The Front Row Podcast

Bilahari Kausikan is a Singaporean academic and retired diplomat.He was the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the former ambassador to the UN and Russia. Before his retirement, Bilahari was the Chairman of the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore.In this episode, he unpacks the dilemmas and challenges that Singapore and Southeast Asia face in an age of intensifying US-China competition. TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Trailer & Intro01:33 Bilahari's Take on GE202505:09 Navigating an Ambiguous World08:27 The Evolution of International Order16:35 Why Singapore Is Better Prepared17:33 US-China And The New Cold War?31:16 America's Political Dilemmas36:46 How Southeast Asia Is Adapting To A Rising China42:42 The South China Sea Challenge47:52 Can China Benefit From Trump51:33 The Gaza Dilemma 01:07:19 How Singapore Should Respond01:12:21 Singapore's Unique Identity01:17:56 Advice For The YoungFull transcripts of episodes can be found here: https://www.ykeith.com/tag/podcast/

John Carbrey is a Canadian entrepreneur and venture investor. In 2005, he founded Intrafinity, which built powerful web content management tools used by universities, hospitals, and Fortune 500 companies across North America. In 2008, he launched SharpSchool, a spinoff focused on communication and web platforms for K–12 school districts. It quickly scaled to serve nearly 10% of U.S. schools, delivering over a billion web and mobile views annually. After selling both companies to West Corporation (now known as Intrado, an American telecommunications conglomerate) in 2015, John led the global tech team and helped grow West’s education division from $40M to $70M in ARR. Today, he's building FutureSight, a venture studio that partners with SaaS founders to co-create the next wave of high-impact startups.TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Intro & Teaser00:55 Early Entrepreneurial Journey and Initial Ventures04:42 Building and Scaling Companies in Canada09:00 Transitioning from Founder to Executive11:31 The Importance of Reflection In Your Career13:35 Silicon Valley's Work Culture and Its Impact17:56 The Psychological Tax of Hustling24:11 Wanting Well: Redefining Success and Value27:21 Understanding Mimetic Desire and Its Impact33:41 Wounds and Their Influence on Our Desires40:06 Wanting Well: Beyond Individual Desires43:14 The Purpose of Business in Society46:15 Finding Great Co-Founders51:18 Example of An Excellent Founder60:07 Advice For Fresh Graduate

Steven Okun, is the Founder and CEO of APAC Advisors. He is a recognized expert on U.S. foreign policy, global trade, sustainability, and corporate public affairs across the Asia-Pacific region. With over 25 years of experience spanning government and private sectors, he excels at turning complex policy changes into actionable business strategies. Based in Singapore since 2003, Steven has consistently forecasted major geopolitical trends, including reciprocal tariffs, trade policy shifts under a second Trump administration, and U.S.-China decoupling—well ahead of mainstream adoption."00:00 Introduction to Stephen Okun and APEC Advisors01:24 What Was It Like Under Clinton Administration05:02 Campaigning in the U.S. vs. Singapore09:05 How Civil Service Works in The US11:07 U.S. Foreign Policy14:12 The Rise of Donald Trump20:17 Hyper-Partisanship in American Politics23:37 Lessons from Trump 1.0 to Trump 2.027:51 Trump's Intellectual Influences30:23 The Power Dynamics in Congress and the Presidency32:39 Understanding Trump's Tariff Strategy38:26 The China Plus One Strategy43:39 American Inertia To Industrial Policy47:02 How US Businesses Adapt54:55 Opportunities Amidst Geopolitical Uncertainty01:00:02 How To Get Trump To Cut Tariffs01:02:21 Advice For Fresh Grads

Dr. Vaughn Tan is a strategy consultant, advisor, and researcher. He currently leads Southeast Asia executive education for University College London, where he was part of the founding strategy faculty in the School of Management. He is the author of The Uncertainty Mindset (Columbia Univ. Press, 2020), a book about using uncertainty as a strategic tool for designing high-performing innovation organizations.Vaughn works with the leadership teams of corporations, startups, governments, and NGOS to develop their innovation capacity and ability to manage uncertainty. His executive education practice focuses on building programmes that develop participants’ leadership capacity, strategic vision, and innovation ability. He speaks regularly at conferences and for leadership teams on uncertainty, strategy, innovation, and the future of work in a time of AI.He is currently a Fellow of the Singapore Government’s Centre for Strategic Futures, an Rethink Food Executive Board member, and an advisor on diversity and inclusion matters to Wellcome.CHAPTERS: 00:00 TRAILER00:53 Understanding Risk vs. Uncertainty03:30 Navigating Uncertainty in Decision Making09:05 The Importance of Embracing Uncertainty14:46 Learning from High-End Cuisine 17:06 Vaughn's Favourite Example22:07 Designing for Productive Discomfort28:58 How Desperation By Design Works35:11 Singapore As An Innovator39:07 Should Singapore Re-Invent Its Education System? 45:37 Beyond Credentialism In Adult Learning52:23 Reframing Singapore's Economic Strategy57:53 Closing Questions

Allen Lau is a self-described 'recovering' CEO, and 3x entrepreneur, an engineer by training, a rocket scientist at heart, and a venture capitalist by profession. He was the CEO and co-founder of Wattpad, the world's largest social storytelling company with 100 million monthly users. A few years ago, the AI-powered company was acquired by Naver for over US$660 million.Allen is now co-founder and operating partner at Two Small Fish Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm that is investing in the next frontier of computing and its applications. He also serves on the board of MaRS, the largest urban innovation hub in North America, and Openmind Research Institute, a non-profit organization focused on conducting AI research leading to a better understanding of minds.In this episode, Allen talks about what it took to grow Wattpad, the world's largest social storytelling platform and why he thinks deep tech is the future of innovation. TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Trailer 00:51 Allen's Founding of Wattpad06:49 The Cold Start Problem To Building A Marketplace13:57 Persisting Through The Trough15:26 Scaling Up: The Decision to Expand18:35 Securing VC Funding25:18 Wattpad's Refusal To Enter Silicon Valley33:07 Lessons As A CEO36:41 Why CEOs Need To Constantly Communicate40:05 Wattpad's Strategic Growth and Evolution42:28 Navigating Naver's Acquisition 48:10 Investing In Deep Tech57:18 The Future of Technology and Innovation01:03:47 What Singapore and Canada Share In Common01:08:08 Book Recommendation & AdviceFeel free to mingle in the comments below or head to...Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontrow.65/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-yap/Website: www.ykeith.comEmail: keith@frontrow65.co

Magnus Grimeland is the founder and CEO of Antler. Before Antler, Magnus co-founded Zalora, taking the company from zero to Asia’s leading fashion e-commerce platform, and then helped scale Global Fashion Group across 26 markets. His former colleagues have gone on to found leading Southeast Asian startups such as Gojek and Stashaway. He is a Harvard graduate, a former McKinsey partner, and served in the Norwegian Naval Special Forces.Today, PitchBook ranks Antler as the most active VC globally, and Dealroom recognizes the firm as the most active investor in AI startups.In this episode, Magnus breaks down the biggest lessons he learnt from Zalora and how Antler is changing the world through Day Zero investments. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro00:59 Early Days of Zalora01:47 Early E-commerce in Southeast Asia04:40 Lessons from Building Zalora07:21 Navigating Southeast Asia's Market Challenges12:35 The Importance Of Talent in Founders16:51 Antler vs YC20:13 What Makes A Founder Great?27:22 Screening for Founders32:02 Building A Strong Global Network37:23 When Hierarchical Leadership Can Fail40:46 The Case For Singapore As A Global Startup Hub47:49 Closing QuestionsFeel free to mingle in the comments below or head to...Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontrow.65/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-yap/Website: www.ykeith.comEmail: keith@frontrow65.co

Taimur Baig, PhD, heads global economics as well as macro strategy for interest rate, credit, and currency at DBS Group Research. He also advises the bank on risk management and investment strategy.Dr. Baig has published extensively for both specialists and a general audience, on areas including monetary policy, digital currency, financial technology, climate change, demographics, frontier markets, fiscal policy efficacy, and financial market contagion. He is the host of “Kopi Time,” a widely followed podcast series on markets and economies.In this episode, he makes the case for economic optimism in a world of uncertainty.TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Trailer01:07 The Role of a Chief Economist02:55 Transforming Data into Insights06:51 The Smoot-Hawley Tariffs And Trade Wars Today10:06 The US Debt Challenge12:13 Reindustrialization of USA14:27 Can America Remain Innovative?16:08 China's Economic Paradox19:05 China's Competitive Advantages23:39 India's Growth Potential28:01 The Warming In India-China Relations30:07 Southeast Asia's Golden Age32:35 Future Growth Areas in Southeast Asia36:06 Advice for the Youth

Wang Gungwu is an internationally renowned historian famed for his scholarship on the history of the Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia, as well as the history and civilisation of China and Southeast Asia. In his illustrious academic career, Wang has held eminent appointments in various universities and organisations around the world. He was a history professor at the University of Malaya (1963–68) and the Australian National University (1968–86), and the vice-chancellor at the University of Hong Kong (1986–95). He is currently a professor emeritus at the Australian National University and a University Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS), the highest academic title conferred by NUS.TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Trailer 01:03 The Importance of Understanding China's Rise 08:27 Navigating A Chinese Political Identity 20:03 Mao Zedong's Misunderstood Legacy 25:27 The Role of History in Chinese Nation-Building 31:52 Comparing Xi Jinping And Mao Zedong 32:48 Xi Jinping's Influence 37:03 Modernity with Chinese Characteristics 40:46 Balancing Political Stability and Economic Growth 45:52 ASEAN's Role in a Multipolar World 48:59 Maritime Power Dynamics in South China Sea 54:44 Avoiding Conflict In The US-China Rivalry 01:03:30 Lessons for Future Leaders 01:07:23 Advice For Fresh Graduates

Ong Ye Kung is the Minister for Health. He was elected Member of Parliament for Sembawang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in September 2015, and was re-elected in July 2020 in Sembawang GRC.He had held the positions of Minister for Transport, Minister for Education, Second Minister for Defence and board member of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He is also the Chairman of the Chinese Development Assistance CouncilIn this conversation, we discuss what it took for Singapore to overcome the pandemic, why the Singapore-Johor Economic Zone might change the game for Singapore and what Singapore needs to thrive in such turbulent times.

In today's episode, I speak with Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, a distinguished diplomat and international civil servant who served as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. Dr. Heyzer also led the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), transforming it into a powerful advocate for women's rights and empowerment globally. This episode was produced in conjunction with the upcoming International Women's Day, with the hope of getting more of us to reflect on the progress we have made and what is needed for the road ahead. Dr. Heyzer speaks candidly about her efforts to empower women through economic security, break the silence on gender-based violence, and ensure women's inclusion in peace negotiations—drawing from her direct experience with peace processes in Afghanistan and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She offers a thoughtful assessment of the UN's challenges in modern conflicts and her vision for reforming this critical institution for a new era.CHAPTERS:00:00 Teaser/Introduction01:02 The Origins of The UN07:00 The Importance Of The UN For Countries10:06 Singapore's Journey and the UN's Influence10:56 Dr Heyzer's Journey19:20 Women's Rights In The 20th Century27:14 The Progress Made For Women's Rights34:55 Understanding The Tangible Impact of The UN44:03 The Role of Women in Israeli-Palestinian Peace Efforts46:56 Role Of The UN In Conflicts47:40 Challenges Facing the UN in Modern Conflicts52:46 Reimagining the UN for a New Era56:15 Advice for Future Leaders