“Very early on in my career, I achieved the kind of success that was unimaginable. And I thought, is this it?” reflects Kristie Lu Stout. An award-winning anchor and correspondent for CNN, based in Hong Kong, Lu Stout reports on major news stories, such as US-China relations, AI advancements and the aftermath of extreme climate events in Asia. Her work has been recognised through several nominations for the News and Documentary Emmy Awards and other accolades, including Best News or Current Affairs Presenter at the Asian Academy Creative Awards in 2018.

In journalism, she finds fulfilment: not in the glamour of being on camera but in the privilege of storytelling; and she thrives under pressure, believing that a bit of stress actually sharpens the mind. “As journalists, we have this opportunity to engage with a wide audience and to change people’s lives through storytelling,” she says. “But we live in a world that praises people who are on screen or who have a verified tick next to their name on social media. It’s very easy to become a self-absorbed narcissist—we have to resist that.”

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Sejal Budholiya is impatient. 

It’s a trait that has served her well in her fascinating life story—a story that proves how thinking outside the box comes naturally when you refuse to be defined by limitations. 

“Many people view science and the arts as separate fields, but I see them as complementary forces,” says the 24-year-old avionics analysis engineer at Collins Aerospace. “Balancing my passion for engineering with my lifelong training as a dancer and artist has taught me to think beyond traditional boundaries and approach problem-solving from unique perspectives.”   

Budholiya’s career journey to date has spanned mechanical engineer, artist, designer, dancer, author and entrepreneur. She is also a member of The Space Generation Advisory Council, an international network promoting space sustainability and research.

Read more: Aradhita Parasrampuria’s mission to transform fashion: Bridging biotechnology and design for a sustainable future

Gen Z—the largest generation in history—is projected to have a spending power of US$12 trillion by 2030, according to a report from global marketing research firm NielsenIQ (NIQ).

Growing up as digital natives in a world grappling with mounting climate change and social inequalities has profoundly influenced their interests and behaviours, such as how they consume news and purchase products.

In December, The Z Label, a Hong Kong venture-backed startup specialising in consumer products for Gen Z, published a report highlighting the defining characteristics of this tech-savvy generation in Asia.

Read more: Gen Z is anxious about climate change. What can the rest of us do?

In partnership with Ooopen Lab, an online gamification platform part of the information design consulting firm Re:lab in Taiwan, they surveyed over 4,000 individuals born between 1997 and 2012, primarily from Malaysia, India, Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia.

Below are five compelling insights that could assist you in strategising for your upcoming campaign or product launch in 2025.

Read more: Grammy-winning musician Laufey carved an unconventional career out of her dream, and she’s bringing it to Asia

Ten years ago, the three of us—Black Sheep Restaurants founder Syed Asim Hussain, New York chef and restaurateur Mario Carbone and me—sat on one of the maroon banquettes in Carbone Hong Kong. Much of the restaurant was still a construction site, just weeks from its grand opening.

At the time, Carbone was a year into running his eponymous restaurant on Thompson Street in New York’s Greenwich Village; it has since become a celebrity hotspot and one of the hardest tables to book in Manhattan. Hussain, who had just four restaurants under his belt then, now operates more than 35 and is on the brink of taking the Black Sheep brand global.

Last November, we found ourselves in conversation again, in the same space—older and ever so slightly wiser; except this time, it was days away from Carbone Hong Kong’s tenth anniversary. “Ten years is not nothing,” says Hussain, “especially in cities like Hong Kong and New York, cities that are obsessed with newness. So this is a legacy that I’m very proud of.”

In those ten years, Carbone Hong Kong has become what Hussain describes as a “phenomenon”; a place of unashamed opulence where neanderthal-sized cuts of spectacular-quality meat are served, Caesar salad is made tableside with warm garlic bread croutons, two types of anchovies and three types of cheese, and animated staff break into song multiple times per night—so much so that if you visit enough, you too will know the lyrics to Tanti Auguri, the Italian version of Happy Birthday, off by heart.

Read more:Tatler Dining’s Restaurateur of the Year Syed Asim Hussain on Black Sheep Restaurants’ secret to achieve longevity in Hong Kong