A Brief Overview of Accounting’s Evolution Accounting has always been central to business management, traditionally focused on recording and reporting financial transactions, providing essential compliance and monitoring capabilities. For much of its history, it was seen as a back-office function, holding valuable data without directly influencing collaboration or decision-making across the organisation. The first major transformation came with the rise of information technology (IT). Technological advancements and automation kicked off accounting's evolution, steering it from reliance on paper records toward becoming a robust data-driven discipline. These advancements improved accuracy, streamlined information, and reduced repetitive tasks, allowing finance professionals to shift their focus from routine processing to deeper analysis. This technological shift marked the beginning of accounting’s evolution from a passive…
Image by Hitesh Choudharya via Unsplash Many have touted the arrival of blockchain technology as the next frontier in business operations, a pioneering breakthrough that possesses the potential to transform conventional procedures across industries. Often associated primarily with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, the application of blockchain goes far beyond this investment phenomenon. To understand blockchain technology's potential impact, we must first examine the fundamentals of this groundbreaking approach. At its core, blockchain is a decentralized system where all transactions or digital events get consolidated into 'blocks' and distributed across a network of computers, referred to as 'nodes'. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, a timestamp, and transaction data. The unique attribute of this system is its ability for self-audit - a quality that…
Tocotoco and the New Playfulness of Modern Art: A Young Korean Artist’s Journey At first glance, the paintings of this young Korean artist might look like respectful homages to European masterpieces. Look closer, and a bright-beaked bird sneaks into the scene. This is Tocotoco, a toucan with a curious gaze and boundless energy who has become the artist’s signature. With Tocotoco, she reimagines classical art through a playful lens, bridging centuries of tradition with the spirit of her own generation. At just her mid-20s, she has already travelled to nearly 60 countries, exhibited solo, painted murals across continents, and developed a whimsical universe that both celebrates and reinterprets art history. Her story reflects not only her personal journey but also…
How a Banker Turned Fund Manager Built a Billion-Dollar Portfolio In the Global Financial Crisis? In the world of investing, some of the most successful ventures are born in the most uncertain times. For Christopher (Chris) Cheah, Founder and Executive Chairman of TrustCapital, the decision to strike out on his own in the midst of the 2009 Global Financial Crisis (GFC) was not one of recklessness, but of calculated conviction. Today, his firm stands as a respected name in private equity real estate, with a track record that includes the acquisition of eight prime office buildings in Australia and assets under management peaking at more than AUD 1.6 billion. This is the story of how Chris, a banker turned fund…
Richmond Associates: Connecting People to Purpose, Not Just Jobs Recruitment is often reduced to speed and scale, but Richmond Associates stands apart. Founded on a simple but powerful insight—that purpose matters as much as skill—the firm has quietly redefined what executive search can and should be. Specialising in recruiting, fundraising, advancement and engagement roles across mission-driven non-profit organisations, Richmond Associates do not simply match candidates to job descriptions—they match people to missions. It all started with a question repeatedly asked in different conversations. Friends and colleagues frequently approached Moyra Brown, the Founder of Richmond Associates and a seasoned professional in the sector asking, “Do you know anyone good for this role?” Everyone was struggling with the same challenge: finding the…