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When the world shut down during the pandemic, leadership theories were tested like never before. Plans failed, systems froze, and certainties vanished overnight. For many executives, it was a breaking point. For Professor Michael Frese, Distinguished Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship at the Asia School of Business, it became a breakthrough moment that redefined what it truly means to lead.

“Resilience is not a personal trait; it is an organisational skill,” he reflects. “We often talk about bouncing back, but the real challenge is learning how to bounce forward.”

That philosophy shapes The New Leadership Playbook, a programme and dialogue series by the Asia School of Business that explores how leaders can thrive amid uncertainty. During the School’s 10th Anniversary Leadership Forum, held in partnership with PayNet, FIDE Forum and Tun Razak Exchange (TRX), regional CEOs, entrepreneurs and academics gathered to examine one essential question: what does resilience mean in a world that never stops changing?

Across finance, manufacturing and technology, one truth emerged. Resilient organisations do not merely survive shocks; they transform them into strategic advantage.

Professor Frese observes that the traditional model of command and control leadership has faded. Today’s high-performing leaders are those who lead through connection, empathy and adaptability. “Modern leadership is not about being the loudest voice in the room,” he explains. “It is about listening, learning, and creating the psychological safety for others to innovate.”

At the Asia School of Business, resilience is not taught as theory but as lived experience. Through Action Learning, the School’s hallmark methodology, students work directly with organisations across Southeast Asia to solve real business challenges in unpredictable environments. From Vietnam’s manufacturing corridors to Malaysia’s financial hubs, they learn to navigate ambiguity, manage crises and build solutions that endure.

“You cannot teach resilience through lectures,” Professor Frese says. “You teach it by exposing people to uncertainty, giving them the tools to make decisions with limited information, and empowering them to learn through reflection.”

This approach has produced leaders capable of transforming industries. Alumni have led digitalisation efforts in traditional sectors, built social enterprises and accelerated sustainability initiatives. Many credit the Asia School of Business for reshaping how they respond to crises.

Farhan Ahmad, Group CEO of PayNet, one of the event’s supporting partners, shared how resilience is rooted in informed risk-taking. “The key is not to avoid risk but to understand it deeply,” he said. “When guided by data and purpose, boldness becomes strategic.”

That perspective was echoed by members of FIDE Forum, who emphasised governance and foresight as the foundations of resilience in the boardroom. Meanwhile, leaders from TRX discussed how Malaysia’s international financial district was designed to withstand global volatility through innovation, sustainable planning and long-term vision.

For Professor Frese, these insights highlight that resilience is both structural and human. It depends as much on systems and strategy as it does on mindset and emotional intelligence.

In his research, he found that emotionally intelligent leaders are significantly more effective at guiding teams through turbulence. “Resilience is not about being unbreakable,” he says. “It is about being self-aware enough to bend without breaking.”

This balance between toughness and empathy forms the core of what he calls the resilience dividend: the ability to emerge stronger and wiser from adversity.

“The world is not going to get simpler,” he adds. “The leaders who will thrive are those who see crisis as a classroom and uncertainty as a source of strength.”

As the Asia School of Business celebrates a decade of redefining management education, its message remains clear. Leadership in the 21st century is not about predicting change but shaping it. Through its network of corporate partners, global faculty and purpose-driven alumni, the School continues to nurture leaders who can turn volatility into vision and disruption into renewal.

Resilience, as this new playbook reminds us, is not about returning to the past. It is about daring to build what comes next.

The P&G Center for Sustainable Small-owners (CSS), housed at the Asia School of Business in collaboration with MIT Sloan, has released its 2025 Impact Report, marking five years of measurable progress in reshaping the future of Malaysia’s palm oil sector.

The mission of CSS is clear: elevate smallholder livelihoods while promoting responsible, sustainable palm oil production. In an industry where independent farmers often operate at the margins of global supply chains, the centre has built pathways that connect sustainability with prosperity.

Globally, smallholders produce over 40 percent of the world’s palm oil. Yet, many remain underrepresented in formal supply chains due to the high barriers of certification, limited access to finance and information gaps. In Malaysia, where independent smallholders account for 17 percent of total producers, their inclusion is not just important but essential for the country’s sustainability ambitions and long-term economic resilience.

CSS was designed to bridge that divide. Its approach is grounded in five key pillars: Community Empowerment, Livelihood Improvement, Environmental Sustainability, Sourcing Responsibly, and Thought Leadership. Through these pillars, the centre has not only trained farmers but transformed communities.

To date, 892 smallholders have achieved Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification through the CSS programme. For many, this milestone represents more than compliance. It is a passport to inclusion in premium global markets and recognition for their commitment to sustainable practices. Within three years of adopting Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), many farmers have seen yield increases of up to 25 percent, and as much as 35 percent within four.

The financial impact has been equally tangible. Between 2021 and 2024, 407 certified farmers collectively earned USD68,175 in sustainability-linked premiums, demonstrating how environmental stewardship can directly improve livelihoods.

Beyond the numbers, the CSS programme has built communities of shared purpose. The formation of PERTANIAGA, a farmer-led association in Johor, has empowered 892 members to take ownership of their collective progress. Women now occupy 38 percent of leadership positions within the group, reflecting CSS’s commitment to gender inclusivity in agriculture.

On the environmental front, more than 1,100 farms have adopted Good Agricultural Practices aligned with RSPO and NDPE guidelines, particularly in waste and chemical management. The initiative’s growing emphasis on digital traceability ensures that every certified farm can be verified from source to shipment, an essential step in meeting emerging international standards such as the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

To further strengthen transparency, CSS is developing a mobile application in collaboration with local collection centres. The app will enable farmers to track sustainability progress at the plantation level, providing real-time data on production and environmental performance. This innovation underscores how digital inclusion can empower even the most remote farmers to compete in global markets.

The centre’s work extends beyond practice into thought leadership. Over 3,145 farmers have been trained in Good Agricultural Practices, supported by two practical guidebooks published to drive broader adoption of sustainable methods. Research and policy contributions from The Asia School of Business faculty have also helped position Malaysia as a regional leader in sustainable palm oil education and innovation.

Behind these statistics are the human stories that bring the data to life. Francis Wiederkehr, Sustainability Program Director at P&G Chemicals, shared, “From Encik Rosli, a marathon-running farmer who consistently beats yield averages, to Puan Hamisah, a retired civil servant who now champions women in agriculture – these stories reflect real transformation.”

Temasek Foundation’s Head of Climate and Liveability, Heng Li Lang, added, “This report demonstrates how consistent, evidence-based support uplifts livelihoods while reducing the environmental footprint of palm oil.”

For the Asia School of Business, the success of CSS represents the power of academic-industry partnerships in driving systemic change. “Smallholders are the unsung heroes of sustainable growth,” said Joseph Cherian, CEO, President, Dean & Distinguished Professor, the Asia School of Business. “This initiative shows what happens when knowledge meets purpose.”

CSS Director Professor Asad Ata concluded, “We celebrate certificates, but more importantly, we celebrate the change they unlock in families, communities and ecosystems.”

Malaysia, the world’s second-largest palm oil producer, is home to more than 275,000 independent smallholders. With its proven impact model, the CSS aims to scale its reach nationwide, helping shape a more inclusive, sustainable and equitable future for generations to come.

For most of my life, I measured success through achievement. I built businesses, mentored entrepreneurs and reached milestones others called inspiring. Yet somewhere between the meetings, targets and accolades, I began to feel a quiet longing, not for more, but for meaning.

I had worked since the age of fifteen, learning through experience rather than academia. Every decision came with risk, and every success with sacrifice. But after years of building ventures, I realised that growth without reflection can become routine. I wanted to rediscover not what I could achieve, but why I was doing it. That question eventually led me to The Asia School of Business.

Returning to study after years of professional life was both exhilarating and daunting. The decision came at a time when I was balancing motherhood, business and community leadership. It demanded courage, but also humility. I reminded myself that learning does not end when success begins; it only deepens.

The moment I stepped into the Asia School of Business, something shifted. The energy was different. The conversations were alive with curiosity. I knew instantly that I was in a place that valued not just intelligence, but introspection. When I received the YTL Foundation Scholarship, it was more than financial support. It felt like validation that I was meant to be there.

What struck me most during my MBA journey was how learning became deeply personal. Professors at the Asia School of Business and MIT did not just teach frameworks. They challenged us to rethink how we lead, decide and connect. Leadership, I learned, is not about standing above others but beside them. It is the courage to listen, the discipline to pause, and the strength to admit when you do not have all the answers.

One of my most transformative experiences was the MIT Immersion. Being in a new environment surrounded by innovation and open thinking allowed me to step back and reflect. I realised that success is not about being the best in the room, but about creating space where others can thrive. Curiosity became my greatest teacher. It turned challenges into opportunities and failures into lessons.

Public speaking used to terrify me. As a leader, I often avoided stages and microphones. But at the Asia School of Business, communication was reframed not as performance but as responsibility. I began to understand that expressing ideas clearly and authentically is an act of respect for the work, the audience and oneself. Through coaching and reflection, I gradually found my voice. Today, I use that voice to mentor women entrepreneurs and advocate for inclusive business practices.

Balancing motherhood and studies taught me another vital lesson. Strength is not doing everything alone. It is accepting help, embracing collaboration and offering the same support in return. The friendships I formed with peers from across ASEAN reminded me that leadership transcends borders. Through Action Learning projects, I worked with organisations in Vietnam and collaborated with central bankers from the Master of Central Banking programme. These experiences grounded me in the region’s diversity and resilience.

I have always believed that Malaysia’s true strength lies in its inclusivity. At the Asia School of Business, that belief was reinforced daily. In every class, discussion and project, I saw how empathy and collaboration build better leaders and better societies.

Today, as CEO of CAFIA and founder of Be Noor Capital, I carry those lessons forward. Be Noor means “Be the Light,” and it has become my guiding philosophy. Leadership, to me, is no longer about visibility. It is about helping others to see their worth, their potential and their purpose.

My journey at the Asia School of Business was not a detour; it was a rediscovery. It taught me that the most powerful leaders are those who lead with humanity, curiosity and grace. As I continue mentoring and building, I no longer chase success. I seek meaning, and in doing so, I find fulfilment.

I have always been fascinated by systems. Engineering, to me, was not just about machines or mathematics; it was about how structure creates stability and how logic creates beauty. I loved how everything had a pattern, how every variable could be defined. Yet, as I advanced in my career, I began to sense that the world did not always work in such perfect equations. Systems failed. Markets fluctuated. People made irrational decisions. And the question that kept coming back to me was: how can technology serve humanity, not just efficiency?

That question was what led me to pursue an MBA at the Asia School of Business. I wanted to explore how technology and leadership could intersect to create real change. The experience was transformative. At the Asia School of Business, I learned to see uncertainty as a creative force, not an obstacle. The program challenged my thinking, teaching me that leadership is not about controlling outcomes but about enabling possibility. It was a space where I learned to lead with empathy, adaptability, and a sense of responsibility toward the future.

Later, I continued my studies at Yale, where I was immersed in an environment that valued intellectual curiosity and experimentation. It gave me the global lens to see how technology, policy, and ethics must evolve together. Both institutions taught me that progress is not linear. It is iterative, and it requires courage to challenge conventions.

My fascination with quantum computing began during this period. While developing AI-driven financial models, I encountered a clear limitation: traditional computing systems could not process the overwhelming complexity of financial markets in real time. Every second, millions of transactions and variables were interacting across economies, and the more data we collected, the less predictive our models became. It was a paradox of scale.

Then I discovered quantum computing. The idea that a system could process information across multiple states simultaneously felt like a new frontier of thought. Quantum technology does not

follow binary rules; it thrives in uncertainty. And I realized that finance, with all its chaos and unpredictability, is inherently quantum in nature.

This insight sparked the creation of QINST, my company dedicated to exploring how quantum computing can transform finance. Our mission is to design intelligent systems that empower better human decisions. I wanted to build something that would not only model financial outcomes faster but also provide deeper insight into how markets behave and why they move the way they do.

In our first pilot, we built a hybrid AI–quantum platform capable of analyzing thousands of portfolio configurations simultaneously. Within seconds, it produced optimized investment strategies that traditional models would have taken hours to compute – a 90x reduction in processing time. Watching that system in action felt like witnessing the future unfold in real time. It was not just about speed; it was about a new way of seeing patterns within complexity.

Since then, we have collaborated with banks, insurers, and academic researchers to test real-world applications. The potential impact is enormous. From predicting systemic risks to designing more resilient financial networks, quantum computing could help build systems that are not only more efficient but also more sustainable and transparent.

Yet, the more I explore this frontier, the more I understand that innovation is not purely technical. It is deeply human. The question is no longer just what can we compute but what should we compute. This ethical dimension is something that my time at the Asia School of Business instilled in me. The School’s philosophy of combining analytical rigor with moral purpose continues to shape my work every day.

I believe the next decade will redefine how finance operates. Quantum systems will not replace human intelligence; they will expand it. Leaders who understand both technology and humanity will have the power to guide this transformation responsibly. Today, my research continues at the intersection of AI, quantum computing, and environmental innovation, where I’m building the next generation of decision-support systems that will enable institutions to model complex environmental risks, optimize resource allocation across continents, and accelerate the transition to a resilient global economy – work that Yale University and leading enterprises have recognized as essential to America’s technological leadership.

For me, this journey is not about chasing disruption for its own sake. It is about creating value with integrity. The quantum revolution will challenge our assumptions about risk, prediction, and control. But at its heart, it is also a reminder that uncertainty is not something to fear. It is the raw material of innovation.

And that, I believe, is where the future begins.