Leaders in Motion - How Global Executives Reinvent Leadership in the Age of AI and Market Disruption – Details, episodes & analysis

In this solo episode, Kevin hong share key insights from our executive webinar on sales hiring in founder-led businesses, featuring Yining Wang (serial entrepreneur who took a company public in two years) and Christian Schneider (CEO of File AI, a Series B enterprise SaaS company).

Their experiences reveal three critical insights that most founders miss: the environment mismatch between established companies and startups, the mindset that actually predicts success over credentials, and the trust problem that prevents founders from scaling through delegation.

I focus on the hiring decisions that separate founder-led businesses that scale from those that stall—and what it takes to identify sales entrepreneurs, not just sales operators, in uncertain environments.

If you're a founder struggling to make your first sales hire work, or if you're building a team in a high-growth environment, this episode will give you the clarity and framework you need to hire differently.

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🎧 Subscribe now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your executive inspiration and learn how global leaders think ahead, move faster, and lead smarter.

Subscribe to our newsletter to get access to exclusive insights and all the details about the Leaders in Motion Academy, our executive program.

If the topics discussed resonate with your own leadership challenges or the conversations happening in your organization - assessing international leaders, aligning global and local teams, building capabilities across regions. You can reach us at LYC Partners to set up a consultation.

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Produced by Bonjour Podcast (Melanie Hong), Leaders in Motion blends storytelling, strategy, and data-driven insight, giving today’s leaders a roadmap to anticipate tomorrow’s challenges and lead with intention.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

"AI can mimic our voice, but it cannot capture our vision."

Burson WPP senior director Kaveri Roy on what happens when marketing agencies navigate the collision of artificial intelligence, cultural nuance, and global storytelling — and why "localization" is no longer about translation, but about co-creating with context to build campaigns that resonate across India, APAC, and beyond.

Based in Mumbai, Kaveri has spent 15 years at the intersection of marketing, communications, and cross-cultural strategy. From early content roles to planning and digital leadership at Fleishman Hillard and Economist Impact, she has helped both global brands and regional players navigate the realities of Asia's diverse markets: the cultural elasticity required to contextualize campaigns, the friction between Western frameworks and local meaning, and the hard truth that what works in Brooklyn rarely works as-is in Bangalore.

In this episode:

• Why cultural context is not a data set: how AI's Western bias shows up in tone, metaphor, and what "success" looks like

• The hidden cost of copy-paste campaigns: why Nike's "Just Do It" works in the West but P&G's "Thank You Mom" resonates deeper in collective cultures

• What ESG means across regions: in Europe it's regulation, in India it's inclusive growth, in Southeast Asia it's resilience and adaptation

• How to bridge HQ and regional teams: contextualize, don't just translate — and why co-creation with local teams is non-negotiable

• India's shift from creative back office to pilot market: the role of agility, cultural intelligence, and language fluency in shaping global campaigns

• Leadership in the age of AI: why intuition is not magic — it's curiosity, mental stillness, diverse feedback, and pattern recognition that machines cannot replicate

If you work across global and regional markets, lead brand strategy in culturally diverse ecosystems, or want a clearer lens on why AI cannot replace the human bridge of culture, this conversation will reshape how you think about marketing in a world that moves faster than planning cycles.

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🎧 Subscribe now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your executive inspiration and learn how global leaders think ahead, move faster, and lead smarter.

Subscribe to our newsletter to get access to exclusive insights and all the details about the Leaders in Motion Academy, our executive program.

If the topics discussed resonate with your own leadership challenges or the conversations happening in your organization - assessing international leaders, aligning global and local teams, building capabilities across regions. You can reach us at LYC Partners to set up a consultation.

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Produced by Bonjour Podcast (Melanie Hong), Leaders in Motion blends storytelling, strategy, and data-driven insight, giving today’s leaders a roadmap to anticipate tomorrow’s challenges and lead with intention.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

“Life is a matter of people.” Autoliv CTO Fabien Dumont on building sustainable performance across cultures, crises, and decades.

From quality manager in France to global CTO via a transformational China tour, Fabien breaks down how relationships, execution, and long‑horizon bets compound. We cover the shift from short wins to durable results, aligning with HQ without losing local relevance, and the decisions that only pay off years later.

In this episode:

• Turning China’s speed into global advantage

• “Feed, feed, feed” HQ: cadence, transparency, and trust

• Saying no, focus, and the career math behind tough calls

• How to reverse knowledge transfer and scale best practices worldwide

• Building teams that outlast market cycles

Fabien Dumont, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Autoliv

If you lead across regions or report to a global HQ, this one’s for you.

Follow the show and leave a rating to help more leaders find it.

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🎧 Subscribe now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your executive inspiration and learn how global leaders think ahead, move faster, and lead smarter.

Subscribe to our newsletter to get access to exclusive insights and all the details about the Leaders in Motion Academy, our executive program.

If the topics discussed resonate with your own leadership challenges or the conversations happening in your organization - assessing international leaders, aligning global and local teams, building capabilities across regions. You can reach us at LYC Partners to set up a consultation.

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Produced by Bonjour Podcast (Melanie Hong), Leaders in Motion blends storytelling, strategy, and data-driven insight, giving today’s leaders a roadmap to anticipate tomorrow’s challenges and lead with intention.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this short solo episode, I share key insights from a conversation I led with three senior APAC executives: Andy Wälti (former Head of China & APAC at Clariant), Howard Li (President of LPKF China), and Justin Sargeant (former APAC President at NielsenIQ).

Their experiences highlight three core pillars of effective APAC leadership: managing global HQ expectations, developing cultural agility, and building real global visibility across multinational organisations.

I focus on the signals that matter most today for APAC leaders aiming for stronger global influence, cross-border impact, and readiness for international executive roles.

If these themes resonate with your own leadership journey, this episode will give you the clarity and direction you need to move forward.

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🎧 Subscribe now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your executive inspiration and learn how global leaders think ahead, move faster, and lead smarter.

Subscribe to our newsletter to get access to exclusive insights and all the details about the Leaders in Motion Academy, our executive program.

If the topics discussed resonate with your own leadership challenges or the conversations happening in your organization - assessing international leaders, aligning global and local teams, building capabilities across regions. You can reach us at LYC Partners to set up a consultation.

--

Produced by Bonjour Podcast (Melanie Hong), Leaders in Motion blends storytelling, strategy, and data-driven insight, giving today’s leaders a roadmap to anticipate tomorrow’s challenges and lead with intention.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

“China owns the supply chain - from a toaster to a rocket engine.” Greg Au Yeung, Managing Director and Head of China at Ingenico, joins Leaders in Motion to unpack how to lead through transformation in the world’s fastest payments market.

From Hong Kong developer to global executive, Greg breaks down how to switch sectors, manage HQ alignment, and lead with clarity amid geopolitics and AI disruption.

We cover why mobility is the ultimate executive edge - across cities, sectors, and skills - and how to build teams that stay relevant in a volatile decade.

In this episode:

• Why China became both the lab and factory for payments innovation

• Managing HQ risk appetite, compliance, and “bias vs. education”

• Building R&D hubs that survive policy swings and market shocks

• Mobility as a moat: city, sector, and skill resets across decades

• AI’s double edge for leaders, teams, and the next decade of finance

🎧 Subscribe now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your executive inspiration and learn how global leaders think ahead, move faster, and lead smarter.

Subscribe to our newsletter to get access to exclusive insights and all the details about the Leaders in Motion Academy, our executive program.

If the topics discussed resonate with your own leadership challenges or the conversations happening in your organization - assessing international leaders, aligning global and local teams, building capabilities across regions. You can reach us at LYC Partners to set up a consultation.

Produced by Bonjour Podcast (Melanie Hong), Leaders in Motion blends storytelling, strategy, and data-driven insight, giving today’s leaders a roadmap to anticipate tomorrow’s challenges and lead with intention.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Welcome to Leaders in Motion, the podcast where global executives explore how to lead, adapt, and thrive in the age of transformation.

Hosted by Kevin Hong, Partner at LYC Partners and Co-founder of The Council, this show dives into how leaders navigate disruption, build resilient careers, and balance global strategy with local execution.

In each episode, Kevin sits down with senior executives across industries to uncover real stories of career reinvention, cross-cultural leadership, and AI-driven transformation.

You’ll also hear leadership insights distilling frameworks from leadership webinars and expert panels actionable tools for today’s C-suite and tomorrow’s emerging leaders.

If you’re a global executive or an ambitious leader seeking clarity and strategy for your next move, this show is for you.

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🎧 Follow the show now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your executive inspiration and learn how global leaders think ahead, move faster, and lead smarter.

📧 Subscribe to our newsletter to get access to exclusive insights and all the details about the Leaders in Motion Academy, our executive program.
✍️ If the topics resonate with your own leadership challenges or the conversations happening in your organization—assessing international leaders, aligning global and local teams, building capabilities across regions. You can reach us at LYC Partners to set up a consultation.

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Leaders in Motion is a podcast by LYC Partners, produced by Mélanie Hong, creator and producer of strategic podcasts for leaders and organizations shaping the future. Music credits :

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

“In China, three-month-old insight can already be outdated.”

Kantar advisory partner Ye Han on what brand strategy really looks like when the market moves faster than your planning cycles — and why “brand excellence” is no longer a marketing function, but a company-wide operating system that links strategy, product, experience, and people.

Based in Beijing, Ye Han has spent two decades helping both international and Chinese companies navigate the realities of China’s consumer ecosystem: the speed of innovation, the friction between China and HQ decision cycles, and the hard trade-offs between agility and long-term brand equity. She also shares what she’s seeing as Chinese champions move outward — from product-first expansion to building global brand management systems.

In this episode:

• Why China forces a different definition of agility (and what “18 months vs 4 months” means in practice)

• The hidden cost of moving fast without strategy: how companies become copyable when brand equity is missing

• What “brand excellence” means now: consistent experience across touchpoints, employees, and corporate strategy

• How to reduce HQ–China friction: principles stay global, relevance goes local

• Chinese companies going global: the mistake of buying awareness without building meaning + linkage to category

If you work across China and global HQ, lead brand or strategy in fast-changing markets, or want a clearer lens on why transformation fails when systems cannot keep up with reality, this conversation will recalibrate how you think.

Follow the show and leave a rating to help more leaders find it.

---

🎧 Subscribe now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your executive inspiration and learn how global leaders think ahead, move faster, and lead smarter.

Subscribe to our newsletter to get access to exclusive insights and all the details about the Leaders in Motion Academy, our executive program.

If the topics discussed resonate with your own leadership challenges or the conversations happening in your organization - assessing international leaders, aligning global and local teams, building capabilities across regions. You can reach us at LYC Partners to set up a consultation.

--

Produced by Bonjour Podcast (Melanie Hong), Leaders in Motion blends storytelling, strategy, and data-driven insight, giving today’s leaders a roadmap to anticipate tomorrow’s challenges and lead with intention.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

“Online? Offline? They cannot be separate — consumers don’t care where they buy.”

Omnichannel operator Loïc Réthore on why most transformations fail when they start with tech instead of vision, people, and governance—and how strong operating discipline stops channels from competing with each other and starts protecting margin and customer experience.

From building brands across APAC (Japan, Greater China, Australia) in senior roles spanning Jurlique, Dyson, DFS, L’Oréal, LVMH, and Unilever, Loïc shares what actually travels across markets: cultural agility (“read the air”), active listening, and leaders who combine high skill with low ego.

In this episode:

• Why omnichannel is a vision + governance problem before it is a platform problem

• The pricing and promo calendar discipline that prevents channels from undercutting each other

• Travel retail vs domestic: keeping the story consistent while changing store design and execution

• Centralized vs localized models: how category and product reality determine the operating design

• Mobility and cultural agility: why international careers still require curiosity, EQ, and real-market immersion

If you lead across markets, manage channel conflict, or want a cleaner playbook for building resilient growth in volatile regions, this one will sharpen your instincts.

Follow the show and leave a rating to help more leaders find it.

---

🎧 Subscribe now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your executive inspiration and learn how global leaders think ahead, move faster, and lead smarter.

Subscribe to our newsletter to get access to exclusive insights and all the details about the Leaders in Motion Academy, our executive program.

If the topics discussed resonate with your own leadership challenges or the conversations happening in your organization - assessing international leaders, aligning global and local teams, building capabilities across regions. You can reach us at LYC Partners to set up a consultation.

--

Produced by Bonjour Podcast (Melanie Hong), Leaders in Motion blends storytelling, strategy, and data-driven insight, giving today’s leaders a roadmap to anticipate tomorrow’s challenges and lead with intention.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Autonomy isn’t independence — you earn freedom by serving the brand.” Luxury beauty leader Guilhem Souche on why the best global-to-local leaders win trust by delivering results and protecting the Maison—and why product-first localization beats “one-size-fits-all” every time.

From launching Lancôme Absolue and Génifique, to leading across Asia in roles spanning L’Oréal, LVMH (Dior), and Coty, Guilhem shares what actually travels across markets: a simple filter for every plan—good for sales, good for image, brings something new.

In this episode:

• The global⇄local filter that simplifies decision-making: sales, image, novelty

• Why product-first localization (textures, tones, routines) moves the needle before media or pricing

• The bridge leader’s job: educate HQ early, align on a common language, and build two-way ownershi

If you lead across HQ and markets, build brands in fast-moving regions, or want a clearer playbook for turning local wins into global adoption, this one will sharpen your instincts.

Follow the show and leave a rating to help more leaders find it.

---

🎧 Subscribe now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your executive inspiration and learn how global leaders think ahead, move faster, and lead smarter.

Subscribe to our newsletter to get access to exclusive insights and all the details about the Leaders in Motion Academy, our executive program.

If the topics discussed resonate with your own leadership challenges or the conversations happening in your organization - assessing international leaders, aligning global and local teams, building capabilities across regions. You can reach us at LYC Partners to set up a consultation.

--

Produced by Bonjour Podcast (Melanie Hong), Leaders in Motion blends storytelling, strategy, and data-driven insight, giving today’s leaders a roadmap to anticipate tomorrow’s challenges and lead with intention.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this short solo episode, I unpack practical lessons from real AI implementation work drawn from our September 2025 executive webinar, “AI Implementation: Governance, Strategy, and Practical Applications.”

Building on cases from executive search, manufacturing, retail, and regulated markets, I focus on three pillars of effective AI adoption today: human‑centered AI applications, disciplined implementation frameworks, and governance as a genuine competitive advantage rather than a box‑ticking exercise.

I share what actually works inside organizations: how to segment workflows, start with narrow use cases that deliver visible ROI, redesign KPIs, and put people at the center of AI transformation so that technology augments rather than replaces human work.

If you are leading AI projects, responsible for digital transformation, or positioning yourself as an executive in the AI era, this episode will give you clear lenses, concrete examples, and sharper questions to guide how you build and lead AI initiatives in your own organization.

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🎧 Subscribe now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your executive inspiration and learn how global leaders think ahead, move faster, and lead smarter.

Subscribe to our newsletter to get access to exclusive insights and all the details about the Leaders in Motion Academy, our executive program.

If the topics discussed resonate with your own leadership challenges or the conversations happening in your organization - assessing international leaders, aligning global and local teams, building capabilities across regions. You can reach us at LYC Partners to set up a consultation.

--

Produced by Bonjour Podcast (Melanie Hong), Leaders in Motion blends storytelling, strategy, and data-driven insight, giving today’s leaders a roadmap to anticipate tomorrow’s challenges and lead with intention.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.