Me versus We
Why the Squeaky Door gets Replaced….
From an early age, I was taught that the squeaky door is the one that gets the oil. This is typical western thinking. We’re raised to be soloists – standing out, grabbing the spotlight, speaking with confidence and getting the deal done in record time (preferably before lunchtime!) But as soon as you step into […]
The New North-South Corridor
A Fresh Approach for Entrepreneurs and Investors….
For as long as I can remember, we’ve referred to the relationship between ‘East and West’ as the answer to everything, including new food recipes, innovative fashion designs and even maintaining world peace. When I was a young boy growing up in suburban London, my Father travelled to what was then referred to as the […]
Turning Left
Leave the old rule book at home….
One of the first of many mysteries you encounter when moving to SE Asia (especially here in the Philippines) is the traffic. For a westerner used to driving in places like Sydney, London and even Hong Kong, it seems like total chaos. You wonder how on earth anyone gets anywhere! Before long, the traffic becomes […]
Strategy v Execution in SE Asia
Execution is harder than it looks….
It’s wonderful to see all of the recent attention and interest in South East Asia and ASEAN. When I moved to the Philippines last year, I didn’t expect to find myself in the centre of the region which has become the subject of so much attention (events, conferences, missions, podcasts and Government reports – see Invested: […]
‘Going Out’ becomes ‘Going In’
I’m not the only one thinking that a major trend for the next decade or more will be “Chinese companies going global”. Especially in technology. If so, they will need to heed the advice in this week’s SCMP: For Chinese firms going out, global success requires truly ‘going in’. The article makes a number of […]
Are we ready for SE Asia?
Sorry for my recent silence. Many of you will know that I moved from Sydney to the Philippines last year and have been taking some time to work out where I can add most value. I am still working hard to maintain and grow my China-Hong Kong-Australia ‘bridge’ (including my role as Global Ambassador: Australia […]
The Writing On The Wall
I am sure that, like me, you are coming to terms with the impact of a Trump landslide. It seems we all missed something about the plight of American voters and now it’s become clear that they wanted real, significant and sustainable change. It’s easy to think it was (yet another) aberration but the writing […]
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DAIGOU
It seems only yesterday that everyone was talking about the e-commerce market in China. Alibaba’s name was becoming ubiquitous, new marketing agencies were springing up everywhere, the ‘Daigou market’ was booming (remember the queues in Chemist Warehouse?), AuMake was listing on the ASX, and Australian health supplements, milk powder and skincare products were flying off […]
The Future for Australia is ASEAN
A decade is a reasonable period of time for true reflection and learning, so let’s think back to 2014 and review what happened to Australia’s Asian engagement strategy over the past 10 years: In November 2014, after many years of patient and complex negotiation, Australia and China signed a Declaration of Intent to formalise the […]
The Global South
If you haven’t heard of the term “Global South” before, this would be a good moment to give it some attention. 88% of the world’s population live in the countries highlighted in red on the map below, in the main comprising the people and political leaders of Asia, Africa and Latin America. This group has […]