Spotlight Interview: Cross-Border Leadership & APAC Challenges

Interviewer: Kevin, Partner APAC at LYC Partners (Executive Search)

Interviewee: Christophe Randy, VP Sales & Global GTM Leader

Navigating Euro-Centric Decision-Making

Kevin: Christophe, your experience bridging APAC and global HQ dynamics is invaluable. Let’s start with a pain point many regional leaders face: Euro-centric boardrooms. How do you navigate strategic influence when local realities are misunderstood at HQ?

Christophe: It’s about reframing what might be dismissed as “regional nuances” into enterprise-level imperatives. When presenting to headquarters—especially those based in Europe—it’s important not to frame issues as isolated “Asia problems.” Instead, I anchor them in the company's broader strategic agenda. Take China for example: it’s a hyper-competitive, ultra-fast market. Perfection is deprioritized in favor of speed. Teams iterate live with clients. But in many European HQs, there’s a cultural bias toward polished, finalized solutions.

So how do you reconcile these two modes of operating? I bring the issue back to business impact: "Our Chinese clients churn if we delay MVP launches by just two weeks. This delay directly jeopardizes client retention and revenue." That’s not just an Asia issue—it’s a business risk. I’ll follow that up with mitigations: “Here’s how we manage quality control while launching in agile mode.” That builds credibility and trust at HQ, while still delivering the agility APAC markets demand.

Kevin: You’ve referred to this pattern as the “Euro-centrism syndrome.” What specific tactics have you used to shift mindsets at the top?

Christophe: It’s a three-part playbook:

1. Quantify the cost of inaction. Abstract debates don’t move minds, numbers do. I might say: “If we delay our market entry in China by six months, we risk losing €12 million to local incumbents already embedded with target clients.” That kind of figure reframes the urgency.

2. Leverage internal allies. There are always HQ leaders who’ve spent time in APAC—maybe a past posting in Singapore or a product launch in Tokyo. I involve them early, give them ownership in proposals, and position them as co-champions. Their endorsement often carries more weight in internal debates than mine alone.

3. Localize the narrative. Avoid generic statements like “China is complicated.” Instead, I’ll draw a direct link to business outcomes. For instance: “Here’s how Alibaba’s dynamic pricing architecture is shifting customer expectations in our category. This has implications on our own GTM and pricing strategy.” It’s tangible. And it speaks to what keeps HQ leaders up at night.

   
   

Hyper-Localization vs. Global Alignment

Kevin: A tension we frequently see with clients is between local market customization and maintaining global brand integrity. Hyper-localization can win short-term, but risk detachment from global vision. How have you balanced this?

Christophe: It’s not about going fully local or rigidly global—it’s about strategic localization. At Linkfluence, where we managed social intelligence globally, China required special attention. Platforms like Douyin and Little Red Book were essential, so we prioritized integration with those ecosystems. But we pushed back when clients requested support for hyper-niche platforms that lacked ROI justification.

I’d tell my team: “We can’t support every request. If a client wants a feature that only benefits 5% of the base, we need to educate them on why diverting resources away from scalable impact hurts their long-term success.” That education builds trust and positions us as strategic partners, not order takers.

Kevin: That’s powerful. Still, we often hear that HQs fear “losing control” in markets like China. What has worked for you in reducing this perceived risk?

Christophe: Transparency is the antidote to control anxiety. At Panopto, we implemented weekly governance reports that clearly mapped:

• What we had localized and why

• What global standards were upheld

• What the revenue and operational impact was

For instance, we customized front-end dashboards for Porsche China to fit local UX expectations—but we kept the back-end data structures consistent with Germany. That reassured HQ that we weren’t going rogue. They saw us as innovating within parameters, not outside of them.

When local teams demonstrate that localization decisions are data-driven and aligned with company priorities, the fear of decentralization diminishes.

Talent & Career Pathways for APAC Leaders

Kevin: Let’s shift gears. You’ve built diverse teams across Asia. There’s an ongoing debate about the role of expats in this new leadership era. What’s your take?

Christophe: The expat archetype has evolved. Ten years ago, expats were often seen as the “fixers”—parachuted in to bring process discipline or replicate HQ playbooks. Today, that model is outdated. Expats still add value, but in more nuanced roles—especially in early-stage market entries where cross-cultural translation is key.

At Panopto, we were scaling in China and needed someone who could navigate both WeChat-driven workflows and Seattle-style metrics discussions. That’s why I hired a Chinese sales head who could present business cases to HQ in their language—literally and figuratively.

Long-term, however, the winning profile is the hybrid leader: a local executive who has global exposure. At one point, I worked with a Japanese leader who had trained in Berlin and Singapore. That mix—deep cultural roots and international fluency—is a game-changer. They drive growth while avoiding cultural missteps.

Kevin: APAC leaders often tell me they feel “boxed in” as regional experts, not global contenders. How can they break that perception?

Christophe: The key is to seek global adjacency—projects that transcend borders. At PayPal, I volunteered to lead a pricing task force spanning the U.S. and Asia-Pacific. That gave me visibility at the global level and demonstrated my ability to handle multi-market complexity.

Second, sponsor talent rotation. High-potential APAC leaders should do six-month stints at HQ. It’s not just exposure—it’s about learning how decisions are made at the center. That experience is what shifts the perception from “She’s our China lead” to “She’s a future global CCO.”

The burden is on both sides: local leaders must ask for stretch roles, and HQ must stop pigeonholing talent by geography. If we want diverse leadership, we have to build the bridges, not just hope people find them.

Geopolitics & Investment Dilemmas

Kevin: Let’s address the elephant in the room—geopolitical instability. With U.S.-China tensions rising and boardrooms increasingly cautious, how do you justify ongoing investment in APAC?

Christophe: You start by reframing risk as learning opportunity. I’ve positioned APAC, especially China, as a lab for agility. For instance, during the COVID lockdowns, our China team pivoted faster than any other region—adjusting delivery models, digitizing onboarding, reallocating resources. That pivot saved us over €2 million. These tactics were later repurposed for our European operations when supply chain issues hit.

So, rather than presenting China as a “challenge,” I frame it as a frontline of innovation. It’s where volatility breeds creativity. That story changes the narrative at HQ.

Second, diversification. I don’t advocate for APAC investment to mean “double down on China only.” Southeast Asia—Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines—offers scalable growth, while India continues to be a strategic bet with a robust talent pipeline. Balancing a China-centric portfolio with India and ASEAN mitigates single-market exposure and demonstrates prudence to the board.

Kevin: And for those leaders stuck in the middle—between HQ skepticism and local urgency?

Christophe: Be the connector of realities. I encourage regional leaders to host reverse briefings—quarterly calls where the APAC team educates HQ. These aren’t status updates; they’re strategic insights sessions. Imagine a Shanghai-based marketing lead walking through how live commerce trends on Taobao could influence our EU retail experience roadmap. That’s thought leadership—not just reporting.

The true power lies in context translation. A French leader based in Asia who can say, “This strategy won’t work in Lyon, but here’s why it’s perfect for Shenzhen,” becomes irreplaceable. That’s what I call your contextual edge. Leverage it.

Closing Reflections

Kevin: Christophe, thank you for sharing such clear, experience-backed strategies. Your journey really underscores what we call the “global-local” leadership model—hybrids who can translate across contexts, lead through ambiguity, and connect local execution to global ambition. That’s the kind of leader LYC Partners is always looking to champion.