Everything You Need to Book David

David Thomas has spent 30 years working deals across Asia-Pacific, from the Hong Kong transition to the modern ASEAN boom. Based in SE Asia, he’s the author of Three Cups of Tea and creator of the North-South Corridor framework, represented by Chartwell Speakers, London Speaker Bureau, Speakers Associates and Ovations.

David Thomas has spent 30 years working deals across Asia-Pacific, from the Hong Kong transition to the modern ASEAN boom. Based in SE Asia, he works inside the region rather than observing it from a Western desk, which is why his most recent bookings have come from a Beijing law firm (300 senior lawyers, on strategic rebalancing) and a UAE government delegation (energy security and supply chain resilience), not corporate event calendars.

He’s the author of Three Cups of Tea, the trust-building framework behind one of his signature keynotes, and creator of the North-South Corridor framework, the thesis that the region’s growth now runs North to South, not East to West. He’s a Cyberport Global Ambassador and has spoken for Telstra, Deloitte, Westpac, DHL and BT Financial. He’s represented by Chartwell Speakers, London Speaker Bureau, Speakers Associates and Ovations, and was featured in Chartwell’s APAC speaker lineup alongside names like Kishore Mahbubani.

David Thomas has spent 30 years working deals across Asia-Pacific, from the Hong Kong transition to the modern ASEAN boom. Based in SE Asia, he’s spent the past two years living and working directly inside the region, facilitating cross-border deals and introductions rather than commenting on the region from a Western desk.

That coal-face positioning is exactly what’s driving his most recent bookings. A Beijing law firm brought 300 senior lawyers together to hear him speak on strategic rebalancing. A UAE government delegation brought him in to address energy security, supply chain resilience and the safety of strategic waterways. Neither audience wanted a commentator, they wanted someone who’d actually been in the room where these shifts are decided.

David is the author of Three Cups of Tea, his own named framework for how trust is actually built in Asia, built on the Stranger, Friend, Family trust sequence. He’s also the creator of The Nine Bend Bridge, drawn from the real Nine-Turn Bridge at Shanghai’s Yu Garden, and of the North-South Corridor framework, his thesis that the region’s growth, trade and trust now run vertically, from Mainland China through ASEAN to Australia and New Zealand, rather than along the old East-West axis.

He’s a Cyberport Global Ambassador, and has spoken for blue-chip organisations including Telstra, Deloitte, Westpac, DHL and BT Financial. He was the opening keynote speaker at Deloitte’s Danish CFO Agenda conference in Copenhagen, addressing 200 CFOs and finance leaders. He’s represented by four international speaker bureaus, Chartwell Speakers, London Speaker Bureau, Speakers Associates and Ovations, including a featured spot in Chartwell’s APAC lineup alongside names like ASEAN expert Kishore Mahbubani.