With a global perspective grounded in your part of the world, we’re here to help.
We start with a conversation about how your organization communicates and what we can do to help you raise the bar.
The best way to improve a communication skill is to practice it. So when we get down to the training, we avoid getting overly theoretical.
In the media programmes, we’ll put you in front of a “journalist” who might have some tough questions to ask you. We’ll videotape the interview so you can see how you did.
In writing training, you’ll write and get some coaching on how to sharpen up your prose. And since a three-hour workshop isn’t going to solve everything, we offer as much follow-up coaching as you want.
Today, the challenges go beyond borders, and so do the opportunities.
DONALD MACINTYRE
Co-Founder/ Principal
Donald is a seasoned communicator, writer and former Time magazine foreign correspondent with 25 years of experience working in Europe and Asia. In nearly 15 years in corporate communications, Donald has worked at major banks in Japan and Singapore and ran the communications function for Standard Chartered’s global retail banking business. He’s also an angel investor in two tech start-ups and has advised start-ups in Singapore. Before joining the world of finance, Donald reported for Bloomberg and Time magazine and was Time’s first permanent bureau chief for North and South Korea. He’s the co-editor of a book on US media coverage of Korea. Donald has a lifelong interest in conservation issues.
SOPHIE WON
Co-Founder/ Marketing head
Sophie’s background is marketing communications and advertising. She’s worked at global companies including Saatchi & Saatchi, The Walt Disney Company and Samsung’s Cheil Communications. She has a Master’s degree in from New York University in interactive telecommunications and a Bachelor’s degree in computer science from Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. She is currently in charge of global marketing and operations for Orbis Leadership.
JOHN LEE
CMO for Korea
John has decades of experience working in sales and marketing in the international hospitality, insurance and medical supply industries. He studied hotel management in Switzerland, the UK and US and is the co-owner of a hotel consulting and international trading company. Passionate about travel and meeting people from different cultures, he has visited 300 cities in 50 countries. He is managing sales and business development for Orbis Leadership Communication.
MARK SCHULZ
Partner - Brand Tone of Voice
A pioneer in brand tone of voice, Mark co-founded the leading verbal identity consultancy True & Good in 2010. With clients across Europe and Asia, Mark oversees writing, naming and training for brands such as RBS, Standard Chartered and Deezer. He’s helped some of the world’s best-known brands solve communication challenges in an agency career spanning BBDO, M&C Saatchi and Grey and advised political parties and government departments on the power of language to bring about change. Mark has been working in professional communication since 1992 and holds an MA in English from Oxford University.
SIMON BUREAU
Partner
Simon Bureau helps elevate the communication skills of Korean professionals who aspire to leadership positions, by contributing his 35 years of international business experience, including over two decades working in Korea. Since 2010, he has designed and delivered over 600 leadership communication workshops or lectures. The focal point that drives his workshops is helping Korean professionals collaborate effectively with foreign managers, overseas partners or clients.
ROD ROTHWELL
Partner - Storytelling
Rod is Korea’s only dedicated business storytelling coach and facilitator and leads the Korea and Japan practices for Anecdote, one of the world’s largest networks of business storytelling professionals. Based in Korea for 20 years, he has worked for Samsung as a marketer and sales trainer and taught MBA courses at both KAIST National University and Sungkyunkwan University. As a specialist in business communications, he sees business stories as a key tool to help leaders build and engage teams, establish credibility and generate sales revenue. His passion for storytelling comes from seeing how the world’s most successful leaders use compelling narratives to influence, persuade and inspire. Rod is currently researching a book on Korean business stories and plans to publish it in late 2020.
DAVID POPE
Partner - Voice Coach
As a voice coach, producer, director and voiceover artist, David understands the impact of the spoken word – not only what needs to be said, but how it must be delivered. Since starting his career in London at the BBC three decades ago, David has worked in commercials, documentaries, TV series and radio drama. Today he helps his corporate clients understand their voice, maximize their vocal impact and enhance their executive presence. David has worked with CEOs, executives and senior partners at global financial institutions and international legal firms across Asia, including Baker & McKenzie, Mayer Brown, Hogan Lovells, Herbert Smith Freehills, Goldman Sachs, Standard Chartered, Nomura, CLSA, Credit Suisse and Weber Shandwick.
HANK MORRIS
Advisor
Hank Morris has more than 30 years of experience in the Korean financial sector. He has held senior management roles in securities analysis, securities sales and investment banking in Korean and UK securities and trust companies, investment banks and asset management firms, including Ssangyong Securities, Kleinwort Benson, Standard Chartered Merchant Bank and GAM. Currently Hank is an adviser to Erudite Risk, a risk management company with operations in Seoul, Singapore and New Delhi, and a member of the Seoul Financial Forum’s executive committee. He is also a regular guest on CNBC, Bloomberg and the BBC. Hank first came to Korea in the 1970s with the US Peace Corps. After starting a career in finance in the US, he returned to Korea in the early 1980s and is still based in Seoul.
TOM PEDERSON
Advisor
Tom is the COO of the Global Treehouse in Tokyo, a startup focusing on mindfulness for leaders, creativity and innovation. He’s also the founder and president of duXit, a consultancy specializing in leadership development, organizational alignment and talent strategy. In his nearly 40 years in Asia, Tom has focused on growing local talent to become future global leaders. As Group Head of Learning and Talent Development, Tom led the global talent and learning functions for Singapore’s DBS Bank, increasingly recognized as a global leader in digital innovation. Previously, Tom was senior partner and managing director for Korn Ferry’s leadership and talent practice in Japan. He is a former lecturer on leadership in global organizations at Keio University in Tokyo, Japan.
JOO-YOUNG JUNG
Advisor - Communication Professor
Joo-Young Jung, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Society, Culture and Media at International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan. Her research focuses on the social implications of new communication technologies in environments such as urban communities and disaster/post-disaster situations. Her most recent research focused on how communication processes and community relations influenced socio-psychological disaster recovery in Fukushima. She earned her PhD from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. She is the co-editor of The Communication Ecology of 21st Century Urban Communities and her research has appeared in numerous academic publications.
