The International Business Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

What is strategy in a broad sense? What are the different types of international strategy? How would you define competitive advantage?

This and more in today’s episode. If you’d like to come on the show, please connect with Leo.

⁠Join Leonardo on Patreon for:⁠⁠

Podcast Archive: 102 episodes (40+ hours).

Podcast Bonus Episodes: New exclusive content.

Early Access: Upcoming YouTube videos and newsletters.

Thinking Process Journal: Insights into Leonardo's content preparation, including a curated reading list and personal reflections.

Q&A: Submit questions for future episodes, and receive a shoutout when they are answered.

With guests:

Patrick Daly, Founder and Managing Director of Alba Logistics, has worked in the manufacturing and logistics sector for over 25 years. He is also active on the Councils of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in Ireland, and the Irish Exporters Association as well as being chairman of the Latin American Trade Forum.
In his consultancy assignments, Patrick has worked with clients all over the world in countries such as China, India, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, Egypt, UAE, US, UK, Spain, Croatia and others. Clients include: Stryker, Pepsico, GSK...
Patrick is the author of the book International Supply Chain Relationships: Creative Competitive Advantage in a Globalized Economy published by Kogan Page in London and New York in 2019.

Kathryn Read spent more than 25 years at the nitty gritty end of export doing business in more than 150 countries, so whether you're looking for help for your company to expand or executive mentoring for yourself to manage international teams then she is open for a chat.

Partner at Uniconsult-Wick & Partner, where she helps small & medium companies who are looking to take their business international. In detail that depends on what they need: you can break it down into 4 main parts:

International Expansion Strategy - Partner Search - Ongoing Sales & Branding Support - Individual support.

David Clapcott is Vice President of Global Sales at MatOrtho Ltd. He is passionate about the medical device market and thrives on collaborating with healthcare professionals to enhance patient outcomes through superior value-added solutions. His career is marked by innovative thinking, challenging the status quo, and crafting strategies that inspire and engage stakeholders.

Previously, as Commercial Director, APAC at Arthrex, he drove market penetration and key partnerships across Asia-Pacific. At Smith & Nephew, David held various leadership roles, including Marketing Director for Recon in China and APAC, Franchise Director for Hips, and several other positions, showcasing his expertise in sales and marketing.

Motivated to achieve excellence, David leverages his strong academic background and extensive industry experience to consistently outperform the competition, ensuring ongoing success in the healthcare sector.

You could also support the podcast by purchasing one of these Strategy books on Amazon using the links provided.

- Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors

- On Competition (Harvard Business Review Book)

Are 1:1 meetings important? How to run effective meetings? What’s their purpose? This and more. Let's engage with international professionals from China, the UK, the USA, and Japan.

⁠Join Leonardo on Patreon for:⁠⁠

Podcast Archive: 102 episodes (40+ hours).

Podcast Bonus Episodes: New exclusive content.

Early Access: Upcoming YouTube videos and newsletters.

Thinking Process Journal: Insights into Leonardo's content preparation, including a curated reading list and personal reflections.

Q&A: Submit questions for future episodes, and receive a shoutout when they are answered.

If you would like to be considered for the show, please connect with the host Leo.

Details on each guest:

Francis Kremer is the founder of the China Flexpat Community. This is a community for international professionals to share advice and experiences about working in and with China. This advice is shared on the "China Flexpat Podcast" which can be found on Spotify or any other podcast app.

Francis graduated in Business studies in 2006 in Germany, has always been working in international technology marketing and speaks fluent Chinese. He relocated to China in 2016. In 2020, Francis joined JULI Automation, the Chinese market leader for EV motor assembly lines. The most leading EV brands, such as SAIC, FAW, Geely and Great Wall cooperate with JULI Automation. Francis is now responsible for the internationalization of the company in order to become the worldwide market leader for EV motor assembly lines. He is establishing customer relationships and service offerings in Europe and North America. In 2024 he has established a new subsidiary in Hungary with a planned headcount of 60 professionals in 2026.

Sally Maier-Yip is an award-winning cross-cultural Public Relations (PR) strategist with a background in journalism and a passion for helping companies to build successful business in Mainland China, Hong Kong and globally over the past 20 years.

In 2015, Sally founded 11K Consulting, a leading London-based China-specialist communications consultancy, specialized in helping clients to reach and attract Chinese high-net-worth individuals, investors and luxury consumers in China and globally. 11K's clients include a mix of international and emerging companies from property development, architecture, interior design to luxury hotels and restaurants. Prior to 11K, Sally had worked at various PR agencies in Hong Kong, Singapore and London.

Tom Roberts is a recognized expert in the intercultural complexities of global leadership and has been referred to as “The Expat Whisperer” by a treasured client. Tom is a senior executive, author, keynote speaker, and certified executive coach who has helped hundreds of C-Suite, VP and Director level leaders redefine their overseas experience as a career-making superpower.

After over a decade abroad taking on 5 international assignments and guiding teams in 11 different countries, with country, unit, and regional P&L ownership, Tom has been through the ups and downs of leading abroad. The stakes are high for your career, your company’s objectives, and – perhaps most importantly – for your family.

Jason Durkee is President of corporate training firm Idea Development in Tokyo. During his 30 years as a consultant in Asia, he's helped more than 40,000 people communicate, manage and work better across languages and cultures.
Jason was born and raised in Seattle, graduated from Sophia University's Faculty of Comparative Culture in Tokyo, worked in Japan and Shanghai, founded Idea Development in 2003, developed the company to be an leader leader and has managed global teams since 2003.

If you work across time zones, borders, and cultures, this is the show for you. This is Leonardo from Shanghai, and welcome to the international business podcast. Today, we delve into the experiences of foreigners working in Japan, collaborating with Japanese professionals, and vice versa.

 Who is your typical executive in Japan? How does leadership change across language and culture? What is the thing most foreigners get wrong about Japan business culture? And more.

To learn more about each guest joining me today, please check below.

⁠Join Leonardo on Patreon for:⁠⁠

Podcast Archive: 102 episodes (40+ hours).

Podcast Bonus Episodes: New exclusive content.

Early Access: Upcoming YouTube videos and newsletters.

Thinking Process Journal: Insights into Leonardo's content preparation, including a curated reading list and personal reflections.

Q&A: Submit questions for future episodes, and receive a shoutout when they are answered.

Jason Durkee is President of corporate training firm Idea Development in Tokyo. During his 30 years as a consultant in Asia, he's helped more than 40,000 people communicate, manage and work better across languages and cultures. Jason was born and raised in Seattle, graduated from Sophia University's Faculty of Comparative Culture in Tokyo, worked in Japan and Shanghai, founded Idea Development in 2003, developed the company to be an leader leader and has managed global teams since 2003. Since 2003 Idea Development has specialized in providing learning and development solutions to clients in Japan that achieve meaningful business results. Focusing on innovation, communication, working across cultures and leadership. Over the years, the company has grown consistently and now proudly serves more than 130 clients a year.

Jeff O’Dea has worked in Japan as an educator for over 30 years. During this time, he has collaborated with many global companies in his roles as a coach, trainer, consultant, presenter, and educator.

He is passionate about discussing, drawing, and writing on cross-cultural communication, particularly as it pertains to Japan and Japanese business professionals.Jeff is dedicated to helping Japanese business professionals enhance their communication skills and, more importantly, boost their confidence and mindset to communicate more effectively in English. He has also had the opportunity to work with a range of expatriates in Japan, assisting them in creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for their Japanese partners and colleagues.

Tom Roberts, known as “The Expat Whisperer,” is an expert in global leadership and intercultural complexities. As a senior executive, author, keynote speaker, and certified executive coach, Tom has guided numerous C-Suite and VP leaders in transforming their international experiences into career advantages. With over a decade of international assignments across 11 countries, he understands the unique pressures faced by expat executives. Tom emphasizes the importance of recognizing the cultural influences from one’s home, host, and headquarters environments to ensure success for both the leader and their family. He founded Cranberry Leadership to enhance the success of expat assignments, leveraging data-driven assessments and his extensive experience.

Connect with the host Leonardo Marra.

If you work across time zones, borders and cultures, this is the show for you. In the "Concept" series, Leo aims at defining a topic in international business. These are shorter episodes to illustrate key concepts in this discipline.

Today we present the concept of dollarization.

Dollarization occurs when a country transitions from using its domestic currency to adopting a foreign currency– typically the US dollar -  to use alongside or instead of its own currency.

Links to further your research:

• Dollarization in El Salvador celebrates 21 years
• Full Dollarization - The Pros and Cons
• An Economic History Of El Salvador’s Adoption Of Bitcoin

⁠Join Leonardo on Patreon for:⁠⁠

Podcast Archive: 102 episodes (40+ hours).

Podcast Bonus Episodes: New exclusive content.

Early Access: Upcoming YouTube videos and newsletters.

Thinking Process Journal: Insights into Leonardo's contentpreparation, including a curated reading list and personal reflections.

Q&A: Submit questions for future episodes, and receive a shoutout when they are answered.

You could also support the podcast by purchasing one of thefollowing books on Amazon using the links provided:

- ⁠⁠The Personal MBA⁠⁠

- ⁠⁠HBR's 10 Must Reads 2025⁠⁠

- ⁠⁠The 48 Laws of Power⁠⁠

- ⁠⁠Blue Ocean Strategy⁠

If you work across time zones, borders, and cultures, this is the show for you. This is Leonardo from Shanghai, and welcome to the international business podcast. Today, we discuss the China's digital ecosystem.

⁠Join Leonardo on Patreon for:⁠⁠

Podcast Archive: 102 episodes (40+ hours).

Podcast Bonus Episodes: New exclusive content.

Early Access: Upcoming YouTube videos and newsletters.

Thinking Process Journal: Insights into Leonardo's content preparation, including a curated reading list and personal reflections.

Q&A: Submit questions for future episodes, and receive a shoutout when they are answered.

The digital economy in China, contributing to 10% of the GDP in 2023, is a critical component of national development. China's commitment to advancing its digital economy includes massive investments in emerging technologies like AI, blockchain, and 5G. This strategic focus aims to position China as a leader in the global digital economy. Today’s guest is Ashley Dudarenok.

Ashley is a naturalised Chinese serial entrepreneur, award winning digital expert and book author, recognised by Thinkers50 as a “Guru on fast-evolving trends in China”.

She is the founder of ChoZan 超赞 China digital transformation consultancy and Alarice, China-focused digital marketing agency. Ashley and her team help world's top companies and brands to learn for and from China. She’s also a sought-after professional speaker covering topics around customer centricity, the future of retail, technology in action. Ashley is the author of 11 books on digital China. She has over 500,000 professionals follow her social media channels for daily China business insights.

What are the functions in WeChat? Is Weibo still relevant? How are Chinese companies going global? This and more in today’s episode.

If you work across time zones, borders and cultures, this is the show for you. In the "Concept" series, Leo aims at defining a topic in international business. These are shorter episodes to illustrate key concepts in this discipline.

Today we present the concept of Foreign Direct investment (FDI).  Foreign Direct Investment is a significant aspect of international economics, representing a long-term investment made by an individual or entity in one country into business interests in another country. FDI plays a crucial role in the global economy, promoting economic growth, enhancing productivity, and providing access to new markets and technologies.

⁠Join Leonardo on Patreon for:⁠⁠

Podcast Archive: 102 episodes (40+ hours).

Podcast Bonus Episodes: New exclusive content.

Early Access: Upcoming YouTube videos and newsletters.

Thinking Process Journal: Insights into Leonardo's contentpreparation, including a curated reading list and personal reflections.

Q&A: Submit questions for future episodes, and receive a shoutout when they are answered.

Links to further your research:

• CFI article
• World Bank article
• OECD article
• Tesla’s Gigafactory in Berlin
• AWS launches Malaysia’s first cloud infrastructure region

Connect with the host Leonardo Marra on LinkedIn.

You could also support the podcast by purchasing one of thefollowing books on Amazon using the links provided:

- ⁠⁠The Personal MBA⁠⁠

- ⁠⁠HBR's 10 Must Reads 2025⁠⁠

- ⁠⁠The 48 Laws of Power⁠⁠

- ⁠⁠Blue Ocean Strategy⁠

If you work across time zones, borders, and cultures, this is the show for you. Welcome to the international business podcast. Today, we discuss expats. To learn more about each guest joining Leonardo today, please check below.

⁠Join Leonardo on Patreon for:⁠⁠

Podcast Archive: 102 episodes (40+ hours).

Podcast Bonus Episodes: New exclusive content.

Early Access: Upcoming YouTube videos and newsletters.

Thinking Process Journal: Insights into Leonardo's content preparation, including a curated reading list and personal reflections.

Q&A: Submit questions for future episodes, and receive a shoutout when they are answered.

Expats are crucial for global companies as they bring diverse perspectives, specialized skills, and cultural insights that enhance international operations.

⁠Gabor Holch⁠ is an intercultural leadership coach, consultant, speaker and author specialised in East-West executive assignments and business relations. He supports corporate executives and public-sector leaders in succeeding across national and cultural boundaries instead of getting lost in translation.

An expat since age 4, he transitioned from diplomacy to consulting, moved to China in 2002 and became China’s first foreigner granted a Certified Management Consultant degree in Mandarin Chinese. In 2005 he founded Campanile Management Consulting.

He has advised, coached and trained leaders for 100+ clients in 25+ countries through his own firm, partner consultancies and the business academies of half a dozen multinational corporations. He has spoken at conferences and corporate events and lectured at business programmes in Europe and Asia.

He has written three books and published about a hundred articles. His latest book, Dragon Suit: The golden age of expatriate executives in China, was published by Business Expert Press, New York, in summer 2023.

⁠Chis Smit⁠, has become a role model for many individuals throughout his career. Cultural Diversity and Company Culture can be greatly misunderstood within an industry that is continuously evolving and Chris is looking to spread awareness in these areas to help implement change. When booked as a speaker, Chris focuses on topics such as Intercultural Management, Leadership, Management, and Marketing.

In 1987, Chris attended the University of Amsterdam where he was awarded a master’s degree in Organisational Psychology. This was then followed by him gaining a Business Consultant role at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Dedicated to making a difference, Chris has now become a Managing Partner of Culture Matters. His beliefs not only benefit himself but thousands of people throughout the business world which is why he has been able to build a successful career.

Chris hosted the TEDx Talk ‘⁠Humor and culture in international business⁠ in 2014.

⁠Shelley Doyle⁠ is a pioneering Social Wealth Strategist and a Master's student at Royal Roads University, specializing in enhancing the social wellbeing of remote and hybrid leaders. With over 20 years in communications, Shelley has pivoted to empower corporate teams, remote leaders, and founders to foster meaningful connections and sustain their social wellbeing in our digital age. Through her innovative workshops and talks, Shelley merges cutting-edge research with her global experiences, equipping leaders with tools and strategies to reconnect, enabling them to feel deeply trusted, connected, and supported.

• Join Shelley’s ⁠newsletter community⁠
• Check out her ⁠Podcast⁠

If you work across time zones, borders and cultures, this is the show for you. In the "Concept" series, Leo aims at defining a topic in international business. These are shorter episodes to illustrate key concepts in this discipline. To further your research, you can find sources below.

Today we discuss tariffs. A tariff is essentially a tax on products, raw materials, or goods produced overseas, imposed by the government of the importing country.

To better understand the concept, we look at the EU’s latest tariffs imposed on Chinese Electric vehicles.

Links to further your research:

• Get WTO tariff data:

• Article EU presses ahead with Chinese EV tariffs after divided vote

⁠Join Leonardo on Patreon for:⁠⁠

Podcast Archive: 102 episodes (40+ hours).

Podcast Bonus Episodes: New exclusive content.

Early Access: Upcoming YouTube videos and newsletters.

Thinking Process Journal: Insights into Leonardo's contentpreparation, including a curated reading list and personal reflections.

Q&A: Submit questions for future episodes, and receive a shoutout when they are answered.

You could also support the podcast by purchasing one of thefollowing books on Amazon using the links provided:

- ⁠⁠The Personal MBA⁠⁠

- ⁠⁠HBR's 10 Must Reads 2025⁠⁠

- ⁠⁠The 48 Laws of Power⁠⁠

- ⁠⁠Blue Ocean Strategy⁠

If you work across time zones, borders and cultures, this is the show for you. Today we start a new format called "Concept". Every week (or so) Leo aims at defining a topic in international business. These are shorter episodes to illustrate key concepts in this discipline. To further your research, you can find sources below.Today we talk about APEC, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. It is a regional economic forum intended to create greater prosperity among its 21 members located in the Asia-Pacific region, including China and the United States. It was established in 1989. Links to further your research:

• Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
• APEC Peru 2024
• Article APEC businesses propose new climate bonds, carbon credit network
• Article APEC businesses call for greater action amidst insufficient economic growth and increasing climate risk

⁠

Join Leonardo on Patreon for:⁠⁠

Podcast Archive: 102 episodes (40+ hours).

Podcast Bonus Episodes: New exclusive content.

Early Access: Upcoming YouTube videos and newsletters.

Thinking Process Journal: Insights into Leonardo's contentpreparation, including a curated reading list and personal reflections.

Q&A: Submit questions for future episodes, and receive a shoutout when they are answered.

You could also support the podcast by purchasing one of thefollowing books on Amazon using the links provided:

- ⁠⁠The Personal MBA⁠⁠

- ⁠⁠HBR's 10 Must Reads 2025⁠⁠

- ⁠⁠The 48 Laws of Power⁠⁠

- ⁠⁠Blue Ocean Strategy⁠

If you work across time zones, borders, and cultures, this is the show for you. Today we discuss about corporate culture, multicultural teams, cultural agility and more.

• How can leaders actively shape and reinforce the corporate culture within their organizations, especially during times of change?
• Teams are the core of organizational performance and need dedicated support to align on goals, come together to anticipate challenges, collaborate under stress, and communicate proactively. Specificially with multicultural teams, what are the typical issues that happen?
• What is cultural integration?

To learn more about each guest joining Leonardo today, please check below.

⁠Join Leonardo on Patreon for:⁠⁠

Podcast Archive: 102 episodes (40+ hours).

Podcast Bonus Episodes: New exclusive content.

Early Access: Upcoming YouTube videos and newsletters.

Thinking Process Journal: Insights into Leonardo's content preparation, including a curated reading list and personal reflections.

Q&A: Submit questions for future episodes, and receive a shoutout when they are answered.

Marion Campan is a French entrepreneur who embarked on the journey of improving work standards in China and in the world.  After 10 years in the corporate world, she founded Intandid, an HR solution provider for foreign brands in China.  Every day, Marion and her team are growing people and organizations. As a Professional Certified Coach, Marion stands out for her ability to create Strengths-based environments that drive success.

Marion's diverse international experience spans across France, Germany, Spain, the UK, Taiwan, and China, providing her with a unique perspective on global business dynamics. Her profound understanding of behavioral psychology fuels her drive to help individuals thrive within their professional spheres.

Maria Pastorelli is an experienced executive and team coach, cross-cultural facilitator, and keynote speaker based in Shanghai, China, for the past 15 years. As the founder of Bridge Consulting and co-founder of Global Impact Teams, she is dedicated to helping international leaders and teams find new ways to work better together in globally distributed environments to improve both performance and engagement. She has partnered with Fortune 500 companies in various sectors (manufacturing, automotive, beauty, Chemical, Retail, telecommunications) to strengthen cross-cultural leadership, remote team collaboration, change management, and more.
She is fluent in Italian, English, and Chinese, and has been a speaker for TEDxNYU Shanghai on the importance of conversations to deal with differences in business. She also passionately advocates for women by leading the Global Women Entrepreneurs Network community and supporting local initiatives like Mentor Walks Shanghai.

Denis Niedringhaus is a leadership coach based in Luxembourg specialised in Multicultural Agility.   He helps Senior Managers new to Luxembourg and France make a successful professional transition and integrate their  environment .  He's a LinkedIn Top Executive Coaching Voice and author of numerous articles on Intercultural Agility.  Three continents, three languages and 30 years of experience in multinational companies, he's the Managing Director of Weilan Coaching and Training and shares his insights and experience on the challenges facing expats in Luxembourg, France and Mainland China.

Connect with the host Leonardo Marra.