ARTICLES
Top 5 Ways Gen Z Is Changing the Future of Payments
[Discover Global Network] As fast as technology is changing, so is the impact of today’s young consumers. Generation Z—those folks born since 1996—is reshaping consumer...
The Fight For Cybersecurity: How Can Companies Minimize Risk Against Emerging Threats?
[Forbes, for Bank of the West/BNP Paribas] Cybersecurity is no longer an issue only for the IT department. Today, I believe this must be top of mind for the entire...
Move Fast, Don’t Break Things
[Bank of the West/BNP Paribas] Before expanding overseas, tech companies should consider these seven tips. In the app economy, tech companies can go global at the push...
Will Plant-based Protein Devour the Meat Market?
[Bank of the West/BNP Paribas] Animal-based protein dominates the global market. But can plant-based alternatives disrupt the status quo? After years of languishing at...
Is There a Creamy Future for Dairy?
[Bank of the West/BNP Paribas] Prices and consumption are on the rise. But so are non-dairy alternatives. How is the industry coping? The dairy industry, long fighting...
A Dynamic New Year Awaits the Payments Industry
[Discover Global Network] Top analysts in the payments industry are expecting a year of big changes ahead with shifts in the international landscape, the impact of new...
A Hidden Benefit of Trade Wars
[Bank of the West/BNP Paribas] Current uncertainties can create long-term benefits. How can trade wars help you? The shifting sands of international trade have rarely...
Is He or Isn’t He? Confusion About Ma and Alibaba Stock Drops 3% After-hours
[CapitalWatch] Contrary to what you might have read, Ma might or might not be stepping down on Monday. A late story today in The New York Times stating that Jack Ma...
GreenTree Hospitality: The Holiday Inn of China?
[CapitalWatch] Decades after Holiday Inn became the largest hotel chain in the U.S., GreenTree is looking to do something similar – except at a much faster pace and in...
CEO Interview: A Rough Start in the U.S., but iQiyi CEO Says There Are Big Plans Ahead
[CapitalWatch] Although iQiyi is often considered China's version of Netflix in the U.S., founder and CEO Yu Gong said he has a bigger idea. As China's largest...
After Shareholder Revolt and Insolvency, Will Ambow Education Get a Second Chance?
[CapitalWatch] If successful, the new listing for Ambow would be a striking resurgence for a company once valued at more than $1 billion before sinking into insolvency,...
The Romanian Transformation
[Originally published in the 2016 edition of City Compass Romania: Bucharest & Beyond, a terrific guide for expats and tourists here in Romania.] One warm morning,...
The Psychology of Stupid
[Originally published in the August 2015 issue of Psychologies magazine.] -- How would you define stupidity? -- Stupidity, in the way that I use it in the book, has a...
Interview with Laura Codruta Kovesi, Romania’s Top Prosecutor
[The following interview appeared in the May 2015 issue of Elle magazine. It is an abbreviated version of a longer conversation and Mrs. Kovesi's answers have been...
Don’t Blame Me. I’m Only The Boss.
[Abbreviated version originally published in the April 2015 issue of Cariere magazine.] I have been working since I was 14 years old. I have had jobs in several...
Welcome to Lugera. Ahead to Passport Control.
[Originally published in the Summer 2014 issue of Esquire magazine.] It’s not often that a business displays wisdom sufficiently profound that it actually provides an...
Confessions of a Former Current Ex-Banker
[Originally published in the Spring 2014 issue of Esquire magazine.] I am a banker. No, hold it. I mean, I was a banker. Or rather, I worked at a bank. I did banking....
The Missing Loyalty in Loyalty Programs
[Originally published March 31, 2014, in Capital.] If you buy anything in Romania, then you already have – or at least have been offered – dozens and dozens of retail...
Next Flight From New York: Santa
[Originally published in the Winter 2013-2014 issue of Esquire magazine.] Even if all your holiday shopping is over, let me do you a favor and give you some advice. The...
The Slow Glass of Online Discounters
[Originally published February 24, 2014, in Capital.] If you want to see how some companies here seem blind to reality, take a look at the discounting business. There...