Podcasts about inside asia

On this episode of the Energy Security Cubed Podcast, Kelly Ogle and Joe Calnan interview Eric Miller about Canada-US energy relations in the context of the current Canadian election. // For the intro, Kelly and Joe discuss the LPC and CPC costed platforms on energy. // Guest Bio: - Eric Miller is President of Rideau Potomac Strategy Group and a Fellow with CGAI // Host Bio: - Kelly Ogle is Managing Director of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute - Joe Calnan is an Energy Security Analyst and Energy Security Forum Manager at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute // Reading recommendations: - "Inside Asia", by John Gunther: https://www.minotavrosbooks.com/pages/books/007655/john-gunther/inside-asia - "Selected Non-Fictions" by Jorge Luis Borges: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/331517/selected-non-fictions-by-jorge-luis-borges-edited-by-eliot-weinberger-translated-by-esther-allen-suzanne-jill-levine-and-eliot-weinberger/ // Interview recording Date: April 22, 2025 // Energy Security Cubed is part of the CGAI Podcast Network. Follow the Canadian Global Affairs Institute on Facebook, Twitter (@CAGlobalAffairs), or on LinkedIn. Head over to our website at www.cgai.ca for more commentary. // Produced by Joe Calnan. Music credits to Drew Phillips.

In 2021, we saw record deal values of over USD$4.2 trillion in global M&A activity. However the global deal values had a 33% decline in the second half of 2022 compared to the first half.The market downturn in M&A conditions was also reflected in Asia, although the region as a whole held up relatively better activity-wise than most others. A question of whether 2022 was just a temporary setback for Asia M&A arises, together with how optimistic are we for 2023 given the resilience of the region. Irina Atkentjeva, our host, together with our M&A partners Tommy Tong and Joseph Fisher will explore the above in this episode. They will also talk about which sectors will drive activity in the region in their view, what other sectors may catch up, deal structures and terms we expect to see and how are M&A activity levels in 2023 so far. For more thoughts and insights on the global M&A market for 2023, read our Global M&A report 2023 – Headwinds, Tailwinds and Fog: https://insights.hsf.com/global-ma-outlook-2023/p/1

Investment activity in Indonesia has seen a significant 30% increase at the start of 2022, revealing the confidence among domestic and foreign investors in Indonesia's potential. We have collaborated with our associated Indonesian law firm Hiswara Bunjamin & Tandjung for our fourth episode. Our host Stephanie, Corporate M&A Partner and managing partner Tjahjadi Bunjamin, both at Hiswara Bunjamin & Tandjung speaks with special guest Stefanus Ade Hadiwidjaja – Chief Investment Officer at Indonesia Investment Authority (INA) about the trend of M&A across a number of key sectors in Indonesia including infrastructure, digital economy, healthcare and more. Learn more about the opportunities present for private capital players, current key sectors that are in focus and the outlook of M&A in the vibrant Indonesian market through their conversations. For more practical insights on the latest economic and regulatory developments impacting transactions and projects in Indonesia, be sure to attend our quarterly focus Indonesia seminar in Singapore. Contact Richard Pedler for details.

Demand for digital infrastructure has surged drastically in recent years, particularly in the emerging markets, driven by rapid digital adoption in Asia. Digital infrastructure deals worth over US$30 billion were announced in Southeast Asia in 2021, and this trend has continued across different digital infrastructure asset classes throughout 2022. In our third episode of INside Asia M&A, host and Senior Corporate law Specialist Cynthia Ng invites Wilson Chung, Principal at DigitalBridge Investment Management, and Mark Robinson, our TMT sector lead partner to discuss trends on digital infrastructure around the Asia Pacific regions. Together, they answer fundamental questions, including what impact global geopolitical and macroeconomic issues have on digital infrastructure M&A, changes in ownership of asset classes, whether ESG plays a role in driving digital infrastructure M&A, key issues and the future outlook for digital infrastructure M&A across APAC. Visit our series here: https://www.herbertsmithfreehills.com/insight/inside-asia-ma-podcast

M&A activity in India in the first quarter of 2022 reached a four-year record high of US$30.3 billion dollars in activity. Investment is being driven to India by geopolitical headwinds, and by the country's many policy developments in recent years. The innovation and scale of the market's micro economies also make it an increasingly attractive destination for private capital players focussed on Asia. In our second episode of INside Asia M&A, we discuss the current state of India's M&A and private capital markets. Host and corporate partner specialising in private capital Jamie McLaren is joined by special guest Pratibha Jain, General Counsel and Head of Corporate Affairs at Everstone Capital, and London partner and cross-border M&A specialist Siddhartha Shukla. Together they review: the hottest sectors in India right now; recent trends in transformation, valuation and exits; and consider the structuring and lending nuances needed for a successful transaction. Visit our series here: https://www.herbertsmithfreehills.com/latest-thinking/inside-asia-ma

In our first episode of INside Asia M&A, host China corporate head Nanda Lau talks with Tokyo partner Joseph Fisher and Johannesburg ESG and natural resources law specialist Ernst Müller why ESG has become so important to dealmaking in Asia Pacific and how ESG issues are affecting M&A in the region this year. Joe and Ernst share examples of ESG considerations changing the nature of M&A transactions and talk more broadly about the progress of ESG in Asia. Lastly, we take a look at what lies ahead for ESG in the remainder of 2022 and beyond in Asia Pacific. Visit our series here: https://www.herbertsmithfreehills.com/latest-thinking/inside-asia-ma

Steve Stine, Founder & Host of Inside Asia Podcast joins Graham Brown in this episode of The Age of Audio. The Age of Audio is a series of conversations with thought leaders and changemakers in the world of audio. Podcasts, Radio, Social Audio and Data are converging to create engaging and authentic content for a new generation of listeners. To get access to all the audio conversations and book content for Age of Audio, go to theageofaudio.com.Show Highlights: Point of leadership. Every great tale has a hero. And I'd say in our modern context, the hero is a leader, the corporate leader, the organizational leader, the political leader These are probably some people who have a natural ability when they tell a story, it could be just around a dinner table or it could be in front of an audience of a thousand. They just naturally lean into ideas or images or descriptions that they probably have come up with, which is why I think it's so essential for all of us, young people and all, to read and to listen and to not give up on the old tales, the old stories. They're repeatable and they're essential that they're repeatable because it perpetuates the reason for who we are and why we are. It's not just an old story That is probably one of the most powerful things you can do as a leader to say, "I'm investing my trust and belief in you at this moment in giving me a thoughtful response. Even if you don't have an answer, it's not like I'm going to punish you for that. But I really trust and believe that you have something to offer right now Once you ask, what do you think we should do? Or what would be your suggestions you empower. And that's the empowering process through this new leadership paradigm, which is the challenge for many traditional leaders who've been told to just hand down the marching orders and expect people to do it If you do not get an organization involved at all levels, frontline, middle management, and top leadership you cannot be a purpose-driven organization. 

When was the last time you thought about where your food comes from? And I don't mean from your local supermarket… Well, according to the U.N. Food & Agriculture Association, 70% of food consumed globally comes from so-called “smallholder” farmers.  There are an estimated 570 million of them, and nearly half live and operate in the world's poorest countries. In most developing markets, agriculture contributes anywhere from 15 to 35% of GDP. Without this constellation of farming communities, unemployment would soar and economies would crumble.  Not surprisingly, there's a political dimension to supporting the smallholder farmer. This requires governments throughout the region to make constant adjustments – balancing local subsidies against foreign food imports. Into this socio-economic brew enters Corteva Agriscience, a company that a little over two years ago spun off from the chemical giant DowDupont in order to focus exclusively on agribusiness. Today, the company produces high-yield, pest-resistant hybrid seeds, land management, and digital solutions. As my guest, Elizabeth Hernandez, explains, the timing and focus of their market entry offers a unique opportunity for farmers and investors alike. This is the latest in a series of episodes we have planned featuring companies that are delivering on Corporate Purpose. Two episodes back we featured another Corporate Purpose leader, T.C. Ng, Asia Pacific Managing Director of the iconic tech company, HP. If you missed that episode, you can listen or read about it by  visiting www.insideasiapodcast.com.  In coming weeks, we will feature on this program conversations with leaders of other purpose-driven institutions. Our discussions are founded on in-depth case studies created in a three-way partnership between Inside Asia, The Conference Board, and the Center for Creative Leadership.   One year ago, we came together to introduce the Asia Corporate Leadership Council, which today is comprised of 20 plus Asia-based CEOs, Regional Managing Directors, and heads of family-run businesses. It's a select group of senior individuals representing best-practice corporate purpose. The case studies – and these accompanying podcasts – are designed to demonstrate what Corporate Purpose in action looks like.

In this most recent episode of Inside Asia, I speak with James Soback, Director of Sustainability and Hospitality Advisory for OMNE/WX, a firm pushing the edge of the “work-from-anywhere” culture.  It's safe to say that thanks to Covid, work will never be the same. What it will ultimately look like is anyone's guess. For decades, creating efficient, yet pleasant workspaces has been the subject of some debate.  Finding that balance between efficiency and comfort is not always easy. More often than not, available space and design features are the result of limited budgets and doing what the boss wants, while claiming to have the employee's best interests at heart. These days, words like “engagement” and “productivity” are bandied about. Words that are measured. In order to increase the two, you need to find ways of motivating and inspiring the workforce.  To this end, companies have experimented with open architecture, free drinks and snacks, adding a ping-pong table or creating lounging areas. All fine attempts, but still, mostly determined by the culture or the preference of the powers-that-be. In the world of work 2.0, something's got to give. My guest suggests that “employee-centric” workspaces are a good first step.

There are few businesses in the world that have a sales and distribution network as vast and varied as the tech giant, Hewlett Packard. HP has been building and selling personal and enterprise technology for over 80 years. And during that time, it has assembled an ecosystem of business partners that reach from Beijing to Belfast.  Not surprisingly, that kind of network generates some significant revenue. HP today is a US$60 billion dollar a year business. And according to my guest this episode, 85% of that income is derived through tens of thousands of distributors, wholesalers, and retail operators. HP has mastered the art of building and coordinating its partner networks. So, it may come as no surprise that when it comes to driving a corporate purpose and sustainability agenda, enlisting its network is mission critical. Here to discuss how it's done is T.C. Ng, HP's Managing Director for Greater Asia. In coming weeks, we will feature on this program conversations with some of Asia's most purpose-driven institutions. Our discussions are founded on in-depth case studies created in a three-way partnership between Inside Asia, The Conference Board, and the Center for Creative Leadership.   One year ago, we came together to introduce the Asia Corporate Leadership Council, which today is comprised of 20 plus Asia-based CEOs, Regional Managing Directors, and heads of family-run businesses. It's a select group of senior individuals representing best-practice corporate purpose. The case studies – and these accompanying podcasts – are designed to demonstrate what Corporate Purpose in action looks like.

If you hear the acronym “E-S-G” being bandied about, it's for a reason. The world is waking up to the fact that traditional business practices are no longer enough to meet the needs of the 21st century. ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. Together, they form the foundation for a new set of principles that codify a new way for companies and investors to operate. They also speak to the so-called “intangible” assets within an organization. That can make them hard to measure, and one thing business executives hate are things that are hard to measure. It seems like every time you look up, some management consultant or business guru is introducing a new concept to supercharge the enterprise. Each new process has had its day in the sun, and an acronym to match. Remember BPR, “Business Process Re-engineering?” Or how about ERP, “Enterprise Resource Planning. And who could forget CRM, “Customer Relationship Management.” Even the folks in the back-office had their three letters. To keep it simple, they called it ABC, “Activity Based Costing.”  If the mere mention of these past activities bore you to death, let me offer hope. ESG is different. It has soul. Got your attention now? Then sit back and listen to my conversation with Steve Okun. He's been a guest on Inside Asia before. In past episodes, we've covered impact investing, US politics, and international trade. Steve has a diversity of talents and interests, but a cornerstone issue for him these days is ESG.  He plies his trade by serving as a Senior Advisor with McClarty Associates and chairing the Global Private Capital Association in Southeast Asia.

This week on Inside Asia, we take a look at the world of seed investing. I'm not talking about farming, although, in some ways, I am. I'm talking about the way good, early-stage ideas attract seed capital to get their ventures off the ground. And while I don't have the data to support it, I suspect that the number one reason why most great business or product ideas never see the light of day is for one reason, and one reason only: Money. After calling in favors from friends and family and tapping out the credit card, there's a funding gap. To fill it, entrepreneurs oftentimes turn to angel investors. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some are successful entrepreneurs themselves, happy to spread their new-found wealth to help others like them. Others organize themselves into groups with a common set of investment goals or interests. In recent years, online platforms have emerged, letting almost anyone get involved. Like buying one hundred lottery tickets, just one might get lucky.  Increasingly, angel investors are starting to specialize. Assemble together a team of consumer bankers, payments experts, and techno-geeks, and you can – for example - specialize in FinTech. Think about how technology can be applied to solve climate change, and you become Sustainability investors. That's exactly what my guest this week has done. Mark Inkster is a technologist at heart. He's spent decades in the region holding strategic roles at Yahoo!, eBay, Microsoft, and a handful of startups. Earlier this year he co-founded Asia Sustainability Angels, and together with a hand-full of others, he's formed a circle to seed early stage companies bent on solving some of the biggest sustainability problems of our day.

About the lecture: As head of three Asian countries' flagship firms, Mr. McCarthy learned the secrets to being successful in other cultures. Often, he was the only American working with 3,000 local employees, giving him a peek into the Zeitgeist of the local business and government leaders that most Americans never see. He learned how to succeed in turnarounds where many others had failed and how to first think like a local then gain their trust. He developed a set of skills and tactics that allowed him to build strong high-performing local teams. In this lecture, he will explain his use of “Sunau or Ting Hua” and other recommendations for how to succeed overseas that will surprise many Americans. About the speaker: Mr. Timothy F. McCarthy's career has been evenly divided between the U.S. and overseas. During the '90s, he was President of Fidelity Investment Advisor Group prior to becoming President of Charles Schwab and Co. In 2000, Mr. McCarthy became Chairman of Good Morning Securities Group in South Korea then Chairman and CEO of Nikko Asset Management in Japan. These were the first times each country's government approved a foreigner to lead one of their flagship financial services companies. Also, notably, during this tenure at Nikko, he co-founded the Rongtong JV in China. His firms attracted over 8 million Asians to invest $300 billion in fund assets. He is now active in venture capital high-tech investing. Mr. McCarthy is fluent in 6 languages. He has published two books – one a best seller in Japanese. Mr. McCarthy's academic history includes an MBA from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business as a Baker Scholar in 1978 and a BA in Economics and International Relations from the University of California, Davis, with honors in 1973.

진행자: 간형우, Naomi Garyan1. Migrants' voting rights in firing line요약: 청와대 국민청원 게시판에 국내 외국인에 대한 지방선거 투표권 부여에 반대하는 글이 올라왔다. [1] Amid growing anti-China sentiment in the nation, some South Koreans are calling for foreign permanent residents' right to vote to be abolished because a majority of them are Chinese.*sentiment: 정서, 감정*call for ~: ~을 요구하다*abolish: 폐지하다 [2] On April 28, a petition was posted on the website of presidential Blue House with the title of “Foreigners' voting rights (location election) are unconstitutional. It has to be abolished.” The writer of the post said, “(We) respect and don't discriminate against foreigners. However, the right to vote is the unique right of the people of Korea.”*petition: 진정서, 탄원서, 청원서*unconstitutional: 헌법에 위배되는, 위헌인*discriminate: 차별하다, 식별하다 [3] “Chinese nationals own 80 percent of foreign voting rights. This opens the door to China's intervention in the Korean election, which is likely to be involved in presidential and parliamentary elections,” the writer added, although foreign nationals are not allowed to vote in presidential or legislative elections as the right is limited to elections for local authorities.*intervention: 개입, 간섭, 조정*legislative: 입법부의 [4] In less than two weeks, more than 43,000 people signed up to the petition. Since 2006, foreigners have had the right to vote in local elections if they have been permanent residents for three years or more. At the time, there was no public opinion against foreigners' suffrage.*permanent: 영구적인*suffrage: 투표권기사 원문: http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=202105090001462. Inside Asia's first underground seed vault요약: 지구 멸망 대비해 야생 식물 종자 보관하는 ‘시드볼트'가 한국 백두대간에 있다. [1] Six hundred meters up a mountain in the southern part of the country's longest range, Baekdu-daegan, stands a building in a clearing with a seed-shaped roof. But the above-ground structure of the Baekdu-daegan Seed Vault belies the true size of this sprawling underground structure.*belie: 착각하게 만들다, 거짓임을 보여주다[2] Officially launched in 2016 and designated a national security facility since 2019, the Baekdu-daegan Seed Vault's main purpose is to secure biodiversity from threats such as natural disasters, climate change and war, to support sustainable life for human beings.*biodiversity: 생물의 다양성*sustainable: 지속 가능한[3] The Baekdu-daegan Seed Vault in Korea is one of only two built worldwide - the other is Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which opened in 2008 on an arctic Norwegian Island. It currently stores over 90,000 types of seeds.*arctic: 북극의, 북극 지방의*store: 저장하다, 보관하다 / 가게, 창고 [4] The main part of the tightly controlled Seed Vault is located in a tunnel structure 46 meters below ground. Padded jackets, boots, and gloves are a must in order to bear the temperature inside, kept at 20 degrees below zero Celsius.*bear: 참다, 견디다 / 곰*Celsius: 섭씨(의) 기사 원문: http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20210510000657&np=2&mp=1

The Acquired podcast puts out some of the very best business and technology content out there, and is one of our co-hosts’ favorite listens. Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal are inspirations, and so we’re always flattered to be referenced as the “Acquired of China tech”! We had a lot of fun recording this episode together. Here at Tech Buzz, we typically write out our scripts ahead of time, and this was a rare chance to go unscripted. Let us know how we did! As Tech Buzz continues to broaden our content formats, you can follow us at techbuzzchina.com, subscribe to our YouTube channel, join us in the Inside Asia group on Clubhouse, tweet at us at @techbuzzchina, and write to us at rui@techbuzzchina.com & ying@techbuzzchina.com. As always, our transcripts are available on our website, as well as at pandaily.com and supchina.com. Thank you to our teams at SupChina and Pandaily, and especially Bryce Ye, Kaiser Kuo, and Jason MacRonald. If you enjoy our work, please leave us an iTunes review! They do matter and we appreciate it so much!

This week on Inside Asia, we reach across the Pacific to speak to Vasuki Shastry. He’s a Washington D.C.-based Senior Fellow at the US Chamber of Commerce and an Associate Asia Pacific Fellow at the policy institute Chatham House in London. We reached out to talk about his new book, provocatively entitled: Has Asia Lost It? A surprising headliner at a time when many would say the Pacific Era is upon us and Asia is most certainly on the rise. Vasuki disagrees. On the face of it, he says, things looks good. For instance, in just four short decades, the region has climbed its way out of poverty. Political and economic risk remains low. Vast wealth has accrued. And China has assumed Superpower status. Not too shabby. What we’re facing now, he says, is Peak Asia. Scratch beneath the surface and you see two systems. One that caters to the elites and one that controls the average citizen. Opportunities and upward mobility are diminishing. And unless Asia breaks the bonds of economic integration with the west through trade and manufacturing, it may never realize its potential. With talk of further de-coupling, the pressure is on Asian leaders to change – and fast.

This week on Inside Asia, we’re tackling a big topic – Capitalism. You might argue that it’s a system as tightly imbedded in our daily lives as any other. There’s hardly a place on Earth that isn’t affected by it. In most places, it governs the basic exchange of goods and service, provides the means for that exchange, and offers a set of economic rules by which most of us can agree. It can be credited in large part for lifting half of the human population out of poverty in only half a century’s time. Healthcare and lifestyle innovations did wonders in keeping disease in check. That led to a global population explosion. But corporations responded, building things better, faster, and cheaper so that everyone could take part in the great Capitalist dream. It was all going so swimmingly, until it wasn’t. Starting in 2005, there were warning signs. By 2007, in the U.S., delinquency rates on subprime lending rose sharply. And at the outset of 2008, the markets were in free-fall. What ensued was a Global Financial Crises, the likes of which the world hadn’t seen since the Great Depression. If this re-telling strikes you as tiresome, forgive me, but here’s the point: It could have been prevented. It’s a failing of government regulators who proved unable or unwilling to check the collective power of monied interests. In the blink of an eye, Capitalism as a means of serving the greater good became the whipping boy of the financial elite. The real question is: Can we get it back? Here to discuss it with me is Pietro Ventani, a Singapore-based economist and investment strategist, who does some dabbling in early-stage fintech and blockchain ventures. We talked about Capitalism’s victories and failings, its ability to address new world issues, and how politics and technology are spoiling some of those prospects. All this in less than 35 minutes. So stay tuned.

This week (and every week) we celebrate women, and women entrepreneurs in particular. Increasingly, female founders are launching new and innovative ventures with growing support from investor communities that for too long have been male-biased. Don’t believe me? Look at the numbers. From wage inequality, to promotions, to venture funding and social stigmas, women have had an uphill battle. The situation is particularly depressing in the poorest countries and among the least educated. Patriarchal societies are alive and well and for a woman to succeed financially or professional it takes an added level of luck, grit, and tenacity. Money helps too. And in markets the world over, women have a harder time securing credit or receiving funding than their male counterparts. One Singapore-based start-up hopes to make a difference. LUCY, a self-described “neo-bank” plans to provide the tools, network, and eventually the credit, to help entrepreneurial women succeed. I spoke with co-Founder and CEO Debbie Watkins. She spent years working with women in poverty-striken markets before pulling together a group of inspirational women and backers to offer their sisters in the field a helping hand. I’m also pleased to announce that beginning this week Inside Asia has a new sponsor. Quilt AI is a mission-first technology company that helps large organizations use the Internet more purposefully. It’s looking to reverse fractures in society and generate empathy, while helping organizations understand their consumers and beneficiaries much better. Quilt works with amazing organizations including Amazon, Twitter, The Gates Foundation, and The World Bank. But what got my attention is their pro bono work in gender equity and climate action - giving time and money to causes they care about and in service to the planet. Inside Asia is pleased to be associated with Quilt AI. For more information, do check them out at Quilt(dot)AI. 

Episode 81 of Tech Buzz China continues our series of audio experiments, and features co-host Rui Ma in conversation with Wharton professor Karl Ulrich on his latest book, Winning in China. The book was co-authored with Wharton Global Fellow Lele Sang, and presents 8 carefully researched case studies of successes and failures, from Amazon to Sequoia Capital. The episode is a recording of a conversation that was broadcast live on the Clubhouse app on February 1. As Tech Buzz continues to broaden our content formats, you can follow us at techbuzzchina.com, subscribe to our YouTube channel, join us in the Inside Asia group on Clubhouse, tweet at us at @techbuzzchina, and write to us at rui@techbuzzchina.com & ying@techbuzzchina.com. As always, our transcripts are available on our website, as well as at pandaily.com and supchina.com. If you are a Tech Buzz listener and would like a free copy of Karl and Lele’s book, please email us at ying@techbuzzchina.com. Thank you to our teams at SupChina and Pandaily, and especially Bryce Ye, Kaiser Kuo, and Jason MacRonald. If you enjoy our work, please leave us an iTunes review! They do matter and we appreciate it so much!

It’s 2021. A new year brings new hope. For those of you who’ve generously followed Inside Asia for the past two seasons, we thank you for listening and for your loyal support. Over the course of the past 30 months, we’ve produced nearly 170 episodes, bringing to you insights through conversation from some of the region’s most compelling thinkers, leaders, and entrepreneurs. We’ve covered geopolitics, trade, technology, sustainability, the future of food, and leadership trends. We’ve covered vast territories as well, sharing insights from China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, and even the Middle East. Asia is a smorgasbord of change and innovation and it’s been an honor and pleasure to be your host. Of all the topics and ideas covered in recent years, there is one that stands out above all others, and that’s Corporate Purpose. Week-in and week-out, the topic pervades the changing business landscape. Beyond the death and devastation caused by the global pandemic, it has taught us one thing: We can no longer operate in the world in the same tried and true way. It’s time for a change. How we as a society choose to address that change will define us for all ages. Corporate Purpose is to the coming decade what digital transformation was to the last. Increasingly, companies the world over are embracing the idea of conscious capitalism, committing resources to environmental protection and social justice. No longer is it enough for companies to remain myopically focused on growth and profit. Corporations are uniquely imbued with the kind of talent, ingenuity and resourcefulness to solve the world’s biggest problems. In the coming weeks and months, Inside Asia will commit its time and energy to covering Corporate Purpose as it plays out in Asia. The region is uniquely positioned not just to follow, but to lead the world out of our current climate, health and economic crises. Each week I’ll introduce you to the companies, enablers, and thought-leaders who see Corporate Purpose as the hallmark of our times. We invite you to join us and if you haven’t already, please search for and subscribe to Inside Asia podcast and the Inside Asia newsletter. Visit us at www.insideasiaadvisors.com and sign up now. The infamous Albert Einstein once said “No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it.” May 2021 be the year of a new consciousness. Stay tuned. We have new episodes in store. And as always, we thank you for listening!  

Do corporations have a moral obligation to society? That’s the subject of this week’s episode of Inside Asia. My guest, Mac McKenzie, is Co-founder of the Bridge Partnership Asia and the Bridge Institute. It’s safe to say that over the course of history, companies have been viewed through the lens of profit. Causes that speak to social justice, racial and gender equality, and even environmental protection were left over the years to non-profit, religious, and government institutions. Unfortunately for them, public perception with respect to their effectiveness has all but collapsed. Only corporations, apparently, have withstood public scrutiny and are seen today as the last bastion of trust and competency. In some ways, that’s a scary thought. But regardless, it puts new impetus on companies to step it up. Even for the hold-out CEO who say “it’s not my department,” there’s no stopping consumers from wanting it to be so. It’s a dilemma for the for-profit sector, but an opportunity as well. At the heart of it is trust. And if you watched – as I did – as rabid Trump supporters stormed the US Capital after the President of the United States lied about the election outcome, then its not hard to wonder how public trust in government is in rapid decline. The same is true in China, where attempts to cover up the Covid-19 outbreak created a public outcry. And in Russia last week, protests erupted in over a hundred cities with tens of thousands demanding an end to political corruption. Trust in government from Moscow to Bejing and Washington, DC, has plummeted. Some say it’s the early makings of a societal vacuum. There are few institutions left in the world that have the resources and ability to move the dial in the realm of social justice. Bridge Consulting is trying to test the limits on what companies feel they can and can’t do. It’s raising some interesting questions. And consumers in Asia, it appears, are hoping to see more from companies in the months and years ahead.

Something special happened in recent days, and in a slight departure from our regular format, I bring you a discussion held with one of the great environmental thinkers of our time, Hunter Lovins. It was on the occasion of one of our regularly scheduled gatherings of the Asia Corporate Leadership Council that Hunter joined us virtually from her ranch in Colorado. The Council is a partnership between The Conference Board, the Center for Creative Leadership, and Inside Asia, and is comprised of a select group of senior-most leaders of western multinationals, Asian conglomerates, and family offices. Our mission: To define and promote best practice in corporate purpose. Hunter is the latest in a string of featured speakers who define what good looks like, and with permission from our members, I bring you our conversation.

This week on Inside Asia, we take a look at just one more way in which artificial intelligence is ingraining itself in our daily lives. With so much hype around AI, it’s hard to know what to think of it. In one moment, AI applications can appear benevolent, even helpful. And in the next, it can be intrusive. Facial recognition, for instance, can and has been used to track and screen innocent people simply going about their business. AI, you might say, wears many faces. One moment, it’s Big Brother watching your every move. The next, it’s R2D2 trying to save your life. I’m dramatizing, but you get the point. Now, apparently AI-enabled machines are learning to listen; so well, in fact, that advanced technology is able to decipher subtle tones, language variances and emotional nuances, virtually inaudible to the human ear. In so doing, it can determine the sentiment of the speaker. And that, says Walt Mayo, CEO of expert (dot) ai, can make a world of difference. Take the just concluded US Presidential race, for instance, Walt and his colleagues put their technology to the test and three weeks before the election, calculated that Joe Biden would receive 50.2% of the popular vote compared to 47.3% for Trump. It struck me as a bit of a marketing ploy at the time, and a risky one at that. Why would a tech company stick its neck out with this kind of prediction when every other major poll prior to the election had Biden trouncing Trump by at least an eight percent margin? The results are now official with Biden winning the popular vote by 51% to 47.2%. Yet, the real victor was AI. How did this relatively small tech company blow the doors off a phalanx of seasoned and highly certain professional pollsters? I asked Walt to join me in this episode to share his story and talk about the future of so-called “sentiment analysis” AI.  

What a difference an election makes. Or at least, that’s the hope. It’s as if the world has been holding its breath and now – after no shortage of political drama – Joe Biden has emerged as the new President of the United States. Why’s that important? Because the world is suffering – environmentally, socially, and economically. The US can’t change all that, but it does bode well for a new era of greater international cooperation. As the world’s second largest polluter and the single largest economy, the US is instrumental if any progress is to be made. It’s track record on the environment, however, is less than inspiring. When things got messy some 40 years ago, exporting the problem seemed like a good idea. From the 1980s onward, US industrialists sent their polluting problems overseas, with China as a favored destination. Trump’s four-year war on the environment hasn’t helped. What we’re left with is lost time and little action. Our planet has reached a breaking point. And thanks to a well-spring of activist investors and an increasingly well-informed consumer class, pressure is mounting for governments and companies alike to drive change or lose favor. In this episode of Inside Asia I speak with two global specialists in the field of ESG. That stands for Environment, Social, and Corporate Governance. It’s catching on – now more than ever – as our dance with disaster draws closer and the private sector being called upon to do more. Iain Donald is U.S. and Canada Country Manager for Control Risks. Silke Goldberg is a Partner with London-based law firm, Herbert Smith Freehills. They joined me in a recent live discussion organized by GetGlobal. If you’re a CEO, CFO or hold any C-suite position within your organization, this episode of Inside Asia is meant for you. Here’s our discussion.

When the influence of private capital exceeds that of a sovereign state, it raises an important question: Where does real power reside? Increasingly, it seems, money makes the world go round. At a time when stocks are over-valued, bond yields are flat, and property prices are inflated, private equity is where it’s at. Indeed, since the chaos of the 2008 Global Financial Crises, PE firms have only grown in size and influence. Asia has been a key beneficiary. And China – until recently – has absorbed the lion’s share of private capital. As and when US-China tensions subside, the surge is likely to continue In this week’s episode of Inside Asia, I speak to one of the PE industry giants - Weijian Shan, Chairman and CEO of PAG Group. Shan’s new book, Money Games: The Inside Story of How American Dealmakers Saved Korea’s Most Iconic Bank, is a tale on how deals get done in the convoluted world of big money and big personalities. It’s been over 20 years since Shan and his colleagues at Newbridge Capital landed in Seoul to rescue Korea First Bank, but he tells it like it happened only yesterday. The transaction is epic in both size and circumstance. But it also speaks to the central importance of developing personal trust and accountability to offset fears of xenophobia and big money exploitation. It also speaks to the enormity of PE as a vehicle for rescuing distressed businesses – a point not lost in these pandemic times.

After living in the shadow of Western-style development for the greater part of the last 200 years, China is in the throes of crafting it’s own vision of what it means to be a modern economic power. That doesn’t always sit well with other countries – and particularly the U.S. – a nation grown accustom to it’s hard-won hegemony.  China’s demonstration of its new-found strength is showing up in dozens of ways. Militarily, as in its testing of its territorial rights with India and in the South China Sea. Politically, as reflected in its imposition of new security laws in Hong Kong. And diplomatically, squaring off – as it were – with the US over issues relating to trade and technology transfer. The country is also investing in a series of longer-term strategies to ensure it’s economic and political rebound, in some cases, thinking well ahead of the curve, and ahead of other nations like the US, the UK, and Japan – all mired in their own set of domestic issues. In this week’s episode, we tackle China’a quest to deploy one of the world’s first comprehensive digital currencies. DCEP as the chosen acronym for China’s so-called Digital Currency Electronic Payment platform now under development and primed for piloting. What are digital currencies and why is China so enthusiastically pushing to convert its currency from a cash to a digital equivalent. Here to break it down for us on this episode of Inside Asia is Zennon Kapron, Founder and Director of Kapronasia, a fintech boutique strategy and research firm.

This is Steve Stine from Inside Asia. Just 45 days from today Americans will go to the polls and cast a vote for the next president of the United States. By all counts, this is proving one of the most essential electoral decisions in modern US history. The outcome will fundamentally change the course of America and the reverberations will be felt throughout the world. As Inside Asia listeners, I’m asking one of two things of you: If you’re an American living abroad, please register and vote. If you’re not a US citizen, reach out to your American friends and colleagues and ask them if they plan to vote. If they say “no” or “not sure,” please share with them the following. According to a 2018 Pew Research survey, only 55.7 percent of eligible US voters are registered to vote. By world standards, that’s shockingly low. Among the 32 OECD countries that support free and open elections, the US ranks 26th in terms of voter turnout. Rather than explore any number of socio-political reasons as to why this might be the case, let’s focus on what’s at stake. As a nation, the US – for better or for worse – has imprinted its political, cultural and economic DNA on the world. It’s shaped our current brand of global Capitalism by virtue of its strength, money, and ingenuity. Whether we like it or not, a half-century of US foreign policy has imposed itself on the current world order. Some might disagree, but I’d say the results are mixed at best. Economically, many might be better off today than they were decades ago, but social, political, and environmental strife persist, unabated. As Inside Asia listeners are well aware, the geopolitical balance is shifting. It’s a frustrating moment for a superpower in the throes of change and whether you agree with US leadership efforts or not, it’s impacting the way the world sees the country. While the days of US hegemony are fading, there’s still an important role to be played by a nation that’s left such an indelible imprint. It is, therefore, the responsibility - if not the obligation - of every American – at home and abroad - to exercise his or her inalienable right to vote. This is not a partisan plea. But rather a call to participate in mapping a future for a country at the crossroads. To my fellow American expats and to all those who support a role for America in the world, please don’t miss this chance to leave your mark on history. It’s not too late. Registering and voting from abroad is simple. Not sure how? Here’s a message from votefromabroad.org. For more information, visit www.votefromabroad.org. And as always, we thank you for listening.  

My guest in this Inside Asia episode is Adam Schwarz, Founder and CEO of Asia Group Advisors, a strategy and investment advisory firm operating across Southeast Asia. Adam and his firm have made it their business to understand the economic and geopolitical complexities that inhabit this part of the world. In this conversation, we unpack some of the challenges the region faces from the Coronavirus outbreak to the rising influence of its neighbor to the north – China. As my conversation with Adam reveals, investors are swarming, supply-chains are shifting, and confidence is mounting. The sub-region’s ability to weather and managed the Covid-19 crises will either make or break the rate of that ascendance. Much is yet to be seen. Politically, the US has distanced itself from the region for all the wrong reasons and at precisely the wrong time. US investors and multinationals operating in this part of the world aren’t happy about that. Layer in China’s ambitions and the fact that it is now the region’s largest trading partner and the possibility for one of two scenarios emerges. I start out by asking Adam to reflect on how less developed markets in the region were equipped to handle the outbreak of the Coronavirus.

My guest this episode is Frank Lavin, former Citibank executive, US Ambassador to Singapore, and the Founder and Chairman of ExportNow, a business designed to deliver US-brand products to China.  Frank and I spoke at the outset of the pandemic. Since then, things have grown worse. Markets are volatile, trade is disrupted, and cities the world over are in varying stages of lockdown. Our conversation is an attempt to pull back momentarily in order to reflect on some of the broader trends that inform Asia’s prospects in the medium- to long-term. How long the crises will continue is anyone’s guess. But make no mistake, the world will be forever changed because of it. Without becoming Covid-19 centric, we hope – in coming episodes - to touch on the virus’ impact. How will a post-Covid world re-balance global power? What’s the anticipated impact on consumer behavior? Will corporations find in this moment an opportunity to change its practices and adapt to a new set of rules? I hope you'll join us. If you haven't already, please subscribe to Inside Asia wherever you download and manage your podcasts. Or visit us at www.insideasiapodcast.com.

After John Gunther wrote Inside Europe, Inside Asia and Inside Latin America, all of them best sellers, most of us had little doubt what Gunther would write next. The only question was, which of the few continents left would he choose first. Hardly anyone, suspected that his next book would be a novel! Right now, two well-known critics join John K M McCaffrey, in a free and frank discussion of the new book, The Troubled Midnight, and the author has to act in their own defense... Starring: Gunther, Whit Burnett, Harry Hanson Broadcast Date: January 29, 1945 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dennis-moore9/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dennis-moore9/support

My guest this week is healthtech advisor, novelist, and lucid dreamer, Tony Estrella. We live in stressful times. Maybe not more stressful than times of yore when our ancestors lived in fear of war, famine, or plague. But a particular form of stress brought on by always-on technology, chaotic schedules, and data overload. Our brains and our bodies can only withstand so much. And to manage that edge, the modern-day worker employs alcohol, exercise, or pills to calm the nerves and relax the body. It’s problematic and if you haven’t figured it out already, what the body really needs is a mental holiday. Short of throwing away your personal technology and escaping to a remote island, there is a more practical solution, and it’s available to you every day at no cost. What am I talking about? Sleep. So it is in this episode of Inside Asia that I turned to health industry expert and investment advisor, Tony Estrella.

I have a very special guest this episode, our hundredth episode of Inside Asia! Anne Hockett is a healthcare professional and wellness advisor. She’s lived and operated across Asia for more than three decades and through her medical insight and devotion to the art of wellness, she offers a unique blend of Eastern and Western healing. In this week's conversation we discuss some of the apparent limitations of Western medicine and how the world is increasingly open to alternative methods. And we delve into the mind-body pattern and explore ways that story and metaphor help us detect and embrace our personal patterns of unwellness. Thousands have benefitted from her synthesis of knowledge, expertise and empathy. If I’m long-winded in my description and admiration for Anne, it’s due in part to the fact that she’s also my wife. I’ve had the benefit of watching her evolve as a practitioner and a human. Best of all, I’ve been on the receiving end of her love and support. 

Transcripthttps://actuaries.logicaldoc.cloud/download-ticket?ticketId=7df02de6-bf3d-481c-97f5-1ffe50a39af4David Whittle (Principal at Deloitte, Councillor of Actuaries Institute) and Matthew Maguire (Partner at NMG Financial Services Consulting, President of the Singapore Actuarial Society) discuss the General Insurance market in Asia.Discussion questions include;- What are the catastrophe risks within General Insurance and reinsurance in Asia?- What are the key considerations for insurers in Asia?- What are the insurance regulations in Asia and how has it unfolded?- Are capital requirements and accounting standards different in Asia compared to Australia? what are the characteristics of each?- How are actuaries in Singapore and the wider Asia area getting involved in Data Analytics?- How would you characterise pricing of insurance in terms of it's simplicity or complexity?- What is the future of actuaries and the profession in Asia?- What are the differences between the work an actuary does in Asia compared to Australia?About the Actuaries InstituteAs the sole professional body for Members in Australia and overseas, the Actuaries Institute represents the interests of the profession to government, business and the community. Actuaries assess risks through long-term analyses, modelling and scenario planning across a wide range of business problems. This unrivalled expertise enables the profession to comment on a range of business-related issues including enterprise risk management and prudential regulation, retirement income policy, finance and investment, general insurance, life insurance and health financing.Find out more about actuarieshttps://www.actuaries.asn.auFollow the Institute of Actuaries on our social channels;↳ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/792645/↳ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Actuaries-Institute/183337668450632↳ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ActuariesInst↳ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ActuariesInst↳ Spreaker: https://www.spreaker.com/user/actinst

Transcripthttps://actuaries.logicaldoc.cloud/download-ticket?ticketId=7df02de6-bf3d-481c-97f5-1ffe50a39af4David Whittle (Principal at Deloitte, Councillor of Actuaries Institute) and Matthew Maguire (Partner at NMG Financial Services Consulting, President of the Singapore Actuarial Society) discuss the General Insurance market in Asia.Discussion questions include;- What are the catastrophe risks within General Insurance and reinsurance in Asia?- What are the key considerations for insurers in Asia?- What are the insurance regulations in Asia and how has it unfolded?- Are capital requirements and accounting standards different in Asia compared to Australia? what are the characteristics of each?- How are actuaries in Singapore and the wider Asia area getting involved in Data Analytics?- How would you characterise pricing of insurance in terms of it's simplicity or complexity?- What is the future of actuaries and the profession in Asia?- What are the differences between the work an actuary does in Asia compared to Australia?About the Actuaries InstituteAs the sole professional body for Members in Australia and overseas, the Actuaries Institute represents the interests of the profession to government, business and the community. Actuaries assess risks through long-term analyses, modelling and scenario planning across a wide range of business problems. This unrivalled expertise enables the profession to comment on a range of business-related issues including enterprise risk management and prudential regulation, retirement income policy, finance and investment, general insurance, life insurance and health financing.Find out more about actuarieshttps://www.actuaries.asn.auFollow the Institute of Actuaries on our social channels;↳ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/792645/↳ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Actuaries-Institute/183337668450632↳ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ActuariesInst↳ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ActuariesInst↳ Spreaker: https://www.spreaker.com/user/actinst

This week’s guest is Raja Samu Samu VI of Maluku, the current Secretary General of the Association of Indonesian Rajas and Sultans - along with his public relations and project advisor, Rex Sumner. While the Raja’s role in Indonesia is largely – if not entirely- ceremonial - he has designs on brokering a new set of local-foreign partnerships to improve and showcase all that Indonesia has to offer. Agribusiness, sustainable farming, urban renewal and cottage industries are all initiatives receiving his time and attention. My encounter with the Raja made for a different kind of Inside Asia episode - a diversion from our normal fare, but still fabric to the story we call Asia.

Steve Stine is a former Wall Street Journal correspondent and 30-year Asia Veteran. He shares the story of how, because of an unexpected twist of fate, he ended up in Hong Kong flat broke, and had to hustle to build a new life for himself in Asia. We also discuss the rise of Asia vs the west and speculate where the current economic trends will lead us over the next few decades. And of course Steve tells us about the time a 16 ft python decided to permanently move into his bedroom. We don’t mean to dwell on this, but : • Sometimes even a tiny umbrella won’t save you • Hitting rock-bottom gives you license to hustle • Magic happens on the other side of a private-jet flight towards an undisclosed location • Trees are good. Climate change is bad. Screw it, let’s plant a tree • Oprah’s the future, you heard it here first! Check out Steve’s amazing podcast “Inside Asia”, in which he hosts conversations with Asia’s movers, shakers, thinkers and provocateurs : http://www.insideasiapodcast.com

Discover more tech podcasts like this: Tech Podcast Asia. Produced by Pikkal & Co - Award Winning Podcast Agency. "If I studied Asia, I needed to be in Asia" - Steve Stine, sums up his innate "need" rather than just a desire to be in China with this one line. We find out from Steve about the extraordinary circumstances which brought him to Asia, learn about his passion for journalism, writing, personal interviews and above all else his love for story telling. We also discuss his podcast "Inside Asia", how he chooses his guests and much more. Listen to the full podcast here.

"If I studied Asia, I needed to be in Asia" - Steve Stine, sums up his innate "need" rather than just a desire to be in China with this one line. We find out from Steve about the extraordinary circumstances which brought him to Asia, learn about his passion for journalism, writing, personal interviews and above all else his love for story telling. We also discuss his podcast "Inside Asia", how he chooses his guests and much more. Listen to the full podcast here and do like/share our content if you enjoyed the show.

"If I studied Asia, I needed to be in Asia" - Steve Stine, sums up his innate "need" rather than just a desire to be in China with this one line. We find out from Steve about the extraordinary circumstances which brought him to Asia, learn about his passion for journalism, writing, personal interviews and above all else his love for story telling. We also discuss his podcast "Inside Asia", how he chooses his guests and much more. Listen to the full podcast here and do like/share our content if you enjoyed the show.

Tuan Ming, Head of ASEAN, China, HK and India Regions at Gen Re (for Life & Health), travels extensively for work and he joins Elayne on the inaugural ‘Inside Asia’ to discuss life, career and advice for actuaries.This is the first instalment in our ‘Inside Asia’ podcast series which aims to explore the experiences of actuaries working in Asia or moving between the Australian and Asian markets. The second instalment on the booming online insurance market in China is here.What do you do in your current role and what does it involve in terms of travelling between Asia and Australia?I manage the Life and Health reinsurance business of Gen Re across China, HK, South East Asia countries and India. I travel extensively to all these countries and it is my first trip back to Sydney in 12 years’ time. So I do not travel to Australia extensively. I cover half of the world’s population. There are a lot of emerging markets in these areas, I get the opportunity to see new things and what is happening in different markets.The China market is unique - unique in its language, culture, regulatory environment, and approach to innovation. How does it differ to Australia in terms of these things?The Reinsurance industry has grown significantly over the last 20 years, the market has grown into a total value of over 300 billion CNY in 2016. One of the changes over the years has been that consumer awareness of insurance needs has increased significantly. The Chinese consumer probably did not know much about insurance products 15 years ago. Nowadays, they know the need for protections, long term saving and investment. Moreover, they are more willing to try, buy and to experience insurance services and products. The industry has been growing to about 20% over the last 20 years. It is currently the second largest market in the world and insurance penetration remains very low. I could imagine that the market will grow into the largest insurance market in the world in the future. The current growth is happening in the era where technology is already very advanced. There is a lot more pressure and motivation to create innovative products and services for the consumers. Therefore, the insurance industry is determined to advance in their operation, underwriting and customer service. They are developing new products to cover different needs. Some of them may not be seen as insurance products, but there will be insurance elements in it.For example, in the general insurance industry, shipping return insurance has been one of the products becoming very popular. The Chinese consumers like to buy online and they would have to pay for the cost for the shipping to return the product if they don’t like the products. Now, they could buy the policy which last for a few days for a very small premium amount. The insurance company will cover the cost of sending the product back.What about the Life and Health Insurance industry? It is also growing very quickly as well. The Health care industry in China is just started to develop now. The insurance industry is slowly finding its foothold to offer the insurance protection to the consumers and they can afford the ever-increasing health care cost.Can you share with us a bit about your personal story of first coming to Australia and how you became an Actuary?I am from Malaysia, which is always in a friendly relationship with Australia. I came to do my Year 12 when my parent decided to send me to here to study University. I learned about the Actuarial professional in Year 12 from my English teacher, who encouraged me to consider this profession. As I like Maths, I decided to give it a try and went to Melbourne University for the Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Actuarial Studies.What would be your advice to help Actuaries wanting to make a move to China be better equipped?The employment for foreigners in China is not an easy process. If you are thinking about going to Asia, Singapore and Hong Kong are the two more obvious choices. If you are keen to participate and move to the China market, the best path is through the consulting companies. China does have a huge supply of actuaries and actuarial students. In my early days in Shanghai, the Chinese insurance companies used to recruit from overseas for experienced people. With many Fellows and Associates and a huge supply of talents locally, foreign actuaries will have to prove the type of skillsets, knowledge and experience that they can bring into the insurance industry. For this reason, these opportunities are more limited to the senior positions in China.To be able to speak and write Chinese is important, not crucial. More importantly, it is the readiness to see how things can work and be done differently and recognise the cultural differences.[You need] to have an open mind and the willingness to contribute by sharing your own experience.How does insurance differ in Australia compared to Asia generally speaking?There are significant differences, many Asia countries still sell the traditional whole of life endowment products, with interest rate guarantee and mortality and mobility rates guarantee, whereas such products are extinct in Australia. In fact, these pose challenges for the Institute to make the education relevant for these Asian based actuaries. If they want to find out how to do reserving and risk management for endowment product with significant guarantee, the Institute will have to provide such education so that what they learn is relevant.What do you predict for the actuarial profession in the China market over the next 10 years? What challenges do actuaries ace to remain relevant?The profession in China is still at a developing stage, almost all members are involved in insurance industry: Life, Health and General Insurance. There are more opportunities now however, for actuaries to move into different practice areas. For the traditional areas of insurance, we are facing the competition from Data Scientist and Analysts. This is an area which we need to continue to equip and upgrade our skills to be able to compete effectively.In China, there are more young actuaries attracted to such new areas. This is another challenge for the profession: how to keep them, so they see how they can contribute to the profession and how the professional body can contribute to their self-development for the long term.How can we as the Actuaries Institute in Australia better collaborate with Asian actuarial associations?Australia has a very close relationship with many Asia countries, there are many Asian students come to Australia to study. This is the greatest asset: to keep the relationship going and to encourage them to continue to pursue the Australian qualification. Many of them have built a lot of goodwill when they studied in Australia. We can make our profession relevant to them for their development and recognition, so that they are willing to continue to be our members. Many Asian counties have their own professional bodies, but those bodies do not have all the skills or resources to provide the Education. The Institute can play a greater role in helping the Universities and professional bodies in Asia, especially in the emerging market to develop their actuarial profession.

Tuan Ming and Elayne Grace discuss the rapid growth of online insurance in Asia and the Chinese appetite for product innovation and business opportunities in this area.This is the second instalment in our ‘Inside Asia’ podcast series which aims to explore the experiences of actuaries working in Asia or moving between the Australian and Asian markets.On 27 August 2018, Elayne Grace, CEO of the Actuaries Institute, and Tuan Ming, Head of ASEAN, China, HK and India Regions at Gen Re (for Life & Health), met in Sydney to discuss what some of the innovative Chinese insurance market players are up to.The Chinese appetite for new forms of online insurance – both among internet giants like Alibaba, and traditional insurance players ­– is generating many examples of innovation in the insurance industry.China is the world’s second largest insurance market and growing fast. As someone who’s been working in Asia for over 20 years, Tuan has witnessed how the Chinese market has changed. “It is just unimaginable, from a small market, [it’s] grown to become the second largest market in the world. I feel that it is a privilege to be part of the industry [that] contributed to the growth. And we are seeing that the industry is delivering the real insurance and protection insurance to the Chinese consumers,” said Tuan.Alibaba earned 168 billion yuan (or US 25 billion) in 24 hours of the ‘Double 11 shopping Festival’ in 2017. On the same day, over 600 million policies of Shipping return insurance were sold. This is a world record for number of transactions of a single product line in a single day.The first online-only insurance company launched in China in 2013 - Zhong An. Several others have opened since. Tuan described how such companies are leading the way in terms of product innovation and creating new business opportunities.“They are property and casualty insurance companies and can only sell and distribute their products online. That gave them the extra motivation to do well. They sell a lot of shipping insurance policies for the Chinese consumers who buy their products online. Some of the other products that are becoming popular are, mobile phone screen insurance protection and flight delay insurance is becoming very popular,” said Tuan“This first retrocession for Life & Health industry appeared in 2016 when Zhong An had a successful medical insurance product which we co-develop with them.”Shipping return insurance has been a major premium generator for Zhong An. In 2014 it contributed 77% of total premium, but two years later that decreased to 35%, due to market competition and the development of other product lines.The online insurance market – with its lack of regulation and structure also poses threats to consumer needs and to insurers. Ping An Group – a traditional insurance and financial powerhouse in Asia - has invested billions in FinTech and HealthTech. Last year, it announced the launch of:Ping An Life - an AI Customer Service to solve the problems of slow identification and slow claim process; andPing An Health – an “AI Doctor” that accumulates millions of online diagnoses data for use in online medical pre-diagnosis, triage and consultation.Ping An’s transformation to a technology-driven enterprise reflects that the core of insurance is not just the products, but more about the services to people.“Ping On is increasing the interaction with its customer. For example, the customer can use the app to access some basic medical information or even be buying some basic medical equipment online. It has also developed to a stage where some of the basic medical advice can be provided online as well. By that, Ping On is trying to position itself not only as an insurance company, but also as a health management partner of their consumers.”“Ping An also triggered other insurance company to innovate as well. The insurance industry [does not only] react to a disaster, an accident or sickness happening to a customer. It [wants to] become an industry [that asks] ‘how can we help our customers to live healthily?’. Some of the new products in China will incorporate some incentive for the policyholders to live healthy and get rewarded by doing so,” said Tuan. Alibaba is taking advantage of its deep understanding of its large online consumer database. Last year it offered one year’s free coverage of critical illness insurance - with no medical examination or waiting period. 13 million Alipay users reportedly activated the insurance within 20 days of its launch – simply with two clicks on a mobile app. An online community forum with experts has since been set up to help educate internet users (especially those new to insurance).“Alibaba was the first one to make the move. When the customers click and accept the insurance coverage, Alibaba have access to information on which statement of the customers are more interested in buying insurance cover. This gives them the ability to upsell the product,” explained Tuan.There is clearly appetite among Chinese consumers to embrace new online forms of insurance. Tencent joined the industry slightly later to take advantage of this market.WeChat has been used extensively by all the insurance companies to sell products online, however, Tencent, after setting up its own online broker in November 2017, has become very active in distributing medical insurance products and personal accident products to their huge base of WeChat customers.WeChat was developed by Tencent. It was first released in 2011, and by 2018 WeChat was one of the world's largest standalone mobile apps, with over 1 billion monthly active users (902 million daily active users).In China, you can’t live without WeChat, which is an equivalent of a WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter.“It also has other services, one of the most important one is a WeChat Pay, that allows commerce to flourish on the WeChat platform. For customers to buy insurance products, payment is no longer an issue - they can pay and receive claim payment easily on WeChat Pay,” said Tuan.The huge population in the China market allows the insurance industry to focus on different target segments and reach a group of consumers who are more interested in readily buying insurance cover.Instead of asking the consumer for their health information, insurers have a basic understanding of the consumer and are able to design and market the most suitable product to them. Some of these data insights have been applied to underwriting as well, but to a lesser extent. Data privacy is still a major issue in China. But that’s a topic for another podcast.Actuaries Institute members can subscribe to the “Inside Asia” E-Newsletter for regular updates on Australian and Asian actuarial news and views and to keep up to date with the latest ‘Inside Asia’ articles and podcasts from the Actuaries Institute.

Tuan Ming, Head of ASEAN, China, HK and India Regions at Gen Re (for Life & Health), travels extensively for work and he joins Elayne on the inaugural ‘Inside Asia’ to discuss life, career and advice for actuaries.This is the first instalment in our ‘Inside Asia’ podcast series which aims to explore the experiences of actuaries working in Asia or moving between the Australian and Asian markets. The second instalment on the booming online insurance market in China is here.What do you do in your current role and what does it involve in terms of travelling between Asia and Australia?I manage the Life and Health reinsurance business of Gen Re across China, HK, South East Asia countries and India. I travel extensively to all these countries and it is my first trip back to Sydney in 12 years’ time. So I do not travel to Australia extensively. I cover half of the world’s population. There are a lot of emerging markets in these areas, I get the opportunity to see new things and what is happening in different markets.The China market is unique - unique in its language, culture, regulatory environment, and approach to innovation. How does it differ to Australia in terms of these things?The Reinsurance industry has grown significantly over the last 20 years, the market has grown into a total value of over 300 billion CNY in 2016. One of the changes over the years has been that consumer awareness of insurance needs has increased significantly. The Chinese consumer probably did not know much about insurance products 15 years ago. Nowadays, they know the need for protections, long term saving and investment. Moreover, they are more willing to try, buy and to experience insurance services and products. The industry has been growing to about 20% over the last 20 years. It is currently the second largest market in the world and insurance penetration remains very low. I could imagine that the market will grow into the largest insurance market in the world in the future. The current growth is happening in the era where technology is already very advanced. There is a lot more pressure and motivation to create innovative products and services for the consumers. Therefore, the insurance industry is determined to advance in their operation, underwriting and customer service. They are developing new products to cover different needs. Some of them may not be seen as insurance products, but there will be insurance elements in it.For example, in the general insurance industry, shipping return insurance has been one of the products becoming very popular. The Chinese consumers like to buy online and they would have to pay for the cost for the shipping to return the product if they don’t like the products. Now, they could buy the policy which last for a few days for a very small premium amount. The insurance company will cover the cost of sending the product back.What about the Life and Health Insurance industry? It is also growing very quickly as well. The Health care industry in China is just started to develop now. The insurance industry is slowly finding its foothold to offer the insurance protection to the consumers and they can afford the ever-increasing health care cost.Can you share with us a bit about your personal story of first coming to Australia and how you became an Actuary?I am from Malaysia, which is always in a friendly relationship with Australia. I came to do my Year 12 when my parent decided to send me to here to study University. I learned about the Actuarial professional in Year 12 from my English teacher, who encouraged me to consider this profession. As I like Maths, I decided to give it a try and went to Melbourne University for the Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Actuarial Studies.What would be your advice to help Actuaries wanting to make a move to China be better equipped?The employment for foreigners in China is not an easy process. If you are thinking about going to Asia, Singapore and Hong Kong are the two more obvious choices. If you are keen to participate and move to the China market, the best path is through the consulting companies. China does have a huge supply of actuaries and actuarial students. In my early days in Shanghai, the Chinese insurance companies used to recruit from overseas for experienced people. With many Fellows and Associates and a huge supply of talents locally, foreign actuaries will have to prove the type of skillsets, knowledge and experience that they can bring into the insurance industry. For this reason, these opportunities are more limited to the senior positions in China.To be able to speak and write Chinese is important, not crucial. More importantly, it is the readiness to see how things can work and be done differently and recognise the cultural differences.[You need] to have an open mind and the willingness to contribute by sharing your own experience.How does insurance differ in Australia compared to Asia generally speaking?There are significant differences, many Asia countries still sell the traditional whole of life endowment products, with interest rate guarantee and mortality and mobility rates guarantee, whereas such products are extinct in Australia. In fact, these pose challenges for the Institute to make the education relevant for these Asian based actuaries. If they want to find out how to do reserving and risk management for endowment product with significant guarantee, the Institute will have to provide such education so that what they learn is relevant.What do you predict for the actuarial profession in the China market over the next 10 years? What challenges do actuaries ace to remain relevant?The profession in China is still at a developing stage, almost all members are involved in insurance industry: Life, Health and General Insurance. There are more opportunities now however, for actuaries to move into different practice areas. For the traditional areas of insurance, we are facing the competition from Data Scientist and Analysts. This is an area which we need to continue to equip and upgrade our skills to be able to compete effectively.In China, there are more young actuaries attracted to such new areas. This is another challenge for the profession: how to keep them, so they see how they can contribute to the profession and how the professional body can contribute to their self-development for the long term.How can we as the Actuaries Institute in Australia better collaborate with Asian actuarial associations?Australia has a very close relationship with many Asia countries, there are many Asian students come to Australia to study. This is the greatest asset: to keep the relationship going and to encourage them to continue to pursue the Australian qualification. Many of them have built a lot of goodwill when they studied in Australia. We can make our profession relevant to them for their development and recognition, so that they are willing to continue to be our members. Many Asian counties have their own professional bodies, but those bodies do not have all the skills or resources to provide the Education. The Institute can play a greater role in helping the Universities and professional bodies in Asia, especially in the emerging market to develop their actuarial profession.

Tuan Ming and Elayne Grace discuss the rapid growth of online insurance in Asia and the Chinese appetite for product innovation and business opportunities in this area.This is the second instalment in our ‘Inside Asia’ podcast series which aims to explore the experiences of actuaries working in Asia or moving between the Australian and Asian markets.On 27 August 2018, Elayne Grace, CEO of the Actuaries Institute, and Tuan Ming, Head of ASEAN, China, HK and India Regions at Gen Re (for Life & Health), met in Sydney to discuss what some of the innovative Chinese insurance market players are up to.The Chinese appetite for new forms of online insurance – both among internet giants like Alibaba, and traditional insurance players ­– is generating many examples of innovation in the insurance industry.China is the world’s second largest insurance market and growing fast. As someone who’s been working in Asia for over 20 years, Tuan has witnessed how the Chinese market has changed. “It is just unimaginable, from a small market, [it’s] grown to become the second largest market in the world. I feel that it is a privilege to be part of the industry [that] contributed to the growth. And we are seeing that the industry is delivering the real insurance and protection insurance to the Chinese consumers,” said Tuan.Alibaba earned 168 billion yuan (or US 25 billion) in 24 hours of the ‘Double 11 shopping Festival’ in 2017. On the same day, over 600 million policies of Shipping return insurance were sold. This is a world record for number of transactions of a single product line in a single day.The first online-only insurance company launched in China in 2013 - Zhong An. Several others have opened since. Tuan described how such companies are leading the way in terms of product innovation and creating new business opportunities.“They are property and casualty insurance companies and can only sell and distribute their products online. That gave them the extra motivation to do well. They sell a lot of shipping insurance policies for the Chinese consumers who buy their products online. Some of the other products that are becoming popular are, mobile phone screen insurance protection and flight delay insurance is becoming very popular,” said Tuan“This first retrocession for Life & Health industry appeared in 2016 when Zhong An had a successful medical insurance product which we co-develop with them.”Shipping return insurance has been a major premium generator for Zhong An. In 2014 it contributed 77% of total premium, but two years later that decreased to 35%, due to market competition and the development of other product lines.The online insurance market – with its lack of regulation and structure also poses threats to consumer needs and to insurers. Ping An Group – a traditional insurance and financial powerhouse in Asia - has invested billions in FinTech and HealthTech. Last year, it announced the launch of:Ping An Life - an AI Customer Service to solve the problems of slow identification and slow claim process; andPing An Health – an “AI Doctor” that accumulates millions of online diagnoses data for use in online medical pre-diagnosis, triage and consultation.Ping An’s transformation to a technology-driven enterprise reflects that the core of insurance is not just the products, but more about the services to people.“Ping On is increasing the interaction with its customer. For example, the customer can use the app to access some basic medical information or even be buying some basic medical equipment online. It has also developed to a stage where some of the basic medical advice can be provided online as well. By that, Ping On is trying to position itself not only as an insurance company, but also as a health management partner of their consumers.”“Ping An also triggered other insurance company to innovate as well. The insurance industry [does not only] react to a disaster, an accident or sickness happening to a customer. It [wants to] become an industry [that asks] ‘how can we help our customers to live healthily?’. Some of the new products in China will incorporate some incentive for the policyholders to live healthy and get rewarded by doing so,” said Tuan. Alibaba is taking advantage of its deep understanding of its large online consumer database. Last year it offered one year’s free coverage of critical illness insurance - with no medical examination or waiting period. 13 million Alipay users reportedly activated the insurance within 20 days of its launch – simply with two clicks on a mobile app. An online community forum with experts has since been set up to help educate internet users (especially those new to insurance).“Alibaba was the first one to make the move. When the customers click and accept the insurance coverage, Alibaba have access to information on which statement of the customers are more interested in buying insurance cover. This gives them the ability to upsell the product,” explained Tuan.There is clearly appetite among Chinese consumers to embrace new online forms of insurance. Tencent joined the industry slightly later to take advantage of this market.WeChat has been used extensively by all the insurance companies to sell products online, however, Tencent, after setting up its own online broker in November 2017, has become very active in distributing medical insurance products and personal accident products to their huge base of WeChat customers.WeChat was developed by Tencent. It was first released in 2011, and by 2018 WeChat was one of the world's largest standalone mobile apps, with over 1 billion monthly active users (902 million daily active users).In China, you can’t live without WeChat, which is an equivalent of a WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter.“It also has other services, one of the most important one is a WeChat Pay, that allows commerce to flourish on the WeChat platform. For customers to buy insurance products, payment is no longer an issue - they can pay and receive claim payment easily on WeChat Pay,” said Tuan.The huge population in the China market allows the insurance industry to focus on different target segments and reach a group of consumers who are more interested in readily buying insurance cover.Instead of asking the consumer for their health information, insurers have a basic understanding of the consumer and are able to design and market the most suitable product to them. Some of these data insights have been applied to underwriting as well, but to a lesser extent. Data privacy is still a major issue in China. But that’s a topic for another podcast.Actuaries Institute members can subscribe to the “Inside Asia” E-Newsletter for regular updates on Australian and Asian actuarial news and views and to keep up to date with the latest ‘Inside Asia’ articles and podcasts from the Actuaries Institute.

Longtime listeners of the Inside Asia podcast will know this is not documentary filmmaker Thomas Morgan’s first appearance on the program. About a year ago I sat with him on a roof-top bar in Singapore’s trendy Club Street district while he was in the throes of completing a film he wasn’t sure he’d be able to get finished. That film was Soufra—the tale of a Palestinian entrepreneur and refugee living in Beirut who builds a better life through a business run out of the back of a food truck. And yes, it did get finished after all. This episode begins with Thomas filling us in about the rest of this remarkable story.   I then turn to discussing Crazy Rich Asians. The movie, that is. Box offices receipts have blown past the $100 million mark and show no sign of slowing. For Hollywood’s first all-Asian cast film, that’s a major accomplishment and signifies a recognition that Asia-focused films are here to stay. Gaining global recognition has been a four-decade endeavor for the Asia film industry. The story we’ve been telling over the last year and a half of Inside Asia is one about the way in which people are slowly—and often out of necessity—changing the way they think about Asia. Tech innovation, AI, healthcare innovation, e-marketing, mobile payments, robotics, you name it…the days when innovation was understood to move from west to east are over. Crazy Rich Asians is one more addition to this chapter in that story. The film’s ambitions – like those of Asia at large – are global, not local. Thomas Morgan tells us this shouldn’t come as a surprise. As always, thanks for listening.

Most of our listeners will have already heard about the Singapore Hospital Hack. A brief refresher: at some point on the 27th of June, the Singaporean healthcare database was breached in what is being described by the Singaporean government as a “deliberate, targeted, and well-planned” cyberattack. The health records of at least1.5 million people were compromised, including that of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong—whose information seems to have been targeted. Though none of the information was altered the hackers had access to the system for about a week, during which they exflitrated crucial data on outpatient-dispensed medications. How did this happen? Who’s behind it? To get some perspective on this we turned to two key members of the Inside Asia brain trust. The first is Mack Banner, who recently retired from four decades of running hospitals in Singapore. The second is Mikko Niemela, Founder of the Cyber Attack Company Silverskin, President & CEO of the Cyber Threat Intelligence Company Kinkayo and author of Anatomy of a Cyberattack. We don’t have all of the information yet, not by a long shot. But one thing is certain, and that is that we are going to see more of it in the future. Are you ready? As always, thanks for listening.

This is our “Center Yourself” episode. I know what you’re thinking. You didn’t come here for meditation. You came for fresh perspectives on the region. You came for the stories and conversation. You did not come here to meditate. But if you’re like millions of others out there—stressed out from keeping dozens of balls in the air, from never having enough time, haunted by the feeling you’re always coming up short—you’re not at your best. Whether you’re an executive, a digital nomad, or a entrepreneur looking to get a startup off the ground, you know how difficult it is to shut down at midnight and pick it back up again at 6:00 the next morning. Or do you shut down at all. We’re willing to bet most of you check your phone over 500 times a day. It’s hard to keep up and keep it together. It’s not just one of those days, it’s one of those lives. Meditation, maybe, can help bring it all into perspective. And as CEOs around the globe are finding, it’s a practice that produces results. That’s why we wanted to make sure it was part of Inside Asia. My guest this episode is Toby Ouvry, one of the best in the business when it comes to guiding people through and toward meditation and mindfulness. He spent five years as a Buddhist monk within the Tibetan order —a journey that brought him to Singapore. He left life as a monk, but didn’t leave meditation. Instead, he established a practice for layman looking for relief. Today, he runs mindfulness programs for MBAs at the INSEAD School of Business, and helps a wide range of clients that hail from corporations, government and NGOs. In recent years, meditation has become quite trendy, but Toby was on the path well long before this, advocating the benefits and guiding people through it. As always, thanks for listening and please join the conversation. Leave us a review on iTunes and tell us your story. How’s meditation changed your life? How do you work it into your schedule? What tips can you share with our listeners?

Asia Society Museum's Melissa Chiu offers insights into the exhibition Iran Modern, on view at Asia Society Museum in New York City through January 5, 2014. (3 min., 23 sec.)

Intra-regional finesse is a necessity not a luxury when it comes to doing business in the many markets of the Asia-Pacific, as leading suppliers Chr Hansen and Danisco relayed at the recent Vitafoods Asia trade show in Hong Kong.

Intra-regional finesse is a necessity not a luxury when it comes to doing business in the many markets of the Asia-Pacific, as leading suppliers Chr Hansen and Danisco relayed at the recent Vitafoods Asia trade show in Hong Kong.