The Tea Leaves Podcast The Asia Group

Debbie Yong is a Senior Strategist focusing on the Asia-Pacific region at WGSN, a consumer-trend forecasting company. She previously worked as the Editorial Director of the Michelin Guide in Asia and the Middle East, a China media analyst for BBC Monitoring, and a reporter for the Straits Times and the Business Times in Singapore. In 2019, Netflix featured her as a Singaporean food expert on “Street Food: Asia. She holds a dual master’s degree in global media and communications from the London School of Economics and Fudan University in China, as well as a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania.

The Hon. Arthur Sinodinos AO is Partner and Chair of The Asia Group's Australia Practice. He most recently served as Australia's Ambassador to the United States, where he was closely involved in negotiations related to AUKUS, the Quad, and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. Amb. Sinodinos previously served as Australia’s Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science and as Senator for New South Wales in the Australian Parliament from 2011 to 2019. He also served as Cabinet Secretary and Assistant Treasurer, as well as Chief of Staff and Senior Economic Adviser to Prime Minister Hon. John Howard AC.

Phil Davidson is a retired four-star admiral in the U.S. Navy who last served as the 25th Commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM). He served in the Navy for almost 40 years until his retirement in 2021. Before becoming the Commander of INDOPACOM, he was the commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command/Naval Forces U.S. Northern Command. He previously served as commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet, and the commander of the Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO, while simultaneously serving as the deputy commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and U.S. Naval Forces Africa. His decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat “V,” a Superior Honor Award from the U.S. Department of State, and numerous other awards. He holds a Master of Arts degree in national security and a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from the United States Naval War College.

Mitsuru Claire Chino is the Managing Executive Officer of ITOCHU Corporation, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. She was previously president and CEO of ITOCHU International, the company’s New York-based North America-focused subsidiary. In 2013, she became the first female executive officer of any major trading company in Japan. Before joining ITOCHU, she practiced as a lawyer at an international law firm in the United States and in Hong Kong at Graham & James. Asia Legal Business recognized her as a "Top 25 In-House Counsel in Asia," and the Financial Times named her the "Asia Pacific's Innovative Lawyer" and included her on the "FT Global General Counsel 30" list of the world’s top in-house lawyers. She has also been a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum and a Yale University Maurice R. Greenberg World Fellow. She is a classically trained singer and has given solo performances at venues like the Weill Carnegie Hall and the Suntory Hall.

Anand Shah is a Partner at The Asia Group, which he joined in 2022 as part of the firm’s acquisition of Dhamiri, a venture that he founded to help corporations align their core businesses with public good in critical international markets. He previously led the development of strategic initiatives as Senior Vice President of Indian ride-hailing giant Ola and has also worked at the Albright Stonebridge Group, BMW AG, and Audi AG. He spent 15 years living in India, where he founded Sarvajal, a technology and market-based provider of clean water to rural villages and urban settlements, and helped establish Ahmedabad University. He was also the Founding CEO of the Piramal Foundation, a Co-Founder of Teach for India, and the Founder of Indicorps, a pioneering public service program.

Chatpong "Chat" Chuenrudeemol is the Principal and Founder of CHAT Architects, a Bangkok-based research and design practice, as well as CHAT Lab, a think tank that aims to discover new Thai vernacular typologies. In 2020, Chat received the Silpathorn award from Thailand’s Ministry of Culture – the country’s most prestigious award for contemporary artists. His architectural works have won Architectural Review’s AR House Awards, the Architecture Masterprize in 2021, and a Building of the Year Award in the Asia-Pacific region. He was previously a Partner at Bangkok Architectural Research and an Architect at the Boston-based NADAAA. Chat has taught architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the National University of Singapore, Taylor University, and Chulalongkorn University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.