Scaling a big American brand globally is not a guaranteed recipe for success any more. Market localization is key to building relevance and trust, especially in Asia. Here, locally founded brands move faster, without the shackles of ‘big brand’ bureaucracy. For leaders in the headquarters of multinational corporations, this type of freedom and pace may feel unusual, but as our guest today explains, it’s the norm in Asia. Joining us is Singapore-based Eugene Lee, CMO of fast-growing premium tea brand CHAGEE. Eugene’s transition from growing US brand McDonald's throughout Asia, to now growing a Chinese brand globally, has afforded him the chance to spot the rule differences in how brands activate across markets. And while the ideas come fast and pace of implementation even faster, Eugene stresses it’s never at the expense of a long term ambition. And that, he says, is giving big global brands a run for their money.

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Learn more:

• Looking Outside podcast www.looking-outside.com
• Connect with host, Jo Lepore on LinkedIn & Substack & jolepore.com
• Connect with Eugene on LinkedIn
• Check out CHAGEE https://global.chagee.com/id/en

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⭐ Follow & rate the show - it makes a difference!

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Looking Outside is a podcast exploring fresh perspectives of familiar topics. Hosted by its creator, futurist and strategist, Jo Lepore. New episodes every 2 weeks. Never the same topic.

All views are that of the host and guests and don’t necessarily reflect those of their employers. Copyright 2026. Theme song by Azteca X.

Chaos in business is undesirable, to say the least. But chaos is normal, even necessary, in solving complex problems and capturing new growth. In this Business Brief, Jo reflects on the rejection of chaos in business, in favor of order, structure and process. And why, amidst our quest for predictability and preparation, we may need to embrace a little bit of chaos.

Business Brief is a (very brief) new solo series hosted by Looking Outside podcast host, foresight strategist Jo Lepore.

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Learn more:

• Looking Outside podcast www.looking-outside.com
• Connect with host, Jo Lepore on LinkedIn & Substack & jolepore.com
• Watch this Business Brief on YouTube

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⭐ Follow & rate the show - it makes a difference!

---

Looking Outside is a podcast exploring fresh perspectives of familiar topics. Hosted by its creator, futurist and strategist, Jo Lepore. New episodes every 2 weeks. Never the same topic.

All views are that of the host and guests and don’t necessarily reflect those of their employers. Copyright 2026. Theme song by Adrian Walther.

Things used to be simpler. Competition fueled innovation. When wars were fought, you could easily tell who the good guys were. Institutions could be trusted. A lens like this might feel right, but is it true? Richard Hames doesn’t think so. Operating at the intersection of complex systems thinking, philosophy, foresight and organizational readiness for decades, Richard has observed the fracturing – and near collapse – of our societal and governing anchors. But this gradual transition, this disconnection from the ‘old world’, while unsettling, is neither good nor bad. For this future, Richard says openness and curiosity will serve us better than the best preparation.

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Learn more:

1. Looking Outside podcast www.looking-outside.com
2. Connect with host, Jo Lepore on LinkedIn & Substack & jolepore.com
3. Connect with Richard on LinkedIn
4. Talk to AI Richard www.upgradethesystem.com
5. More at richardhames.com

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⭐ Follow & rate the show - it makes a difference!

---

Looking Outside is a podcast exploring fresh perspectives of familiar topics. Hosted by its creator, futurist and strategist, Jo Lepore. New episodes every 2 weeks. Never the same topic.

All views are that of the host and guests and don’t necessarily reflect those of their employers. Copyright 2026. Theme song by Azteca X.

When a market is stalling in innovation, an enchanting charismatic leaders selling a bold, crazy idea can be tempting. Is it, then, more important that the idea is visionary, or that it's attainable? In this Business Brief, Jo reflects on the fine line between bold innovation and unethical ambition, and why business leaders must stay vigilant about the dark patterns that distort progress.

Business Brief is a (very brief) new solo series hosted by Looking Outside podcast host, former-marketer and corporate futurist Jo Lepore.

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Learn more:

1. Looking Outside podcast www.looking-outside.com
2. Connect with host, Jo Lepore on LinkedIn & Substack & jolepore.com
3. Watch this Business Brief on YouTube

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⭐ Follow & rate the show - it makes a difference!

---

Looking Outside is a podcast exploring fresh perspectives of familiar topics. Hosted by its creator, futurist and strategist, Jo Lepore. New episodes every 2 weeks. Never the same topic.

All views are that of the host and guests and don’t necessarily reflect those of their employers. Copyright 2026. Theme song by Adrian Walther.

Every organization, at some point, has their ethical boundaries tested. But there is a difference between an organization with ambition and drive, and one that pushes its people into unrealistic, unhealthy and disastrous behaviors in order to succeed. Today we’re talking about the slippery slope into destructive and dangerous corporate behavior, with professor of business ethics at HEC Lausanne, Guido Palazzo. Guido says the patterns into darkness are obvious, completely avoidable ... and quite counter to what we’re told makes for a successful corporate culture in business schools.

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Learn more:

1. Looking Outside podcast www.looking-outside.com
2. Connect with host, Jo Lepore on LinkedIn & Substack & jolepore.com
3. Connect with Guido on LinkedIn
4. Take Guido's online course on unethical decision making
5. Guido's book The Dark Pattern on Amazon

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⭐ Follow & rate the show - it makes a difference!

---

Looking Outside is a podcast exploring fresh perspectives of familiar topics. Hosted by its creator, futurist and strategist, Jo Lepore. New episodes every 2 weeks. Never the same topic.

All views are that of the host and guests and don’t necessarily reflect those of their employers. Copyright 2026. Theme song by Azteca X.

The path to the c-suite is predictable and almost entirely dependent on extensive commercial and operations literacy. But while marketers are relegated to the realm of creativity, not financial savviness, senior leaders lack the very skills they bring – curiosity. In this Business Brief, Jo reflects on the benefits of transdisciplinary skills and how curiosity can enable truly future-forward thinking to organizations caught up in short term thinking.

Business Brief is a (very brief) new solo series hosted by Looking Outside podcast host, former-marketer and corporate futurist Jo Lepore.

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Learn more:

1. Looking Outside podcast www.looking-outside.com
2. Connect with host, Jo Lepore on LinkedIn & Substack & jolepore.com
3. Watch this Business Brief on YouTube
4. Curious about foresight training? Take a look at organizational training and foresight courses we have at CIFS

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⭐ Follow & rate the show - it makes a difference!

---

Looking Outside is a podcast exploring fresh perspectives of familiar topics. Hosted by its creator, futurist and strategist, Jo Lepore. New episodes every 2 weeks. Never the same topic.

All views are that of the host and guests and don’t necessarily reflect those of their employers. Copyright 2026. Theme song by Adrian Walther.

When a profession brags about its ability to operate without formal training, you know you have a vanity problem. Founder of the MiniMBA, marketing professor and not-actually-that-angry columnist Mark Ritson joins the Looking Outside podcast to reiterate the central role of marketing in business – to understand the other. Marketers today have a branding problem, making it about themselves, the glitz and the awards, and Mark says this is all imposter syndrome stemming from lack of formal training. Empathy is foundational to marketing and is so needed in organizations distracted with short term priorities and obsessed with a narrative of constant change. And it can be a powerful unlocker of transformative ideas (like saving abandoned dogs).

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Learn more:

1. Looking Outside podcast www.looking-outside.com
2. Connect with host, Jo Lepore on LinkedIn & Substack & jolepore.com
3. Connect with Mark on LinkedIn
4. Learn more about Mark www.marketingritson.com & read his Adweek columns
5. Learn more about the MiniMBA

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⭐ Follow & rate the show - it makes a difference!

---

Looking Outside is a podcast exploring fresh perspectives of familiar topics. Hosted by its creator, futurist and strategist, Jo Lepore. New episodes every 2 weeks. Never the same topic.

All views are that of the host and guests and don’t necessarily reflect those of their employers. Copyright 2026. Theme song by Azteca X.

It’s all well and good for a brand to have purpose, but what your company? In this Business Brief, Jo unpacks our obsession with proclaiming brand intent and pre-occupation with purpose led marketing. But that's not really the problem; it’s the absence of a well-defined and consistently rewarded company purpose.

Business Brief is a (very brief) new solo series hosted by Looking Outside podcast host, former-marketer and corporate futurist Jo Lepore.

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Learn more:

1. Looking Outside podcast www.looking-outside.com
2. Connect with host, Jo Lepore on LinkedIn & Substack & jolepore.com
3. Watch this Business Brief on YouTube

---

⭐ Follow & rate the show - it makes a difference!

---

Looking Outside is a podcast exploring fresh perspectives of familiar topics. Hosted by its creator, futurist and strategist, Jo Lepore. New episodes every 2 weeks. Never the same topic.

All views are that of the host and guests and don’t necessarily reflect those of their employers. Copyright 2026. Theme song by Adrian Walther.