Akash Kaura

~It Takes Two to Tango~ For Product or Marketing team, have you ever been in a situation where the research that you requested to your fellow Research/Insight/Data team did not meet your expectation? You are not alone. Me too! From the Research/Insight team perspective, I have experienced the same thing when the research that I/my team delivered do not meet client's/stakeholder's expectation. It was frustrating for both sides to be honest. To prevent that from happening again, here are 3 things you can utilize so you know how to pull the right thing from your Research/Insight team: 1. ASK THE RIGHT QUESTION. The answer you get will only be as good as the questions you give them. So, ask good questions. Ask SPECIFIC questions, don’t ask surface question like: I want to know why my product doesn’t work. Nah, that won’t do any good to anyone. 2. CONTEXT: context is EVERYTHING. You must start with explaining the business context, the problems you are facing, and the goal that you aim. If you have user growth data, show them. If you have PnL data, show them. CR/CTR? Churn rate? Brand data? Show them. Tell them your problem, not just what you THINK you need. It's different. Imagine you come to a doctor and you told him/her: Doc, I need a Paracetamol, just prescribe me one. — without telling the doctor what is currently you are experiencing. Do you think it will solve your problem? 3. WORK TOGETHER. You can expect a good Research/Insight team as a problem-solver. Yes they will challenge you, your thought process, etc. but they surely will work together with you to achieve common objectives. And, a good Product/Marketing team can explain the context well so your fellow research team can do their job well and achieve great understanding together. Hope this helps!

23

Is joining an AI Center of Excellence a good career move? As mentioned in my last quarterly insights post, a few companies will be setting AI CoE's in Singapore in the next few months. On the surface, these new CoE's seem like great opportunities to: 🚀 Build new AI products and solutions 🚀 Work on high visibility AI projects that increase the possibility of career growth 🚀 Get exposure to cutting edge AI tech However, it is important to do proper due diligence before joining a CoE and ask questions like: ❓ Why is the company setting up an AI CoE now and what is its purpose ❓ Is the company setting up the CoE on its own or is it in partnership with an external organization ❓ Who is funding the CoE and for how long ❓ What is the mission and goal of this CoE and how will progress be measured ❓ Will all of the organizations AI efforts be concentrated in the CoE. If not, why? ❓ What happens to the CoE after external funding stops ❓ Who are the main internal sponsors of the CoE ❓ What is the existing data maturity of the organization ❓ How will the AI CoE be integrated with business and tech teams to be able solve business problems and generate RoI These are just some of the important questions you should ask the hiring manager when considering opportunities with an AI CoE Not all AI CoE succeed, which is why you need to look beyond the job title and salary package to know if this will be the right career move for you. Especially for folks evaluating a leadership role in an AI CoE, it is critical to find out : 📈 What senior management is looking to achieve by setting up the AI CoE 📈 What happens to the CoE after external funding ends It takes time to generate RoI from AI. So the last thing you want is to join a team that in essence is just a PR and marketing exercise. #AITalentInsights

35

9 Comments

Highlights from last week’s APEC Leaders’ and Ministers’ meetings in Gyeongju, Korea: 🤖 AI Leadership Annexed to the Leaders’ Declaration, the APEC AI Initiative 2026–2030 charts a shared vision for responsible, inclusive, innovation-driven AI. It promotes cooperation, capacity building, and resilient infrastructure This initiative also emphasizes “facilitating cross-border data flows and interoperability of digital systems” to unlock AI’s potential for trade, healthcare, and productivity gains. 🙏 to Korea for partnering with us to develop the forthcoming APEC Enablers of Health Data Sharing Checklist! 🩺 Health & Demographics Annexed to the Leaders’ Declaration, the APEC Framework on Demographic Change tackles aging and workforce shifts through tech-enabled, patient-centered care, encouraging collaboration in digital health, biotech, and assistive tech. Korea will host a 2026 Population Policy Dialogue to advance these priorities. Also... 💰 Finance Ministers’ Process – Incheon Plan The newly adopted Incheon Plan sets a five-year roadmap emphasizing innovation, fiscal resilience, and inclusive access. It calls for quality investment in infrastructure and human capital, including upskilling and reskilling for the digital era, and mobilizing private capital for emerging sectors. Excited that China shared that one of the finance-track priorities during its 2026 host year will be “people-centered fiscal policy,” calling for “more public resources toward education, employment, healthcare, and social safety and security.” 🙏 to Peru, Chile, Malaysia, Thailand, and Viet Nam for partnering with us to ensure health is discussed during the Finance Minister's Process! 📅 Future Hosts: 2026 – China which announced that its host year theme will be “Building an Asia-Pacific Community, Promoting Common Prosperity” 2027 – Viet Nam 2028 – Mexico 2030 – Singapore 2031 – Japan 2032 – Chile Access Partnership Ryan MacFarlane Eric Obscherning 🧬 Hector E. Castro J. Olivia Burzynska-Hernandez Johan Marulanda Megan Rauscher Peter Lovelock Spencer S. Stefano Scuratti Sam Charlton Abhineet Kaul Viviana Angel Corey

35

1 Comment