Five workforce priorities HR leaders must reset in 2026
Southeast Asian organisations enter 2026 facing a workforce landscape shaped by economic uncertainty, rapid digital adoption, and shifting employee expectations. While many HR teams have already navigated disruption over the past few years, familiar strategies no longer deliver the same results. What worked during recovery or stabilisation phases now requires recalibration. Across markets such as […]
Vaclav Koranda is seeing HR clearly, not comfortably
Long before digital transformation became a headline topic, Vaclav Koranda was already questioning how HR should truly work. Becoming an HR Director at just 27 years old forced him to grow fast, reflect deeply, and learn what leadership really means in practice. Looking back, he says, “it was a mix of my boundless self-confidence and […]
Building better work, one conversation at a time
If you spend even a few minutes speaking with Reno Rafly, you immediately understand why Paxel feels different. She talks about people with the same energy others reserve for strategy meetings or product launches. For her, the heart of Paxel’s growth is not just its logistics network but the experience of the people who make […]
The First Word: Elevating efficiency through modern agreement management
Across the Asia Pacific, agreement management is undergoing a shift that’s reshaping how organisations operate, compete and scale. As business conditions grow more complex, driven by shifting regulations, rising compliance demands and digital acceleration, managing agreements efficiently has become critical. In fact, 77% of leaders in high-performing organisations credit agreement management with driving success in […]
Five strategies for building agile HR functions
The rapid evolution of workplace dynamics across Southeast Asia presents unique challenges for human resource departments. Traditional HR approaches are proving insufficient as organisations navigate digitalisation, remote work arrangements, and changing employee expectations in this diverse region. Economic volatility and talent shortages further amplify the need for HR functions that can respond swiftly to emerging […]
Five approaches to career development in flat organisations
Across Southeast Asia’s evolving business landscape, traditional hierarchical structures are increasingly giving way to flatter organisational models emphasising agility and innovation. This structural shift presents unique challenges for HR professionals tasked with providing meaningful career development in environments with fewer vertical advancement opportunities. Regional talent retention studies indicate that career progression remains a primary concern […]
Five essential skills shaping future HR leaders
The role of HR leadership across Southeast Asia is undergoing profound transformation, evolving from traditional administrative functions into strategic business partnerships. Regional economic integration through ASEAN frameworks has created increasingly competitive talent markets where organisations must navigate complex workforce dynamics spanning multiple countries, cultures, and regulatory environments. Leading regional HR associations indicate that tomorrow’s HR […]
Raising the standard of HR, the “unggul” way
When you meet Ami Kastari, it’s clear she isn’t just leading a professional organisation — she’s leading a movement. As Chairwoman of HR Unggul Indonesia, Ami has spent her career proving that HR isn’t just about processes and policies; it’s about purpose, empathy, and growth. “My career began in the retail industry in the late […]
Crissy Rollan: Making HR human again
When you talk to Crissy Rollan, you quickly realise her story isn’t about chasing titles or climbing ladders. It’s about restoring meaning to work and reminding leaders that people are, and always will be, the foundation of success. She built Qubel from two things: a deep belief in people and a desire to reimagine how […]
Building the future of HR from the ground up
He didn’t begin in HR. In fact, his journey started right where most stories of leadership do, on the front lines. For Coach Darwin Rivers, the early 2000s marked the beginning of his career in the growing IT-BPM industry, where he progressed from a frontline agent to an operations supervisor. It was in those formative […]
