Hugh Purser has had a career working in many countries in Asia, and for nearly two decades lived in Singapore, India and Japan. His professional life has spanned the public, private and academic sectors, from the investment industry to technology commercialisation. He met co-author William Reed in 1986 in Tokyo and quickly became his student both in Aikido and Shodo – and a lifelong friend. Hugh occasionally lectures on a variety of subjects including entrepreneurship, business plan preparation and pitching, and geopolitical issues. The use of poetry in some of these lectures has come as a surprise to many in the audience.