Most Asia Strategies Are Out of Date
Boards get stuck on the headlines — tariffs, tensions, how much to pull back from China. Meanwhile, the real movement of money and trade across the region goes unnoticed.
Asia’s Biggest Opportunity Isn’t Where You’re Looking
For thirty years, David Thomas has worked the North-South Corridor, from China through Southeast Asia to Australia and still closes deals there. Put him on your stage, and your audience can tell the difference.

Trusted by
Boards get stuck on the headlines — tariffs, tensions, how much to pull back from China. Meanwhile, the real movement of money and trade across the region goes unnoticed.
It’s not flowing East to West anymore. It’s moving north to south, from China down through Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, all the way to Australia and New Zealand.
This stretch of the world is one of the fastest-growing economic regions on earth, and most company plans still leave it off the map entirely.
Not a reporter, not an outsider. Someone who knows the right people and does business in these markets every day. David has spent thirty years on this route, and lives on it, in the heart of SE Asia.
Speaking Topics
The growth, trust and trade story of the next decade runs North to South, not East to West. Four keynotes, each one a different way into that read.

The big shift most boards are missing: money, trade, and talent are moving north to south, from China through Southeast Asia to Australia. David maps where it’s headed and what it means for your audience.

The rules of doing business in Asia. Trust comes first, always, and it’s built in a set order: stranger, friend, family. David shows why deals stall when you skip it.

Getting into Asian markets is never a straight line. David uses an old Shanghai bridge as his model for the bends every deal takes, and why each one should pay off along the way.

AI isn’t just a technology story, it’s a contest over power. David shows how control of chips, data, and energy is reshaping business across the region, updated every time he speaks.
The Promise
Working with David isn’t a long climb toward one reward at the end. Every step gives you something you can use now, a relationship opened, a market read you didn’t have, a door unlocked. Progress you can feel from the first conversation.

In Their Words
“I’m not an academic or a commentator. I live and work in the region.”David has spent thirty years working inside Asia’s markets, from Hong Kong through the ASEAN boom, and across London, China, Sydney and now the heart of SE Asia, where he lives today. He isn’t reporting on the region from a distance. He’s still doing deals in it, which is exactly why his read on Asia is current, not last decade’s.
Ho Chi Minh City
“In a room full of experienced operators, David had people leaning in — not an easy thing to do.”
The Process
You bring the event. David brings the insider’s read.
Share your event date, format, and audience. We’ll confirm live availability and send a clear fee sheet ahead of time.
We map the specific regional decisions facing your room, tailoring the briefing so your audience gets a fresh, relevant read.
Your audience walks away with the corrected map of Asia-Pacific.
Book David Thomas
Give your audience thirty years on the ground in Asia, first-hand, current, and impossible to get anywhere else.
Book a Discovery Call