What Happens When Two Founders Start a Business With No Clear Rules? Every entrepreneur begins their journey with a good idea, a trusted friend, a shared dream. It always starts with, “We should do something together.” The idea feels fresh, the energy is high, and the possibilities seem endless. Those first moments are filled with hope and optimism, where everyone is enthusiastic, the roles seem obvious and collaboration feels smooth. This is the classic startup story of two friends chasing a dream and finally deciding to make it happen. Party A and Party B were exactly like this: Friends with complementary skills, united by a vision, and eager to launch their business. They set things up quickly, registered the company,…
Introduction Conservation today is not just about protecting nature – it is fundamentally about protecting people. At the heart of this mission are birds, which serve as essential indicators of climate change, alerting us to the environmental impacts of our actions. In examining this relationship between birds, people, and conservation, one organization stands out not only for its mission but also for its unique approach: BirdLife International (Asia) Limited (“BirdLife”). We have a chance to speak with Mr Vinayagan Dharmarajah, Regional Director, Asia, of BirdLife International to gain insight into the organization’s work and its contributions to protecting the nature. The Transition from Legal Counsel to Conservationist The journey into BirdLife has been a personal transformation. Coming from a legal…
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…
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…
Why Are Accounting Firms Still Lagging in Tech Adoption? In our previous article, we highlighted how accounting is shifting beyond compliance toward a more strategic role. Yet, digital transformation is where the sector risks falling behind. The reality is that the pace of digital adoption is far from uniform. While other industries have embraced automation and data analytics, accounting often remains anchored to legacy systems and siloed ways of working. This week, we want to find out: what’s holding accounting back from digital transformation? From cultural resistance to the complexity of integrating new technologies, we’ll unpack the challenges and highlight why people remain at the heart of digital transformation. Technology in accounting is moving fast but many firms still struggle…