Welcome back to Season 3 of Clout Asia. For our first episode, I am joined by Penny Burtt, the former CEO of Asialink, Australia’s leading institution for driving Asia engagement and building Asia capability.
Born and raised in her early years in Penang, Malaysia, Penny’s calling to Southeast Asia started long before her extensive career across government, not-for-profit and corporate.
Penny’s Clout speaks for itself. A former senior diplomat, Penny represented Australia in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. She has held leadership positions with global multinationals in the region and is currently based in Singapore at a US fintech unicorn.
In my conversation with Penny, she helped break down to first principles, the importance of learning language, understanding culture, and why Australians should not just be thinking of Asia as it related to trade in goods, but also as a destination to invest and to engage in the services and digital economy.
Welcome to Clout Asia, where we ask guests to take us on their journey to Asia capability.
To help us understand, what being an Aussie with Clout, is all about.
I’m Lucy Du, and here is Penny Burtt.
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Penang • Sydney • Kuala Lumpur • Jakarta • Singapore
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FOOD: Thai food (despite never lived in Thailand)
BOOK: Anything by award-winning Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng. Currently reading Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang-Bo-Reum
PERSON: Peter Varghese
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