This week we turn to the subject of Education. It ranks alongside food, shelter, and job opportunity as a foundation requirement for any progressive society, yet, the very tenants of traditional education and the perceived importance of a formal degree are increasingly the subject of scrutiny, and in some cases, derision. The universal question being asked is this: Do high schools and universities effectively prepare students for a world rife with change, disruption, and the unpredictable impact...
May 20, 2019•39 min•Ep. 166
Anurag Banerjee is the Founder and CEO of Quilt.ai, an artificial intelligence, or AI-enabled consulting firm that mines data for the greater good. Anurag’s group recently released its “ Beyond the Bottom Line: Sustainability Report” with two stated objectives: The first: To uncover six so-called Cultural Codes of Sustainability, representing what matters to people with regards to being ‘Sustainable’, ‘Ethical’ and ‘Responsible.’ And the second: To measure and rank the Sustainability Performance...
May 10, 2019•44 min•Ep. 165
Richard Borsuk is a veteran journalist, long-time resident of Southeast Asia, and a leading expert in Indonesian political economy. When I first met Richard in the early 1990s, Indonesia felt like a sleepy backwater, better known for its plantations and fishing villages. Back then, from my high-rise and fast-paced outpost in Hong Kong, Indonesia felt like a sleepy backwater, better known for its plantations and fishing villages. Still, it was a nation on the rise. In my conversation with Richard...
May 03, 2019•35 min•Ep. 164
This week’s episode brings us to Lebanon, a country of six million people precariously situated between arch rivals - Israel to the south and Syria to the north. It’s also a part of what some say is a re-emergent region of Western Asia. Lebanon sits at the heart of the Mediterranean basin. And that very fact poses both promise and peril. Promise, because of its rich and diverse culture that when combined with expertise in trade and finance, could earn for Lebanon its rightful place. Peril, becau...
Apr 26, 2019•35 min•Ep. 163
This week we take a break from the big themes of tech, trade, environment, and other topics driving Asia’s transformation, in order to explore a small group of islands at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago. The Komodo Islands are unique in so many ways. It’s a world-class diving spot where you can swim up-close and personal with giant manta rays, drink sun-downers and watch fox bats fly overhead by the thousands, and of course, take a peek into the world of the legendary Komodo Dragon...
Apr 13, 2019•26 min•Ep. 162
John Stanton is a venture capitalist and co-founder of Chosen, a leadership experience company that seeks to re-shape the way high impact entrepreneurs and executives think, live and engage with the world around them. If the name Chosen strikes you as Old Testament or even elitist, think again. The term comes from the Japanese word 挑戦 (chō-sen), meaning ‘to challenge’. And that’s what the seven-day curated experience is all about; bringing ambitious men and women face-to-face with an array of ph...
Apr 05, 2019•29 min•Ep. 161
This week’s guest is Aaron Fishman, Founder and CEO of East Bali Cashews. In our conversation, we explore what it takes to make a labor and capital intensive cashew processing business fly and what it means to be a social enterprise. Aaron’s point of view will surprise you. Although East Bali Cashews has been touted as a best-in-class example of a model social enterprise, Aaron thinks the term has become overplayed. “It’s the quality of our product that sets us apart,” he says, nothing more....
Mar 29, 2019•37 min•Ep. 160
Increasingly, technology defines our future. Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, robotics, machine-learning, blockchain, 3D printing, and much munch more. It all speaks to a world preparing to unlock and accelerate the way we live. As this new wave of innovation further empowers the individual and diminishes the role of traditional institutions, governments need to have some say in what happens and what doesn’t. What will it mean, for instance, when blockchain empowers a crypto-currency revolutio...
Mar 22, 2019•44 min•Ep. 159
Mar 20, 2019•17 sec•Ep. 158
My guest this week had an euphonious moment when a close friend and work colleague unexpectedly took her own life. That set in motion a series of questions about life and the world of work that resulted in a book, called Futureproof: Reinventing Work in an Age of Acceleration. Diana Wu's book is a tour de force in understanding and addressing the changing world of work facing white-collar workers and professionals. Diana addresses some of the many ways people tackle workplace demands and how oth...
Mar 14, 2019•42 min•Ep. 157
