What hidden mistake do companies make about distributed teams?

Fresh out of the studio, Yuying Deng, Co-founder and CEO of Esevel, shares her transformative journey from corporate lawyer to healthcare operator to tech entrepreneur with our guest host Yana Fry from Yana TV. Yuying discusses how the pandemic's sudden shift to remote work in April 2020 revealed critical gaps in IT infrastructure for distributed teams, inspiring her to launch Esevel—a platform now serving companies across 88 countries. Yuying challenges the traditional HQ-centric worldview, advocating that "HQ should be a mindset, not a location," and shares how Esevel deliberately builds leadership opportunities for talented professionals regardless of whether they're based in Manila, Singapore, or São Paulo. Last but not least, Yuying shares what great would look like for Esevel's future: becoming the indispensable tool companies think of first when scaling global teams, while proving that talent and performance matter more than location.

"Many companies that say they do distributed and remote work actually still have a very HQ-centric worldview. That means leadership is in HQ, strategy is formed in HQ, and high-impact jobs are in the HQ as well. So when they hire remote and distributed teams. For example, in the Philippines, Brazil, and India they use these more as back-office functions. So you have very talented people who join them there, thinking that they could rise in a global company. But very soon they find that they hit a glass ceiling and are no longer able to advance, and so they move on to another firm. I think that’s a massive waste of talent, especially if you’re talking about here in Asia. This is the world’s fastest-growing region. People are ambitious, people are bright, and they are able to take on leadership positions if they’re given the opportunity to. This is one thing that we have really tried to reverse at Esevel. You do not have to be at HQ in order to rise into a leadership position. As long as you perform your job and perform it well, we look at performance more than location. So I think that is one thing that has to shift: HQ shouldn’t be a location. HQ should actually be a mindset. And I think that’s something that a lot of remote companies or distributed work companies have correct when it comes to that." - Deng Yuying

Episode Highlights:

[00:00] Quote of the Day by Deng Yuying

[02:00] Introducing Yuying Deng, CEO of Esevel

[02:25] From lawyer to operator to founder

[03:32] MBA at INSEAD shaped entrepreneurial journey

[03:53] Built community care division for Orange Valley

[04:24] Family business dynamics and PE exit lessons

[05:44] Esevel: IT operations platform for distributed teams

[07:56] Company DNA shaped by pandemic remote work

[08:38] Importance of staying close to customer problems

[10:16] Managing operations across 88 countries globally

[12:39] Failure is a feature, not a bug

[14:33] Operational complexity and doing boring work well

[16:35] Future of hybrid and remote work

[19:48] HQ should be a mindset not location

[21:25] Characteristics needed for remote work success

[22:40] Growth opportunities regardless of employee location

[24:58] Founding a company is like raising child

[26:52] No perfect time for major life decisions

[29:31] Ethical principles learned from parents

[30:33] Vision for Esevel and family independence

[32:28] Partnership requires mutual support for success

[35:48] Rising through adversity with determination

[36:34] Legacy focused on happy, independent children

Profile: Yuying Deng, CEO of Esevel: https://esevel.com

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuyingdeng/

Guest Host: Yana Fry from Yana TV:  https://www.youtube.com/@yanatvsg

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yanafry/

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. The proper credits for the intro and end music are "Energetic Sports Drive." G. Thomas Craig mixed and edited the episode in both video and audio format.