TGS Asia Pacific: Building a community, not just a network

TGS Talks Podcast | Asia Pacific: Building a community, not just a network Recorded June 4, 2026Andrew sits down with Mikail, Managing Partner of TGS AU Partners Indonesia and TGS Global Board Member and Regional Leader for Asia Pacific. With over a decade in the network Mikail is one of TGS's longest-serving members and the driving force behind the Asia Pacific regional strategy. The conversation is a thoughtful look at what it takes to build a professional network in the most diverse economic region on earth.What We CoverAsia Pacific can't be treated as one market. Mikail is clear-eyed about the most common mistake global networks make: assuming that what worked in Europe or North America can simply be transplanted to Asia. From China to Japan, Indonesia to Australia and the Pacific Islands, each market has its own business culture, regulatory environment and client expectations. The one common thread? Relationships come before transactions.A different kind of conferenceThe upcoming TGS Asia Pacific retreat in Bali is deliberately breaking from the traditional conference format. Rather than filling the room with presentations and slides, the Bali event is designed around dialogue, mindful conversation and connection. It also includes business executives alongside accounting professionals. The goal is not to leave with more information, but to leave with commitments, decisions and a stronger community.The rally car analogyMikail has a memorable way of thinking about AI and the pace of change: a rally car driver needs a co-pilot not because the technology can't map the road, but because judgment, when to brake, when to accelerate,  is still irreplaceable. That judgment is what keeps accounting professionals relevant, and it's exactly what clients are paying for.Mikail said yes to leading the regionHis answer is characteristically generous: it wasn't one moment, it was the accumulation of conversations, with Andrew, with former TGS president, Marc Desjardins, with members, with clients, that made the opportunity clear. The role of regional leader, as he describes it, isn't about being the person at the top. It's about being part of a group moving in the same direction with the same energy.The message to anyone considering BaliIf you're wondering how AI will change your profession, how to stay relevant over the next five to ten years, or simply whether you're the only one feeling the pace of change, you're not alone. Bali won't hand you all the answers, but it will connect you with the right community to work through the questions together.The TGS Asia Pacific retreat takes place in Bali, July 2026.Contact the TGS Asia Pacific team if you would like to participate. [email protected] for our other TGS events on TGSU:https://tgs-global.com/tgs-u/Contact Andrew Directly:[email protected] with Andrew on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmenzies/TGS Websitehttps://tgs-global.com/