Person Profile

Arvind Krishna, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of IBM

Arvind Krishna Rebuilt IBM Around Software. Now He Has to Make the AI Stack Outrun the Mainframe Cycle

Arvind Krishna made IBM smaller, more software-led and more profitable. A second-quarter shortfall now tests whether Confluent, Red Hat and watsonx can produce growth independent of the mainframe cycle.

Nikhil Kamath, Co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of Zerodha

Asia Leaders

Nikhil Kamath Turned Market Access Into a Media Platform. Influence Now Needs Clearer Boundaries

A FigureAsia examination of how Nikhil Kamath is turning Kamath's expansion from broking and asset management into a large interview and investing platform that shapes how young Indians understand markets, founders and public policy into a test of economics, execution and durable leadership.

Lucy Guo, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Passes

Asia Leaders

Lucy Guo Built Passes Around Creator Ownership. Trust Must Become the Subscription Advantage

A FigureAsia examination of how Lucy Guo is turning Passes' attempt to scale a direct-to-fan subscription platform while Guo's retained Scale AI stake gives her unusual financial independence as an operator into a test of economics, execution and durable leadership.

Shashank Kumar, Co-founder and Managing Director of Razorpay

Asia Leaders

Shashank Kumar Is Rewiring Razorpay Around Payment Success. Reliability Has to Pay

A FigureAsia examination of how Shashank Kumar is turning Razorpay's attempt to use routing, passkeys and infrastructure software to reduce failed transactions across India's increasingly complex payment stack into a test of economics, execution and durable leadership.

Ritesh Agarwal, Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer of PRISM

Asia Leaders

Ritesh Agarwal Has Taken PRISM Back to the IPO Gate. Investors Will Price the Quality of OYO's Profit

A FigureAsia examination of how Ritesh Agarwal is turning PRISM's renewed move towards a large Indian public offering after restructuring OYO, adding Motel 6 and improving reported profitability into a test of economics, execution and durable leadership.

Nikesh Arora, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Palo Alto Networks

Asia Leaders

Nikesh Arora Made Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity’s Consolidator. Now He Has to Make the Stack Work as One

Nikesh Arora turned Palo Alto Networks into cybersecurity’s leading consolidator. CyberArk and Chronosphere now make integration—not another acquisition—the defining test of his platform strategy.

Asia Leaders

Gukesh Dommaraju Became Chess's Youngest World Champion. Defending the Crown Is a Different Business

A FigureAsia examination of how Dommaraju Gukesh is turning Gukesh's preparation to defend the world title against Javokhir Sindarov after a 2026 season in which his rating and tournament results became a public test of life under the crown into a test of economics, execution and durable leadership.

Scott Wu, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cognition

Asia Leaders

Scott Wu Joined Devin With Windsurf. The Combined Product Must Earn a US$26 Billion Valuation

A FigureAsia examination of how Scott Wu is turning Cognition's integration of the Windsurf editor into Devin's agentic workflow and its 2026 expansion into London, Japan and Singapore into a test of economics, execution and durable leadership.

Harshil Mathur, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Razorpay

Asia Leaders

Harshil Mathur Made Razorpay an Omnichannel Platform. Regulation Must Become a Competitive Edge

A FigureAsia examination of how Harshil Mathur is turning Razorpay's expansion from online payment gateway into a broader omnichannel, banking-software and merchant operating platform into a test of economics, execution and durable leadership.

Sualeh Asif, Co-founder and product leader at Anysphere

Asia Leaders

Sualeh Asif Took Cursor Beyond Autocomplete. The Product Must Preserve Developer Judgement

A FigureAsia examination of how Sualeh Asif is turning Cursor's expansion from assisted editing into agents that can plan, change and review work across a codebase into a test of economics, execution and durable leadership.

Asia Leaders

Zohran Mamdani Put Affordability at the Centre of New York. Delivery Will Decide the Economics

A FigureAsia examination of how Zohran Mamdani is turning Mamdani's first year as mayor, in which an affordability mandate has moved from campaign language into bus, consumer-protection, childcare and digital-service execution into a test of economics, execution and durable leadership.

Reshma Kewalramani, President and Chief Executive Officer at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Asia Leaders

Reshma Kewalramani Broadened Vertex Beyond Cystic Fibrosis. Launch Economics Are the Next Clinical Test

Reshma Kewalramani has placed high-value rare-disease medicines, internally discovered small molecules, gene editing and disciplined reinvestment of cystic-fibrosis cash flow at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.

Divya Deshmukh, Indian chess grandmaster

Asia Leaders

Divya Deshmukh Won the Women's World Cup. Indian Chess Must Turn Her Result Into a Market

A FigureAsia examination of how Divya Deshmukh is turning the commercial and institutional opportunity created by Deshmukh's 2025 Women's World Cup victory, her grandmaster title and her return to the women's top ten in 2026 into a test of economics, execution and durable leadership.

Aravind Srinivas, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Perplexity

Asia Leaders

Aravind Srinivas Turned Search Into a Computer. Perplexity Must Now Make the Economics Legible

A FigureAsia examination of how Aravind Srinivas is turning Perplexity's 2026 shift from an answer engine towards Perplexity Computer, an agentic system that executes research and work rather than merely returning links into a test of economics, execution and durable leadership.

Alexandr Wang, Chief AI Officer of Meta and founder of Scale AI

Asia Leaders

Alexandr Wang Put Evaluation at the Centre of Meta's AI Reset. Governance Must Keep Pace

A FigureAsia examination of how Alexandr Wang is turning Meta's effort to turn the data, evaluation and operational disciplines associated with Scale AI into a repeatable development system for its new generation of models into a test of economics, execution and durable leadership.

Surya Midha, Co-founder and Chairman of Mercor

Asia Leaders

Surya Midha Moved From Mercor's Operations Desk to Its Chair. Governance Must Catch Up With Growth

A FigureAsia examination of how Surya Midha is turning Midha's transition from operating leadership to chairman as Mercor scales a global marketplace for experts who train and evaluate AI systems into a test of economics, execution and durable leadership.

Adarsh Hiremath, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Mercor

Asia Leaders

Adarsh Hiremath Built Mercor's Human-Data Engine. Security and Worker Quality Are Now the Product

A FigureAsia examination of how Adarsh Hiremath is turning Mercor's move from automated recruiting into high-skill human-data infrastructure for frontier AI laboratories into a test of economics, execution and durable leadership.

Sanjay Mehrotra, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Micron Technology

Asia Leaders

Sanjay Mehrotra Turned Micron’s Memory Shortage Into Long-Term Contracts. Now He Has to Stop the Boom From Rebuilding the Glut

Sanjay Mehrotra has used AI-driven scarcity to secure five-year customer commitments and record margins at Micron. The harder task is expanding supply without financing the next memory glut.

Nithin Kamath, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zerodha

Asia Leaders

Nithin Kamath Is Turning Zerodha’s Profits Into Patient Capital. Rainmatter Needs Portfolio Accountability

Rainmatter has expanded from fintech partnerships into a broad portfolio and a foundation supporting climate and livelihoods. Nithin Kamath must show how patient capital learns, recycles returns and remains accountable when it avoids board seats and fixed exits.

Fei-Fei Li, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at World Labs

Asia Leaders

Fei-Fei Li Opened World Labs Through an API. Developer Demand Must Validate Spatial Intelligence

Fei-Fei Li has placed usage-based API access, creative tools, developer integration and world models that may eventually support simulation and embodied intelligence at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.

Huda Kattan, Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer at Huda Beauty

Asia Leaders

Huda Kattan Bought Back Huda Beauty. Founder Control Must Now Fund Its Own Growth

Huda Kattan has placed social-led product discovery, colour cosmetics, direct consumer relationships and selective distribution through retailers such as Sephora at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.

Choi Soo-yeon, Chief Executive Officer at Naver

Asia Leaders

Choi Soo-yeon Made AI Pay Across Naver's Core. Global C2C Must Justify the Expansion

Choi Soo-yeon has placed search and display advertising, commerce, payments, cloud, web content and consumer-to-consumer marketplaces at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.

Lisa Su, Chair and Chief Executive Officer at AMD

Asia Leaders

Lisa Su Pushed AMD's Server Ambition Beyond GPUs. Memory Costs Could Split the Portfolio

Lisa Su has placed EPYC server CPUs, Instinct accelerators, adaptive computing, semi-custom chips and a common software and customer ecosystem at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.

Jenny Lee, Senior Managing Partner at Granite Asia

Asia Leaders

Jenny Lee Turned Granite Asia Into a Multi-Asset Platform. Penang Will Test Its Industrial Thesis

Jenny Lee has placed cross-border sourcing, operational networks, flexible capital and long relationships with Asian technology founders at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.

Feng Zhang, Core Institute Member at the Broad Institute and Professor at MIT

Asia Leaders

Feng Zhang Won $34.5 Million for Paediatric Epilepsy Editing. A Shared Platform Must Defeat Rare-Disease Economics

Feng Zhang’s ARPA-H-backed PERC consortium targets two severe childhood epilepsies first. Its real value will be whether one platform can lower the cost of treating many ultra-rare diseases.

Rosé, Recording artist at The Black Label, Atlantic Records and BLACKPINK

Asia Leaders

Rosé Carried Solo Demand Back Into BLACKPINK's Group Cycle. Ownership Will Define the Next Release

Rosé has placed recording royalties, publishing, touring, brand partnerships and the audience transfer between solo work and BLACKPINK at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.

Demis Hassabis, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Google DeepMind

Asia Leaders

Demis Hassabis Moved DeepMind Deeper Into the Laboratory. Scientific AI Needs a Verification Business Model

Demis Hassabis is building a wider scientific-AI stack around AlphaGenome and Co-Scientist. The opportunity is large, but laboratories need reproducible gains rather than fluent novelty.

Helen Wong, Former Group Chief Executive Officer at OCBC

Asia Leaders

Helen Wong Handed OCBC to a New CEO With a Wealth-Led Franchise. The Strategy Must Survive Its Architect

Helen Wong has placed banking, Bank of Singapore, Great Eastern insurance, asset management and a regional franchise spanning Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Greater China at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.

Melanie Perkins, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Canva

Asia Leaders

Melanie Perkins Put AI Inside Canva's Full Work Suite. Product Breadth Must Convert Into Enterprise Depth

Melanie Perkins has placed freemium distribution, collaborative design, subscriptions, brand-management tools and AI features embedded across documents, presentations, video and marketing workflows at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.

Josephine Teo, Minister for Digital Development and Information at Government of Singapore

Asia Leaders

Josephine Teo Built Singapore's Agentic-AI Rulebook. Adoption Must Reach Smaller Firms

Josephine Teo has placed digital public infrastructure, model governance, skills programmes, cloud capacity and a policy regime designed to attract international technology investment at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.

Chuan He, Professor at the University of Chicago and HHMI Investigator

Asia Leaders

Chuan He Connected Diet, RNA Marks and Early Immunity. Product Builders Must Separate Signal From Platform

Chuan He’s latest research brings RNA regulation into early-life immunity, learning and development. The opportunity is broad, but commercial claims must stay behind causal evidence.

Jisoo, Artist, actor and founder at BLISSOO

Asia Leaders

Jisoo Expanded BLISSOO Across Music, Screen and Luxury. Coordination Is the Hidden Cost

Jisoo has placed artist management, music rights, screen compensation, membership relationships and brand-ambassador contracts at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.

Anima Anandkumar, Bren Professor at the California Institute of Technology

Asia Leaders

Anima Anandkumar Put Neural Operators on Firmer Ground. Scientific AI Must Earn Its Compute

Anima Anandkumar’s neural-operator research targets reusable scientific models rather than one-off predictions. Adoption will depend on verification, compute economics and domain trust.

Mitsuko Tottori, President and Group Chief Executive Officer at Japan Airlines

Asia Leaders

Mitsuko Tottori Delivered Record Profit at JAL. Vision 2035 Raises the Capital-Allocation Stakes

Mitsuko Tottori has placed full-service aviation, cargo, low-cost carriers, mileage and finance, commerce and airport-related services at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.

Jyoti Bansal, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Harness

Asia Leaders

Jyoti Bansal Is Putting Autonomous Agents Into Software Delivery. Harness Must Make Every Change Governable

AI can generate code faster than enterprises can validate and ship it. Jyoti Bansal is positioning Harness as the control layer around that bottleneck, where permissions, evidence, cost and rollback matter more than another coding assistant.

Sanae Takaichi, Prime Minister of Japan at Government of Japan

Asia Leaders

Sanae Takaichi Turned Fiscal Activism Into a Governing Mandate. Bond Markets Will Price the Next Move

Sanae Takaichi has placed public-private investment in semiconductors, data infrastructure, energy security and defence-linked manufacturing at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.

Shimon Sakaguchi, Distinguished Professor of Experimental Immunology at the University of Osaka

Asia Leaders

Shimon Sakaguchi Extended Treg Science Into Cancer and Heart Failure. Translation Must Now Prove Its Range

Shimon Sakaguchi’s 2026 research links Treg biology to checkpoint response and heart-failure fibrosis. Platform value will depend on reproducibility, manufacturing and patient selection.

Jennie Kim, Recording artist and founder at ODD ATELIER

Asia Leaders

Jennie Kim Made Ruby an Independent-Label Asset. ODD ATELIER Must Build Beyond a Release Cycle

Jennie Kim has placed recorded-music rights, distribution partnerships, performance, merchandise, pop-up retail and luxury sponsorships at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.

Omar M. Yaghi, Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley

Asia Leaders

Omar M. Yaghi Pulled Carbon From Open Air With COFs. Deployment Must Beat the Energy Bill

Omar M. Yaghi’s 2026 work pairs direct-air carbon capture with ambitious framework design. Commercialisation depends on energy use, material lifetime and repeatable manufacturing.

Lisa Manobal, Recording artist, actor and founder at LLOUD

Asia Leaders

Lisa Manobal Turned LLOUD Into a Multi-Platform Enterprise. A Second Album Must Prove the Model Scales

Lisa Manobal has placed music ownership, artist management, recording partnerships, live performance, screen roles and luxury-brand relationships at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.

Min-Liang Tan, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Razer

Asia Leaders

Min-Liang Tan Is Spending More Than $600 Million on AI for Gaming. Developers Must Become Razer Customers

Razer’s distribution comes from gamers, not enterprise software buyers. Min-Liang Tan’s AI strategy will work if studios adopt its tools because they improve quality and testing, rather than because generative features add another slogan to devices.

Anousheh Ansari, Chief Executive Officer of XPRIZE

Asia Leaders

Anousheh Ansari Proved Prizes Can Mobilise Research. XPRIZE Winners Still Need Customers

XPRIZE can define ambitious goals and attract innovators that conventional programmes miss. Anousheh Ansari must now measure how many winning technologies become deployed systems rather than ending at a compelling final demonstration.

Yoshinori Ohsumi, Nobel laureate and specially appointed professor at the Institute of Science Tokyo

Asia Leaders

Yoshinori Ohsumi Put Nobel Capital Into Basic Research. Autophagy’s Drug Pipeline Still Has to Deliver

Yoshinori Ohsumi's fund is backing young researchers whose work may need years to mature. The latest autophagy drug programmes show why Asia needs capital structures that can absorb scientific uncertainty without confusing a celebrated mechanism with a de-risked market.

Shiori Ito, Journalist, filmmaker and co-founder at Hanashi Films

Asia Leaders

Shiori Ito Took Black Box Diaries Home to Japan. Distribution Rights Now Shape Its Public Reach

Shiori Ito has placed independent documentary production, international rights sales, festival visibility, book publishing and public-interest journalism at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.

Susumu Kitagawa, Distinguished Professor at Kyoto University

Asia Leaders

Susumu Kitagawa Made Porous Crystals More Selective. Industrial Separation Will Test Their Economics

Susumu Kitagawa’s 2026 MOF research advances selective carbon-dioxide and ammonia capture. Commercial value will turn on lifetime cost, process integration and industrial-scale production.

Shou Zi Chew, Chief Executive Officer of TikTok

Asia Leaders

Shou Zi Chew Kept TikTok in America. Now He Has to Run a Global Platform Through National Borders

Shou Zi Chew survived TikTok’s American divestiture crisis. The settlement now forces him to govern one product through separate systems of ownership, algorithms, safety and regulation.

Lip-Bu Tan, Chief Executive Officer of Intel

Asia Leaders

Lip-Bu Tan Has Put Intel Back on an Engineering Clock. The Foundry Still Has to Find Customers

Lip-Bu Tan has restored discipline and delivered Intel 18A into production. The company’s future now turns on whether 14A can win the external volume that its fabs—and its identity—require.

Asia Leaders

Hamdi Ulukaya Made Chobani an American Brand Without Erasing Its Origins

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Hamdi Ulukaya’s next chapter at Chobani.

Neal Mohan, Chief Executive Officer of YouTube

Asia Leaders

Neal Mohan Turned YouTube Into a $60 Billion Media System. Now He Has to Keep AI From Breaking Its Trust

Neal Mohan transformed YouTube from a video platform into a diversified global media economy. Artificial intelligence will determine whether its scale remains an advantage or becomes a crisis of trust.

Jay Bhattacharya, Director of the National Institutes of Health

Asia Leaders

Jay Bhattacharya Is Rewriting How America Funds Medical Science. The Portfolio Test Starts Now

Jay Bhattacharya has secured room to reshape the world’s most influential biomedical funder. His challenge is to make risk-taking, replication and real-world data produce better science without turning grant selection into an opaque policy instrument.

Tan Su Shan, Chief Executive Officer of DBS Group

Asia Leaders

Tan Su Shan Inherited DBS at Its Peak. Now She Has to Prove the Franchise Is Bigger Than the Rate Cycle

Tan Su Shan did not inherit a bank in need of rescue. She inherited one at its peak—and must now show that deposits, wealth, technology and regional connectivity can outlast the rate windfall.

Asia Leaders

Shou Zi Chew Opened TikTok Shop to Four More European Markets. Cross-Border Returns Will Decide the Payoff

Shou Zi Chew is extending TikTok's commerce model across Europe with a single-registration selling system. Merchant retention will depend on whether reach can outweigh the costs of localisation, fulfilment and consumer protection.

Asia Leaders

Hasan Hadi Took an Iraqi Debut From Cannes Into 2026 Cinemas. The Next Film Must Make the Route Repeatable

Hasan Hadi turned The President’s Cake into a rare Iraqi international release. His next film must convert the breakthrough into a repeatable production route.

Jayshree Ullal, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of Arista Networks

Asia Leaders

Jayshree Ullal Made Ethernet the AI Network. Two Customers Still Hold 42% of Arista's Revenue

Jayshree Ullal has positioned Arista at the centre of the AI data-centre build-out and preserved exceptional profitability. Customer concentration, proprietary interconnects and a fast-changing optics stack are the pressure points behind the numbers.

Jayshree Ullal, Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of Arista Networks

Asia Leaders

Jayshree Ullal Made Ethernet the Language of the Cloud. Now She Has to Make It the Fabric of AI

Jayshree Ullal turned Arista into the cloud era’s most disciplined networking challenger. AI now requires a broader systems company without the complexity Arista was built to defeat.

Asia Leaders

Lee Jun-ho Turned Idol Discipline Into Actor Longevity

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Lee Jun-ho, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of screen performance and music, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Yim Si-wan Broke Through Inside Squid Game’s Ensemble. The Next Test Is Carrying the Commercial Risk Alone

Yim Si-wan gained global visibility inside Squid Game’s ensemble. His next business test is carrying a project’s commercial risk as the lead.

Asia Leaders

Maggie Kang Won Animation’s Biggest Prize. Now She Has to Turn a Streaming Phenomenon Into a Franchise She Can Shape

Maggie Kang turned KPop Demon Hunters into an Oscar-winning global phenomenon. Its next phase will test the economics of creative control.

Asia Leaders

India’s Largest Bank Is Becoming a National Technology Platform

A FigureAsia examination of how C.S. Setty is positioning SBI for the next phase of banking.

Asia Leaders

Ryusuke Hamaguchi Took His Japanese Method Into a Four-Country Production. Now Theatrical Economics Must Catch Up

‘Soudain’ proved Ryusuke Hamaguchi can scale his method through a European-Japanese co-production. Its long theatrical journey will test the business around auteur cinema.

Gautam Adani, Founder and Chairman of Adani Group

Asia Leaders

Gautam Adani’s Biggest Infrastructure Project Is Restoring Trust

A FigureAsia examination of how Gautam Adani is positioning Adani Group for the next phase of conglomerates.

Asia Leaders

Shirin Neshat Still Makes Exile Look Back

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Shirin Neshat, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of contemporary art and film, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

For Demis Hassabis, Gemini’s Leap Into Action Makes Scientific Proof the Hard Part

Demis Hassabis has turned Google DeepMind into the research engine behind products used at vast scale. Its next challenge is to preserve scientific credibility while delivering on Alphabet’s historic AI investment.

Kongkrapan Intarajang, President and Chief Executive Officer of PTT

Asia Leaders

Kongkrapan Intarajang Has to Prepare PTT for an Energy System That Still Needs Gas

A FigureAsia examination of how Kongkrapan Intarajang is positioning PTT for the next phase of energy.

Kwak Noh-Jung, President and Chief Executive Officer of SK hynix

Asia Leaders

SK hynix Found Its AI Moment Under Kwak Noh-Jung

A FigureAsia examination of how Kwak Noh-Jung is positioning SK hynix for the next phase of semiconductors.

Asia Leaders

Wang Weixiu Caught the Optical Wave Behind AI’s Data Centers

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Wang Weixiu’s next chapter at Zhongji Innolight.

Ferry Unardi, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Traveloka

Asia Leaders

Ferry Unardi Is Taking Traveloka Beyond Southeast Asia. Local Intelligence Must Still Travel

Traveloka is widening its Asia-Pacific reach under Ferry Unardi. The strategic test is exporting its operating system without diluting local relevance.

Asia Leaders

Gege Akutami Turned Anxiety Into a Global Manga Language

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Gege Akutami, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of manga, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Wang Xin Brought Factory Discipline to the Tools That Make Circuit Boards

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Wang Xin’s next chapter at Guangdong Dtech Technology.

Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons

Asia Leaders

Natarajan Chandrasekaran Is Trying to Make the Tata Universe Move as One

A FigureAsia examination of how Natarajan Chandrasekaran is positioning Tata Sons for the next phase of conglomerates.

Asia Leaders

What Comes After Binance for Changpeng Zhao

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Changpeng Zhao’s next chapter at Binance.

Pham Nhat Vuong, Founder and Chairman of Vingroup

Asia Leaders

Pham Nhat Vuong Has Made VinFast a Test of Vietnam’s Industrial Nerve

A FigureAsia examination of how Pham Nhat Vuong is positioning Vingroup for the next phase of conglomerates.

Tadashi Yanai, Chairman, President and CEO of Fast Retailing

Asia Leaders

Tadashi Yanai Built Uniqlo for the World. Now He Has to Build It Beyond Himself

Tadashi Yanai has made Uniqlo one of Asia’s defining global brands. Record growth now makes succession, local autonomy and institutional durability impossible to postpone.

Asia Leaders

Jason Chang Sits at the Bottleneck of the Global Chip Industry

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Jason Chang’s next chapter at ASE Technology.

Daphne Koller, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of insitro

Asia Leaders

Daphne Koller’s $800 Million AI Bet Is Reaching Its First Human Trial Test

Daphne Koller has financed insitro with roughly $800 million in capital and collaboration revenue. Its first AI-discovered MASH programme is nearing the point where patients, not models, set the valuation.

Asia Leaders

Barry Lam Turned Contract Manufacturing Into an AI Server Strategy

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Barry Lam’s next chapter at Quanta Computer.

Asia Leaders

Savitri Jindal Presides Over a Family Empire That Refuses to Stand Still

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Savitri Jindal’s next chapter at O.P. Jindal Group.

K. Krithivasan, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of TCS

Asia Leaders

TCS’s K. Krithivasan Has to Sell Trust in the Age of Generative AI

A FigureAsia examination of how K. Krithivasan is positioning TCS for the next phase of technology.

Anand Mahindra, Chairman of Mahindra Group

Asia Leaders

Mahindra’s Best Asset May Be Its License to Experiment

A FigureAsia examination of how Anand Mahindra is positioning Mahindra Group for the next phase of conglomerates.

Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia

Asia Leaders

Budi Gunadi Sadikin Has Turned Indonesia’s Health Reform into a Procurement-and-Utilisation Test

Indonesia is pairing free health checks with one of Asia’s largest medical-equipment and digital-health programmes. Budi Gunadi Sadikin’s banker-style procurement discipline now faces the harder task of sustained treatment across 6,000 inhabited islands.

Asia Leaders

Dhanin Chearavanont’s Century-Old Group Keeps Finding New Consumers

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Dhanin Chearavanont’s next chapter at Charoen Pokphand Group.

Asia Leaders

Shiori Ito Reclaimed the Camera

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Shiori Ito, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of documentary filmmaking, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Vagit Alekperov Built Lukoil From the Machinery of a Vanished State

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Vagit Alekperov’s next chapter at Lukoil.

Kenji Yamaguchi, President and Chief Executive Officer of FANUC

Asia Leaders

The Robot Maker Waiting for Factory Spending to Return

A FigureAsia examination of how Kenji Yamaguchi is positioning FANUC for the next phase of industrial technology.

Nadav Zafrir, Chief Executive Officer of Check Point

Asia Leaders

Check Point Is Getting a Founder’s Urgency Back

A FigureAsia examination of how Nadav Zafrir is positioning Check Point for the next phase of cybersecurity.

Bom Kim, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Coupang

Asia Leaders

Bom Kim Built Coupang Around Reliability. A Data Breach Has Made Trust the Hardest Delivery

Coupang transformed Korean shopping through speed and dependable logistics. Bom Kim must now rebuild confidence after a breach exposed the limits of operational excellence without digital trust.

Amnon Shashua, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mobileye

Asia Leaders

Amnon Shashua Is Recasting Mobileye for Physical AI. He Must Protect the Core While Funding the Leap

Mobileye’s automotive business is regaining momentum, but Amnon Shashua is extending its technology into physical AI. The strategic leap needs firmer financial proof.

Asia Leaders

Ocean Vuong Took The Emperor of Gladness Into Paperback. The Format Shift Tests How Literary Prestige Becomes Scale

Ocean Vuong’s The Emperor of Gladness entered paperback in July 2026. The lower-priced edition tests how literary prestige converts into durable scale.

Asia Leaders

Rosé Broke K-pop’s Solo Ceiling With ‘APT.’ Now She Has to Make the Hit a Durable Business

‘APT.’ made Rosé the first artist outside North America or Europe to lead the IFPI global singles ranking. Her next release must turn crossover scale into durable control.

Amin H. Nasser, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aramco

Asia Leaders

Aramco’s Amin Nasser Is Managing the World’s Most Difficult Energy Contradiction

A FigureAsia examination of how Amin H. Nasser is positioning Aramco for the next phase of energy.

Asia Leaders

Uniqlo’s Tadashi Yanai Is Still Chasing a Truly Global Wardrobe

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Tadashi Yanai’s next chapter at Fast Retailing and Uniqlo.

Asia Leaders

Prajogo Pangestu Keeps Reinventing the Industrial Core of Barito Pacific

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Prajogo Pangestu’s next chapter at Barito Pacific.

Asia Leaders

Deepa Bhasthi Helped Turn Heart Lamp Into a Thirty-Language Property. Translation Now Needs a Fairer Business Model

Deepa Bhasthi helped Heart Lamp travel into thirty languages. The rights boom now tests whether translators share fairly in the value they create.

Asia Leaders

Peter Woo’s Succession Plan Is Reshaping One of Hong Kong’s Great Estates

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Peter Woo’s next chapter at Wheelock and Wharf.

Asia Leaders

Ahn Hyo-seop Crossed From Drama Star to Animated Hero

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Ahn Hyo-seop, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of voice and screen performance, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

BTS Proved That a Hiatus Can Expand a Cultural Institution

A FigureAsia long-form profile of BTS, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music group, international reach and creative control.

Sandeep Bakhshi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ICICI Bank

Asia Leaders

Boring Banking Became an ICICI Advantage

A FigureAsia examination of how Sandeep Bakhshi is positioning ICICI Bank for the next phase of banking.

Asia Leaders

Banu Mushtaq Turned a Booker Win Into a Thirty-Language Rights Story. The Next Test Is Who Keeps the Value

Banu Mushtaq’s Heart Lamp became a thirty-language rights success. Its next phase will show whether global translation can return durable value to Kannada literature.

Abraham Verghese, Director of Presence at Stanford University

Asia Leaders

Abraham Verghese Put Human Presence at the Centre of Medicine. AI Must Now Prove It Can Give Time Back

Abraham Verghese has spent years treating presence at the bedside as a clinical capability. As health systems scale generative AI in 2026, his framework offers a harder investment test: whether technology returns attention to patients without adding hidden error and inequity.

Asia Leaders

Uday Kotak Created a Bank and Then Chose to Step Back

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Uday Kotak’s next chapter at Kotak Mahindra Bank.

Dilip Shanghvi, Founder and Managing Director of Sun Pharma

Asia Leaders

Sun Pharma’s Dilip Shanghvi Keeps Choosing Specialty Over Spectacle

A FigureAsia examination of how Dilip Shanghvi is positioning Sun Pharma for the next phase of pharmaceuticals.

Asia Leaders

Hwang Dong-hyuk Ended ‘Squid Game’ at Its Peak. Now He Has to Prove the Creator Can Outgrow the Franchise

Hwang Dong-hyuk finished ‘Squid Game’ with its global demand intact. His next project must show whether the creator’s authority can travel beyond Netflix’s franchise.

Asia Leaders

Lee Boo-jin Is Turning Hotel Shilla Into More Than a Family Trophy

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Lee Boo-jin’s next chapter at Hotel Shilla.

Asia Leaders

Lim Sang-choon Made Ordinary Endurance Feel Epic

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Lim Sang-choon, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of television writing, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Shirin Sohani Won an Oscar for an Iranian Short. The Next Test Is Building a Studio Around the Craft

Shirin Sohani won the animated-short Oscar for In the Shadow of the Cypress. Her next test is converting recognition into a durable production pipeline.

Asia Leaders

Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke Turned a Haunted Vacuum Into Thailand’s Breakout Film. Now He Has to Build Beyond the Festival Circuit

After ‘A Useful Ghost’ won the Critics’ Week Grand Prix, Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke must convert festival discovery into durable financing and distribution.

Asia Leaders

Shiv Nadar Built an Institution That Can Outlast Its Founder

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Shiv Nadar’s next chapter at HCL Technologies.

Uğur Şahin, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of BioNTech

Asia Leaders

Uğur Şahin Is Preparing to Leave BioNTech. The Oncology Pipeline Must Outlast Its Founder

BioNTech’s Covid success funded an ambitious oncology pipeline. With Uğur Şahin preparing to leave, clinical execution and succession have become inseparable.

Asia Leaders

Anthony Salim’s Empire Still Begins With What Indonesians Eat

A FigureAsia examination of how Anthony Salim is positioning Salim Group for the next phase of conglomerates.

Asia Leaders

Xin Zhilei’s Venice Moment Was Built on Controlled Fire

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Xin Zhilei, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of screen performance, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Chen Jianhua Took Hengli From Textiles to the Deep End of Industry

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Chen Jianhua’s next chapter at Hengli Group.

C.C. Wei, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TSMC

Asia Leaders

TSMC Became the Factory the AI Economy Cannot Do Without Under C.C. Wei

A FigureAsia examination of how C.C. Wei is positioning TSMC for the next phase of semiconductors.

Dhanin Chearavanont, Senior Chairman of CP Group

Asia Leaders

Dhanin Chearavanont’s CP Group Still Thinks in Generations

A FigureAsia examination of how Dhanin Chearavanont is positioning CP Group for the next phase of food and agribusiness.

Ali Ghodsi, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Databricks

Asia Leaders

Ali Ghodsi Has the Capital to Rebuild the Data Stack. Now Databricks Must Compound

Ali Ghodsi has built Databricks into a $5.4 billion revenue run-rate company. Its next phase depends on turning a widening product estate into one compounding platform.

Asia Leaders

IVE Made Confidence Its Most Exportable Product

A FigureAsia long-form profile of IVE, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music group, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Wang Laichun Learned the Foxconn System and Built Her Own

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Wang Laichun’s next chapter at Luxshare Precision.

Asia Leaders

Pony Ma Made WeChat Invisible Infrastructure

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Ma Huateng’s next chapter at Tencent.

Aravind Srinivas, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Perplexity AI

Asia Leaders

Aravind Srinivas Is Turning Perplexity Into a Product Portfolio. Focus Is the Next Breakthrough

Aravind Srinivas has expanded Perplexity far beyond search. The next leadership test is turning product velocity into a focused, repeatable business system.

Asia Leaders

Hideo Kojima Extended Death Stranding 2 to PC. The Multiplatform Move Tests the Economics of the Auteur Game

Hideo Kojima extended Death Stranding 2 to PC in 2026. The move tests whether auteur-led games can widen reach without weakening studio independence.

Asia Leaders

Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Became an Institution

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Yayoi Kusama, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of contemporary art, international reach and creative control.

Rumman Chowdhury, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Humane Intelligence PBC

Asia Leaders

Rumman Chowdhury Is Commercialising Independent AI Evaluation. The Business Must Protect Its Right to Say No

Rumman Chowdhury helped make public red teaming a core AI-governance practice. Her new challenge is to build a scalable evaluation business whose findings remain credible when commercial relationships and launch schedules create pressure.

Asia Leaders

Alexandr Wang Delivered Meta's First Superintelligence Model. A $145 Billion Build-Out Demands Returns

Alexandr Wang's first model at Meta is already spreading across its apps and glasses. Its commercial value must now catch up with a vast infrastructure budget and a high-priced talent reset.

Hiroki Totoki, President and CEO of Sony Group

Asia Leaders

Hiroki Totoki Has to Make Sony’s Entertainment Empire Work as One

Hiroki Totoki is imposing sharper capital discipline on Sony while trying to turn PlayStation, music, pictures, anime and image sensors into one coherent global growth system.

Andrew Ng, founder of DeepLearning.AI and Managing General Partner of AI Fund

Asia Leaders

Andrew Ng Is Building AI Companies Faster Than Frontier Models. The Returns Must Catch Up

Andrew Ng has assembled an ecosystem that teaches AI, tests applications and co-founds companies in months. Its advantage is speed and distribution; its next test is producing businesses with defensible margins after models become cheaper and easier to use.

Asia Leaders

He Xiangjian Turned a Village Workshop Into a Robotics Powerhouse

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining He Xiangjian’s next chapter at Midea Group.

Asia Leaders

Alisher Usmanov’s Holdings Trace the Fault Lines of Eurasian Capital

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Alisher Usmanov’s next chapter at Metalloinvest and diversified holdings.

Asia Leaders

Banu Mushtaq’s Stories Redrew the Map of Indian Literature

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Banu Mushtaq, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of literature, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Why Demon Slayer’s Quiet Author Keeps Winning at Global Scale

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Koyoharu Gotouge, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of manga and storytelling, international reach and creative control.

Tan Teck Long, Group Chief Executive Officer of OCBC

Asia Leaders

Tan Teck Long Inherited a Record OCBC Franchise. His Next Frontier Must Outrun Falling Rates

Tan Teck Long took charge of OCBC in January 2026 with record income, strong capital and a diversified franchise. His first strategic test is to replace rate-driven earnings with fee growth and deeper regional customer relationships.

Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, Chairman of ThaiBev and TCC

Asia Leaders

Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi Is Turning Consumer Cash Flow Into a Regional Portfolio

A FigureAsia examination of how Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi is positioning ThaiBev and TCC for the next phase of food and beverage.

Uğur Şahin, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of BioNTech

Asia Leaders

Uğur Şahin’s US$11.1 Billion Pumitamig Alliance Now Faces the Phase III Arithmetic

Pumitamig has moved from BioNTech’s US$800 million Biotheus acquisition to an alliance worth up to US$11.1 billion. Uğur Şahin must show that encouraging lung-cancer signals survive global Phase III trials and a crowded competitive field.

Reshma Kewalramani, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Asia Leaders

Reshma Kewalramani Is Betting Vertex’s Balance Sheet on a US$10 Billion Endocrine Expansion

Vertex’s agreement to buy Crinetics for about US$10 billion is Reshma Kewalramani’s largest strategic wager. The deal could accelerate non-cystic-fibrosis revenue, but its financing, integration and peak-sales assumptions now demand unusually close scrutiny.

Asia Leaders

Inside John Tu’s Unflashy Partnership Behind Kingston Technology

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining John Tu’s next chapter at Kingston Technology.

Sarath Ratanavadi, Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Energy

Asia Leaders

Sarath Ratanavadi Is Assembling Thailand’s Power and Digital Future

A FigureAsia examination of how Sarath Ratanavadi is positioning Gulf Energy for the next phase of energy.

Asia Leaders

Kumar Birla Is Pushing a Century-Old Group Into Unfamiliar Markets

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Kumar Birla’s next chapter at Aditya Birla Group.

Shin Hak-cheol, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of LG Chem

Asia Leaders

LG Chem Is Learning the Price of Transition

A FigureAsia examination of how Shin Hak-cheol is positioning LG Chem for the next phase of chemicals and materials.

Asia Leaders

Ma Dong-seok Built a Star Persona With Industrial Discipline

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Ma Dong-seok, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of screen performance and production, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Sepideh Farsi Turned a Video Connection Into a Global Documentary. Its Afterlife Demands More Than Attention

Sepideh Farsi carried Fatma Hassona’s testimony into global cinema. The film’s next life tests the ethics and economics of documentary distribution.

Asia Leaders

Terry Gou Built Foxconn on Scale and Now Has to Live Beyond It

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Terry Gou’s next chapter at Hon Hai Precision Industry and Foxconn.

Asia Leaders

Lee Byung-hun Played Power at the Edge of Collapse

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Lee Byung-hun, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of screen performance, international reach and creative control.

Olayan Alwetaid, Group Chief Executive Officer of stc Group

Asia Leaders

Olayan Alwetaid Wants stc to Own More of Saudi Arabia’s Digital Stack

A FigureAsia examination of how Olayan Alwetaid is positioning stc Group for the next phase of telecommunications.

Asia Leaders

Sepideh Farsi Kept the Camera Running Across a Closed Border

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Sepideh Farsi, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of documentary filmmaking, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Creepy Nuts Made a Tongue Twister Travel the World

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Creepy Nuts, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music duo, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Sandeep Bakhshi Made ICICI Bank a Model of Restraint. The Next Cycle Will Test That Discipline

ICICI Bank’s turnaround has become sustained compounding. Sandeep Bakhshi now faces the harder task of maintaining restraint during a period that rewards faster growth.

Asia Leaders

Bong Joon-ho Bet Big on a Disposable Man

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Bong Joon-ho, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of filmmaking, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Neeraj Ghaywan Returned to Cannes With a Story India Could Not Contain

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Neeraj Ghaywan, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of filmmaking, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

R. Budi Hartono Bought a Bank in a Crisis and Built an Indonesian Fortress

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining R. Budi Hartono’s next chapter at Bank Central Asia and Djarum.

Asia Leaders

Sarath Ratanavadi Is Merging Power Telecom and Digital Infrastructure

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Sarath Ratanavadi’s next chapter at Gulf Development.

Asia Leaders

Lisa’s Second Act Was Never Going to Stay Inside Music

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Lisa, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music and screen performance, international reach and creative control.

Hana Al Rostamani, Group Chief Executive Officer of First Abu Dhabi Bank

Asia Leaders

Hana Al Rostamani Has Given FAB Global Ambition. Execution Must Now Match the UAE’s Financial Reach

FAB is becoming a more international bank as Abu Dhabi’s capital travels further. Hana Al Rostamani’s challenge is to convert reach into repeatable, well-governed returns.

Eddie Wu, Chief Executive Officer of Alibaba

Asia Leaders

Alibaba’s Repair Job Now Belongs to Eddie Wu

A FigureAsia examination of how Eddie Wu is positioning Alibaba for the next phase of e-commerce.

Noubar Afeyan, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Flagship Pioneering

Asia Leaders

Noubar Afeyan Is Exporting Flagship’s Venture Factory to Sovereign Health Systems

Flagship Pioneering is extending its venture-creation model through Saudi, Singaporean and British institutions. Noubar Afeyan must convert privileged data and regulatory access into investable companies without compromising privacy, ownership or speed.

Asia Leaders

Eric Li Is Assembling a Global Carmaker Brand by Brand

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Eric Li’s next chapter at Geely.

Asia Leaders

Cao Fei Saw the Virtual City Coming

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Cao Fei, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of contemporary art and moving image, international reach and creative control.

Sridhar Ramaswamy, Chief Executive Officer of Snowflake

Asia Leaders

Sridhar Ramaswamy Committed $6 Billion to AWS. Snowflake’s Multi-Cloud Promise Must Still Hold

Snowflake is growing quickly under Sridhar Ramaswamy and has made a six-year, $6 billion commitment to AWS. The economics may be compelling, but customers will judge the company by its freedom across clouds.

Prajogo Pangestu, Founder and Chairman of Barito Pacific

Asia Leaders

Barito Pacific Is Learning a New Energy Language

A FigureAsia examination of how Prajogo Pangestu is positioning Barito Pacific for the next phase of conglomerates.

Asia Leaders

Li Shuirong Followed Polyester Into the Petrochemical Big League

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Li Shuirong’s next chapter at Rongsheng Holding.

Asia Leaders

Sridhar Ramaswamy Is Building Snowflake’s Agentic Control Plane. Consumption Must Follow

Sridhar Ramaswamy has recast Snowflake around enterprise AI, open data and agentic work. The strategy now has to produce lasting usage, margins and trust.

Nguyen Dang Quang, Chairman of Masan Group

Asia Leaders

Nguyen Dang Quang Wants Masan Inside Vietnam’s Daily Shopping Basket

A FigureAsia examination of how Nguyen Dang Quang is positioning Masan Group for the next phase of consumer goods.

Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, Group Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Airways

Asia Leaders

Badr Al-Meer Is Redrawing Qatar Airways After a Famous Predecessor

A FigureAsia examination of how Badr Mohammed Al-Meer is positioning Qatar Airways for the next phase of aviation.

Asia Leaders

Joseph Tsai Is Recasting Alibaba’s Deal Maker as Its Chairman

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Joseph Tsai’s next chapter at Alibaba and BSE Global.

Asia Leaders

Katseye Is Building a Global Group Without a Home Market

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Katseye, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music group, international reach and creative control.

Tan Su Shan, Chief Executive Officer at DBS Group

Asia Leaders

Tan Su Shan Has Replaced Rate Income With Wealth Fees at DBS. The Mix Must Survive a Risk Shock

Tan Su Shan has placed record wealth-management performance, transaction-service fees, treasury customer sales and deposit growth at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.

Ashok Vaswani, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Kotak Mahindra Bank

Asia Leaders

Kotak Mahindra Bank Is Trying a Different Kind of Founder Succession

A FigureAsia examination of how Ashok Vaswani is positioning Kotak Mahindra Bank for the next phase of banking.

Asia Leaders

The Quiet Sensor Fortune of Keyence Founder Takemitsu Takizaki

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Takemitsu Takizaki’s next chapter at Keyence.

Asia Leaders

Park Bo-gum’s Gentleness Became a Form of Strength

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Park Bo-gum, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of screen performance, international reach and creative control.

Huda Zoghbi, Director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute

Asia Leaders

Huda Zoghbi Opened a New Route to Rett Treatment. The Dose-Control Problem Will Decide Its Value

Huda Zoghbi’s latest Rett research attacks the disease’s narrow therapeutic window. Translating it will test whether precision neuroscience can deliver control, not simply a powerful one-time intervention.

Garibaldi Thohir, President Director and Chief Executive Officer of Adaro

Asia Leaders

Garibaldi Thohir Is Using Coal Cash to Buy Time for Adaro’s Transition

A FigureAsia examination of how Garibaldi Thohir is positioning Adaro for the next phase of energy.

Sajjan Jindal, Chairman and Managing Director of JSW Group

Asia Leaders

Sajjan Jindal Is Betting JSW Can Build Through the Cycle

A FigureAsia examination of how Sajjan Jindal is positioning JSW Group for the next phase of industrial.

Asia Leaders

Cai Shangjun Put Moral Compromise Under the Sun

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Cai Shangjun, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of filmmaking, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Ocean Vuong Writes About Work After the American Dream Runs Out

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Ocean Vuong, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of literature, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Basel Adra Won Documentary’s Biggest Prize. The Harder Test Is Keeping No Other Land in Public View

Basel Adra’s No Other Land won the documentary Oscar. Its next challenge is maintaining public access after the awards cycle has moved on.

Asia Leaders

Nikesh Arora Is Automating the Internet's Certificate Reset. Forty-Seven Days Will Expose the Gaps

Nikesh Arora is pushing Palo Alto Networks into cryptographic operations as certificate renewals accelerate and governments prepare for quantum-resistant standards. The opportunity sits inside every digital service; the risk is that failed automation can stop those services at the same scale.

Asia Leaders

Qin Yinglin Industrialized the Most Ordinary Meal in China

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Qin Yinglin’s next chapter at Muyuan Foods.

Kazuma Sekiya, President and Chief Executive Officer of Disco

Asia Leaders

Kazuma Sekiya Runs the Semiconductor Company That Wins by Cutting Things Apart

A FigureAsia examination of how Kazuma Sekiya is positioning Disco for the next phase of semiconductors.

Asia Leaders

Arvind Krishna Is Turning Open-Source Patching Into a Subscription. A $5 Billion Bet Must Earn Trust

Arvind Krishna is extending Red Hat's commercial open-source model beyond IBM's own products. Lightwell sells validated fixes for the software versions companies already run, creating a potentially large security business and a difficult test of neutrality, liability and subscription economics.

Shimon Sakaguchi, Nobel laureate and scientific founder of RegCell

Asia Leaders

Shimon Sakaguchi’s Nobel Prize Has Become a Clinical Manufacturing Test

Shimon Sakaguchi’s discoveries gave immunology a new control system. RegCell’s planned US and Japanese trials will test whether that science can become a scalable autoimmune therapy rather than another elegant but expensive cell-therapy proposition.

Asia Leaders

Wang Ning Turned the Blind Box Into a Global Character Business

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Wang Ning’s next chapter at Pop Mart.

Jay Chaudhry, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Zscaler

Asia Leaders

Jay Chaudhry Is Extending Zero Trust to AI Agents. Zscaler Must Keep It Coherent

Jay Chaudhry is adapting Zscaler’s zero-trust architecture to AI agents and data. The company must now turn rapid expansion into a coherent, profitable platform.

Asia Leaders

Rafaela Aponte-Diamant Quietly Helped Build the World’s Largest Shipping Line

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Rafaela Aponte-Diamant’s next chapter at MSC.

Asia Leaders

Zhong Huijuan Built a Drugmaker Beyond the Shadow of a Famous Family

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Zhong Huijuan’s next chapter at Hansoh Pharmaceutical.

Asia Leaders

Janhvi Kapoor Stepped Away From Safety

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Janhvi Kapoor, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of screen performance, international reach and creative control.

Liang Rubo, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of ByteDance

Asia Leaders

Liang Rubo Put AI at ByteDance’s Centre. Seedance Has Made Governance the Harder Problem

Liang Rubo has made artificial intelligence ByteDance’s central priority. Seedance’s rapid progress now tests whether the company can govern copyright, safety and global trust at equal speed.

Asia Leaders

Mukesh Ambani Wants Reliance in Every Indian Wallet

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Mukesh Ambani’s next chapter at Reliance Industries.

Asia Leaders

Hossein Molayemi Found Hope in the Shadow of War

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Hossein Molayemi, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of animation filmmaking, international reach and creative control.

Thomas Kurian, Chief Executive Officer of Google Cloud

Asia Leaders

Thomas Kurian Closed Google’s $32 Billion Wiz Deal. Now He Must Preserve the Multi-Cloud Trust Google Bought

Google Cloud has completed its acquisition of Wiz, giving Thomas Kurian a rare chance to make security the connective tissue of a fast-growing cloud business. The return will depend on keeping customers’ rival-cloud estates visible and trusted.

Asia Leaders

Idan Ofer Is Rewriting a Shipping Inheritance for the Energy Transition

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Idan Ofer’s next chapter at Quantum Pacific and Israel Corp..

Masashi Yanagisawa, Director of the International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine at the University of Tsukuba

Asia Leaders

Masashi Yanagisawa Is Taking Sleep Testing Out of the Lab. The Data Must Earn Clinical Trust

Masashi Yanagisawa is building a commercial bridge between sleep neuroscience, home EEG and health data. Its value depends on proving that measurement changes treatment and outcomes.

Asia Leaders

Hossein Molayemi Took Iranian Animation to the Academy Stage. Now Production Discipline Must Outlast the Prize

Hossein Molayemi took Iranian animation to the Academy stage. His next business test is building production discipline that can outlast a single prize.

Haluk Bayraktar, Chief Executive Officer of Baykar

Asia Leaders

Haluk Bayraktar Is Moving KIZILELMA Into Production. A Combat-Ready Fleet Is the Test

Baykar’s KIZILELMA has progressed from rapid prototyping to a production model with an expanding weapons portfolio. Haluk Bayraktar must now build the airworthiness, maintenance and manufacturing system behind an operational fleet.

Safra Catz, Executive Vice Chair of Oracle

Asia Leaders

Safra Catz Has Become Oracle’s AI Balance-Sheet Steward. A $638 Billion Backlog Must Fund the Build

Oracle’s cloud infrastructure revenue is rising sharply, but free cash flow turned deeply negative under heavy investment. Safra Catz’s next leadership role is to impose financing discipline on growth that arrives before the cash.

Asia Leaders

Yim Si-wan Learned How to Make Stillness Dangerous

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Yim Si-wan, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of screen performance, international reach and creative control.

Anthony Tan, co-founder and Group Chief Executive Officer of Grab

Asia Leaders

Anthony Tan Put Autonomous Rides on Grab’s Network. Commercial Service Must Strengthen the Driver Economy

Grab enters autonomous mobility with regulatory relationships, demand data and a vast driver network. Anthony Tan’s advantage will disappear if the company treats those drivers as a transitional cost instead of part of the operating system.

Asia Leaders

Do Ho Suh Made Home Portable

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Do Ho Suh, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of contemporary art, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Liu Jiakun Makes Architecture From Memory, Ruin And Everyday Life

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Liu Jiakun, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of architecture, international reach and creative control.

Dara Khosrowshahi, Chief Executive Officer of Uber

Asia Leaders

Dara Khosrowshahi Made Uber Profitable. Now He Has to Own the Driverless Transition

Dara Khosrowshahi has repaired Uber’s economics and legitimacy. The autonomous era will determine whether its marketplace remains at the centre of global mobility.

Ma Huateng (Pony Ma), Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tencent

Asia Leaders

Pony Ma Wants Tencent’s Next Act to Be More Than WeChat

A FigureAsia examination of how Ma Huateng (Pony Ma) is positioning Tencent for the next phase of technology.

Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures

Asia Leaders

Vinod Khosla Backed a Record-Hot Geothermal System. The 2026 Wells Must Turn Heat Into Bankable Power

AI data centres need clean power around the clock. Vinod Khosla’s backing of Mazama Energy could open a major geothermal resource, but a temperature record is not a power plant and the 2026 field campaign must prove repeatable economics.

Loh Boon Chye, Chief Executive Officer of SGX Group

Asia Leaders

Loh Boon Chye Made SGX a Multi-Asset Exchange. Singapore’s Equity Market Still Needs More Depth

Loh Boon Chye’s multi-asset strategy has made SGX more resilient and profitable. The unresolved test is whether Singapore can attract more listings, improve liquidity and broaden participation in its own equity market.

Asia Leaders

Ishaan Khatter Used Homebound to Escape the Star System. The Next Lead Must Turn Credibility Into Control

Ishaan Khatter used Homebound to build credibility beyond the star system. His next business test is converting that authority into control over projects.

Tengku Muhammad Taufik, President and Group Chief Executive Officer of PETRONAS

Asia Leaders

Tengku Muhammad Taufik Is Rebuilding PETRONAS for Energy Volatility. Malaysia Still Needs the Cash

PETRONAS faces lower profit, volatile supply routes and a costly transition portfolio. Tengku Muhammad Taufik must keep Malaysia’s national energy company investable and dependable.

Khairussaleh Ramli, Group President and Chief Executive Officer of Maybank

Asia Leaders

Khairussaleh Ramli Is Running Maybank as an ASEAN Network

A FigureAsia examination of how Khairussaleh Ramli is positioning Maybank for the next phase of banking.

Douglas Lefever, Representative Executive Officer, President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Advantest

Asia Leaders

AI Chips Have Turned Testing Into Douglas Lefever’s Bottleneck

A FigureAsia examination of how Douglas Lefever is positioning Advantest for the next phase of semiconductors.

Ren Zhengfei, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Huawei

Asia Leaders

Huawei Learned to Survive the World It Could Not Choose

A FigureAsia examination of how Ren Zhengfei is positioning Huawei for the next phase of telecommunications.

Asia Leaders

Zhu Yi Turned a Chinese Drug Pipeline Into a Global Licensing Story

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Zhu Yi’s next chapter at Biokin Pharmaceutical.

Asia Leaders

XG Refused to Choose One Pop Market

A FigureAsia long-form profile of XG, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music group, international reach and creative control.

Masayoshi Son, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SoftBank

Asia Leaders

Masayoshi Son Is Betting SoftBank’s Future on the Cost of Intelligence

A FigureAsia examination of how Masayoshi Son is positioning SoftBank for the next phase of technology investment.

Asia Leaders

Kiyoshi Kurosawa Can Make Any Room Feel Unsafe

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Kiyoshi Kurosawa, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of filmmaking, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Dang Yanbao Is Trying to Make Coal Capital Pay for a Cleaner Future

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Dang Yanbao’s next chapter at Ningxia Baofeng Energy.

Asia Leaders

Liang Wenfeng Made Efficiency the Most Disruptive Idea in AI

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Liang Wenfeng’s next chapter at DeepSeek and High-Flyer.

Vasant Narasimhan, Chief Executive Officer of Novartis

Asia Leaders

Vasant Narasimhan Is Funding Novartis’s Next Growth Cycle with Debt, Deals and China Capacity

Vasant Narasimhan has committed Novartis to a rapid sequence of acquisitions and Chinese investment while net debt rises. The strategy could rebuild growth across RNA medicine, oncology and radioligand therapy, but execution now matters more than portfolio rhetoric.

Takahito Tokita, Chief Executive Officer of Fujitsu

Asia Leaders

Fujitsu Is Leaving Its Hardware Memory Behind

A FigureAsia examination of how Takahito Tokita is positioning Fujitsu for the next phase of technology.

Asia Leaders

Tengku Muhammad Taufik Is Balancing PETRONAS Between LNG and the Long Transition

A FigureAsia examination of how Tengku Muhammad Taufik is positioning PETRONAS for the next phase of energy.

Asia Leaders

Vinod Khosla Is Still Investing as if Consensus Is a Warning

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Vinod Khosla’s next chapter at Khosla Ventures.

Asia Leaders

Tetsuya Nomura’s Characters Outlived the Hardware

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Tetsuya Nomura, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of game direction and character design, international reach and creative control.

Mustafa Suleyman, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft AI

Asia Leaders

Mustafa Suleyman Is Giving Microsoft Its Own AI Model Stack. The Bill Demands More Than Strategic Independence

Mustafa Suleyman has moved Microsoft from relying primarily on a partner’s frontier models towards a broader in-house portfolio. Strategic control matters, but customers and shareholders need evidence that another model stack earns its substantial cost.

Asia Leaders

Cyrus Poonawalla Made Scale the Most Important Ingredient in Vaccines

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Cyrus Poonawalla’s next chapter at Serum Institute of India.

Asia Leaders

Zhang Yiming Left the Corner Office but Not the Algorithmic Age

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Zhang Yiming’s next chapter at ByteDance.

Asia Leaders

BINI Turned Local Pop Into a National Business Story

A FigureAsia long-form profile of BINI, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music group, international reach and creative control.

Forrest Li, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sea

Asia Leaders

Forrest Li Rebuilt Sea’s Growth Machine. Now He Must Keep Its Three Engines in Balance

Sea’s sharp return to growth has restored strategic confidence. Forrest Li now has to keep Shopee, Monee and Garena compounding without sacrificing resilience.

Tony Xu, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of DoorDash

Asia Leaders

Tony Xu Has Made DoorDash Global. Integration Is Now the Product

DoorDash has become a global local-commerce group. Tony Xu’s next challenge is to integrate DoorDash, Wolt and Deliveroo while preserving service quality and capital discipline.

Asia Leaders

Bright Vachirawit’s Cross-Border Appeal Is a Business Model

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Bright Vachirawit, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of screen performance and music, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Park Chan-wook Moved From Cannes Competitor to Jury President. The New Role Tests What Auteur Power Can Build

Park Chan-wook’s 2026 Cannes jury presidency marked a new kind of authority. The test is whether auteur prestige can strengthen Korean cinema’s production system.

Asia Leaders

Radhakishan Damani Made Restraint a Competitive Advantage in Indian Retail

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Radhakishan Damani’s next chapter at Avenue Supermarts and DMart.

Asia Leaders

Bi Gan Made Time Itself the Spectacle

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Bi Gan, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of filmmaking, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Hwang Sok-yong’s Korea Is Bigger Than Any Border

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Hwang Sok-yong, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of literature, international reach and creative control.

Srini Pallia, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Wipro

Asia Leaders

Wipro’s Reset Cannot Afford to Lose Its Patience

A FigureAsia examination of how Srini Pallia is positioning Wipro for the next phase of technology.

Raj Subramaniam, president and chief executive officer of FedEx

Asia Leaders

Raj Subramaniam Has Unbundled FedEx. Now He Must Make the Network Earn Its Keep

FedEx enters its post-Freight era with stronger revenue, lower capital intensity and a simpler structure. The next test is whether Raj Subramaniam can make network reform durable through a volatile trade cycle.

Asia Leaders

Haruo Sotozaki Made the Anime Screen Feel Monumental

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Haruo Sotozaki, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of animation direction, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

SB19 Built the Infrastructure Before the Breakthrough

A FigureAsia long-form profile of SB19, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music group, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Park Eun-bin Made Reinvention Look Methodical

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Park Eun-bin, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of screen performance, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Jin Built a Solo Show Around Warmth Instead of Spectacle

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Jin, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music and performance, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

The Songwriter Behind KPop Demon Hunters’ Breakout Sound

A FigureAsia long-form profile of EJAE, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music and songwriting, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Michael Kadoorie Is Steering CLP Through Hong Kong’s Expensive Energy Transition

A FigureAsia examination of how Michael Kadoorie is positioning CLP for the next phase of utilities.

Asia Leaders

Katie Kitamura Turned an Audition Into a Moral Trap

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Katie Kitamura, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of literature, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Jay Y. Lee Must Make Samsung Feel Hungry Again

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Jay Y. Lee’s next chapter at Samsung Electronics.

Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Chairman, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Paytm

Asia Leaders

Vijay Shekhar Sharma Has Restored Paytm's Profit. Trust Is Still the Scarcer Asset

Paytm's financial recovery gives Vijay Shekhar Sharma a new starting point. Sustainable leadership now depends on institutional trust as much as growth.

Asia Leaders

Foxconn Is Moving Beyond the iPhone Era Under Young Liu

A FigureAsia examination of how Young Liu is positioning Foxconn for the next phase of electronics manufacturing.

Mahrang Baloch, Chief organiser at Baloch Yakjehti Committee

Asia Leaders

Mahrang Baloch Built a Civic Network Around Resource-Rich Balochistan. Imprisonment Tests Its Durability

Mahrang Baloch has placed a decentralised network of families, volunteers, local organisers and diaspora attention rather than a conventional funded institution at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.

Abdulla Mubarak Al-Khalifa, Group Chief Executive Officer of QNB

Asia Leaders

Abdulla Mubarak Al-Khalifa Is Making QNB’s Balance Sheet Travel

A FigureAsia examination of how Abdulla Mubarak Al-Khalifa is positioning QNB for the next phase of banking.

Asia Leaders

NIKI Wrote the Asian Diaspora Without Exoticizing It

A FigureAsia long-form profile of NIKI, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music, international reach and creative control.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Founder and Executive Chairperson of Biocon

Asia Leaders

Biocon Was Built for the Medicines Rich Markets Could Not Ignore

A FigureAsia examination of how Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is positioning Biocon for the next phase of biotechnology.

Christophe Weber, President and Chief Executive Officer of Takeda

Asia Leaders

Christophe Weber Made Takeda Global and Now Must Make the Portfolio Pay

A FigureAsia examination of how Christophe Weber is positioning Takeda for the next phase of pharmaceuticals.

Asia Leaders

Basel Adra Put a Village at the Center of the World’s Attention

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Basel Adra, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of documentary filmmaking, international reach and creative control.

Noubar Afeyan, co-founder and Chairman of Moderna

Asia Leaders

Noubar Afeyan Oversaw Moderna’s $2.2 Billion Cost Reset. The Cash Runway Is the Board’s Next Test

Noubar Afeyan’s most consequential job in 2026 is chairing Moderna through a costly transition. The board has backed deep savings and a tighter pipeline; its next obligation is to show that lower spending can produce durable medicines before cash declines too far.

Melanie Perkins, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Canva

Asia Leaders

Melanie Perkins Is Taking Canva Upmarket. Enterprise Distribution Must Catch Up With Product-Led Scale

Canva grew through individual users and teams. Melanie Perkins now has to turn that bottom-up reach into governed, company-wide deployments without sacrificing the accessibility that created the platform’s advantage.

Asia Leaders

Lisa Built a Career Across Music, Fashion and Television. The Next Test Is Making the Portfolio Work as One

Lisa’s solo career now spans music, television and global fashion. The business test is making those assets reinforce one another without diluting her identity.

Asia Leaders

Toyota’s Hybrid Patience Is Looking Less Like Hesitation

A FigureAsia examination of how Akio Toyoda is positioning Toyota for the next phase of automotive.

Asia Leaders

Takashi Murakami Learned to Survive the Market He Helped Create

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Takashi Murakami, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of contemporary art, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Tatsuya Yoshihara Gave Chainsaw Man Its Most Cinematic Detour

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Tatsuya Yoshihara, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of animation direction, international reach and creative control.

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman of Bharti Airtel

Asia Leaders

Sunil Bharti Mittal Is Building Airtel for the Bandwidth Economy

A FigureAsia examination of how Sunil Bharti Mittal is positioning Bharti Airtel for the next phase of telecommunications.

Asia Leaders

Pierre Omidyar Is Spending an Internet Fortune on Public Institutions

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Pierre Omidyar’s next chapter at eBay and Omidyar Network.

Asia Leaders

Hussain Sajwani Read Dubai’s Property Rulebook Before Everyone Else

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Hussain Sajwani’s next chapter at Damac Properties.

Asia Leaders

aespa Made the Future Feel Personal

A FigureAsia long-form profile of aespa, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music group, international reach and creative control.

Shantanu Narayen, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Adobe

Asia Leaders

Shantanu Narayen Started Adobe’s CEO Search. The Handover Must Preserve an AI Transition He Will Not Finish

Shantanu Narayen will remain Adobe’s chair after a new chief executive is appointed. His final operating duty is to make the succession clear enough that the next leader can reshape the company without inheriting a shadow CEO.

Asia Leaders

Tencent’s Other Founder Still Shapes the Company From the Edges

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Zhang Zhidong’s next chapter at Tencent.

Rohit Jawa, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Hindustan Unilever

Asia Leaders

India’s Consumer Still Moves Faster Than the Data

A FigureAsia examination of how Rohit Jawa is positioning Hindustan Unilever for the next phase of consumer goods.

Asia Leaders

Colin Huang’s Temu Gamble Is Testing the Limits of Bargain Commerce

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Colin Huang’s next chapter at PDD Holdings and Temu.

Asia Leaders

Pham Nhat Vuong Is Wagering Vietnam’s Industrial Ambition on VinFast

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Pham Nhat Vuong’s next chapter at Vingroup and VinFast.

Sandy Xu, Chief Executive Officer of JD.com

Asia Leaders

Sandy Xu Is Turning JD.com’s Warehouses Into a Competitive Argument

A FigureAsia examination of how Sandy Xu is positioning JD.com for the next phase of e-commerce.

Lei Jun, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Xiaomi

Asia Leaders

Xiaomi’s Lei Jun Is Learning How Expensive Reinvention Can Be

A FigureAsia examination of how Lei Jun is positioning Xiaomi for the next phase of consumer technology.

Wang Xing, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Meituan

Asia Leaders

Meituan Knows the Economics of China One Delivery at a Time

A FigureAsia examination of how Wang Xing is positioning Meituan for the next phase of local services.

Peyush Bansal, Chairman, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Lenskart

Asia Leaders

Peyush Bansal Has Taken Lenskart Public. The Harder Test Is Making Scale Sharper

Lenskart's public-market debut has been followed by strong growth. Peyush Bansal's next task is to make a larger system more precise and capital-efficient.

Asia Leaders

Ado Built a Global Career Without Giving Away the Face

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Ado, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Lee Jung-jae Made Survival Look Like Moral Exhaustion

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Lee Jung-jae, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of screen performance, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Stray Kids Took Self-Production to Stadium Scale

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Stray Kids, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music group, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Saudi Industrial Policy Is Taking Shape Inside PIF’s Portfolio

A FigureAsia examination of how Yasir Al-Rumayyan is positioning PIF for the next phase of investment.

Pham Quang Dung, Chairman of Vietcombank

Asia Leaders

Pham Quang Dung Is Modernizing Vietcombank Without Losing Its Institutional Weight

A FigureAsia examination of how Pham Quang Dung is positioning Vietcombank for the next phase of banking.

Asia Leaders

Thomas Kurian Made Google Cloud an AI Growth Engine. Now He Has to Turn Scale Into Trust

Thomas Kurian has turned Google Cloud into a fast-growing AI and data business. The next test is whether infrastructure scale, security and enterprise trust can advance together.

Asia Leaders

Pei Zhenhua Built a Cleanroom Business Into a Battery Windfall

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Pei Zhenhua’s next chapter at Suzhou TA&A and CATL holdings.

Robin Zeng, Founder and Chairman of CATL

Asia Leaders

The Battery Boom Has Made Robin Zeng a Geopolitical Industrialist

A FigureAsia examination of how Robin Zeng is positioning CATL for the next phase of energy technology.

Asia Leaders

Sandy Xu Has Made JD Retail More Profitable. Food Delivery and Europe Will Test Her Discipline

Sandy Xu has improved JD Retail’s economics, but lower group profit exposes the cost of expansion. Food delivery and Joybuy Europe now have to earn strategic relevance.

Lisa Su, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of AMD

Asia Leaders

Lisa Su’s Multi-Gigawatt Breakthrough Leaves AMD With a Taiwan-Sized Delivery Challenge

Lisa Su has secured multi-generation AI infrastructure commitments that could change AMD’s position. Its MI450 and Helios ramp will determine whether those contracts become a durable second platform.

Asia Leaders

Wang Laisheng Helped Luxshare Move From Connectors to Apple’s Inner Circle

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Wang Laisheng’s next chapter at Luxshare Precision.

Asia Leaders

Nigo Turned Taste Into an Operating System

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Nigo, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of fashion design and music culture, international reach and creative control.

Mohamed Alabbar, Founder and Chairman of Emaar

Asia Leaders

Mohamed Alabbar Keeps Selling Dubai Before He Sells the Building

A FigureAsia examination of how Mohamed Alabbar is positioning Emaar for the next phase of real estate.

Asia Leaders

Tatsuki Fujimoto Writes Like the Internet Feels

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Tatsuki Fujimoto, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of manga, international reach and creative control.

George Kurian, Chief Executive Officer of NetApp

Asia Leaders

George Kurian Has Made NetApp Relevant to AI. Now Data Readiness Must Pay

George Kurian has moved NetApp from a storage incumbent to an intelligent data infrastructure contender. Fiscal 2027 will show whether AI demand can widen that opportunity.

Asia Leaders

Jennie’s Ruby Test

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Jennie, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music and performance, international reach and creative control.

Yuen Kuan Moon, Group Chief Executive Officer of Singtel

Asia Leaders

Yuen Kuan Moon Has Repriced Singtel Around Digital Infrastructure. Now the Capital Must Work Harder

Yuen Kuan Moon has moved Singtel beyond a conventional telecoms model by recycling mature assets and scaling digital infrastructure. His next challenge is to turn greater strategic exposure into durable returns without weakening the core networks.

William Ding, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of NetEase

Asia Leaders

NetEase Is Staying Creative Without Chasing Every Trend

A FigureAsia examination of how William Ding is positioning NetEase for the next phase of media and entertainment.

Chang In-hwa, Chairman of POSCO Holdings

Asia Leaders

POSCO’s Battery Ambition Has to Survive the Cycle

A FigureAsia examination of how Chang In-hwa is positioning POSCO Holdings for the next phase of industrial.

Shamsheer Vayalil, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Burjeel Holdings

Asia Leaders

Shamsheer Vayalil Returned to the CEO’s Office and Raised $500 Million. Saudi Execution Is the Next Test

Shamsheer Vayalil returned as Burjeel's chief executive before the group issued a $500 million sukuk. Strong UAE earnings support the expansion case, yet Saudi restructuring and a 7 per cent funding cost raise the standard for every new investment.

Asia Leaders

G-Dragon Returned as K-Pop’s Unfinished Argument

A FigureAsia long-form profile of G-Dragon, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music and fashion, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Zou Zhinong Found a Fortune in the Connectors Behind the Cloud

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Zou Zhinong’s next chapter at TFC Optical Communication.

Divya Deshmukh, Chess grandmaster and Women's World Cup champion at International chess circuit

Asia Leaders

Divya Deshmukh Won the World Cup and a Grandmaster Title. Chess Must Convert Visibility Into Durable Income

Divya Deshmukh has placed prize money, federation support, private sponsorship, league contracts, streaming and the educational value of a large Indian chess audience at the centre of the strategy. The next phase will test capital discipline, execution and durability across Asia.

Asia Leaders

A Useful Ghost Made Thai Politics Strange Enough to See Again

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of filmmaking, international reach and creative control.

Devi Shetty, Founder and Chairman of Narayana Health

Asia Leaders

Devi Shetty Took Narayana Health Into Britain. The Debt-Funded Leap Must Preserve Its Low-Cost Edge

Narayana Health's British acquisition has lifted revenue and given Devi Shetty a new route into publicly funded care. It has also added debt, currency exposure and a demanding integration task just as the group is trying to unite hospitals and insurance in India.

Asia Leaders

Huang Shilin Left CATL’s Board but Not Its Battery Boom

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Huang Shilin’s next chapter at CATL.

Asia Leaders

Liu Yongxing Chose Heavy Industry After the Family Business Split

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Liu Yongxing’s next chapter at East Hope Group.

Yuki Kusumi, Group Chief Executive Officer of Panasonic

Asia Leaders

Panasonic Has to Decide What It Wants to Be

A FigureAsia examination of how Yuki Kusumi is positioning Panasonic for the next phase of industrial.

Asia Leaders

Robert Kuok Built a Quiet Empire Out of Commodities and Hospitality

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Robert Kuok’s next chapter at Kuok Group and Shangri-La.

Euisun Chung, Executive Chair of Hyundai Motor Group

Asia Leaders

Hyundai Is Being Designed for a Post-Commodity Car Market

A FigureAsia examination of how Euisun Chung is positioning Hyundai Motor Group for the next phase of automotive.

Ririek Adriansyah, President Director of Telkom Indonesia

Asia Leaders

Ririek Adriansyah Is Rewiring Telkom Indonesia Around Data

A FigureAsia examination of how Ririek Adriansyah is positioning Telkom Indonesia for the next phase of telecommunications.

Asia Leaders

YOASOBI Turned Fiction Into a Hitmaking Engine

A FigureAsia long-form profile of YOASOBI, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music duo, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Vishal Jethwa Made Restraint Travel in Homebound. The Next Project Must Price That Skill Correctly

Vishal Jethwa’s performance in Homebound travelled through Cannes and 2026 cinemas. His next test is converting ensemble authority into correctly valued lead work.

Vimal Kapur, chairman and chief executive of Honeywell Technologies.

Asia Leaders

Vimal Kapur Made Honeywell Smaller. Now He Has to Make It Faster

A FigureAsia examination of how Vimal Kapur turned three decades inside Honeywell into a radical portfolio reset—and why the new company’s future depends on making industrial autonomy commercially credible.

Ameera Shah, Executive Chairperson and Whole-time Director of Metropolis Healthcare

Asia Leaders

Ameera Shah Shifted From Operator to Capital Allocator. Metropolis’s Acquisitions Must Now Earn Their Margin

Metropolis Healthcare delivered stronger revenue and margins after acquiring three diagnostic businesses. Ameera Shah's next task is to integrate specialised science, local brands and a national network without overpaying for consolidation.

Asia Leaders

Jensen Huang’s Real Advantage Is Not the Chip

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Jensen Huang’s next chapter at Nvidia.

Asia Leaders

Rosé Found a Pop Language Bigger Than Fandom

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Rose, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music and performance, international reach and creative control.

Choi Soo-yeon, Chief Executive Officer of NAVER

Asia Leaders

NAVER Is Defending Its Home Market With Its Own AI

A FigureAsia examination of how Choi Soo-yeon is positioning NAVER for the next phase of technology.

Jensen Huang, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Nvidia

Asia Leaders

Jensen Huang Turned Nvidia’s Chip Lead Into National Infrastructure. Japan Will Test the Economics

Nvidia’s record growth has given Jensen Huang the power to define whole AI systems. Japan’s new national physical-AI infrastructure will show whether that platform can create industrial value beyond the data centre.

Asia Leaders

Chiharu Shiota Gives Absence a Physical Weight

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Chiharu Shiota, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of contemporary art, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Lakshmi Mittal’s Steel Empire Faces Its Most Expensive Reinvention

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Lakshmi Mittal’s next chapter at ArcelorMittal.

Demis Hassabis, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Google DeepMind and Founder of Isomorphic Labs

Asia Leaders

Demis Hassabis Raised $2.1 Billion to Industrialise AI Drug Design. The Clinic Has Yet to Validate the Engine

Demis Hassabis has given Isomorphic Labs the capital and computing ambition of a technology platform. The harder test is whether its drug candidates can survive the slower economics of human biology.

Asia Leaders

Rei Ami’s Voice Broke the Screen

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Rei Ami, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music and performance, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Vinod Adani’s Power Has Always Operated Away From the Spotlight

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Vinod Adani’s next chapter at Adani Group holdings.

Asia Leaders

Cai Huabo Wants Longsys to Own More of the Memory Stack

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Cai Huabo’s next chapter at Longsys Electronics.

Anthony Tan, Group Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Grab

Asia Leaders

Anthony Tan Has Taken Grab Beyond Survival. The Next Contest Is for Financial Discipline

Grab’s first full-year profit changed the conversation around Southeast Asia’s leading platform. Anthony Tan’s next task is to make growth, credit and consolidation reinforce one another.

Asia Leaders

Eyal Ofer’s Fleet Shows Why Old Economy Assets Still Matter

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Eyal Ofer’s next chapter at Ofer Global.

Asia Leaders

IU Carried a Korean Century in One Performance

A FigureAsia long-form profile of IU, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music and screen performance, international reach and creative control.

Feng Zhang, Professor of Neuroscience at MIT and Core Institute Member at the Broad Institute

Asia Leaders

Feng Zhang Made Genome Editing Programmable. His New Tools Must Make It Deliverable

Feng Zhang’s laboratory has expanded the genome-editing toolbox again. The commercial test is whether smaller, safer systems can escape specialist centres and reach patients across Asia at viable cost.

Asia Leaders

Lee Byung-hun Dominated Streaming and Korean Cinema at Once. The Next Deal Must Preserve That Range

Lee Byung-hun held authority in Squid Game and No Other Choice. His next deal must preserve the rare ability to move between streaming scale and auteur cinema.

Asia Leaders

Shirin Sohani Drew Grief Without Making It Small

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Shirin Sohani, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of animation filmmaking, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Neal Mohan Turned Video Podcasts Into a Premium Habit. YouTube Must Prove the Subscription Lift

Neal Mohan is using video podcasts to deepen YouTube's subscription proposition while preserving free discovery and creator payouts. The next proof is whether heavy listening produces durable, profitable members.

Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise

Asia Leaders

Sangita Reddy Helped Build Apollo Into an Integrated Health Platform. Its Demerger Must Prove the Parts Are Worth More

Apollo Hospitals is preparing to demerge a profitable but still low-margin digital and pharmacy platform. Sangita Reddy's next test is turning structural separation into better capital discipline while preserving the patient links that gave the integrated group its advantage.

Naresh Trehan, Chairman and Managing Director of Global Health

Asia Leaders

Naresh Trehan Opened a 550-Bed Flagship. Its Ramp-Up Must Now Protect Medanta’s Returns

Medanta's Noida hospital is adding doctors, beds and complex procedures at speed. Naresh Trehan must turn that clinical build-out into occupancy and cash before the next wave of greenfield expansion places more pressure on returns.

Asia Leaders

Miriam Adelson’s Influence Now Travels Far Beyond the Casino Floor

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Miriam Adelson’s next chapter at Las Vegas Sands.

Hatem Dowidar, Group Chief Executive Officer of e&

Asia Leaders

e& Wants to Outgrow the Meaning of Telecom

A FigureAsia examination of how Hatem Dowidar is positioning e& for the next phase of telecommunications.

Forrest Li, founder, chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer of Sea Limited

Asia Leaders

Forrest Li Is Taking Monee Beyond Shopee. The Credit Engine Must Work Without Marketplace Signals

Monee is becoming a larger source of growth for Sea. Forrest Li must prove that its underwriting can travel beyond the group’s commerce ecosystem without weakening asset quality or encouraging borrowers to take unsuitable debt.

Sashidhar Jagdishan, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of HDFC Bank

Asia Leaders

Sashidhar Jagdishan Is Still Integrating the Deal That Remade HDFC Bank

A FigureAsia examination of how Sashidhar Jagdishan is positioning HDFC Bank for the next phase of banking.

Asia Leaders

Dilip Shanghvi Turned a $200 Loan Into India’s Global Drugmaker

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Dilip Shanghvi’s next chapter at Sun Pharmaceutical Industries.

Ben Keswick, Executive Chairman of Jardine Matheson

Asia Leaders

Ben Keswick Is Simplifying Jardines Without Abandoning Its Long Memory

A FigureAsia examination of how Ben Keswick is positioning Jardine Matheson for the next phase of conglomerates.

Tony Fernandes, Chief Executive Officer of Capital A

Asia Leaders

Tony Fernandes Is Trying to Make Capital A Whole Again

A FigureAsia examination of how Tony Fernandes is positioning Capital A for the next phase of aviation.

Asia Leaders

Feng Zhang Found Smaller Gene-Editing Machinery. Delivery Will Decide Whether It Becomes a Therapeutic Platform

Feng Zhang’s laboratory continues to mine natural biology for programmable systems. Compact editors can fit into delivery vehicles that larger tools cannot, but therapeutic value will require precision, manufacturing and evidence beyond the discovery paper.

Eric Yuan, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zoom Communications

Asia Leaders

Eric Yuan Is Turning Zoom Into an AI Revenue Platform. Common Room Must Make the Expansion Credible

Zoom’s enterprise revenue is growing modestly while margins remain strong. Eric Yuan is using AI and an acquisition to pursue a larger share of sales work, but customers will demand measurable pipeline results and disciplined data use.

Asia Leaders

Pankaj Patel Wants Zydus to Be Known for More Than Affordable Medicines

A FigureAsia examination of how Pankaj Patel is positioning Zydus for the next phase of pharmaceuticals.

Forrest Li, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sea

Asia Leaders

Sea Got Smaller So It Could Grow Again

A FigureAsia examination of how Forrest Li is positioning Sea for the next phase of e-commerce.

Bonnie Chan, Chief Executive Officer of HKEX

Asia Leaders

Bonnie Chan Has to Make Hong Kong’s Market Feel Indispensable Again

A FigureAsia examination of how Bonnie Chan is positioning HKEX for the next phase of financial services.

Prabhakar Raghavan, Chief Technologist at Google

Asia Leaders

Prabhakar Raghavan Is Guiding Google’s Technology After Running Search. AI Is Rewriting the Business He Helped Scale

Prabhakar Raghavan moved from leading Google’s Knowledge and Information organisation to advising the company as Chief Technologist. His technical judgement now matters as AI turns search from a list of links into an answer and action layer.

Chung Shin-a, Chief Executive Officer of Kakao

Asia Leaders

Kakao Must Become Trustworthy Before It Becomes Bigger

A FigureAsia examination of how Chung Shin-a is positioning Kakao for the next phase of technology.

Asia Leaders

Bruce Cheng Saw the Power-Electronics Economy Before It Had a Name

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Bruce Cheng’s next chapter at Delta Electronics.

Asia Leaders

Deepa Bhasthi Gave Kannada Fiction a Passport Without Sanding Off Its Voice

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Deepa Bhasthi, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of literary translation, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Harry Triguboff Changed the Shape of Sydney One Tower at a Time

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Harry Triguboff’s next chapter at Meriton.

Yejin Choi, Dieter Schwarz Foundation HAI Professor at Stanford University

Asia Leaders

Yejin Choi Is Challenging AI’s Scale-at-All-Costs Economics. Smaller Models Must Win Beyond the Lab

Yejin Choi’s work questions the assumption that the largest model should perform every task. Her alternative—smarter algorithms, specialised systems and pluralistic design—could lower AI costs if it proves robust in real organisations and languages.

Asia Leaders

Jay Chaudhry Bought Red Canary to Move Zscaler Into Security Operations. Integration Must Justify the Margin Cost

Zscaler’s annual recurring revenue is growing 25 per cent with help from Red Canary. Jay Chaudhry now has to prove that acquiring a people-intensive security service strengthens the platform rather than complicating its economics.

Ong Ye Kung, Singapore’s Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health

Asia Leaders

Ong Ye Kung’s S$2.5 Billion Research Bet Must Connect to Healthier SG

Singapore is committing S$2.5 billion to translational and clinical research while expanding Healthier SG and ageing capacity. Ong Ye Kung must link discovery, primary-care incentives and measurable reductions in hospital demand.

Asia Leaders

Jafar Panahi Took a Palme d’Or Film Into the 2026 Awards Market. Its Real Value Lies Beyond the Campaign

Jafar Panahi carried a Palme d’Or winner into the 2026 awards market. The harder task is converting prestige into durable distribution for independent Iranian cinema.

Asia Leaders

John Fredriksen Still Finds Opportunity Where Shipping Gets Uncomfortable

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining John Fredriksen’s next chapter at Frontline and shipping holdings.

Azad Moopen, Executive Chairman of Aster DM Quality Care

Asia Leaders

Azad Moopen Completed Aster’s Blackstone-Backed Merger. Integration Will Decide Whether Scale Pays

Aster DM Quality Care began operations in July after Azad Moopen completed a landmark merger with Blackstone-backed Quality Care. The enlarged network has scale, but brand integration, governance and a 4,400-bed pipeline will determine whether it creates durable returns.

Toshiki Kawai, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tokyo Electron

Asia Leaders

Tokyo Electron Sits at the Quiet Center of Toshiki Kawai’s Chip Boom

A FigureAsia examination of how Toshiki Kawai is positioning Tokyo Electron for the next phase of semiconductors.

Asia Leaders

Enrique Razon Jr. Turned a Manila Port Legacy Into a Global Network

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Enrique Razon Jr.’s next chapter at ICTSI and Bloomberry Resorts.

Sania Nishtar, Chief Executive Officer of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Asia Leaders

Sania Nishtar Is Rebuilding Gavi Around a US$3 Billion Funding Gap

Gavi entered its 2026–2030 strategy with more than US$9 billion pledged but roughly US$3 billion less than requested. Sania Nishtar’s answer is a leaner, country-led operating system that must protect procurement scale and accountability.

Jay Y. Lee, Executive Chairman of Samsung

Asia Leaders

Samsung’s AI Problem Has Become Jay Y. Lee’s Defining Test

A FigureAsia examination of how Jay Y. Lee is positioning Samsung for the next phase of consumer technology.

Asia Leaders

Mieko Kawakami Keeps Asking Who Gets to Own a Woman’s Life

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Mieko Kawakami, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of literature, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Fujii Kaze’s Soft Power Travels Without Translation

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Fujii Kaze, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

SEVENTEEN’s Precision Is Really a Management Story

A FigureAsia long-form profile of SEVENTEEN, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music group, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

EJAE Turned a Film Song Into a Global Hit. Now She Has to Turn Recognition Into a Career She Controls

After ‘Golden’ made EJAE an Oscar-winning songwriter and a global voice, her next test is turning soundtrack-scale attention into a business she can sustain.

Aaron Ciechanover, Distinguished Research Professor at the Technion

Asia Leaders

Aaron Ciechanover’s Protein-Disposal Discovery Has Its First PROTAC Drug. The Platform Must Now Show Breadth

The first PROTAC medicine won US approval in May 2026, extending the commercial legacy of Aaron Ciechanover's ubiquitin research. The field must now demonstrate that targeted degradation can produce multiple drugs, reliable manufacturing and accessible patient value.

Asia Leaders

Yukinobu Tatsu Made the Weirdness the Point

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Yukinobu Tatsu, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of manga, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Hasan Hadi Found a Revolution in a Baghdad Cake Shop

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Hasan Hadi, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of filmmaking, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Neeraj Ghaywan Took Homebound From Cannes to 2026 Cinemas. His Collaborative Model Now Faces the Market

Neeraj Ghaywan took Homebound into 2026 cinemas. The next test is whether his collaborative production model can survive larger commercial pressure.

Asia Leaders

Park Chan-wook’s Darkest Joke Is About Having No Other Choice

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Park Chan-wook, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of filmmaking, international reach and creative control.

Reshma Kewalramani, Chief Executive Officer and President of Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Asia Leaders

Reshma Kewalramani Is Taking Vertex Beyond Cystic Fibrosis. The Diversification Must Now Become Durable

Vertex is moving from one dominant franchise towards pain, blood disorders and kidney disease. Reshma Kewalramani’s challenge is to preserve focus while building new commercial systems.

Robin Li, Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Baidu

Asia Leaders

Robin Li Has Waited Two Decades for Baidu’s AI Advantage to Arrive

A FigureAsia examination of how Robin Li is positioning Baidu for the next phase of technology.

Asia Leaders

Cherien Dabis Turned Family Memory Into Palestinian Epic

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Cherien Dabis, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of filmmaking, international reach and creative control.

Kenichiro Yoshida, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sony

Asia Leaders

Sony Turned Fragmentation Into an Entertainment Advantage

A FigureAsia examination of how Kenichiro Yoshida is positioning Sony for the next phase of consumer technology.

Suchi Saria, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bayesian Health

Asia Leaders

Suchi Saria Put Predictive AI Into 20 Hospitals. The Next Sale Depends on Operational Returns

Suchi Saria’s clinical AI has evidence of adoption and improved sepsis outcomes. Its 2026 test is whether those gains can be reproduced across Asian health systems with different data, workflows and economics.

Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Founder and Chairwoman of VietJet and Sovico

Asia Leaders

Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao Is Taking VietJet Beyond the Low-Cost Playbook

A FigureAsia examination of how Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao is positioning VietJet and Sovico for the next phase of aviation.

Lim Chow Kiat, Chief Executive Officer of GIC

Asia Leaders

Lim Chow Kiat Is Building GIC for a World That Cannot Be Forecast. The Price Is More Selectivity

Lim Chow Kiat is adapting GIC to geopolitical fragmentation, AI disruption and climate risk through granular investing and stronger cross-asset leadership. The strategy depends on liquidity, selectivity and institutional patience.

Asia Leaders

Jack Ma’s Most Important Role May Be the One He No Longer Holds

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Jack Ma’s next chapter at Alibaba Group.

Asia Leaders

Kushal Pal Singh Did Not Just Build Gurgaon He Changed India’s Corporate Geography

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Kushal Pal Singh’s next chapter at DLF.

Asia Leaders

Lee Jung-jae Carried Squid Game to Its Ending. His Next Act Must Convert Global Fame Into Ownership

Lee Jung-jae carried Squid Game through its final season. His next business test is converting global fame into durable production and ownership power.

Goh Choon Phong, Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Airlines

Asia Leaders

Goh Choon Phong Has Restored Singapore Airlines’ Earnings. Air India Will Test His Reach

Singapore Airlines has regained operating strength. Goh Choon Phong must now manage Air India exposure, premium investment and network risk without diluting the carrier’s standards.

Asia Leaders

Li Ka-shing’s Hardest Deal Is the Handing Over of Power

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Li Ka-shing’s next chapter at CK Hutchison and CK Asset.

Asia Leaders

IU Won New Acting Authority Without Leaving Music. The Dual Career Now Needs a Single Strategy

IU strengthened her acting authority without surrendering music. Her 2026 business test is coordinating two careers without letting either become promotional support.

Asia Leaders

Pierre Chen Collects Art but Built His Fortune on Tiny Components

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Pierre Chen’s next chapter at Yageo.

Asia Leaders

Lin Tsung-Chi Found a Data Center Fortune Inside a Furniture-Rail Factory

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Lin Tsung-Chi’s next chapter at King Slide Works.

Asia Leaders

Zhong Shanshan Built a Fortune on Two Things China Cannot Do Without

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Zhong Shanshan’s next chapter at Nongfu Spring and Wantai Biological.

Wael Sawan, Chief Executive Officer of Shell

Asia Leaders

Wael Sawan Put Returns Back at the Centre of Shell. Now He Has to Prove the Transition Still Fits

Wael Sawan has restored strategic clarity at Shell through cost discipline, shareholder returns and a sharper LNG focus. The harder task is building a transition business large enough to alter the group’s direction.

World Labs co-founder and CEO Fei-Fei Li

Asia Leaders

Fei-Fei Li’s $1 Billion Spatial-AI Bet Runs Into the Physics Problem

Fei-Fei Li has raised $1 billion to commercialise spatial intelligence. World Labs’ harder task is moving from compelling 3D output to reliable simulation.

Asia Leaders

Kim Won-seok Directed Memory Like an Inheritance

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Kim Won-seok, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of television direction, international reach and creative control.

Shinya Yamanaka, President of the CiRA Foundation

Asia Leaders

Shinya Yamanaka Built Japan’s iPS Infrastructure. Personalised Cell Therapy Must Now Clear the Cost Barrier

Shinya Yamanaka has spent two decades turning cellular reprogramming into shared infrastructure. His next test is whether patient-specific iPS cells can be made reliably and cheaply enough for Asian health systems.

Asia Leaders

Jisoo’s Solo Year Tested the Power of Quiet Reinvention

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Jisoo, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music and screen performance, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Wang Liping Put Chinese Hydraulics Into the World’s Heavy Machinery

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Wang Liping’s next chapter at Jiangsu Hengli Hydraulic.

Nadav Zafrir, Chief Executive Officer of Check Point Software Technologies

Asia Leaders

Nadav Zafrir Bought Four Pieces of an AI Security Stack. Check Point Must Turn Them Into Growth

Check Point has accelerated acquisitions under Nadav Zafrir to close gaps around AI and cloud security. The test is whether one operating platform emerges quickly enough to improve product growth without sacrificing margins or repurchase discipline.

Asia Leaders

David Sun Proved a Garage Can Become a Global Memory Business

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining David Sun’s next chapter at Kingston Technology.

Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance

Asia Leaders

Reliance Is Being Rebuilt for an India That Lives on Its Phone

A FigureAsia examination of how Mukesh Ambani is positioning Reliance for the next phase of conglomerates.

Helen Wong, Group Chief Executive Officer of OCBC

Asia Leaders

Asia’s Quiet Wealth Transfer Is Reshaping OCBC

A FigureAsia examination of how Helen Wong is positioning OCBC for the next phase of banking.

Asia Leaders

Robin Zeng’s Battery Empire Is Becoming Industrial Diplomacy

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Robin Zeng’s next chapter at CATL.

Asia Leaders

Zheng Shuliang Kept China Hongqiao Moving After the Founder Was Gone

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Zheng Shuliang’s next chapter at China Hongqiao Group.

Asia Leaders

Masayoshi Son Has Found Another Reason to Bet the Company

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Masayoshi Son’s next chapter at SoftBank Group.

Asia Leaders

J-Hope Turned the Stage Into a Study of Motion

A FigureAsia long-form profile of J-Hope, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music and performance, international reach and creative control.

Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of Aditya Birla Group

Asia Leaders

An Old Conglomerate Is Learning to Behave Like a Growth Company

A FigureAsia examination of how Kumar Mangalam Birla is positioning Aditya Birla Group for the next phase of conglomerates.

Sanjiv Puri, Chairman and Managing Director of ITC

Asia Leaders

Sanjiv Puri Has Made ITC More Focused. The Consumer Business Must Now Prove It Can Carry More Weight

Sanjiv Puri has sharpened ITC through the hotels demerger and a broader consumer portfolio. The next phase depends on turning double-digit FMCG growth into returns strong enough to reduce reliance on cigarettes.

Amit Singh, Chief Executive Officer of Adani Green Energy

Asia Leaders

Renewable Power Is Being Built at Adani Scale

A FigureAsia examination of how Amit Singh is positioning Adani Green Energy for the next phase of energy technology.

Djony Bunarto Tjondro, President Director of Astra

Asia Leaders

Djony Bunarto Tjondro Is Keeping Astra Relevant to Indonesia’s Next Consumer

A FigureAsia examination of how Djony Bunarto Tjondro is positioning Astra for the next phase of conglomerates.

Asia Leaders

Eric Yuan Has Restored Zoom’s Growth. AI Must Become More Than a Meeting Feature

Eric Yuan has repositioned Zoom as an AI-first system of action. The next test is converting product adoption into sustained enterprise expansion without losing simplicity.

Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Managing Director and Group CEO of ADNOC

Asia Leaders

Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber Is Building ADNOC for an Energy Transition That Adds Before It Subtracts

Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber is turning ADNOC, XRG and Masdar into a single thesis about energy security, industrial power and decarbonisation. Its credibility will be determined by capital allocation, not rhetoric.

Ynon Kreiz, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mattel

Asia Leaders

Ynon Kreiz Has Turned Mattel Into an IP Company. Tariffs and Margin Pressure Will Test the Sequel

Ynon Kreiz has taken Mattel beyond its turnaround and into a broader entertainment strategy. The next test is whether intellectual property can deliver durable growth without weakening the margins rebuilt under his leadership.

Asia Leaders

Sanjay Mehrotra Is Rebuilding Micron's Geography. A $250 Billion US Pledge Still Depends on Asia

Sanjay Mehrotra has expanded Micron's US investment plan beyond $250 billion while accelerating construction across Asia. The leadership challenge is no longer announcing factories; it is transferring processes, people and yields across a manufacturing network whose sites must come online in the right sequence.

Asia Leaders

Zhou Qunfei’s Glass Screens Became the Face of the Smartphone Era

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Zhou Qunfei’s next chapter at Lens Technology.

Sundar Pichai, Chief Executive Officer of Alphabet and Google

Asia Leaders

Sundar Pichai’s $185 Billion Gemini Push Depends on Reinventing Search Without Weakening It

Sundar Pichai has distributed Gemini across Google’s largest products at extraordinary speed. He must now convert conversational search and cloud demand into returns that justify Alphabet’s capital bill.

Asia Leaders

LE SSERAFIM Learned to Perform Through the Backlash

A FigureAsia long-form profile of LE SSERAFIM, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music group, international reach and creative control.

Hock Tan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Broadcom

Asia Leaders

Hock Tan’s $35 Billion AI Platform Moves Broadcom Closer to Its Biggest Customers—and Their Risks

Hock Tan has expanded Broadcom’s custom-chip model into gigawatt-scale infrastructure financed by Apollo and Blackstone. Its power comes with customer, supply and deployment concentration.

Asia Leaders

Shahid Khan’s Sports Empire Still Runs on an Engineer’s Bumper

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Shahid Khan’s next chapter at Flex-N-Gate and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Shuntaro Furukawa, President of Nintendo

Asia Leaders

Nintendo’s Shuntaro Furukawa Is Protecting Scarcity in an Always-On World

A FigureAsia examination of how Shuntaro Furukawa is positioning Nintendo for the next phase of media and entertainment.

Anima Anandkumar, Bren Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at Caltech

Asia Leaders

Anima Anandkumar Joined the UN’s Science Board. AI for Science Needs Standards the World Can Afford

Anima Anandkumar’s 2026 appointment to the UN Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board puts a technical researcher inside a global governance debate. The commercial and policy test is whether AI-assisted science can be verified, reproduced and made accessible across unequal computing markets.

Asia Leaders

Wang Wei Refused to Franchise Away Control of the Last Mile

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Wang Wei’s next chapter at SF Holding and SF Express.

Asia Leaders

Amnon Shashua Took Mobileye Into Humanoid Robots. A $3.8 Billion Write-Down Raises the Standard

Amnon Shashua is using Mobileye's automotive cash flow and artificial-intelligence stack to enter humanoid robotics. The strategic overlap is plausible; the acquisition's governance and commercial hurdles make proof unusually urgent.

Asia Leaders

Sunil Mittal Is Fighting India’s Telecom War With a Wider Map

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Sunil Mittal’s next chapter at Bharti Airtel.

Asia Leaders

Ne Zha 2 Changed the Scale of Chinese Animation

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Jiaozi, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of animation filmmaking, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Kaveh Akbar Put Faith on Trial

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Kaveh Akbar, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of literature, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Sun Piaoyang Took a State Drugmaker Into the Global Innovation Race

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Sun Piaoyang’s next chapter at Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals.

Masanori Togawa, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Daikin

Asia Leaders

Daikin’s Masanori Togawa Is Selling Climate Control to a Warming World

A FigureAsia examination of how Masanori Togawa is positioning Daikin for the next phase of industrial.

Asia Leaders

The Long Game Behind Squid Game’s Final Turn

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Hwang Dong-hyuk, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of television writing and direction, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

William Ding Is Teaching an Old Games Company New AI Tricks

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining William Ding’s next chapter at NetEase.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson of Biocon and Syngene International

Asia Leaders

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Has Recombined Biocon. The Biosimilars Bet Must Now Generate Cash

Biocon’s structure is finally catching up with the global biosimilars business Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw assembled. Stronger margins and falling leverage are encouraging, but dilution, price competition and manufacturing execution remain material tests.

Asia Leaders

Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi Built Thailand’s Consumer Empire by Never Staying in One Lane

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi’s next chapter at Thai Beverage and Frasers Property.

Asia Leaders

Gautam Adani Is Building at the Scale of a State

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Gautam Adani’s next chapter at Adani Group.

Satya Nadella, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft

Asia Leaders

Satya Nadella Is Building a $190 Billion AI Utility, With Scarcity as Both Proof and Warning

Satya Nadella is committing utility-scale capital to Microsoft’s agentic AI platform while reducing headcount. The return will depend on capacity allocation, product usage and disciplined pricing.

Asia Leaders

Wang Chuanfu Made BYD the Carmaker Everyone Has to Watch

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Wang Chuanfu’s next chapter at BYD.

Asia Leaders

Son Ye-jin Chose Emotional Risk Over Easy Familiarity

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Son Ye-jin, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of screen performance, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Cherien Dabis Took a Palestinian Family Epic Into 2026 Cinemas. Distribution Is Now Part of the Argument

Cherien Dabis carried All That’s Left of You into 2026 cinemas. Its release tests whether independent distribution can sustain Palestinian historical memory.

Asia Leaders

Eiichiro Oda Still Runs the World’s Longest Creative Marathon

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Eiichiro Oda, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of manga, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Ishaan Khatter’s Most Important Role Refused the Star System

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Ishaan Khatter, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of screen performance, international reach and creative control.

Takemitsu Takizaki, Founder and Honorary Chairman of Keyence

Asia Leaders

Keyence’s Takemitsu Takizaki Built a Sales Machine Around Invisible Factory Problems

A FigureAsia examination of how Takemitsu Takizaki is positioning Keyence for the next phase of industrial technology.

SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son

Asia Leaders

Masayoshi Son Is Steering $64.6 Billion Towards OpenAI. SoftBank’s Balance Sheet Is the Constraint

Masayoshi Son’s latest OpenAI tranche makes SoftBank a more concentrated AI holding company, with its financial policy and Japan execution under scrutiny.

Asia Leaders

Haegue Yang Lets Objects Carry the Politics

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Haegue Yang, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of contemporary art, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Frieren’s Writer Found Drama in What Happens After Victory

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Kanehito Yamada, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of manga and storytelling, international reach and creative control.

Salil Parekh, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Infosys

Asia Leaders

Infosys Is Learning to Charge for AI Outcomes

A FigureAsia examination of how Salil Parekh is positioning Infosys for the next phase of technology.

Asia Leaders

Lee Bul Built the Future From Ruins

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Lee Bul, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of contemporary art, international reach and creative control.

Falguni Nayar, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Nykaa

Asia Leaders

Nykaa Is Moving From Beauty Website to Consumer Institution

A FigureAsia examination of how Falguni Nayar is positioning Nykaa for the next phase of e-commerce.

Asia Leaders

Vishal Jethwa Let Restraint Do the Hardest Work

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Vishal Jethwa, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of screen performance, international reach and creative control.

Jitendra Malik, Arthur J. Chick Professor at the University of California, Berkeley

Asia Leaders

Jitendra Malik Is Putting Sensorimotor Learning Before Language. Robotics Must Build Its Own Data Economy

Jitendra Malik helped shape modern computer vision and now presses AI toward embodied learning. The next advance will depend on shared benchmarks, useful simulation and fleets that turn physical experience into reliable generalisation.

Kim Dong-myung, Chief Executive Officer of LG Energy Solution

Asia Leaders

Battery Growth Has to Become Profitable Again at LG Energy Solution

A FigureAsia examination of how Kim Dong-myung is positioning LG Energy Solution for the next phase of energy technology.

Victor Li, Chairman and Group Co-Managing Director of CK Hutchison

Asia Leaders

Victor Li Is Managing CK Hutchison for Cash Flow in an Age of Scrutiny

A FigureAsia examination of how Victor Li is positioning CK Hutchison for the next phase of conglomerates.

Lei Chen, Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of PDD Holdings

Asia Leaders

PDD’s Lei Chen Is Exporting China’s Hardest Retail Lessons

A FigureAsia examination of how Lei Chen is positioning PDD Holdings for the next phase of e-commerce.

Scott Russell, Chief Executive Officer of NICE

Asia Leaders

Customer Service Is Becoming an AI Industry Just as NICE Changes Leaders

A FigureAsia examination of how Scott Russell is positioning NICE for the next phase of technology.

Asia Leaders

Gong Hongjia Keeps Finding Value Where Hardware Meets Data

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Gong Hongjia’s next chapter at Hikvision and Vcanbio.

Kuok Khoon Hong, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Wilmar

Asia Leaders

Kuok Khoon Hong’s Wilmar Still Runs on the Unfashionable Power of Scale

A FigureAsia examination of how Kuok Khoon Hong is positioning Wilmar for the next phase of food and agribusiness.

Waleed Al-Mogbel, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Al Rajhi Bank

Asia Leaders

Waleed Al-Mogbel Is Turning Al Rajhi Into a Digital Bank at National Scale

A FigureAsia examination of how Waleed Al-Mogbel is positioning Al Rajhi Bank for the next phase of banking.

Asia Leaders

Lei Jun Wants Xiaomi to Be Taken Seriously as a Carmaker

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Lei Jun’s next chapter at Xiaomi.

Asia Leaders

Joseph Lau’s Fortune Is Part Property Portfolio and Part Private Museum

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Joseph Lau’s next chapter at Chinese Estates.

Asia Leaders

Yuan Fugen Built a Family Succession Around Precision Manufacturing

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Yuan Fugen’s next chapter at Suzhou Dongshan Precision Manufacturing.

Asia Leaders

Lu Xiangyang Made One Early Bet on BYD and Kept Building Around It

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Lu Xiangyang’s next chapter at BYD and Youngy Investment.

Asia Leaders

Han Kang’s Nobel Afterlife Changed the Business of Translation

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Han Kang, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of literature, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Singtel Is Turning Regional Sprawl Into Digital Infrastructure

A FigureAsia examination of how Yuen Kuan Moon is positioning Singtel for the next phase of telecommunications.

Georges Elhedery, Group Chief Executive of HSBC

Asia Leaders

Georges Elhedery Has Simplified HSBC. He Must Prove the Bank Can Grow Without Rebuilding Complexity

HSBC’s restructuring has sharpened returns and accountability. Georges Elhedery’s next task is to grow wealth and transaction banking without recreating the layers he removed.

Assaf Rappaport, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wiz

Asia Leaders

Assaf Rappaport Is Turning Wiz’s Security Graph Into an Agent Control Layer. Automation Must Remain Reversible

Wiz can give AI assistants live context from its cloud-security graph. Assaf Rappaport’s opportunity is to make security teams faster; his risk is allowing an agent to convert a mistaken finding into a damaging production change.

Asia Leaders

BLACKPINK’s Return Became a Test of Global Pop Scarcity

A FigureAsia long-form profile of BLACKPINK, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music group, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

R.F. Kuang Sent Academia To Hell

A FigureAsia long-form profile of R.F. Kuang, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of literature, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Can Chen Tianshi Build China’s Answer to Nvidia

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Chen Tianshi’s next chapter at Cambricon Technologies.

Jahja Setiaatmadja, President Director of BCA

Asia Leaders

Jahja Setiaatmadja Made BCA’s Low-Cost Deposits an Indonesian Moat

A FigureAsia examination of how Jahja Setiaatmadja is positioning BCA for the next phase of banking.

Asia Leaders

Vasant Narasimhan Narrowed Novartis to Innovative Medicines. The Portfolio Must Now Outrun Its Patent Losses

Novartis is strategically cleaner but its leading medicines face inevitable erosion. Vasant Narasimhan’s next task is converting a promising pipeline into dependable growth.

Asia Leaders

Audrey Nuna Turned the Animated Idol Into a Real Pop Persona

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Audrey Nuna, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music and performance, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

A.R. Rahman’s Quiet Revolution Keeps Rewriting the Sound of India

A FigureAsia long-form profile of A.R. Rahman, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music composition, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Yuya Tokuda Made Monster Hunting Feel New Again

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Yuya Tokuda, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of game direction, international reach and creative control.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates

Asia Leaders

Emirates Still Flies on Sheikh Ahmed’s Long View of Dubai

A FigureAsia examination of how Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum is positioning Emirates for the next phase of aviation.

Liang Rubo, Chief Executive Officer of ByteDance

Asia Leaders

TikTok Became a Diplomatic Asset Just as Liang Rubo Inherited ByteDance

A FigureAsia examination of how Liang Rubo is positioning ByteDance for the next phase of technology.

Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of UOB

Asia Leaders

UOB Has Made Discipline Its Expansion Strategy

A FigureAsia examination of how Wee Ee Cheong is positioning UOB for the next phase of banking.

Asia Leaders

Liu Cixin Became a Franchise Without Becoming a Brand Mascot

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Liu Cixin, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of literature and screen adaptation, international reach and creative control.

S.N. Subrahmanyan, Chairman and Managing Director of Larsen & Toubro

Asia Leaders

India’s Building Boom Has Become Larsen & Toubro’s Execution Test

A FigureAsia examination of how S.N. Subrahmanyan is positioning Larsen & Toubro for the next phase of industrial.

Asia Leaders

Ravi Jaipuria Built a Beverage Empire One Territory at a Time

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Ravi Jaipuria’s next chapter at RJ Corp and Varun Beverages.

Wang Chuanfu, Founder, Chairman and President of BYD

Asia Leaders

BYD’s Next Test Is Bigger Than Beating the Global Carmakers

A FigureAsia examination of how Wang Chuanfu is positioning BYD for the next phase of automotive.

Asia Leaders

Hidetaka Miyazaki Expanded a World Players Thought They Knew

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Hidetaka Miyazaki, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of game direction, international reach and creative control.

Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Executive Chairman of Tata Sons

Asia Leaders

Natarajan Chandrasekaran Is Wiring Tata From Chips to AI Agents. Capital Discipline Must Hold the Stack Together

Natarajan Chandrasekaran is positioning Tata across the physical and software layers of artificial intelligence. The strategy could deepen India’s technology capacity, but only if demand, energy and execution keep pace with investment.

Asia Leaders

Diljit Dosanjh Took Punjabi Pop Where the Industry Said It Couldn’t Go

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Diljit Dosanjh, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of music and screen performance, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Hamdan Ballal And the Cost of Bearing Witness

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Hamdan Ballal, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of documentary filmmaking, international reach and creative control.

Asia Leaders

Ema Ryan Yamazaki Made a Japanese Classroom a Global Question

A FigureAsia long-form profile of Ema Ryan Yamazaki, examining how the 2025 work changed the terms of documentary filmmaking, international reach and creative control.

Adar Poonawalla, Chief Executive Officer of the Serum Institute of India

Asia Leaders

Adar Poonawalla’s Malaria Vaccine Capacity Is Running Ahead of the Funding Market

Adar Poonawalla has made Serum Institute central to the malaria vaccine market, with R21 capacity and a new Oxford licence for R78C. The commercial constraint is no longer supply alone, but financed demand and durable procurement.

Asia Leaders

Yu Yong’s Portfolio Links Copper Cobalt Lithium and Electric Cars

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Yu Yong’s next chapter at CMOC Group and Cathay Fortune.

Asia Leaders

Kwong Siu-hing Became the Steady Center of a Hong Kong Property Dynasty

FigureAsia examines the strategic choices, governance pressures and market consequences defining Kwong Siu-hing’s next chapter at Sun Hung Kai Properties.

John Rim, President and Chief Executive Officer of Samsung Biologics

Asia Leaders

The Biologic Drug Boom Needs John Rim’s Factory Floor

A FigureAsia examination of how John Rim is positioning Samsung Biologics for the next phase of biotechnology.

Asia Leaders

Daphne Koller Is Turning Insitro’s AI Platform Into Drug Candidates. Biology Still Sets the Clock

Daphne Koller has spent years building a machine-learning company around human biology. In 2026, insitro’s partnerships and preclinical programmes are beginning to test whether its data advantage can produce medicines rather than promising hypotheses.

Asia Leaders