Episodes

  • OC20: Career Lifelines with Dr. Jovina Ang

    OC20: Career Lifelines with Dr. Jovina Ang
    Sep 21 2020
    Dr. Jovina Ang is a hugely successful corporate leader and has worked for multiple Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft, Dell and Cisco Systems. Throughout her career she has been interested in evaluating the contributors to career success and she studied this topic academically for her Ph.D. Jovina has also spoken widely and written a book about the importance of career lifelines; what are they? Why they are so important for establishing a successful career and how do you go about in developing them? Jovina began our conversation by describing the difference between a career sponsor, a mentor and a coach. All are important but there is a hierarchy and the real career lifeline is the sponsor because they will advocate for you and take active steps to propel you forward. A sponsor is vested in your success. Building relationships is a key skill in any occupation and for those not keen on networking it is especially important to build a strong relationship with a line manager. Part of this relationship includes being prepared to discuss career aspirations. The magic of asking for help and establishing a clear career pathway is a huge step forward. There are a few key reasons why people take the step of becoming a career sponsor; some do it to give back; some to cement their own position and some because it makes them feel better. However, in order to benefit from a sponsor's vital career lifeline the sponsee must engage and be prepared to be an active partner and above all deliver in their role.
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    31 mins
  • OC19: 42 Years of Corporate Man and Boy, is it Time to make the Tea and What Comes Next, with Paul Wooley

    OC19: 42 Years of Corporate Man and Boy, is it Time to make the Tea and What Comes Next, with Paul Wooley
    Sep 14 2020
    As a global corporate leader, Paul Woolley travelled the world opening, growing, merging and sometimes closing businesses. From a $3m Revenue single-site operation base in 1994 through to a 21 entity $600m Revenue business by the time he stepped back from his Global President and COO role some 12+ months ago. When Paul and Omnicom decided it was the right time for him to step away from over 25 years of corporate life he spent some time evaluating how he could craft new roles. He now partners with owners and leaders of a diverse set of organisations helping them to understand the issues and opportunities facing their businesses. His current roles include: -Founding Partner & Chair of BAAA! (Hong Kong) -Vice-Chair, Board Member and Investor: Promotional Payments Solutions (PSS) -Management Consultant and advisor to the CEO of the Pimento network -Investor with Rockpool Venture Capital -Accredited Mediator: CEDR -Chair and Board member CPM Switzerland -Retained as Mentor and Special advisor to the CEO and CFO of Smyle -Retained as Special Advisor to the Chair and CEO of Prolific North -Vice-Chair of Altrincham Junior Football Club (largest Junior Football Club in NW England with 49 x U18 girl/boys teams) -Retained as one of the Lead Mentors by Be the Business - Mentoring for Growth Programme in collaboration with The Growth Company (90 day emergency turnarounds and 12 month growth programme) Tune in to hear Paul talk about the transition; the importance of objective self-knowledge; building a foundation with strong personal values; the surprising things he has learned and how, if you want to create a better world, you can't just sit at home and make the tea
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    34 mins
  • OC18: Finding Purpose and Building Communities with Alex Loh

    OC18: Finding Purpose and Building Communities with Alex Loh
    Sep 7 2020
    Curious to learn more about the role of a Community Manager? Tune in and hear Alex talk about the Kampung Collective; an initiative he co-founded to establish a trusted tribe for community builders across Asia. He discusses the motivation and mission behind the Collective and how they are channeling the energy of the community. Nobody gets left behind; Alex has also represented Singapore in Water Polo at the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and SEA Games. He tells us about his fascinating life and how he has used the strategies learned from being a full-time sportsman to help him overcome setbacks and refocus on changing direction. Alex also comments on the importance of trust and how fatherhood has given him a new perspective. Links: Kampung Collective: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2419861348342034 Alex Loh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-loh-%E5%8A%B3%E6%98%9F%E8%A3%95-9495294a/ Our Community Podcast You can find more information about the podcast here: https://ourcommunity.buzzsprout.com/
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    40 mins
  • OC17: Successfully Working Across Different Cultures with Kyle Hegarty

    OC17: Successfully Working Across Different Cultures with Kyle Hegarty
    Aug 31 2020
    Have you ever found yourself ‘screaming on the inside' as you find yourself in a position where you don't understand the unspoken rules, roles and belief systems around you? If so you are certainly not alone! Tune in to hear Kyle Hegarty's refreshingly frank and funny take on the delicate art of cross-cultural communication. His stack of real-life stories breathes life into a subject that can be dry and academic. He's not been described as ‘the Indiana Jones of International Business for nothing! Kyle's book, The Accidental Business Nomad: A Survival Guide for Working Across a Shrinking Planet has been published in Asia on August 27th.
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    41 mins
  • OC16 - Being an Employer of Choice with Sam Neo

    OC16 - Being an Employer of Choice with Sam Neo
    Aug 24 2020
    Sam Neo is the founder of one of APAC's top 10 HR and Employer branding consultancies; People Mentality Inc. whose mission is to help organizations become an Employer of Choice. His recent venture is Stories of Asia, a story-tech platform set up to...
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    31 mins
  • OC15: What's next after 30 years of High Profile Service with Blair Hall

    OC15: What's next after 30 years of High Profile Service with Blair Hall
    Aug 19 2020
    Blair Hall's long and distinguished career in the U.S. Diplomatic Service led him to hold key roles in the U.S. Embassies in Tokyo, London, Copenhagen, New Delhi and Singapore. Blair was also at the forefront of many global high-profile missions including the Northern Ireland Good Friday Peace Agreement. Since retiring from diplomatic service Blair holds several senior advisory roles and is the Managing Director of Westminster Minato LLC where he provides strategic advice to international business organizations on political climate, market and investment conditions and facilitates relationships with governments, potential business partners and stakeholders. Our conversation began with Blair's fascinating insights into building trust as part of the negotiation team for the Northern Ireland Good Friday Peace Talks. Blair then talked about taking a break to decompress after thirty-five years in the diplomatic service; how he drew on his experience to shape his new career; building a sense of connection lashed to purpose; the importance of maintaining connections and cultivating a sense of belonging to a community; looking forward to new opportunities in the future. References: You can learn more about the American Association of Singapore here: https://www.aasingapore.com/
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    33 mins
  • OC14: Transformation: From Fighting Fires to Redesigning Events with Helen Starr

    OC14: Transformation: From Fighting Fires to Redesigning Events with Helen Starr
    Aug 11 2020
    Most Events Managers have had to fight fires but not many have been Firefighters! Helen Starr is Head of Events at the British Chamber of Commerce and has overseen the Chamber's recent rapid transformation from offering face to face events to a multifaceted digital offering. In order to help her do this Helen has drawn on the skills she has developed in her previous diverse roles, one of which included being a firefighter for the London Fire Brigade. We began our conversation with Helen talking about the fluidity she needed to learn new applications as she and her the team quickly adapted to offer a series of podcasts and online webinars; none of which formed part of the chamber's previous offering. The major upside was the strengthening of the team's relationship and an increase in their knowledge and understanding of each other's roles. Helen also felt that over recent months the Chamber's members were drawing closer together to support each other in an open and human way. The crisis making them more comfortable to reveal themselves. Another upside was that the new digital platforms greatly made it easier to add the sheer volume of content available as many members offered to help and provide valuable information for others to benefit from. Being digital has also given the Chamber the opportunity to strengthen links and actively collaborate with other Chambers in the Region.
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    33 mins
  • OC13: Building Community to Celebrate a Life Well Lived with Federico Folcia

    OC13: Building Community to Celebrate a Life Well Lived with Federico Folcia
    Aug 3 2020
    Federico Folcia is an entrepreneur who is passionate about contributing to improving the quality of life of the ageing population and their perception in our society. He is the founder of Crane; a multi-generational community for lifelong learning; a social space where likeminded individuals gather for fitness, workshops, lifestyle events, and co-working. Through the Crane community, members are encouraged to share life experience and professional expertise, particularly in the fields of sustainability, social impact, and holistic wellness. Federico is also the Managing Director of Powerhouse; a one-stop-shop providing startups and mature companies with the expertise and resources to drive innovation. During our podcast, Federico talked about his interest in exploring the use of shared resources in the wider community and how he is creating a vibrant mixed community of content creators willing to share a breathtaking range of expertise and passion. Curiosity and open accessibility are key as the community is built by people using the space in different ways. If you are interested in communities, engagement, and life- long learning then Federico is well worth listening to. References: You can learn more about Crane here: https://www.crane.club/ Get Together; How to build a community with your people: https://www.amazon.com/Get-Together-build-community-people-ebook/dp/B07TXDDNPR
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    32 mins