From Interior Designer to COO: How Creative Roots Power Karen Calalec's Leadership Journey

What does it take to go from an interior designer to regional COO? In this episode, host Edward Musiak, CMO of Paperspace Asia, sits down with Karen Calalec, COO of Paperspace Asia, to unpack her journey from interior design to entrepreneurship—and now leading cross-border operations. Learn how she bridges cultural differences, scales teams across Southeast Asia, and uses design thinking to drive operational excellence. At Paperspace Asia, we are award-winning strategists who design offices into thriving workplaces, driven by data-backed employee insights.We are located in Singapore, Bangkok, and Manila. Book a meeting with us: https://paperspace.asia/book-a-meeting/Follow us on social media:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/paperspaceasia/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paperspaceasia/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@paperspaceasia Visit our website: https://www.paperspace.asia/ About the Podcast:'Where Strategy Meets Design' is a leadership podcast that explores how workplace design drives business success across Southeast Asia. In each episode, industry leaders and workplace experts from Paperspace Asia discuss pressing business challenges faced by different sectors. Through real case studies and expert insights, we reveal how strategic workplace design can transform organisational pain points into opportunities for innovation, talent retention, and competitive advantage.