XL Podcast

Atul Temurnikar is the Co-founder and Chairman of Global Schools Foundation Singapore. Founder in 2002, GIIS (Global Indian International Schools) covers 22 campuses globally. In this conversation Graham and Atul discuss Leadership, Agility and the mindset needed to adapt to a constantly changing workplace. They also cover the future shape of education - from Primary to University.

Graham Brown talks Rod Drury, the billionaire founder of SAAS Platform Xero. Rod describes himself as “Funemployed” - not actively involved in the day to day running of the business, but serving on the board and spending his days exploring new adventures - from mountain biking to surfing. We all know Xero, but who is the man that turned the Xero idea into a $10 bn SAAS success? How did Xero build a cloud accounting platform that people love?

Automate to Elevate. Greater process automation can elevate employees from mundane tasks to accomplish more enriching & value-generating work. Jody is an Independent consultant for Product design as well as an international faculty & Graduate studies program mentor/advisor at the Singularity University in California, USA.

Welcome to the podcast, Nell Watson, Founder of QuantaCorp, a pioneer in Machine Vision. Graham and Nell explore the fascinating world of AI, philosophy, and ethics. Graham was a graduate of Artificial Intelligence back in 1995, but a lot has changed in the last 25 years! Nell explains how AI has evolved and how it will continue to evolve from here. Nell serves as Senior Scientific Advisor to The Future Society at Harvard, and holds Fellowships from the British Computing Society, and Royal Statistical Society. She also chairs EthicsNet.org, a community teaching pro-social behaviours to machines

In this episode, Graham talks with Sahar Hashemi, founder of Coffee Republic and confectionery brand Skinny Candy. Sahar opted out of her career as a lawyer to grow Coffee Republic which she later helped float on the stock market. Sahar Hashemi was named in Management Today in “Top 35 Women in British business under 35” and Independent on Sunday in “The 20 most powerful women in Britain”.

Many businesses are struggling to adapt with the rapidly changing communications environment. Traditional marcomms must be mindful of existing cognitive biases about how communications should be. At the most basic level, this could be - for example - restricting employees from starting or participating in B2B Podcasts. “Functional Fixedness” prevents companies from seeking out communications solutions that work (Optimal) as opposed to communications solutions that are “right” (Perfect).

B2B Podcasts are fundamentally different from B2C Podcasts. It’s all about alignment. Like landing a place, the best results from B2B Podcasts come from a good approach. The good news, you can start small and keep it agile from day one, developing your narrative framework and fan base as you grow. In this XL Podcast episode, Graham Brown shares insights on the 10 Reasons why you should start a B2B podcast today.

Rob joins host Graham Brown in a discussion about the future, leadership, and how storytelling helps to create change. Sharing his insights on the "age of disruption", Rob draws from his extensive background in engineering and building autonomous cars to give illustrative examples of how we can achieve "future readiness".

Join me for this special LIVE show of the XL Podcast. I'll be sharing insights on my journey growing a B2B Podcast agency from hosting and producing over 750 episodes for some of the world's leading brands including McKinsey, AirAsia, Xero, Antler, the Singapore Institute of Management. Live Q&A

Covid19 is not a monster tsunami that will disrupt business and society, it’s one of many disruptions that will unsettle how things are done. Covid19, The Asian Century, Artificial Intelligence are just some of the Exogenous Shocks that will force transformation of business practises. What may normally take 70 years could happen in the next 7 months. In this podcast episode I present the case for the skills we need to transform business not just to survive Covid19, but to thrive in the next 10 years.

When it comes to entrepreneurs, Jiawen Ngeow is the real deal. What makes her particularly special and inspiring is that she didn’t come from the world of startup accelerators. There is a lot of help and support nowadays for startups embarking on their journeys, but this guest started long before startup accelerators were even a thing. To make it even more difficult, her first startup, her first exit, was a retail business, and retail is notoriously hard as a business to make work and to exit from. In this episiode, we’re pleased to be joined by Jiawen, an entrepreneur who is not only a good human being in general but is also a great role model for a future generation of entrepreneurs.

Anybody that knows China and the startup scene there will know that Rich Robinson is an adviser, entrepreneur, professor and investor based in China. He has many achievements – the list goes on. Rich is a guest lecturer at Tsinghua University and professor at Guanghua School of Management, Peking University, teaching entrepreneurship as well as being a seasoned entrepreneur himself with a number of startup exits in China. In this episode, host Graham Brown and Rich discuss about the speed of China today and how brutal entrepreneurship in China which can be. How do you survive in that environment as a startup, as a business? What kind of mindset do you need? Rich has been in China for just over 20 years, so he’s the man who can give us the insight into what drives entrepreneurship and also what drives the kind of person that puts themselves in that environment? If that excites you, stick around. This is going to be a high energy conversation with Rich Robinson.

Lewis Pugh is an ocean advocate and endurance swimmer, often referred as the ‘Sir Edmund Hilary of swimming’ and UN Patron of Oceans. Lewis shares his experiences undertaking a variety of endurance challenges around the world, including swimming in every ocean, across the English Channel, and even how he swam Mount Everest! The pair also discusses different environmental issues facing the planet such as plastic pollution and climate change, particularly rising temperatures in the Arctic. Lewis delves into the challenges he’s faced in raising awareness for environmental concerns, how he deals with the frustration of slow progress, and how world leaders need to take more courageous action.

Mun Ching Yap, Executive Director of AirAsia Foundation, and host Graham Brown, discuss the stories of local people and how AirAsia Foundation is helping them rebuild their lives. She's not the kind of corporate who travels to disaster zones in air conditioned transport. She's the type that will travel on the local bus used by farmers and she'll live with the communities to fully understand their challenges and build trust with them. Mun Ching is not an outspoken leader by any measure, but she's a leader all the same. Leaders come in many shapes and stripes. People who make a difference in the lives of others, who have the ability to make change and who command our attention, are leaders. Leadership is not a job title. We travel to the Tsunami stricken region of Banda Aceh in Sumatra, Indonesia where tourism takes a dark and macabre turn. We also learn the stories of opium farmers in the golden triangle of Thailand and hear how AirAsia helps them migrate from opium crops to sustainable industries (like coffee) that can have a positive impact on communities. Mother Teresa once wrote that “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."" In our conversatIon, Mun Ching's passion for social impact comes through. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

What are the essential skills and characteristics of a good leader? Real leaders seek out challenges because they are difficult. The challenge itself is the reward. Now, that challenge may take your life path on interesting tangets. Our next guest has lived in Mauritius, Madagascar, Myanmar and now the beautiful island of Majorca in Spain. Sounds like a charmed life, but the reality is that it's one where you are constantly positioning yourself as an outsider to new social situations. And it's in this situation you can thrive. Hal Bosher, former CEO of Yoma Bank in Myanmar, discusses with host Graham Brown about his experiences with his former employees, the power of empathy as a leader and how you can use being an outsider to your advantage. Helen Keller once wrote, ""Life is a Daring Adventure or Nothing." Hal's living it for sure.