The Forward Podcast with SmartOSC

“If you want a family, you should have a family. I hope your kids work at the company one day.” – James C. Rhee We couldn’t have asked for a more inspiring guest to The Forward Podcast than James C. Rhee - CEO, Founder, Author, Educator, and Private Equity Investor. He’s helped transform iconic brands, stood on global TED stages to speak about leadership, and guided young minds at Howard, MIT, and...

🎙️"If you don't have diversity in lived experiences, we're going to start to perpetuate by an infinite magnitude the inequalities that already exist in the system.” We met Samantha at Money 20/20 Bangkok and knew we had to bring her onto the show. In this conversation she challenges assumptions, surfaces hard truths, and shows how inclusive design isn’t just ethical - it’s smart busin...

Link to buy the book! Redesigning Thinking: How Service Design is Solving Our 21st Century Challenges  https://www.amazon.com/Redesigning-Thinking-Service-Solving-Challenges/dp/3111392821 💡 “ When we make a decision, we are in fact designing. And if we are making that decision without considering the human being, then that's a poor decision. ” – @CliveGrinyer To put it simply: if you’re human...

What if rethinking your shopping list could change the world? In this episode of The Forward Podcast: Rethink , @AzizaOBeirne is joined by @ ChrisBaker, award-winning strategist, social entrepreneur, and author of Obsolete: How Change Brands Are Changing the World . Chris is the driving force behind: 🧻 Serious Tissues – tackling deforestation with recycled, plastic-free toilet paper and nearly 2...

Finance in Asia is moving fast. But is it moving in the right direction? Right now, too many fintech solutions are built for the top of the pyramid , for people with stable incomes, credit histories, and easy access to financial services. That leaves millions excluded and opens the door for predatory products to fill the gaps. At the same time, cross-border payments remain fragmented. Regulation s...

3 days. 200 of Asia’s most influential tech leaders, banks, startups, retailers, regulators, and creators, all under one roof to talk about where the future of fintech is heading. Thousands of guests. One big question: What made you rethink? We went floor to floor at @Money20/20 Asia, one of the biggest fintech events in the world, to speak with speakers and attendees who are actively shaping the...

What does it really mean to rethink not just technology — but the culture behind it? In this episode, we talk to Shawn Lim, a journalist-turned-solopreneur whose work now lives at the intersection of identity, media, and digital transformation. After more than a decade reporting on adtech, agency shifts, and marketing innovation across APAC, Shawn now runs Human Algorithm — a newsletter and podcas...

Flat websites. Frustrating Size Guides. Endless scrolling. Overwhelmed customers. While it seems everything else has evolved around us, in 2025, online hopping still hasn’t caught up with consumer needs. To kick off our Rethink series, we speak to Olivia Lee. Olivia is the founder of LIVVIUM, a digital fashion and Web3 consultancy helping brands create more immersive, human-centered experiences on...

When the old answers don't fit, it’s time for new questions. New season coming soon:🎙The Forward Podcast: Rethink! A lot of the problems we’re trying to solve today are built on assumptions that no longer fit. We’re asking: What’s overdue for a rethink? Instead of rushing to solutions, we're sitting longer in the problem stage. This season, we’re speaking to rethinkers. The ones who stay curious i...

In this episode, we’re peeling back the layers with Rebecca Parsons — Board Member, Author, Speaker, and Former CTO Emerita of Thoughtworks! As a long-term tech devotee, Rebecca has left her mark across academia, government research, nonprofits, startups, manufacturing, and massive enterprises. She’s a passionate advocate for programming languages, AI, and evolutionary computation — all while keep...

In this episode, we’re peeling back the layers with @CharityMajors, CTO and Co-Founder of @Honeycomb.io, the pioneers of observability for complex systems. Charity’s career has been built on designing and managing massive distributed systems at Parse (acquired by Facebook), Facebook, and Linden Lab (makers of Second Life). She’s also the co-author of #ObservabilityEngineering and #DatabaseReliabil...

Today, we're peeling back the layers with Philip Gill, CTO at SmartBox Group - the number one experience #gift provider in Europe, selling millions of gifts every year!! From #QualityAssurance to #CTO, it's a road less traveled, but it comes with incredible stories and perspectives. These stories include Phil’s experience working in various countries before joining Smartbox a decade ago. How he ha...

In this episode, we’re peeling back the layers with Florian (Flo) Pasquier, CTO at Carma. From engineer to co-founder and CTO, Flo’s career has been filled with eye-opening twists, turns, and valuable lessons! We’ll be getting a front-row seat to his brilliant mind and experiences and hearing about why building strong engineering teams with empathy and storytelling is critical for navigating the f...

“We cannot solve a misuse of trust in people with blockchain technology. But I think what we can solve is the trust in systems challenge.” Today, we're peeling back the layers with Sebastian Bode, The VP of Engineering at the Cardano Foundation. Sebastian turned his childhood dream job at Ubisoft into a career that’s spanned robotics, automotive, finance, and now blockchain! After years as an engi...

In this premiere episode of our brand-new mini-series Cut The Onion, we're kicking things off by sitting down with Joel Beasley, the creator of  @ModernCTO  (ModernCTO.io) Joel Beasley is somewhat of a CTO whisperer - he’s interviewed almost 1,000 CTOS since releasing his book ‘Modern CTO’ and podcast of the same name. In this episode, Joel takes us behind the curtain to share the lessons he’s lea...

If you could speak to your future self, what advice would you offer? That’s the question we've been asking our guests this season. To celebrate #InternationalPodcastDay, we’re wrapping up this season with a special compilation of sage advice from our brilliant lineup! From savoring the wins, and trusting your gut, to promoting people sooner, this season has been filled with invaluable wisdom to he...

Are traditional office cultures meeting their end? What happens when you start investing in the ROI of Human Connection? (Spoiler alert: great things will happen!) In this episode of #TheForwardPodcast, we're joined by Emily Hinks, founder and CEO of Mischief Makers. She’s shaking up the Future of Work with her delightfully unconventional, human-centered approach to team collaboration and grow...

“We have to leave behind the fear of what might go wrong and replace that with the opportunity of what happens if it goes right. ”  We’re so happy to have Terry O’Connor OBE on this episode of #TheForwardPodcast! With over 20 years of experience transforming global businesses and a track record that includes CEO roles at Courts Asia and Matahari.  Today, Terry brings his strategic vision and fresh...

Click here to VOTE for us at the Asia Podcast Awards with Radio Info and Radio Days: https://lnkd.in/gVCdHQug We'd be so grateful for your votes in two categories 1. Best Interview Podcast (The Forward Podcast) 2. Best Money and Business Podcast (The Forward Podcast) Thank you!! Now, enough about us. Please meet our next brilliant guest:  Andre Menezes started his first business at 12 years ol...

“Brands are challenged when it comes to #Web3 concepts, #metaverseplatforms, and #gaming. But guess what? That's your job. Brands need to pay more attention to this.” In this exciting episode, we dive into the world of emerging technologies with Catherine D. Henry, a pioneer in spatial computing and a top global expert on the Metaverse and Web3. Catherine takes us through the journey of how im...

Supply chain logistics is a messy place right now. So what does the future hold?  When it comes to transformation and digital development the Supply Chain industry is one of the slowest sectors to progress, so we’ll be speaking to someone who has spent two decades frivolously learning and seeking to create change in logistics infrastructure, customs compliance, shipping, and supply chain technolog...

“I'm a true believer that you can't force an audience.” How can brands navigate unpredictable times when connecting with their audience? By staying true to yourself, letting go of vanity, being authentic, and cutting out the BS (Bullshit)! In this episode of The Forward Podcast from SmartOSC, we are thrilled to welcome Natalie Dau, a renowned Media Creator, Athlete, and Co-Author of 'R...

“Banking business used to be low risk and low return. But we don't believe it's going to stay like that.” What rewards await those brave enough to swim against the current? We explore this question further while speaking to Dennis Trawnitschek, the CTO of SCBX. SCBX is described as the mothership of the financial technology business, comprising 12 subsidiary companies that operate across k...

After 10 years of rocket growth within the eCommerce space, businesses are asking how they can become more profitable. Effective data is a start. But as more and more technologies and tools emerge that promise businesses the world, it is more important than ever to ensure that you are using quality rather than quantity.  Today we’re exploring Using Data & Insights for Profit: What's Now an...

What does it take to truly transform yourself and your organization from the inside out? Being completely honest with yourself is a start. And who better to share their honest stories of progression than our next guest? Andy Chang has spent the last two decades working with global organizations to transform and construct their customer interactions and in turn, has worked to tirelessly transform h...