These are unique stories but also lived experiences shared by many Australians.

I hope that these stories gave you a glimpse of the diverse fabric of what it means to be Australian, the dynamic region of Asia, and the many different opportunities that building Asia capability can bring.

For our last episode, I am here with Peter Osborne, board director, advisor, surfer and Buddhist. I met Peter in Shanghai when he was the Managing Director Asia for Blackmores. By the time Peter left Blackmores, the Asian market accounted for 50% of the company’s profits.

We talked about Blackmores' successes and failures in Asia, Peter’s plateaued Chinese language skills, and how it’s never too late to build an Asia career.

Welcome to Clout Asia, where we ask guests to take us on their journey to Asia capability.

To help us understand, what being an Aussie with Clout, is all about.

I’m Lucy Du, and here is Peter.

—

Noosa • China • Taiwan • Fiji • Bhutan • Nepal • Singapore • Asia

—

FOOD: I'm a huge fan of Xiao Bing for breakfast, I guess it's the taste, the texture and the process to make them and they are such a classic Taipei breakfast and I've eaten them ever since my first trip to China in 1984 !

MOVIE: Once Upon a Time in China 《黄飞鸿》 I've done a lot of martial arts in my life and Jet Li is without doubt one of the greatest practitioners of Shaolin Wushi ever. The martial arts and Wong Fei-Hung's story in the movie(s) are so classic and I must have watch the movies 100 times I think  

PERSON: Audette Exel, AO. Audette is the founder and Chair of Adara Development and is a truly inspiration person and I have been a big supporter of Adara for many years, including doing a big project with Michelle Garnaut (of M on the Bund) sources PPE from China during 2020 to ship to Adara hospital in Uganda as Covid ravaged the world.

Today’s a bittersweet moment, as Clout Asia comes to an end.

For our penultimate episode, I am here with Louise Tran, a strong advocate for Asian-Australian leadership and a leading profile in the food and sustainability sector.

Louise is the child of refugee parents, who fled Vietnam in the 70s.

Although growing up with privilege and opportunity, it was her parents story that shaped how Louise viewed her purpose, and ultimately how she saw she could make an impact not only in Australia, but in Vietnam.

Welcome to Clout Asia, where we ask guests to take us on their journey to Asia capability.

To help us understand, what being an Aussie with Clout, is all about.

I’m Lucy Du, and here is Louise.

—

Sydney • Vietnam

—

FOOD: Pho

MOVIE: Food Fighter. A documentary about OzHarvest CEO Ronni’s crusade as she partners with the United Nations, rubs shoulders with royalty and Jamie Oliver's juggernaut, rifles through dumpster bins, and holds government to account.

PERSON: Louise’s maternal Grandma

The youngest in a family of doctors, surgeons, and pharmacists, Weh’s initial goal was to build an empire of physiotherapy clinics in Australia. When he realised that wasn’t his dream, he moved to Asia. It was Asia that helped Weh understand more of his Asian heritage, and Asia that took Weh out of his Sydney-bubble and showed him a perspective and opportunity of how he could make an impact.

Weh’s Clout is his decades of work in the social impact space, bringing his education and expertise into some of the world’s most needed places. He also has the humility to focus on building sustainable models for the for-purpose sector.

We talked about cliche moments, the importance of language and other qualities that are crucial for success in the for-purpose sector, and how reducing dependency on charities is key to making a long-term impact.

Welcome to Clout Asia, where we ask guests to take us on their journey to Asia capability.

To help us understand, what being an Aussie with Clout, is all about.

I’m Lucy Du, and here is Weh Yeoh.

—

Sydney • China • Vietnam • Cambodia

—

FOOD: Shanghai soup dumplings 小笼包 Xiǎo lóng bāo

MOVIE: Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India. It’s a Bollywood movie about a new land tax in India and how the villagers revolt, and then they get the British lords to agree to play them in a game of cricket - with the winner deciding whether or not the tax goes ahead.

PERSON: Weh’s 95-year-old Grandma

Born and raised in her early years in Penang, Malaysia, Penny’s calling to Southeast Asia started long before her extensive career across government, not-for-profit and corporate.

Penny’s Clout speaks for itself. A former senior diplomat, Penny represented Australia in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. She has held leadership positions with global multinationals in the region and is currently based in Singapore at a US fintech unicorn.

In my conversation with Penny, she helped break down to first principles, the importance of learning language, understanding culture, and why Australians should not just be thinking of Asia as it related to trade in goods, but also as a destination to invest and to engage in the services and digital economy.

Welcome to Clout Asia, where we ask guests to take us on their journey to Asia capability.

To help us understand, what being an Aussie with Clout, is all about.

I’m Lucy Du, and here is Penny Burtt.

—

Penang • Sydney • Kuala Lumpur • Jakarta • Singapore

—

FOOD: Thai food (despite never lived in Thailand)

BOOK: Anything by award-winning Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng. Currently reading Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang-Bo-Reum

PERSON: Peter Varghese

Edwin started his career in financial services in the middle of the GFC, so in 2009, he decided he would put his career in asset management on hold, and relocate to Shanghai to study Mandarin.

Despite not fully mastering the language of his forefathers, Edwin’s Clout is his ability to stay relevant in a fast-moving market - He oversaw the development of Shanghai's iconic Xintiandi precinct and later managed a staggering $1.2 billion dollar commercial real estate fund for Capital Land, one of Asia's largest real estate groups.

Our conversation delves into Edwin's unique experience navigating his Australian-Chinese heritage in the context of Chinese culture, both in the workplace and inside vibrant KTV rooms.

We talk about the evolving landscape for foreigners in China and the need to up their game to stay competitive in the workforce.

We discuss the potential for impact and growth as an Asian-Australian in the Australian landscape.

And we unravel the captivating story of Howqua, a figure often overlooked, and his significant role in connecting China to the world.

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.

I’m Lucy Du, and here is Edwin Chu.

—

Sydney • Shanghai

—

FOOD: BBQ “烧烤 shāo kǎo” and skewers “串串 chuàn chuàn”

MUSIC: California Love by Tupac

MOVIE: Comrades: Almost a Love Story

PERSON: Howqua

Reggie is a Burmese-born Australian creative entrepreneur living in Melbourne with an incredible catalogue of entrepreneurial pursuits in Asia.

After a spontaneous decision to work in Shanghai as a music producer in 2006, Reggie saw an opportunity to bring a different type of music and nightlife culture to China’s youth. He kickstarted his 13-year stint in Shanghai with the groundbreaking promotion company STD and eventually gave birth to one of Shanghai’s legendary underground hotspots, Arkham.

Reggie’s Clout is about injecting diversity into Shanghai’s creative scene through music. He brought in underground music influences from Australia and elsewhere in the world and helped foster the evolution and identity of Shanghai’s youth culture.

We talk about Reggie’s personal creative inspirations, take a nostalgic walk back to 2015 Shanghai, and his advice on how Australian creatives should think about collaborating with and leveraging Asia today.

—

Yangong • Rockhampton/Brisbane • Tokyo • Shanghai • Melbourne

—

FOOD: Awzar - Burmese custard apple

MUSIC: Trent Reznor/NIN

MOVIE: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

PERSON: Björk

When she was 7, Wesa moved to Australia from Hong Kong with her family. Despite growing up in 90s Australia and the pressures to fit in, Wesa liked being different from others. She was proud of her Chinese heritage, and the Chinese culture that came along with it like language, food and her favourite - martial arts movies.

Wesa’s Clout is the role that she played to advocate for the Asian Australian communities in Australia - first, for Chinese international students during her time at uni, and later giving a platform for Asian-Australians to have a stronger voice in Australia’s multicultural dialogue.

We talked about the moment Wesa understood the impact advocacy could make to a community. Wesa’s own pathway from a girl who never put her hand up in class to someone leading more visibility amongst Asian-Australians across the Australian discourse, and her reflections on how cultural understanding for organisations and individuals can help give the Chinese diaspora a stronger voice and influence in Australia

—

Hong Kong • Melbourne

—

FOOD: Fishballs 鯪魚球 Líng Yú Qiú

MUSIC: Relaxing healing music with Chinese guqin or flute

SHOW: Who Rules the World 《且试天下》 Qiě Shì Tiānxià

PERSON: Penny Wong

Tom’s Asia journey was seeded in his mind when he saw his mum attend night school to study Chinese. Coupled with some rallying words from his Uncle Sharkey gave Tom enough encouragement to pursue studying Chinese in high school, then later at uni.

Tom’s Clout is the ability to bring his China know-how back to Australia to help Australian businesses, and later leverage that same skillset to drive engagement with the Chinese-Australian communities, both here in Australia and in China, through the one thing that unites Australians, sport.

We talked about Tom’s first memories of visiting China in the early 90s, how he got inspired by a professor wearing a tuxedo shirt which led him to do his thesis on a Chinese pop singer, and later setting up his own business in the Australia-China space and leading the first AFL regular season match for premiership points in China.

—

Melbourne • Beijing • Shanghai

—

FOOD: M&Ms

MUSIC: Teresa Teng 邓丽君

MOVIE: Hard Boiled《辣手神探》by John Woo

PERSON: Geremie Barmé

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.

———

Melbourne · Tokyo

———

FOOD: Tokyo Banana

MUSIC: Noriko Tadano

BOOK: The Courage to be Disliked

PERSON: Celeste's Family

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.

———

Nanjing · Sydney · Beijing · Chengdu · Singapore

———

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

In 1999, Nat packed her bags with $1,000, 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.

———

Sydney · Singapore · Hong Kong · Shanghai

———

DRINK: Coffee (lots of it)
MUSIC: Lose Yourself by Eminem 
MOVIE: Fight Club
PERSON: Natalie's Father

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.

———

Melbourne· China · Hong Kong

———

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

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)

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

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

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.

***

FOOD: Pyongyang cold noodles

MUSIC: Takeshi Terauchi

TV SHOW: Early movies by Zhang Yimou

PERSON: Ri So Hyang (North Korea tour guide)

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.

***

FOOD: Steamed Crab

SONG: East is Red

TV SHOW: Martial Arts Series

PERSON: Mr Han (Joanna's first China tour guide)

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

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

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

We asked Aimee 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.

***

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 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 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.

***

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)

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

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 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

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

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

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 

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

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

A brand new podcast that will help you navigate the journey to being an Asia capable Aussie. 

We talk to Australians about their journey to Asia capability with a focus on the food, music, movies & stories of our near neighbours. 

Whether you are an old China hand or just dipping your toes in the waters of the Pacific, subscribe now to Clout Asia.  

Available wherever you get your podcasts.