Clout // 影响力: Recent Episodes
Lucy Du & Brodie Burns
My guest today is Celeste Koravos, a Principal in Decarbonisation & Energy Transition at Xodus, focusing on Japanese investors in Australia and their partnerships with Australian companies to achieve Net Zero.
Celeste’s choice to study Japanese in high school led her to gain experience working as a foreign lawyer in Japan, and also to lead one of Australia’s oldest business organisations in the Australia-Japan space.
To me, Celeste’s Clout is her ability to leverage her Japanese language capability and understanding of the Japanese business culture to help build a stronger Australia-Japan community in Victoria, and to build partnerships that help connect Australian and Japanese expertise and capital.
We talked about Celeste’s experiences working in Japan, how she sees Australia’s expertise in helping Japan in their goal towards decarbonisation, how learning Japanese has shaped her Australia-identity and the Japanese contribution to female empowerment.
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Melbourne · Tokyo
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FOOD: Tokyo Banana
MUSIC: Noriko Tadano
BOOK: The Courage to be Disliked
PERSON: Celeste's Family
My guest today is Kevin Wang, Product Manager at a Ride-hailing Company.
Kevin’s Asia journey started in his birthplace Nanjing, where he lived until he moved to Sydney when he was 10. Kevin’s career has spanned across Asia, spanning financial payments platforms, a global digital advertising agency, and now SEA’s largest ride-hailing platform.
To me, Kevin’s Clout is having the conviction to leverage his language and cultural abilities, whilst being able to successfully build expertise within the technology verticle that cuts across all regions.
We talked about Kevin’s China experiences, being a bilingual Chinese-Australian but yet somewhat foreign in his birth country. And we talk about his perspectives as an Asian-Australian who has built a career in tech, on Australian innovation and the role that Asian-Australians play to uplift the Australian tech workforce.
Welcome to Clout Asia, where we ask Australians to take us on their journey to Asia capability by choosing a food, song, show, and person that captures the essence of their experience - to help us understand, what being an Aussie with Clout, is all about.
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Nanjing · Sydney · Beijing · Chengdu · Singapore
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FOOD: Bread soaked in fishhead soup 鱼头泡饼 Yú tóu pào bǐng
MUSIC: Chengdu by Zhao Lei 趙雷《成都》
SHOW: Good Life《生活万岁》Shēnghuó wànsuì
PERSON: Kevin's Kiwi manager who hired him to move to China
My guest today is Andy Curtain, a recovering comedian having spent years touring China and Asia performing in Chinese and English.
Andy is currently the APAC Head of Comedy for Asia, at US multinational entertainment company, Live Nation.
Andy’s Asia journey started in the same way he ventured into comedy - on a whim.
After moving to Shanghai in 2009, Andy built a thriving local comedy community that fostered the rise of stand-up comedy in mainland China.
He owned and ran Shanghai’s Kung Fu Komedy Club, before moving to Hong Kong to launch the ill-fated Riff comedy club.
We talk about lawyers becoming comedians, language as a tool to help unpeel the layers of a city, a Canadian becoming China’s “favourite foreigner”, and eggplants.
Welcome to Clout Asia, where we ask Australians to take us on their journey to Asia capability by choosing a food, song, show, and person that captures the essence of their experience - to help us understand, what being an Aussie with Clout, is all about.
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Melbourne· China · Hong Kong
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FOOD: Eggplant
MUSIC: She Came to My Concert by Jacky Cheung 张学友《她来听我的演唱会》
SHOW: Dwelling Narrowness 《蜗居》
PERSON: Dashan 大山
My guest today is Natalie Lowe, an Aussie entrepreneur who has built her brand and business in Asia.
In 1999, Nat packed her bags with $1000, bought herself a one-way ticket, and flew to Singapore. 20 years on and she is still in Asia and has built a thriving creative agency business headquartered in Shanghai with her husband.
We talk about Nat’s struggles with her identity as a global citizen versus the girl growing up in Sydney’s inner West, the importance of communication, and never believing failure to be an option.
Welcome to Clout Asia, where we ask Australians to take us on their journey to Asia capability by choosing a food, song, show, and person that captures the essence of their experience - to help us understand, what being an Aussie with Clout, is all about.
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Sydney · Singapore · Hong Kong · Shanghai
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DRINK: Coffee (lots of it)
MUSIC: Lose Yourself by Eminem
MOVIE: Fight Club
PERSON: Natalie's Father
Karan Anand is the Managing Director for Australia at fintech company Hnry.
Unlike my other guests, I didn't know much about Karan's background apart from what was on his LinkedIn, but we had a great conversation. Perhaps it was because our journeys were so parallel yet so different.
We discuss Karan's experience growing up in Darwin as the only kid with a turban and delve into the inspiration behind his creation of a community that empowers Sikh young professionals.
Today, Karan cuts across cultures and diasporas, standing at the forefront of revolutionizing how freelancers and self-employed professionals approach taxes. As the Managing Director for Australia at Hnry, he tackles a universal issue faced by many in Western nations.
Welcome to Clout Asia, where we ask Australians to take us on their journey to Asia capability by choosing a food, song, show, and person that captures the essence of their experience - to help us understand, what being an Aussie with Clout, is all about.
FOOD: Butter Chicken
MUSIC: Enter Sandman by Metallica
TV SHOW: The West Wing
PERSON: Virat Kohli (Indian cricketer)
In our mini bonus episode, Lucy interviews Victoria about her new role at the ANU's Centre for Asian-Australian Leadership (CAAL). Victoria shares insights about her position and highlights some of the exciting projects that CAAL is currently involved in. These projects aim to break the bamboo ceiling and encourage more Asian-Australians to take up leadership roles.
More on the Counting for Change project
More on the William Ah Ket Leadership Program (applications close Sunday 25 June 2023 at 5pm AEST)
More on the Centre for Asian-Australian Leadership
Victoria Kung is an Australian-born Chinese to Shanghainese and HK parents.
At uni, Victoria was one of the few Asians who studied English Lit and Philosophy. Upon graduation, she took a non-linear career path and accepted an offer to study international relations at Tsinghua University. After returning to Australia, she joined the Australia China Business Council and later the School of Asia-Pacific at ANU.
Since our interview, Victoria has joined the esteemed Jieh-Yun Lo at the ANU’s Centre for Asian-Australian Leadership.
We delve into Victoria's cherished childhood comfort food - Shengjianbao, her most influential figure, and the challenges she faced professionally upon returning to Australia, as companies did not recognize the value of her experience in Asia.
Welcome to Clout Asia, where we ask Australians to take us on their journey to Asia capability by choosing a food, song, show, and person that captures the essence of their experience - to help us understand, what being an Aussie with Clout, is all about.
FOOD: Pan-fried Pork Buns 生煎包
SONG: Simple Love by Jay Chou 《简单爱》
TV SHOW: Nothing but Thirty《三十而已》
PERSON: Victoria's Mother
My guest today is James Scullin, Director, Programs at Asia Society.
James' Asia journey started when his Melbourne school made Mandarin studies compulsory for the first four years of high school.
James and I first crossed paths via our China connection. But what intrigued me about his Asia journey was his experience leading guided tours to North Korea, which later inspired him to create a photo book documenting the hotels in the country’s capital city.
We talk about the juxtaposition of China’s rapid development versus its enduring cultural identity, I discover James’ love for Japanese surf rock, and we dive behind the scenes into his time in North Korea, including the making of his book Hotels of Pyongyang.
Welcome to Clout Asia, where we ask Australians to take us on their journey to Asia capability by choosing a food, song, show, and person that captures the essence of their experience - to help us understand, what being an Aussie with Clout, is all about.
My guest today is Joanna Capon, Art Historian, Industrial Archaeologist, curator, writer, art consultant, cataloguer, and lecturer.
Joanna was born in the UK, and her interest in Asia, specifically China, began when she received the book The Dragon Fish by Pearl S Buck for her 8th birthday.
In 1974, Joanna travelled to China for the first time, and since then, visited almost all of its provinces, mostly to visit Museums and Buddhist sites.
We talked about her memories of her first time in China, walking across the bridge that connected HK to Guangdong, her excitement when she flew over the Yangtze River, and how she saw the country and people grow over the past 50 years.
Welcome to Clout Asia, where we ask our guests to take us on their journey to Asia capability and nominate a food, song, TV show, and person that captures the essence of this remarkable journey.
My guest today is Andrew Nip, a Chinese-Australian born to Shanghainese parents in Hong Kong.
Andrew moved to Australia when he was in Year 7 and lived in Sydney until 2012 when he moved to Shanghai with his former employer, Hays.
11 years later, Andrew is still in Shanghai and is now the Director of Talent for LVMH Fashion Group APAC, and the proud father to a 5-year-old son.
Professionally, Andrew is passionate about helping businesses see the true potential of maximising talent capabilities, through innovative HR practices and building an inclusive culture.
Personally, he’s a big advocate for supporting the next generation of talent and is involved in a number of volunteering commitments across both education and consulting.
We talked about Andrew’s Chinese-Australian identity, building empathy, connecting with people through words, and the rise of Asian leaders and how multinationals should reframe their definition of leadership as it relates to the Asian market.
FOOD: Chicken Noodle Soup
SONG: Finding Nemo Soundtrack
TV SHOW: The West Wing
PERSON: Andrew's Wife
Friska is Indonesian-Australian and has worked for the biggest names in mining, engineering and technology, leading change programs that have influenced over 20,000 people across 6 continents, transforming organisations to enable them to better respond to the changing environment.
Not just a global change management leader, Friska has led by example for women in business and women in leadership, and Friska regularly speaks and advocates for minority women in leadership on the global stage at events such as TEDx, Women in Tech, Women in Leadership, Future of Mining Sydney.
We asked Friska to take us on her journey to Asia capability by nominating a food, song, movie, and person that help us understand what being an Asia-capable Australian is all about.
FOOD: Durian
SONG: Gregorian monk chanting
MOVIE: Minari directed by Lee Isaac Chung
PERSON: Esther Perel
James Oswald is an Aussie in Beijing who has had more careers than he's had farmers union ice coffee. Not only does he have a doctorate in Asian Studies, but he's also a qualified electrician. Jimmy's career has crossed the fields of translation, policy research, and government relations, leading him in taking on the cloud industry in China as Product Manager for AWS
We asked Jimmy to take us on his journey to Asia capability by nominating a food, song, movie, and person that help us understand what being an Asia-capable Australian is all about.
FOOD: Yóu Miàn "Oat Noodles" 莜面 (special mention to 莜面窝窝)
SONG: Friend《朋友》 by Wakin Chau 周华健
BOOK: The Importance of Living by Lin Yutang
PERSON: Associate Professor Xianlin Song
Aimee Zheng is the Founder of Oplay, an online community promoting women’s sexual health wellbeing across cultures. Before empowering female communities Aimee was trained as an architect and was involved in a number of residential and commercial architectural design projects in Australasia.
We asked Aimee to take us on her journey to Asia capability by nominating a food, song, move, and person that help us understand what being an Asia-capable Australian is all about.
MOVIE: Eat Drink Man Woman《飲食男女》
FOOD: Chinese Donut "You Tiao" 油条
PERSON: Professor Kerry Brown
SONG: Jasmine Flower "Mo Li Hua" 《茉莉花》rendition by Lucy Jakubowski-Laxon
Jessica Mudditt is the author of Our Home in Myanmar – Four years in Yangon,a memoir that describes her life in Myanmar in the lead-up to the historic general elections of 2015. She worked in Myanmar as a journalist at the state-run newspaper The Myanmar Times, as well as for the British Embassy and the UN.
Jessica is also a freelance journalist currently based in Sydney. Her articles have been published by Forbes Magazine, BBC, The Economist Intelligence Unit, and CNN.
We asked Jessica to take us on his journey to Asia capability by nominating a food, song, TV show, and person that help us understand what being an Asia-capable Australian is all about.
MOVIE: The Lady
SONG: Kabar Ma Kyay Bu” (ကမ္ဘာမကြေဘူး), also translated as “We Won't Be Satisfied Until the End of the World” (Lyrics: The song that will be remembered in history is written with our blood |To our heroes that have fallen fighting for democracy)
PERSON: Dr Sasa
FOOD: Burmese tea leaf salad (lahpet thoke)
Christopher Kong is the founder of Data Hero Network, a company that helps organisations build data capability, identify business use cases and recruitment to find data talent.
Chris has a deep understanding of data transformation and understanding consumer behaviour, with 18 years of in-market experience in Australia, Singapore & China, where he held leadership positions at Danone, Nielsen & Cadbury.
Spending 14 of those years he spent in China, Chris has since returned to Melbourne and continues to tell the stories of Chinese people through his podcast China Mic-Mac.
We asked Chris to take us on his journey to Asia capability by nominating a food, song, TV show and person that help us understand what being an Asia-capable Australian is all about.
FOOD: Chocolate
SONG: Foreigner - I Want to Know What Love Is
MOVIE: The Godfather
PERSON: Gregory Zhang
Natalie Liddiard-Gray is an educational leader. She has spent the last decade recognizing and developing the talents of a generation of young Shanghainese at the renowned YCIS International School, following earlier stints in Melbourne, Sydney & Guangxi Province, China.
Her journey to Asia capability spans deep friendships with punk rockers in China's Zhuang Autonomous Region through to mentoring volunteers at Lifeline Shanghai who support members of the public in times of emotional crisis.
We asked Nat to take us on her journey to Asia capability by nominating a food, song, TV show and person that help us understand what being an Asia-capable Australian is all about.
FOOD: Oil tea "Youcha" 油茶
SONG: P.K. 14 - Tell the Children《告诉孩子们》
MOVIE: Chungking Express 《重庆森林》
PERSON: Christopher Doyle 杜可风
Frances Goh is an innovation expert, serial entrepreneur and champion of women-led businesses.
Frances was born in Melbourne to Chinese-Malaysian parents and retained her hybrid American-Aussie accent after spending a part of her life in the Philippines.
Frances has spent her professional life working in mainland China, Kuala Lumpur as well as Hong Kong, and is now the Chief Community Officer at One Roof, a community of female leaders and entrepreneurs.
We asked Frances to take us on his journey to Asia capability by nominating a food, song, TV show and person that help us understand what being an Asia-capable Australian is all about.
FOOD: Mum's Asam Laksa
SONG: Michael Wong - Fairy Tale 光良 《童话》
TV Show: Journey to the West 《西游记》
PERSON: Natalie Tran aka communitychannel
Ben McMahon (孟杰明) is a Mandarin-language social media influencer turned property developer.
With studies from Beijing’s Peking University and Shanghai’s Fudan University under his belt, Ben founded a Mandarin-language walking tour company in Melbourne before taking to the silver screen to star in television shows such as "If You Are The One" (非诚勿扰) and his very own "Informal Talks" (非正式会谈) telecast.
We asked Ben to take us on his journey to Asia capability by nominating a food, a song, a movie and person that help us understand what being an asia capable Australian is all about.
FOOD: Shanghai dumplings - Xiaolongbao - 小笼包
SONGS:
- Song Dongye - Miss Dong (宋冬野 - 董小姐)
- Eric Chou - The Distance of Love (周兴哲 - 以后别做朋友)
TV Show: Informal Talks - 非正式会谈
PERSON: Meng Fei - 孟非
With the holiday season upon us, we thought we might go back to where it all began.
Today's episode is an early cut with Clout co-founder Lucy, diving into a few themes that showcase the journey of Asia capable Australians.
We hope you enjoy, and look forward to bringing you new chats and more stories in 2023.
Listen where you get your podcasts. Happy New Year!
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FOOD: Roujiamo - 肉夹馍
SONG: Jay Chou - ‘East Wind Breaks' - 东风破
SHOW: Chinese New Year Gala - 春晚
PERSON: Kylie Kwong
Tim Martin is an entrepreneur at the start of the journey. An MBA graduate from the University of Melbourne, Tim recently made the big decision to relocate to Bali with family in tow and a long term plan to make a mark in one of the regions fastest growing economies - Indonesia.
We asked Tim to take us on his journey to Asia capability by nominating a food, a song, a movie and person that help us understand what being an asia capable Australian is all about.
FOOD: Gudeg
SONG: Tesla Menaf - Part 3
MOVIE: The Raid
PERSON: Inkarani Prayanto
Learn more: sutasoma.id // Insta @sutasomaconsulting // LinkedIn @sutasoma-consulting
Did you know the characters for clout are the same in Japanese (影響力) as they are in traditional Chinese (影響力)?
Today we talk to Joanne Warrin. A long term Aussie expat in Asia, Joanne calls Kyoto, Beijing and Shanghai her second, third, and fourth homes. Originally from Melbourne, Joanne's journey started with her own major sports event business in Japan, before working at the Australian Embassy in China, and most recently serving as Global EY Private Brand, Marketing & Communications Leader, Family Enterprise.
We asked Joanne to take us on her journey to Asia capability by nominating a food, a song, a movie and a person that help us understand what being an Aussie, with clout, is all about.
FOOD: Hot Pot - 火锅 - しゃぶしゃぶ
SONG: Kareoke - K-TV - 卡拉OK - カラオケ
MOVIES:
- Shanghai Triad with Gong Li
- The Road Home with Zhang Ziyi
- House of Flying Daggers with Zhang Ziyi
PERSON: Plucky Japanese elders who share their culture and language with newcomers
Matthew Wong is an entrepreneur with interests in hospitality, education and real estate. An Aussie-born Malaysian-Chinese who grew up in Sydney, Matt moved to Beijing in 2008 as a young professional, to get out of his comfort zone, a journey which lasted for 10 years, and included opening an Aussie pie shop, Two Guys and a Pie.
We asked Matt to take us on his journey to Asia capability by nominating a food, a song, a show and person that help us understand what being an Aussie, with clout, is all about.
FOOD: Chuànr "Meat Skewers” 串
SONG: David Tao - Love is Simple / 陶喆《爱很简单》
TV SHOW: Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
PERSON: Michael Chang
Emma Pitt is an experienced professional in financial services and higher education in Australia and China. In her first year of uni, Emma took a break to spend 6 months teaching English to students in the tiny city of Sihong, in Jiangsu province China.
We asked Emma to take us on her journey to Asia capability by nominating a food, a song, a movie and person that help us understand what being an Aussie, with clout, is all about.
PERSON: Muyun
SONG: Dao Lang - The First Snows of 2002 / 刀郎《2002年的第一场雪 》
MOVIE: In the Mood for Love《花樣年華》
FOOD: Xiao Long Xia "Crayfish" 小龙虾
Welcome to Clout.Asia!!
A brand new podcast that will help you navigate the journey to being an Asia capable professional.
We draw on our expertise and experience in culture and language and share language learning tips in interviews with Asia capable leaders.
Whether you are an old China hand or just dipping your toes in the waters of the Indo-Pacific:
Subscribe now to Clout. Available wherever you get your podcasts.