Cecilia Chan is the Managing Director of a Manhattan-based private equity firm, Octonovem. In over 30 years as an investor, she has honed a style that focuses beyond the bottom line, to assess success by including a project’s effects on its community and the world. “Asset-light” companies, such as content creators, travel companies and products like perfume are included in her portfolio. Her “Doing good” maxim is supported by spending 80% of her time on business projects and 20% of her time on charitable projects.

Cecilia Chan’s investment strategy is to “Do well by doing good.”

Dr. Kang Kyung-wha, President of the Asia Society and former Foreign Minister of South Korea, joins Dick Drobnick, Ph.D., for this episode of the Asia Pacific Business Forum Podcast. Their conversation explores Dr. Kang’s vision for the Asia Society and examines how the Trump administration’s policies may influence relations across Asia.

Our next episode will feature Ronnie Chan, Honorary Chairman of the Hang Lung Group and Chairman of the Asia Society Hong Kong Center.

Produced by Dan Griffin - www.ggfilms.com

Dr. Kang Kyung-wha, President of the Asia Society talks tariffs

Ronnie Chan is the Honorary Chairman of The Hang Lung Group and the Chairman of the Asia Society Hong Kong Center.  He spoke with Dick Drobnick on the day after President Donald Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs were announced.  In this conversation Ronnie looks at the recent events in the US, as viewed from countries across Asia.  

Our next episode will feature Dr. Narongchai Akrasanee, a former Minister of Energy and Minister of Commerce of Thailand, one of the initiators of the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement and the APEC Leaders’ Meeting.

Dr. Akrasanee will analyze how ASEAN nations and China are likely to respond to the tariff policies of the Trump Administration.

Ronnie Chan - “World trade is now a dunking contest between Lebron James and Yao Ming."

Narongchai Akrasanee Ph.D spoke with us on President Trump’s Liberation Day.  Dr. Akrasanee, Thailand’s former Minister of Energy and Former Minister of Commerce spoke with Dick Drobnick about the implications across the Asia Pacific region.

Narongchai Akrasanee - The Ugly American • The Popular American • The Angry American

In this episode, we’re joined by renowned diplomat and scholar, Dr. Chung-in Moon, Professor Emeritus at Yonsei University and former advisor to the South Korean President. Dr. Moon offers rare insight into how President Trump’s sweeping tariffs are reshaping alliances—pushing South Korea, China, and Japan into closer economic coordination. 

He also shares a candid analysis of the complex relationship between Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, exploring how their failed meeting in Hanoi affects chances for future diplomacy. With tensions rising and trade dynamics shifting, Dr. Moon helps us understand what’s at stake in Northeast Asia—and what the world should be watching for next. 

Stay with us for a timely and thought-provoking conversation.

Dr. Chung-in Moon - In North Korea & USA  – Big Deal • Small Deal • No Deal

In this episode of the Asia Pacific Business Forum Podcast Professor Qiwei Chen brings insight to China’s possible reactions to the Trump Administration’s tariffs.
Will the tariffs push frosty neighbors in the region towards greater economic integration? Will second generation Chinese entrepreneurs increase their business with the 36,000 Japanese firms operating in China? 

Join us for an inside look at how the economic ties across Asia are shifting.


The China, Japan & Korea Side Effects of Trump Tariffs

In this episode of the Asia Pacific Business Forum Podcast, Dick Drobnick speaks with Geoff Cowan, former Dean of the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism and 22nd Director of the Voice of America. 

The discussion centers on how the Trump administration has disrupted global journalism and constrained the international flow of information.  They discuss the damage being done by the termination of the Voice of America. Termination that undoes much of Geoff’s own work when as the 22nd Director of the Voice of America from 1994 to 1996, he expanded VOA's language services from 47 to 53 and oversaw VOA's first use of internet broadcasting.

Is the U.S. hearing an echo of China’s Cultural Revolution?

In this episode, of the Asia Pacific Business Forum Podcast, we speak with SD Darmono, one of Indonesia’s influential business figures and the architect of the country's Special Economic Zone strategy. As founder of the Jababeka Group, Darmono helped transform a vision from the early 1990s into a thriving industrial city—creating over a million jobs through partnerships with 2,000 companies from 36 countries.
 
His work created what he calls. “A cut and paste” model for development across the Indonesian archipelago, linking industry, infrastructure, and education. Known for playing the long game, Darmono pointed out, “If you take the analogy of Hong Kong, after 100 years, who benefitted more, the UK or China?”

SD Darmono - Is Trump's Economic Plan a Wakeup Call?

In this episode of  the Asia Pacific Business Forum Podcast, Dick Drobnick speaks with Glyn Ford, one of Europe’s foremost experts on East Asia and the Korean Peninsula. Over a 25-year career in the European Parliament, Ford made nearly 50 visits to North Korea, developing a deep understanding of its politics, its leaders, and its position in the region. He is the author of *North Korea on the Brink: Struggle for Survival* and *Talking to North Korea*, and has been at the center of high-level dialogue and negotiation efforts for decades.

Ford brings candid insights into the relationship between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump, remarking, “You can’t trust Pyongyang, but Pyongyang has learned not to trust the US.” On pragmatic deal-making to slow nuclear weapons development, he’s blunt: “If Pyongyang will take $100 million a year not to develop nuclear weapons—grab the handle!”.

Listen as Ford unpacks the realities behind the headlines and explores what it would take to possibly maintain stability in Northeast Asia.

Glyn Ford - "Kim Jong Un wrote nuclear weapons into the NPRK constitution"

In this episode of the Asia Pacific Business Forum Podcast, we speak with Peter Drysdale, Emeritus Professor of Economics at The Australian National University, a leading authority on Asia-Pacific economic integration, and an intellectual architect of APEC, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation organization whose leaders met in South Korea three days after our conversation.
 
Peter discusses the increasing tension between President Trump’s “coercive power” bilateral approach and the rules-based, multilateral system of “cooperative regionalism,” which has been a key to
the remarkable economic successes of Asian economies—what he describes as a growing “struggle between two conceptions of the world.”
 
In response to American pressures, leaders of RCEP—the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, comprising the ASEAN nations plus Australia, China, Japan, Korea, and New Zealand—who met in Kuala Lumpur on the day prior to our conversation, vowed to accelerate their commitments for greater economic integration, seeking to “de-risk” their economies from the United States.  As Peter notes, this will accelerate the integration of RCEP member economies with China.

Peter Drysdale — A Struggle Between Two Conceptions of the World

In this episode of the *Asia Pacific Business Forum Podcast*, we speak with Tan Sri Andrew Sheng, one of Asia’s most respected voices on finance, governance, and global economic policy. A former central banker and financial regulator, Tan Sri Sheng brings a lifetime of insight into the shifting power dynamics shaping Asia’s response to global trade challenges. 

Our conversation examines how ASEAN nations are navigating the U.S. trade tariffs under the Trump administration—where new strategic partnerships are defining the region’s evolving economic landscape. Tan Sri Sheng remains cautiously optimistic but underscores the volatility of these relationships, invoking Henry Kissinger’s warning: ‘It may be dangerous to be America’s enemy, but to be America’s friend is fatal.’   

Interviewed by: 
Richard Drobnick Ph.D. 
Asia Business Strategies   

Produced by:
Dan Griffin
www.ggfilms.com

Tan Sri Andrew Sheng - This is a war of elephants

Jim McGregor engages in a spirited interview on issues facing foreign companies doing business in China.  Speaking with Dick Drobnick in Shanghai, they cover topics from finding employees, to product dumping, to the impact of politics. McGregor states that, “This is China’s day,” and companies need to constantly re-evaluate their position as China itself is constantly changing.

With thirty years experience in China and seeing it move “from bicycles to Bentleys” McGregor brings powerful and pointed observations to the table.

Interview by Dick Drobnick, Director of the USC IBEAR MBA Program.

Jim McGregor in China, “From bicycles to Bentleys.”

Gary Locke, former US Ambassador to China, Secretary of Commerce and Governor of Washington has experienced trade issues from all angles.  He sees threatening tariffs more as a political gesture, than a well thought out strategy. Tariffs on steel for example would hurt Canada more than it would China.  He asks, “Why would we want to anger our allies?”  Locke brings insight to questions ranging from tariffs and technology transfers, to strategic exemptions and North Korea.

Interviewed by Dick Drobnick, Director of the USC IBEAR MBA Program.

Gary Locke thinks the US has more to lose in a trade war than China

Chris Darnell likes risk and has “a high capacity for ambiguity.” Good traits for an executive whose career path includes being CFO of the Microsoft Cloud as well as an entrepreneur in Sub-Saharan Africa. Always looking to blend the worlds of the executive and creative, Chris’ current company ‘The Human Baton” will burst onto the media scene soon with race cars, horses, high speed boats and more.  In this Business Class interview, we hear how Chris has taken the skills from his USC IBEAR MBA and applied them to a unique career.  

Chris spoke with Business Class when he returned to USC, to serve as Commencement Speaker for the IBEAR MBA’s 40th class.

I was building companies from the ground up – Christopher Darnell - CEO, The Human Baton

Bob Zukis wants people to understand the digital transformation. He wants people to understand that a successful business needs a trained technologist in the C-Suite.  With social technologies showing their  power in events such as the manipulation of the US election, he reflects, “Bad preceeds the good, until we learn how to control it.”  His view is that we are just at the beginning of building the regulations and controls needed to bring the good side of social technology to the forefront. He points out education is needed to deliver the promise of the digital transformation to companies, “Only 14% of boardroom directors have any technology training.” He continues, “And even if someone on the board asks the right questions, they have a very low probability of understanding the answers.” 

Bob runs the USC IBEAR MBA International Business Consulting Project and is CEO of the Digital Directors Network.

The Devil and the Digital Transformation - Bob Zukis

In Part 2 of this Business Class conversation, we look at the backstory of the US -China Trade War.  Kevin Rudd, former Australian Prime Minister says “I worry that the lines of communication are shutting down.” Using his background as a Sinologist, he notes that both Presidents are looking at the politics of the confrontation. And as, “The impact of a shuddering halt to US – China trade would be profound,” feels that a resolution and a declared victory from both sides could be an expected result.  He adds, this dual victory is partly possible as, “The US President has a remarkable ability to re-describe reality.”

Kevin Rudd is currently the President of the Asia Society Policy Institute.  

The interview was conducted by Dick Drobnick, Director of the USC IBEAR MBA Program.

Beijing and D.C. wonder what the other is thinking – Kevin Rudd, Former PM Australia - Part 2

Business Class speaks with Fan Bao of Renaissance China in Shanghai, about what he terms the New Economy of China.  This economy has no state owned enterprises and represents half the economy of China. Digging deeper, Mr. Bao describes two important super cycles that are driving the China economy and gives an inside view on how important entrepreneurs are to the country. In an interview that ranges from the trade war with the US to the tense situation with Huawei, Mr. Bao delivers unique insight into international business.

The interview is conducted by Dick Drobnick, The Director of the USC IBEAR MBA Program

On the rise of the New Economy in China – Fan Bao – Chairman & CEO, China Renaissance

In this two-part series, Business Class explores the business policies on the small island nation of Palau. We hear that choosing to protect the nation’s environment is a long term business decision.

In Part 1 - we talk tuna.  We learn how small countries of the region formed an alliance to protect tuna stocks in their waters from the fishing giants of the world. We also explore Palau’s business model of protecting and enhancing coral reefs to attract high-value SCUBA diving tourists.  We study what happens when a country manages the environment as its primary business asset.

We spoke with Steven Victor, the Director of The Nature Conservancy’s Micronesia Program.

In Part 2 we look at Palau’s business model of local farming and fishing, and see that no matter the size – a business faces the same questions and problems.

“In Palau, the environment is the economy.” – Steven Victor - The Nature Conservancy

Bob Zukis sees two corporate worlds.  In one world, a company is smoothly navigating the Digital Transformation and using these new tools to connect with customers and advance their business.  In the other world, he sees boardrooms that simply don’t comprehend how the digital world operates and that there are barbarians at the gates. Bob says, “this is a crisis in the boardroom” and that business are facing new risks while simultaneously being presented with tremendous opportunities, He notes “Even Warren Buffet says we’re in uncharted territory.”  In this episode of Business Class we hear how businesses can begin to navigate this new landscape.

Bob runs the USC IBEAR MBA International Business Consulting Project and is CEO of the Digital Directors Network.

The Digital Transformation  "This is hand-to-hand combat.” Bob Zukis

In this episode of Business Class, the subject is climate change and business. Interviewed by USC’s Dick Drobnick, Singapore’s Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Masagos Zulkifli explains how Singapore, a small country with few natural resources, may present a very realistic model for a world that is facing effects from its changing climate.

Masagos Zulkfli, is an engineer and looks to science and numbers to understand the threats his country must prepare for. He pointed out that Singapore is already planning to move its primary seaport and airport to locations that can be defended from sea level rise and storm surge events, “That’s how serious we are.”  The discussion digs in to the business opportunities being created by the research and infrastructure projects and the policy that is driving them. In Singapore. Minister Zulkifli says, the world’s current model of,  “Take, Make and Throw is not sustainable.”

Minister Masagos Zulkifli is an alum of the USC IBEAR MBA program.

Climate change is a fact in Singapore -  Masagos Zulkifli – Minister for Environment, Singapore

Sidney Rittenberg led an exceptional life.  He tumbled into the swirling waters of history as the communist revolution swept Mao into power. He was a friend of Mao.  He was also a prisoner of Mao.  Twice.  He spent sixteen years in solitary confinement, six years thanks to Josef Stalin, and ten years courtesy of the Cultural Revolution.

Somehow he rebounded and started a consulting business that brought companies such as Intel, Levis and Microsoft into China.

Throughout these events and efforts he was always observing and thinking. We go back to a 2014 interview with Sidney and talk about the amazing situations he navigated.  We also hear his thoughts on power and the people who wield it. 

Sidney Rittenberg passed away at the age of 98 and in this episode of Business Class we salute and remember his life.

The man who brought Intel to China and Mao threw into prison.  Twice! - Sidney Rittenberg

Business Class originates in Los Angeles, the home of the entertainment industry. In this episode, we look at how Covid-19 has brought the entire industry to a standstill. Movie theaters are empty, studios are closed, the few TV commercials being filmed are done so in isolation via Zoom and iPhones.  Devin Mann, Founder of Iconic Talent Agency of Beverly Hills, takes us inside the pandemic effects on entertainment production.  What happens when a workforce that is based on creativity is told to go home and stay there? Do movie theaters come back?  Does this signal a shift in how the world is entertained?  It’s clear that no one really knows how this particular movie is going to end.

To maintain social distancing, this interview was recorded via the web.

Pandemic: The movie business is going to need a rewrite. Devin Mann – Iconic Talent Agency

Are the numbers coming out of China real? Will China record any positive GDP growth for the year? Will global companies change their strategies to remove the China bottleneck in their supply chains? Business Class continues its look at the economic impact of the Covid-19 virus with Clay Dube, Director of the USC US-China Institute. “The Chinese economy fell off a cliff,”  notes Clay Dube as he takes us through what is known and what is speculated around Covid-19 in China.

The Good – “There are aspects that can only be described as good; things that they did that proved effective.”
The Bad  - “The fumbling at the outset, where they internally didn't recognize the enemy that they were facing.”
The Ugly – “Some of the ways that the Chinese government cracked down or locked the country down might be described as pretty harsh.”
It is becoming clear that mistakes and missed opportunities in China, the US and many other countries are unifying factors in this global pandemic. 

To maintain social distancing, this interview was recorded over the web.

Interview conducted April 13, 2020

Pandemic - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of China’s Covid-19 response. – Clay Dube –  USC

Overnight, the Covid-19 pandemic moved much of the world’s business and business interactions online. In this episode of Business Class, we talk with Paul Wilson, Managing Director for Google Cloud (Public Sector) Asia Pacific. We asked Paul how this pandemic has created a moment in time, where technology tools are being adopted for use by people all over the globe and being put to work in ways no one ever imagined. 
We had many questions.  What did this shift mean?  Can the networks handle it?  What new norms are being created?  Paul takes us through how his team shifted from sales to service to help organizations from Japan-to-Australia, to conduct, business, healthcare, education and life online.  

Interview conducted on April 17, 2020

Interviewed by Richard Drobnick, Director of the USC IBEAR MBA Program

Pandemic – What happens when the world is suddenly moved online? - Paul Wilson -  Google

It’s always difficult to know what’s happening inside China. In this episode of Business Class, we hear first-hand information and analysis on China’s Covid-19 response from Shanghai resident, Jim McGregor, the CEO of APCO China.

In an interview with USC’s Dick Drobnick, Jim notes that “China’s exports have fallen off a cliff.”  They explore if: having a two month head start with the virus is affecting the country’s recovery strategy, how China is opening up and they dig into the “poisonous” U.S. / China relationship.  In one of the biggest shifts the virus has triggered, Jim describes how companies are beginning to rethink their manufacturing strategy.  They are considering manufacturing goods inside China for that market, while manufacturing goods outside China for the rest of the world. Jim explains that this potentially dramatic shift in supply chain strategy reflects that, “There's been such a risk by having too much in China. This is going to be a new paradigm.”

Interview conducted on April 15th 2020

To maintain social distancing this interview was recorded over the web.

Interview by – Dick Drobnick, Director USC IBEAR MBA Program

Pandemic: On the virus timeline, "China has a two-month lead." Jim McGregor, APCO China

In this episode of #BusinessClass, we look at how the #Covid-19 pandemic is affecting the ASEAN nations, particularly #Thailand.  We turn to #Dr.NarongchaiAkaransee, a former Thai government minister with extensive business knowledge.
Dr. Narongchai explains Thailand’s successful approach to control of the Covid-19 virus.  In comparing the government’s reaction to the #CovidCrisis vs. the 2008 financial crisis, he explains how the Thai government decided to distribute wages to 20 million people for three months because, “This time they lost their job because of a government order.” 
In conversation with #USC’s #DickDrobnick, the two explore the economic effects of the virus coupled with strong governmental controls, “Big control. Very big impact.”  They also discuss how Thailand’s bond market and major economic sectors are faring. Dr. Narongchai notes that the virus will hinder economic growth for both auto parts and tourism, “We have been relying so much on #tourism. Last year, tourists arrivals were 40 million.” 

Dr. Narongchai Akaransee Ph.D, is the Chairman of MFC Asset Management Public Co, Chairman of Ananda Group, Chairman of #Seranee Group, and Board Member of AIA Group. Dr. Narongchai has served as Thailand’s Minister of Energy and Minister of Commerce, Director of National Economic and Social Development Board, and as a Member of Monetary Policy Committee of the #BankofThailand.

Interview recorded on April 30, 2020

To maintain social distancing the interview was recorded via the web.

Interview by Dick Drobnick, Director – #USCIBEARMBA Program

Pandemic: “Globalization will become regionalization.” - Narongchai Akaransee Ph.D. - Thailand

The moment the St. Patrick’s Day Parade was cancelled, Janet Lightner - General Manager of Boundary Bay Brewery - knew they were in trouble.  In this episode of Business Class, we move to the Microeconomic impact of the pandemic and go to the craft brewery nexus of Bellingham, Washington, to explore how the virus has upended the business model of a classic brew pub.
Boundary Bay, 25 years old, is a pioneer craft brewery that has built a brand on its constant interaction with its customers and community.  As the virus spread and shut down orders were given, Janet said she and her staff began to, ”pivot, pivot, pivot - like a ballerina doing pirouettes.”
No restaurant. No catering.  No brew pub.  We hear how Janet and her partner, made tough decisions, rearranged staff, created an instant ‘To Go’ business and managed through creative hard work, to keep their business vital, and not to be taken down by 300 pounds of corned beef.

Interview recorded on May 13, 2020.

To maintain social distancing this interview was recorded over the web.

Pandemic: Craft Beer, Corned Beef and the Corona Virus – Janet Lighter – Boundary Bay Brewery

In this episode of #BusinessClass, we return to Thailand for an #MBA review of the business skills needed to face this financial crisis.  We spoke with PJ Van Hecke, a 2018 graduate of the #USCIBEARMBA program.  PJ used his time in the program to shift from a global career in maritime engineering to the entrepreneurial side of book publishing.  He is now a Co-Founder in #Bangkok-based #TheReadingRoom.

In conversation with IBEAR MBA Director Dick Drobnick,, PJ lays out the core MBA skills he worked to master. He goes on to describe how these skills helped guide his new venture through the uncharted waters of a global #pandemic.

Pieter-Jan Van Hecke is a 2018 graduate of the IBEAR MBA program.

Interview recorded on April 16, 2020

Interview conducted by Dick Drobnick, Director IBEAR MBA Program

Pandemic: Applying MBA degree skills to a crisis - PJ Van Hecke – The Reading Room - Bangkok

The #Covid-19 virus is changing accepted business norms around the globe.  In this episode of Business Class, we spoke with #MarcusLu as he sheltered-in-place at his home in #China.  With deep insight into business in China,  Marcus described how the virus is changing long accepted patterns of how business is conducted.  “We realize and are starting to accept the fact that doing business can be easier,” he noted, while saying that, for the first time, important business meetings are being conducted virtually. 
In an interview with Dick Drobnick, Director of the #USC #IBEARMBA program, Marcus takes us through how he initially learned about the crisis coming out of Wuhan.  We hear the firsthand story of lockdown in China, with grocery stores cleaned out in hours of panic buying.  We also hear how the country adapted and local governments quickly adjusted to make sure goods and services were available.  Looking at the big picture, he explained that GDP growth in 2020 is probably out of the question and to have the economy not shrink in 2020 would be a major success.

Marcus Lu is a 2003 graduate of the USC IBEAR MBA Program.  

He is the former Head of Commodities for #Mercuria and is now pursuing entrepreneurial projects in the energy sector.

Interviewed by Dick Drobnick via the web on April 15, 2020.

#Pandemic: How the virus is changing business in China – Marcus Lu

Cairn Spring Mills is a company that surprisingly is growing during the pandemic. The company is a varietal flour mill that produces a high quality locally sourced product. While other companies have been strapped by failing consumer demand and disrupted supply chains, Cairn Spring has increased sales by changing their business model - pivoting from being a strictly commercial wholesale outfit to being a nimble retail business. 

CEO Kevin Morse said "I think a bubble has been broken. I was talking to one of our advisors who's a former venture capitalist and she called this a macro-shock event which is drastically changing consumer behavior.
In this episode of Business Class, we continue to explore how companies are adjusting and working to survive the sudden economic shifts of the pandemic.

Interview recorded over the web on May 12, 2020

Pandemic: Economic bubbles are bursting – Kevin Morse – Cairn Spring Mills

Expert insight into the world of business.  The Asia Pacific Business Forum Podcast delivers in-depth interviews with people on the inside of international business, policy and events.

Asia Pacific Business Forum Podcast

Popular tracks