Azran Osman-Rani is an Ironman, triathlete, business builder and entrepreneur.
In between competing in dozens of marathons and a ton of triathlons, he has worked at a PayTV operator (Astro), a steel mill, a nuclear power plant, a stock exchange (Bursa Malaysia), built an airline from scratch until IPO (AirAsia X), and started a global internet video-on-demand service (IFlix).
He talks about the roots of his success, starting with his parents’ love of books, their encouraging him to speak up and speak out, later extending to his Stanford days, when his ‘Culture’ class at Stanford encouraged independent thinking, questioning accepted notions and the value of public discourse.
There are sensitive areas too, like Malaysia’s No.1 ranking on the Hofstede Power-Distance index: ie her blind acceptance of people in positions of authority and power — so how do leaders deal with it?
Drawing on his experiences in Booz Allen, McKinsey, AirAsiaX, Astro, IFlix and Bursa Malaysia, Azran also talks about his obsession with problem-solving and easing pain points in business.
Most inspiring, he talks about the importance of coming back from adversity when he was back competing in an Ironman triathlon just six months after being hit by a car while on a routine training ride in May 2018.
