Steward Leadership: Maximum Purpose, Maximum Profit

Rajeev Peshawaria, CEO of Stewardship Asia Centre
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Tune in for fresh perspectives, impactful stories, and a call to action for Steward Leadership that empowers listeners to make a meaningful difference. This series highlights real-world examples of leaders and organisations that have successfully merged profit with purpose, showing that sustainability doesn’t need to be a sacrifice—it can be a catalyst for growth and innovation.

  1. Tan Sri Dr. Rebecca Sta Maria on trade, geopolitical trends and ASEAN’s future of global collaboration

    6D AGO

    Tan Sri Dr. Rebecca Sta Maria on trade, geopolitical trends and ASEAN’s future of global collaboration

    From being the first woman in her community to attend university to shaping global trade policy, Tan Sri Dr. Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria, Former Executive Director, APEC Secretariat, Singapore; Director, Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, shares her remarkable journey and insights on leadership, economic integration, and the future of ASEAN. She discusses ASEAN’s unique position and approach to trade, sharing why the future is full of possibilities. Rajeev and Dr Rebecca debate some of the most pressing issues of the day, including the rise of AI and the competitiveness of global trade. With a strong belief in evidence-based policy, collaboration, and flexibility, Dr Rebecca advocates for more inclusive far-reaching partnerships, flexible mindsets in a shifting global world order and how governments can better empower SMEs. Join us for a dynamic conversation on rising above labels, leading with integrity, and building a brighter, united future.

    44 min
  2. Dasho Karma Tshiteem on happiness, purpose and leadership of the self

    FEB 9

    Dasho Karma Tshiteem on happiness, purpose and leadership of the self

    Dasho Karma Tshiteem, Member of the Core Working Group for the Gelephu Mindfulness City, joins Rajeev to explore a different side of leadership - one that treats happiness and meaning as fundamental. He shares why happiness isn’t about contentment, but about living with meaning and fulfilling the many roles we hold in life with purpose. Despite a storied public-facing career leading civil and government institutions, Dasho Karma emphasizes that great leadership begins with the self. Drawing on the wisdom of His Majesty the King, he shares three core tenets: being a good human being, taking meaningful action, and committing to a lifelong journey of service. Rajeev and Dasho Karma also discuss Bhutan’s focus on happiness versus progress, global leadership in sustainability, the vision of the Gelephu Mindfulness City, and the importance of building an economy that empowers and engages its youth. Join us for an inspiring example of state stewardship, mastery of the self and the powerful reminder that we shouldn’t wait for change - we should take the leap ourselves and create a purposeful future.

    33 min
  3. Bhargav Sri Prakash on digital vaccines and immunisation without the needle

    12/02/2025

    Bhargav Sri Prakash on digital vaccines and immunisation without the needle

    Bhargav Sri Prakash, Founder & CEO of FriendsLearn, joins Rajeev a year after their first podcast together to share how his ambitious “digital vaccines” could redefine global health and disease prevention.    Built on 12 years of scientific research and international collaboration, Bhargav’s team, together with Carnegie Mellon University, has developed a patented neuro-cognitive training technology that activates the body’s natural immune system through non-invasive digital interventions.   Rajeev and Bhargav dive into how AI, when built and deployed responsibly, can be a force for good - amplifying health outcomes rather than exploiting vulnerabilities.    At the heart of FriendsLearn’s mission is a belief that purpose and profit not only can coexist, but can accelerate one another. Tune in to learn how digital vaccines, responsible AI, and purpose-led entrepreneurship can shape a healthier, more resilient world.

    23 min
  4. Edward Booty on delivering healthcare to the underserved

    11/26/2025

    Edward Booty on delivering healthcare to the underserved

    Edward Booty, Founder of reach52, sits down with Rajeev to discuss healthcare access for the 52% of the world left behind by traditional systems.  Drawing on his experience and knowledge from a career working with consulting firms and pharmaceuticals, Ed designed a model that delivers essential medicines and education to rural and last mile communities, maximising both purpose and profit. reach52 demonstrates how equitable healthcare can be delivered at scale in markets often overlooked by conventional systems.    By combining tech-enabled solutions, health-worker training, public campaigns, and affordable medicine distribution across India, Africa, and Southeast Asia, reach52 has created a sustainable loop where social impact drives commercial viability.  Rajeev and Ed also explore how purpose-driven business can further close gaps in universal health coverage, the challenges and opportunities of expanding to other regions and how innovation must be used for good.    Tune in to learn more about inclusive healthcare, social impact, and building sustainable models for change.

    33 min
  5. Benjamin Towell on architecting and financing an energy-efficient future

    10/15/2025

    Benjamin Towell on architecting and financing an energy-efficient future

    Benjamin Towell, Executive Director of OCBC’s Wholesale Banking Sustainability Office, helps shape the bank’s net‑zero roadmap for the built environment, drives innovative finance solutions for customers with a special focus on SMEs, and contributes to global efforts like CRREM and the World Green Building Council to ensure credible 1.5 °C aligned pathways. Benjamin explains OCBC’s SL25-award winning SME Energy Efficiency Assessment (SMEEA) tool: what it is, how it works, and why it was developed. We explore why OCBC has expanded SMEEA across markets and how the tool's flexibility accounts for differing climates, regulations and market norms. Success stories with SMEEA helps fuel OCBC’s sustainable financing practice and serves as a model for financial institutions. Sharing his perspective and advice for other financial professionals and SMEs, Benjamin also digs into what motivated him, as an architect, to join a financial services institution and mobilise capital for good. Tune in to learn about how financial innovation and cross‑sector expertise at OCBC are bringing SMEs into the heart of the net‑zero transition.

    28 min
  6. Steve Willis & Jan Lee on using fiction as a force for good

    09/22/2025

    Steve Willis & Jan Lee on using fiction as a force for good

    Steve Willis and Jan Lee, authors of Fairhaven: A Novel of Climate Optimism, imagine a hopeful climate future. Drawing on their backgrounds in engineering, sustainability and journalism, they chose to use fiction as a force for good, crafting a novel that inspired and galvanised its readers to take charge of the future. By researching real innovations like rigs‑to‑reef and Arctic refreezing as well as how traditional energy sectors might become part of the solution, they leverage human innovation to demonstrate the possibilities. Fairhaven shows what individual agency looks like in the midst of systemic challenges. Rajeev, Steve and Jan explore how storytelling can deepen emotional connection to climate issues, what makes scaling climate solutions hard in practice, and whether readers are being stirred to action. Tune in to learn more about storytelling, motivation and inspiring action.

    29 min
  7. Dr. Shuchin Bajaj on making healthcare a right, not a privilege

    07/16/2025

    Dr. Shuchin Bajaj on making healthcare a right, not a privilege

    Dr. Shuchin Bajaj, Founder Director of Ujala Cygnus, shares the powerful mission behind his healthcare network: to ensure that no one is denied quality medical care due to financial, geographic, or social barriers. At Ujala Cygnus Kashmir, turning away a patient for financial reasons is a fireable offense, a testament to the organisation’s unwavering commitment to healthcare equity. Dr. Bajaj dives into their cross-subsidy model, which enables the hospital to sustain a high-cost, low-volume approach while delivering affordable, high-quality care, even in underserved regions like Kashmir and India’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. He also shares how his purpose-driven leadership fuels efforts to attract and retain top medical talent in regions that are often overlooked and why true impact lies not in scale alone, but in deep, personal commitment to the people being served. Join us for an inspiring conversation on healthcare as a human right, and what it really takes to build systems that leave no one behind.

    36 min
  8. Eugenia Koh on breaking barriers through inclusive capital

    06/24/2025

    Eugenia Koh on breaking barriers through inclusive capital

    Eugenia Koh, Global Head of Sustainable Finance, Wealth and Retail Banking at Standard Chartered, discusses the bank's strategic initiatives to empower women entrepreneurs and drive inclusive economic growth, including the SC WIN program, which has provided $300 million in financing to women-led SMEs and aims to reach $1 billion by 2028. Eugenia also delves into the Women in Entrepreneurship program, part of the Futuremakers initiative, which targets the creation and sustenance of 140,000 jobs by 2030, focusing on women and people with disabilities. By offering mentorship and strategic support for women entrepreneurs, the programme addresses the unique challenges some women entrepreneurs face - we hear a success story of a chemotherapy food business that benefited from the bank's initiatives. Standard Chartered's move to assist SMEs in business growth, sustainability and strategy, signals the incredible impact that large corporations can enable. Join us for an insightful conversation on how inclusive and sustainable finance can drive positive change in society, empowering women entrepreneurs to thrive in today's dynamic business landscape.

    24 min
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Tune in for fresh perspectives, impactful stories, and a call to action for Steward Leadership that empowers listeners to make a meaningful difference. This series highlights real-world examples of leaders and organisations that have successfully merged profit with purpose, showing that sustainability doesn’t need to be a sacrifice—it can be a catalyst for growth and innovation.

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