepronPersonal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidkepron/NXTLVL Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nxtlvl_experience_design/Bio:David Kepron is a multifaceted creative professional with a deep curiosity to understand ‘why', ‘what's now' and ‘what's next'. He brings together his background as an architect, artist, educator, author, podcast host and builder to the making of meaningful and empathically-focused, community-centric customer connections at brand experience places around the globe. David is a former VP - Global Design Strategies at Marriott International. While at Marriott, his focus was on the creation of compelling customer experiences within Marriott's “Premium Distinctive” segment which included: Westin, Renaissance, Le Meridien, Autograph Collection, Tribute Portfolio, Design Hotels and Gaylord hotels. In 2020 Kepron founded NXTLVL Experience Design, a strategy and design consultancy, where he combines his multidisciplinary approach to the creation of relevant brand engagements with his passion for social and cultural anthropology, neuroscience and emerging digital technologies. As a frequently requested international speaker at corporate events and international conferences focusing on CX, digital transformation, retail, hospitality, emerging technology, David shares his expertise on subjects ranging from consumer behaviors and trends, brain science and buying behavior, store design and visual merchandising, hotel design and strategy as well as creativity and innovation. In his talks, David shares visionary ideas on how brand strategy, brain science and emerging technologies are changing guest expectations about relationships they want to have with brands and how companies can remain relevant in a digitally enabled marketplace. David currently shares his experience and insight on various industry boards including: VMSD magazine's Editorial Advisory Board, the Interactive Customer Experience Association, Sign Research Foundation's Program Committee as well as the Center For Retail Transformation at George Mason University.He has held teaching positions at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.), the Department of Architecture & Interior Design of Drexel University in Philadelphia, the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising (L.I.M.) in New York, the International Academy of Merchandising and Design in Montreal and he served as the Director of the Visual Merchandising Department at LaSalle International Fashion School (L.I.F.S.) in Singapore.  In 2014 Kepron published his first book titled: “Retail (r)Evolution: Why Creating Right-Brain Stores Will Shape the Future of Shopping in a Digitally Driven World” and he is currently working on his second book to be published soon. I caught up with Bryan at the SHOP Marketplace event in Charlotte and chatted about his focus on shaping what comes next in digital signage and experiential design. The NXTLVL Experience Design podcast is presented by VMSD magazine and Smartwork Media. It is hosted and executive produced by David Kepron. Our original music and audio production is by Kano Sound. The content of this podcast is copywrite to David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design. Any publication or rebroadcast of the content is prohibited without the expressed written consent of David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design.Make sure to tune in for more NXTLVL “Dialogues on DATA: Design Architecture Technology and the Arts” wherever you find your favorite podcasts and make sure to visit vmsd.com and look for the tab for the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast there too.

APAC stocks were mixed, with the regional bourses mostly rangebound, amid light fresh catalysts ahead of US PCE data.US senators seek to block NVIDIA (NVDA) sales of advanced chips to China for 30 months and would target NVIDIA's H200 and Blackwell chips, according to FT.Russia's Kremlin said Moscow is waiting for the US reaction after the Putin-Witkoff meeting, while it added that there is no plan for a Putin-Trump call for now.BoJ is said to likely hike this month and leave the door open to more, while the central bank is to check the data and market moves up to the final decision, according to Bloomberg.European equity futures indicate a positive cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.2% after the cash market closed with gains of 0.4% on Thursday.Looking ahead, highlights include German Industrial Orders (Oct), French Trade Balance (Oct), Italian Retail Sales (Oct), EZ Employment Final (Q3), EZ GDP Revised (Q3), Canadian Jobs Report (Nov), US PCE (Sep), US University of Michigan Prelim (Dec), and Comments from ECB's Lane.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

European bourses trade modestly firmer, with little macro news to steer price action. Sentiment follows on from a mixed and quiet APAC session.US equity futures are mixed/mostly firmer with a skew towards tech-positive as ES and NQ eke mild gains vs the YM and RTY.DXY has unwound most of its earlier losses. Initially hit by a firmer JPY on the back of more hawkish BoJ sources, coupled with verbal intervention; USTs remain flat in a thin 112-22+ to 112-27+ band.Baidu (9888 HK/ BIDU) reportedly weighs a Hong Kong IPO for its AI chip unit Kunlunxin, to rival NVIDIA (NVDA); Dell (DELL) reportedly plans price hike of 15-20% from mid December.A Russian Kremlin aide said Russia and the US are moving forward in talks relating to Ukraine. Ready for further work with the current US negotiating team.Looking ahead, highlights include Canadian Jobs Report (Nov), US PCE (Sep), US University of Michigan Prelim (Dec), Comments from ECB's Lane.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

We report from MIPIM Asia in Hong Kong, where delegates from across the APAC region and beyond discussed solutions to meet the rapid pace of urbanisation. Plus: a city reeling from a devastating fire in Tai Po.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Ben is joined by Vaishnavi J, former head of youth policy at Meta and founder and principal of Vyanams Strategies, a product advisory firm that helps companies, civil society, and governments build safer age appropriate experiences. Prior to founding Vys, she led video policy at Twitter, built its safety team in APAC and was Google's child safety polciy lead in APAC. Together Ben and Vaishnavi discuss:House overhauls KOSA in a new kids online safety package (The Verge)A nationwide internet age verification plan is sweeping Congress (The Verge)Grindr supports app store age-verification bill despite censorship concerns (Pink News)A summary of the technology sector's response to the UK's new online safety rules (Ofcom)Age Assurance Implementation Handbook (Vyanams)Interoperable Age Assurance (Age Verification Providers Association)EU's non-binding resolution around revamping child safety rules (European Parliament)‘We'll be watching': Social media companies warned about complying with ban as teens flock to alternative apps (Crikey)The Salesforce of safety: Software vendors as infrastructural/professional nodes in the field of online trust and safety (Sage, Platforms & Society)It's their job to keep AI from destroying everything (The Verge) Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Everything in Moderation. Send us your feedback at podcast@ctrlaltspeech.com and sponsorship enquiries to sponsorship@ctrlaltspeech.com. Thanks for listening.

European equities opened higher, reflecting positive APAC momentum, though European news flow has been light. Central bank updates included hawkish BoJ sources alongside concerns about Hassett as Fed Chair. The BoJ is likely to raise interest rates in December in a government-approved move, according to Reuters and Bloomberg sources.DXY is trading near the lower end of its 98.798–99.029 intraday range, pressured by JPY strengthFixed income benchmarks are lower following the hawkish BoJ reports, though the associated softening in risk sentiment has provided a modest haven bid as the morning unfolded.Looking ahead, highlights include US Challenger Layoffs (Nov), Jobless Claims (w/e 29 Nov), Revelio Public Labor Statistics, Chicago Fed Labour Market Indicators (Final), Durable Goods (Sep), Factory Orders (Sep), Atlanta Fed GDP. Speakers include BoE's Mann, ECB's Lane, Cipollone & de Guindos, Fed's Bowman. Earnings from Kroger & Dollar General.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

About Liana Guzmán:Liana M. Douillet Guzmán is a seasoned CEO and consumer-tech leader known for driving transformative growth across healthcare, finance, education, and professional services. As CEO of FOLX Health, she has expanded the company's national reach and service offerings, helping establish it as the leading digital healthcare provider for the LGBTQIA+ community. With nearly two decades of experience scaling disruptive companies, she previously served as CMO at Skillshare and COO at Blockchain, where she played a key role in growing the platform from 4 million to 40 million users and building a globally recognized brand. Liana also spent nine years shaping Axiom's international expansion and marketing strategy across the U.S., EMEA, and APAC regions. A Henry Crown Fellow and three-time Fast Company Queer 50 honoree, she is a sought-after speaker at global forums including DAVOS, Fortune Brainstorm, Web Summit, and HLTH. Beyond her executive work, she co-founded The Pink Agenda and serves on the boards of GLAAD and The Elizabeth Park Conservancy. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she brings a global mindset and people-first leadership style to every role.Things You'll Learn:Whole-person, patient-centered, community-oriented care is the future. When these three pillars align, outcomes improve and trust increases across populations.Telehealth is not a compromise; it's often the safest, most accessible option. For many people, digital care is the only environment where they feel safe, respected, and willing to seek support.AI can either transform healthcare or exacerbate and dangerously amplify inequality. Without careful oversight and representative data, large language models can reinforce harmful misinformation.Affirming care is a clinical and financial necessity, not a niche service. Avoiding preventive care can lead to dangerous delays and significantly higher system costs.Demographic shifts make inclusive care a strategic imperative. With a quarter of Gen Z identifying as LGBTQIA+, employers and payers who invest early will capture long-term loyalty and economic value.Resources:Connect with and follow Liana Guzmán on LinkedIn.Follow FOLX Health on LinkedIn and Instagram, and visit their website. 

In this episode, Eloise Goulder speaks with Andrew Tyler, Global head of Market Intelligence, and Federico Manicardi, International head of the Market Intelligence at J.P. Morgan. They discuss strength in equity markets over 2025, from the macro backdrop to corporate earnings and central bank policy. They also explore the relative outperformance in EM, Europe and several APAC markets, as well as the respective drivers for these moves. Finally, they hone in on highest conviction opportunities for equities into year-end, plus key catalysts and risks to watch in the weeks ahead.    This episode was recorded on December 1, 2025.   The views expressed in this podcast may not necessarily reflect the views of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co and its affiliates (together “J.P. Morgan”), they are not the product of J.P. Morgan's Research Department and do not constitute a recommendation, advice, or an offer or a solicitation to buy or sell any security or financial instrument.  This podcast is intended for institutional and professional investors only and is not intended for retail investor use, it is provided for information purposes only. Referenced products and services in this podcast may not be suitable for you and may not be available in all jurisdictions.  J.P. Morgan may make markets and trade as principal in securities and other asset classes and financial products that may have been discussed.  For additional disclaimers and regulatory disclosures, please visit: www.jpmorgan.com/disclosures/salesandtradingdisclaimer. For the avoidance of doubt, opinions expressed by any external speakers are the personal views of those speakers and do not represent the views of J.P. Morgan. © 2025 JPMorgan Chase & Company. All rights reserved.

Where are global real estate markets headed in 2026? Watch our 2026 Global Real Estate Outlook panel to find out.With expert guests, including:Nasir Alamgir – Head of US & European Real Estate DebtAlex Gilbert – Co-CEO of Artemis, a Barings CompanyNick Pink – Head of European Real Estate Equity Mike Flynn – Head of Japan Real EstateModerated by Co-Head of Global Investments, David MihalickEpisode Segments:(01:00) – Introductions (03:30) – The fundamental backdrop for RE debt(08:55) – The European landscape(11:40) – Opportunities in US equity(15:20) – How APAC real estate stacks up today(20:42) – Why 2026 may be a “stock pickers” market(24:47) – Zooming in on the office sector(29:16) – Demographics as a structural driver(32:35) – Areas of opportunity in APAC(35:24) – Opportunities across sectors & risk profiles(40:49) – Affordability & the cost of development(43:30) – Bold predictions for 2026Make sure to follow our LinkedIn newsletter, Where Credit is Due to stay up-to-date on our latest public & private credit market insights.IMPORTANT INFORMATIONAny forecasts in this podcast are based upon Barings' opinion of the market at the date of preparation and are subject to change without notice, dependent upon many factors. Any prediction, projection or forecast is not necessarily indicative of the future or likely performance. Investment involves risk. The value of any investments and any income generated may go down as well as up and is not guaranteed. PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS. Any examples set forth in this podcast are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not indicative of any future investment results or investments. The composition, size of, and risks associated with an investment may differ substantially from any examples set forth in this podcast. No representation is made that an investment will be profitable or will not incur losses. Barings is the brand name for the worldwide asset management and associated businesses of Barings LLC and its global affiliates. Barings Securities LLC, Barings (U.K.) Limited, Barings Global Advisers Limited, Barings Australia Pty Ltd, Barings Japan Limited, Barings Real Estate Advisers Europe Finance LLP, BREAE AIFM LLP, Baring Asset Management Limited, Baring International Investment Limited, Baring Fund Managers Limited, Baring International Fund Managers (Ireland) Limited, Baring Asset Management (Asia) Limited, Baring SICE (Taiwan) Limited, Baring Asset Management Switzerland Sarl, and Baring Asset Management Korea Limited each are affiliated financial service companies owned by Barings LLC (each, individually, an “Affiliate”).NO OFFER: The podcast is for informational purposes only and is not an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument or service in any jurisdiction. The material herein was prepared without any consideration of the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of anyone who may receive it. This podcast is not, and must not be treated as, investment advice, an investment recommendation, investment research, or a recommendation about the suitability or appropriateness of any security, commodity, investment, or particular investment strategy.Unless otherwise mentioned, the views contained in this podcast are those of Barings and are subject to change without notice. Individual portfolio management teams may hold different views and may make different investment decisions for different clients. Parts of this podcast may be based on information received from sources we believe to be reliable. Although every effort is taken to ensure that the information contained in this podcast is accurate, Barings makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the informationAny service, security, investment or product outlined in this podcast may not be suitable for a prospective investor or available in their jurisdiction.Copyright in this podcast is owned by Barings. Information in this podcast may be used for your own personal use, but may not be altered, reproduced or distributed without Barings' consent.25-5011565

In our guest episode today, we host Matt Wacher, Chief Investment Officer, APAC at Morningstar Investment Management (MIM). We run through where MIM sees opportunities, what they consider overvalued and how investors should approach markets.A message from Mark and ShaniFor the past five years, we've released a weekly podcast to arm you with the tools to invest successfully. We've always strived to provide independent, thoughtful analysis, backed by the work of hundreds of researchers and professionals at Morningstar.We've shared our journeys with you, and you've shared back. We've listened to what you're after and created a companion for your investing journey. Invest Your Way is a book that focuses on the investor, instead of the investments. It is a guide to successful investing, with actionable insights and practical applications.The book is now available! It is also available in Audiobook format from most sellers.Purchase from Amazon or Purchase from BooktopiaTo submit any questions or feedback, please email mark.lamonica1@morningstar.com or leave us a voicemail to feature on the podcast here.Audio Producer and mixer: William Ton. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.