Raena A. Cheong

I recently attended a press conference by Capital A CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, who brought up the point of a critical issue facing the aviation industry: the conflict between national protectionism and the imperative for open competition. This debate is particularly relevant within the ASEAN region, where the potential for a more integrated aviation market could significantly benefit consumers and airlines alike. Hence, it brought me into penning down an article right after the press conference. Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology economist (aviation and aerospace) Assoc. Prof. Major Dr. Mohd Harridon advocates for the embrace of an open market concept among ASEAN countries. By fostering an environment where multiple airlines can operate freely, consumers would have access to a wider array of flight options. Also, airlines would also gain traction in terms of consumer-centricity, which is beneficial for the aviation industry. #aviationnews #bernamanews #kishokumari #ASEAN #journalistloves✈️ #AirAsia #CapitalA #MalaysiaAirlines

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Kudos to the ATNS PR team for turning challenges into opportunities! Amid a communication crisis, their proactive stakeholder engagement roadshow stands out as a masterclass in crisis communication. By meeting stakeholders face-to-face, addressing concerns directly, and reaffirming trust, ATNS not only resolved critical issues but also fortified its brand equity in the aviation sector. This is a prime example of how transparency, dialogue, and swift action can turn a potential crisis into a platform for growth. #CrisisCommunication

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Thriving in the age of #digital disruption: #Creativity meets consumer-centricity - in #Vietnam and beyond Quite an insightful conversation with Hiep Hoang-Dao, a marketing veteran with 25+ years of experience across brands like Nestlé, Carlsberg Group, SABECO - Saigon Beer Alcohol Beverage Corporation and Saatchi & Saatchi. In Episode 5 of #LeadershipTalks – a collaboration with Advertising Vietnam, Hiep shares how brands can thrive in the era of digital disruption. Key takeaways: Consumer-centricity is key, data and AI are tools—not answers, and creativity remains the heart of brand love. Hiep also tackles navigating multi-generational audiences, balancing trends, and emotional connections. A must-listen for marketers embracing tech while staying grounded in creativity and authenticity. #SEAconnect #Leadership #Marketing #DigitalTransformation #SoutheastAsia Trung Nguyen Le Ha Chau Le Gia Minh Joey Gan Paolo Alba Anuroopa Pereira Shazilla Ong Jean Lim Sharon Koh Thanh Hien Pham

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How can the aviation industry leverage digital tools to meet the soaring expectations of the APAC passenger? As several industries step up their mobile and app experience, aviation needs to constantly innovate to continue competing. We will unpack this journey with industry experts Nadia Zahir Omer, AirAsia MOVE ; Aldric Chau, Cathay Pacific; Abhishek Mahajan, IndiGo (InterGlobe Aviation Ltd); Peter Smith, Cover Genius, moderated by Henry Harteveldt, exploring key topics like: ✈️ Emerging passenger behaviours & upcoming tech trends  ✈️ Gen AI & predictive tools in experience strategies ✈️What can be learned from other industries' mobile and app landscape? ✈️ Self-service offerings ✈️Personalisation in communication, ancillaries & upgraded loyalty rewards Book your tickets for Aviation Festival Asia here: https://lnkd.in/eQX2257d #AviationFestAsia #DigitalProduct #AirlineRetail

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Join us for an insightful webinar where we’ll explore the concept of skills-based organisations and how they’re revolutionising the workplace!

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"The most engagement we ever had was about FengShui !!" Last week, I had a meeting with the HRD and the Talent Acquisition Director of a multinational company here in Shanghai. We discussed Diversity & Inclusion and the various initiatives they were implementing to support their teams. One of the initiatives that stood out was the introduction of "learning bites." These are short, voluntary learning sessions aimed at personal development rather than direct professional training for performance improvement. Each week, the company offers different topics for employees to explore. Interestingly, the topic that generated the most engagement among the employees was Feng Shui ! This demonstrates two important points: 1. Some companies are genuinely committed to the well-being of their teams by offering unique learning opportunities. 2. Traditional topics like Feng Shui are now of significant interest to employees, reflecting a shift in their preferences and openness to explore different areas of knowledge. #DiversityAndInclusion #LearningBites #PersonalDevelopment #FengShui #ContinuousLearning #EmployeeEngagement #MultinationalCompany #Shanghai

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Looking forward to this session as a panelist in the Forward Faster Now | Asia & Oceania event and represent Aitken Spence, organised by the United Nations Global Compact 🌏 📌 Details: Date: 6 August 2024 (Tuesday) Time: 1:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Venue: Asia School of Business, CR-E2-03 (Level 2, East Wing), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia *What's Forward Faster Now?* Forward Faster Now | Asia & Oceania is a regional flagship event that brings together high-level executives, sustainability practitioners, and experts from the private sector, government, and Global Compact Country Networks. Our goal? To accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in our unique regional context. *Information Session: Guiding Companies to Move Forward Faster* I'll be part of an engaging panel discussion and talking about Aitken Spence Group's sustainability journey and close engagement with the UN Global Compact. *UNGC Forward Faster Initiative* Delve into the UNGC's Forward Faster initiative, exploring how businesses can set ambitious sustainability targets. Share success stories, examine gaps, and highlight scalable solutions. *Register Now!* Don't miss out! Register here: [Forward Faster Now Registration](https://lnkd.in/gJxXM2Uv) #ForwardFasterNow #SustainableBusiness #SDGs #AitkenSpence #UNGlobalCompactSriLanka #Sustainability #UNGC #UnitingBusiness #Sustainability See you there! Let's move Forward Faster! 🌟🌎🌿

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Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group, identified three major trends reshaping the Chinese travel market: entertainment-driven travel, eco-friendly travel, and elderly-friendly travel. The third trend gaining momentum is elderly-friendly travel, as China’s aging population becomes a critical driver of outbound tourism. “By next year, over 100 million senior travelers will be traveling more often and spending more time abroad, contributing more than one trillion yuan (US$140.47 billion) to the global tourism economy.” At Create Consulting we have been consistently saying this for a long time. The vast majority of Chinese travelers to Southern and Eastern Africa on long distance camping safari's are elderly Chinese, and the same can be said for long haul destinations like South America. #China #tourism #elderly #seniortravelers #chinaoutboundtourism #grouptravel #touroperators #touroperatorrelations #Ctrip #trip.com #createconsulting https://lnkd.in/eyQix6UT

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Companion Communications is growing its social media offer to include Xiaohongshu [Little RED Book] for dining brands in Hong Kong. Xiaohongshu, also known as RED, is a social media and e-commerce platform that has been described as "China's answer to Instagram." It has over 300 million active monthly users. Why Xiahongshu? And why will we only apply our services to dining brands in Hong Kong? Well, if you live in the city you'll know that RED has started to affect dining trends here in the craziest way - suddenly random bakeries or coffee shops or even graffiti on street corners BLOW UP, and hongkongers are left scratching their heads. The last 3 months has seen an influx of dining clients asking us about Xiaohongshu and how to capture the huge Shenzhen/ Guangzhou weekend diner market. And TBH I've become fascinated by it myself. I have my own account, though I'm 100% sure I am using it wrong as its all in Mandarin and my 4 months at Beijing University did NOT equip me for social media hashtags and memes in Chinese characters! We are starting off small, with a team in place to help our specialist HK Dining PR and social team with an add-on service for our restaurant launches only. The add-ons will offer Xiaohongshu account setup and content strategy for a restaurant launch in Hong Kong, as well as influencer campaigns with a particular focus on Southern China in order to better narrate a story to weekenders from across the border. I am really thrilled by this next step in our services. The key to PR is to be really flexible and adaptive to changes. I am always learning something new in my job, and I love love love working across different platforms, so I can't wait to see where this goes. #xiaohongshu #socialmedia #pr #hongkong #restaurants

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Singapore's Recruitment Market Update: The latest quarterly report on the labour market reveals an increase in job vacancies in certain growth sectors. However, younger job seekers (below the age of 30) are taking longer to accept roles. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) highlighted that the number of job vacancies rose in March, surpassing the number of unemployed individuals. Key growth sectors with heightened demand include health and social services, information and communications, professional services, as well as financial and insurance services. In March 2024, there were 89,000 job vacancies, reflecting a notable uptick from 79,800 in December 2023. #Singapore #Recruitment #JobMarket #LabourMarket #JobVacancies

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And THAT’s how you do it.

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What do employees want? The age-old question. ✅ These motivational factors are easiest to meet for companies: 👉 Money - financial needs without questioning working conditions, work-life balance, or ethics of a company...but then companies complain if employees change for a slightly higher salary 👉 Drive to perform/career development...but then companies complain if employees change to the better player in the same industry 👉 Stability and safe job...but then companies treat those loyal, but quiet employees the worst in times of layoffs. ✅What do young professionals actually want: 👉 Work-life balance is by far the most quoted requirement for younger professionals...but then the salary often may not match up. Let's face it - life has gotten more expensive. 👉 High Salary - but then the work-life balance will not be, well, balanced. 👉Aligning the role with their personal values - puh, that is a tricky one. Hard for many for-profit firms to match. In my personal experience as a member of the board of the World Academy for the Future of Women I speak to many young professionals either in the last years of their degree or just graduated. A few years ago, the conversation revolved around ❓ "How do I negotiate the best salary or what companies to apply to for the best career development?" The tone has changed, and now there is much more focus on ❓"Is this company aligned with my values?" and ❓"Do I think my direct manager is wise and ethical". Times change.  I cannot say I hate it. The old system of never-ending growth is clearly imploding—we see it everywhere. Maybe we need more value-driven businesses. 💜 We see this in the Start-Up world, where "Impact" is a key criterion for evaluating companies. 🤓 What is your main motivation to work - please also classify yourself as a junior/mid-level/senior employee (because needs change according to age). Check out this article by Hoi Ying Lo talking about young Hong Kong'ers work motivation https://lnkd.in/eNN7u__k

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In an exclusive interview, Airport Authority's acting CEO Vivian Cheung stresses proactive efforts to boost airport competitiveness, while highlighting the strategic Airport City project and innovative strategies to attract foreign airlines while waiting for Cathay Pacific's recovery. Story links: https://lnkd.in/gTAKcD7i https://lnkd.in/gwWzPxb6

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It's happening today: HELLO APAC™. GlobalBusinessNews-MEDIAnetwork™ is broadcasting "live" 25 NOV starting 5pm California but across ASIA-PACIFIC (APAC) it will be 26 NOV daytime ...so do it... expand your knowledge, grow your reach, understand more, please come join me + others on the interesting and fun GlobalBusinessNews-TVtalkshow™, be introduced by me... you will meet/greet... exchange ideas, and if lucky you will develop a rapport, make a friend. I will assist you. It's fast-growth CENTURY 21 so you should use this occasion (free) to further develop your international business relations. Does this interest to you? ZOOM-in and yes it's COMPLIMENTARY. WHY? Well, it's a "smart money" courtesy by the GlobalPressClub™ (yes of course, please consider subscribing for a specially-designed intro package 30-days ($85 for this special offer) ... try-it-on and if you find it useful and fun and productive then do more... and consider "going pro" 365/7-24 ... it's really the "smart money" move because you receive THANK YOU GIFTS each/every month during the 15-month package $1000 when paid-in-full on invoice When you sign-up you will quickly become involved with making new connections. Yes they will be from here, there, anywhere! Yes, do more of this kind of communicating across time/space, across borders/cultures, across industries/silos, and now especially across generations. YES; ZOOM-IN 25NOV at 5pm California because it will be 26NOV daytime all across the vast AsiaPacific https://lnkd.in/gjc9Wezg Meeting ID: 804 402 4005, Passcode: 6RLzyR Got a question?  Contact me here now...or use my direct email [email protected] I'm a LINKMAKER™ #itswhoknowsyouthatcounts, #notwhoyouknow, #mediaprep, #GlobalBusinessNews,

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"I'm willing to pay 1 billion yen a year for someone who is capable" - Fast Retailing Chairman and CEO Tadashi Yanai has said. I have led a team of excellent recruiters to help Uniqlo expand their market at early days in Vietnam, and I always admire their global mindset, faith and long term investment in people. They aim for foreign nationals to make up 80% of management and 40% of its executive officers by fiscal 2030. Other Japanese companies are also ramping up global recruitment. Hitachi wants 30% of its executive and corporate officers to be foreigners by fiscal 2030, and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group plans to maintain or raise the share of non-Japanese managers from the 25.9% of March 2023. Would you think it's possible? https://lnkd.in/g325AjNU.

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A recent Olympic qualification has sparked controversy. Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, previously removed from Tokyo for not meeting gender criteria, has now qualified for Paris 2024. This led to debate after Italy's Angela Carini withdrew from their fight in tears. The incident raises questions about fairness and the integrity of sport as we approach the Paris Olympics. There are calls for clearer guidelines on these complex issues in Olympic competitions. What are your thoughts on gender eligibility policies in Olympic sports? How can the sporting world balance inclusivity with competitive fairness?  #SportsFairness #Paris2024 #Olympics [Read the full article here](https://lnkd.in/gwTUQg6v)

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Richard's Journey From Capricious Shifts to Personal Fulfillment 从电商招商专家到酒吧逍遥神仙 Two years ago, during the COVID-19 lockdown, I had the fortune of crossing paths with Richard while working as a talent project manager for JD Group in Southeast Asia. Among my responsibilities was the critical task of recruiting a seller growth manager to rejuvenate the company’s revenue streams across the region's eCommerce platforms. Richard, in his early 40s, stood out from the crowd of candidates. His extensive market insight, honed through years at Amazon, eclipsed many younger contenders. His engagement with the latest industry trends remained undiminished, making him a unique asset. Despite concerns about his age and a three-year hiatus from the corporate world, I advocated for Richard’s candidacy. His salary expectations, aligned with his previous compensation at Amazon, and his readiness to transition from business ownership—liquidating his stake in a luxurious nighttime bar in Sanya—further aligned with our needs. This bar, a relic of his past in a city known for its opulence and excessive leisure spending, became an unaffordable liability due to the pandemic's impact on tourism and local spending. Richard’s integration into the JD Group was nothing short of transformative. He brought renewed energy and dedication, quickly dispelling any initial reservations about his time away from the corporate sector. However, his journey took a sudden turn when JD Group decided to exit the eCommerce market in Southeast Asia, citing strategic realignments. This decision coincided with the end of his six-month probationary period, rendering Richard jobless with minimal severance pay. Ironically, the bar he once owned began to thrive again as China's wealthy indulged in post-lockdown spending. This experience underscored a harsh reality: even deep expertise in a field doesn’t guarantee stability in the unpredictable terrains of China’s political and corporate environments. Recognizing the need for a more stable and predictable future, Richard decided to leave China. He now owns a bar in a smaller, progressive nation in the West, pursuing a life of certainty and resilience, away from the capricious shifts that once defined his professional life in China. Richard's story is a testament to the complexities of navigating careers in volatile markets and the personal recalibrations that sometimes become necessary for long-term stability and happiness.

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Cathay Pacific's recent mass flight cancellations has put Airbus and aero-engine manufacturing firm Rolls-Royce in the spotlight as consumers are increasingly concerned about safety. This can also impact travellers' choices when they choose which airline companies to purchase tickets. We spoke with David Ko, Charu Srivastava AMIPRS, Jose Raymond 乔立盟 🇸🇬, Brian Yeung and Kate Kwan to find out what led to the PR debacle around Cathay's A350 engine issue. #PRdebacle #airbus

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