Orchan Consulting | Asia Sdn Bhd

At Orchan, we’ve seen consulting at its best - and at its glossiest. Dirty Consultant is our no-nonsense series calling out the theatre, the buzzwords, and the shiny distractions that get in the way of real change. Because true consulting isn’t about polished decks or clever algorithms - it’s about rolling up sleeves, getting into the grit, and facing the messy human reality head-on. Change looks glamorous on stage. Keynote speakers talk about it with perfect slides, smooth metaphors, and big promises. But behind the curtain? Change is chaos. It’s messy conversations. It’s sleepless nights. It’s mistakes, do-overs, and awkward silences in meeting rooms. It’s resistance from people who don’t want their world turned upside down. Real change isn’t clean. It’s dirty. It’s uncomfortable. And it demands more than lip service and buzzwords. But here’s the thing: dirty doesn’t mean impossible. Dirty means real. And real is where transformation happens. At Orchan, we don’t shy ...

Back in 2020, I wrote about the tension between “change” and “evolve.” At the time, the big “C” dominated everything, and we were all asking ourselves: does real progress come from forcing change, or from allowing ourselves to evolve? I shared a simple anecdote then: a teenager insisting his parents had changed him, while they countered that he had simply evolved i.e., picking what to adopt, what to ignore, and how to apply it in his life. It stuck with me because it’s true beyond families: people rarely change because someone else tells them to. They evolve because the environment nudges them, and because they choose to. Fast forward to 2025. Different buzzwords, different fires to put out... but the same question is playing out on a much bigger stage. Do we change, or do we evolve? Change is noisier than ever In Southeast Asia, the forces of change are everywhere: AI disruptions  -- Malaysian SMEs are racing to plug in tools, while Singapore is already regulating usage. T...

At Orchan, we’ve seen consulting at its best - and at its glossiest. Dirty Consultant is our no-nonsense series calling out the theatre, the buzzwords, and the shiny distractions that get in the way of real change. Because true consulting isn’t about polished decks or clever algorithms - it’s about rolling up sleeves, getting into the grit, and facing the messy human reality head-on. Data is sexy. Dashboards glow. Algorithms hum. Today’s consultants sell you the dream: “real-time insights” into how your people feel. Red dots for disengaged. Green dots for high performers. Charts that promise to decode human behaviour. But here’s the problem. People aren’t data points. They’re messy. Irrational. Emotional. And no algorithm in the world can tell you what it feels like to drag yourself into a night shift after a 90-minute commute. Numbers tell you what . But only people tell you why . When consultants replace empathy with algorithms, they miss the heartbeat of the organisation....

At Orchan, we’ve seen consulting at its best - and at its glossiest. Dirty Consultant is our no-nonsense series calling out the theatre, the buzzwords, and the shiny distractions that get in the way of real change. Because true consulting isn’t about polished decks or clever algorithms - it’s about rolling up sleeves, getting into the grit, and facing the messy human reality head-on. Some consultants think their job is to build slides. Endless slides. Perfectly formatted, pixel-perfect decks. Buzzwords stacked higher than the Petronas Towers. Slide 12: Vision. Slide 27: Mission. Slide 43: Engagement Strategy. Slide 89: "Key Takeaways.” By the time they’re done, your people are asleep - or worse, politely nodding while thinking about lunch. Because here’s the problem: No slide has ever fixed a culture issue. No chart has ever built trust. No bullet point has ever sparked a movement. Real change doesn’t live in PowerPoint. It lives in conversations. It lives in unc...

When you search “best PR agency in Malaysia ,” you’ll find endless lists, awards, and glossy websites. Every agency claims to be the most creative, the most connected, or the most “integrated.” But the truth is: the best PR agency for your brand depends on more than hype or a clever tagline. At its core, public relations is about trust, reputation, and relationships. Choosing the right partner can make the difference between a campaign that fades after a press release, and one that builds lasting credibility. So, how do you separate the buzz from the substance? 1. Look Beyond the Hype A slick website or big client logos don’t tell the full story. Ask: What measurable impact did the agency deliver for those clients? Are there long-term relationships, or just one-off projects? Do they have sector-specific experience (e.g., fintech , lifestyle, NGOs) that matches your needs? The best PR partners don’t just chase headlines. They help you build brand equity over time. 2. Test Their Crisis...

At Orchan, we’ve seen consulting at its best - and at its glossiest. Dirty Consultant is our no-nonsense series calling out the theatre, the buzzwords, and the shiny distractions that get in the way of real change. Because true consulting isn’t about polished decks or clever algorithms; it’s about rolling up sleeves, getting into the grit, and facing the messy human reality head-on. Are you a dirty consultant? She was. Back then, she didn’t sit behind a shiny desk. She pulled night shifts. She rode shotgun with truckers. She sweated it out in the warehouse. She asked the tough questions: to managers in ties, and to workers in boots. She refused to give advice until she knew what the advice meant for the people who had to live with it. That was consulting. Now? Consultants stroll in polished and perfect. Designer suits. Fresh slides. Laptops glowing like neon signs. They sell “platforms” and “solutions” and “engagement dashboards.” But they won’t get their hands di...

Reinvention Part III - The Reinvention Formula Following on from the Six Deadly Blindfolds, The Reinvention Formula looks closely at what is important to factor in to change within an organisation, and to what extend various organisational level factors influence the opportunity for growth and development. When this notion was first presented to me by the authors of Reinvention: Accelerating Results in the Age of Disruption , like with much of what they were saying, it struck a chord and resonated with my own thinking. I may not be perfect at embracing all that was said, but I do recognise how, over time, each and every influencing factor has been important, and upon reflection, see where I could have done things better. Hindsight is always a valuable tool, but foresight, and the ability to really hone in on what is important, is even more so. By sharing Cragun and Sweetman’s reinvention Formula, I hope that I can open you your reflection on changes within your orga...

Six Deadly Blindfolds (Reinvention II) We are all guilty! We are guilty of not seeing the bigger picture. We are guilty of sweeping something under the carpet because it is easier than tackling head on. Whether it be clouding (external forces) or our own distractions (internal forces), this ‘missing the point’ can result in decision-makers making ill-informed choices. We need to address the very real blindspots in our decision-making processes. From that point, we see in a clearer fashion, the reality of circumstances, and can make informed, intelligent decisions to move forward to the next level. At the launch of “Reinvention: Acceletating Results in the Age of Disruption” by Shane Cragun and Kate Sweetman, Kate spent time highlighting the Six Deadly Blindfolds that impact upon entrepreneurs, managers and decision-makers. These resonated strongly with the entire audience, as we all recognized that at some stage along our managerial career path, we have been gu...

Reinvention Revisited Regardless professional manager or entrepreneur, it is always good for us to take a step back to reframe ourselves and our business, and to experience what we do through a fresh lens. On my part, I regularly attend book launches, listen to interesting and inspirational speakers, and read up on the latest business dialogue through the many informative and relevant portals available. Not that recently, but certainly stuck in my memory, I had the good fortune to attend a book launch in Kuala Lumpur. The authors were not Malaysian, nor to be honest, was any of the content. But, it struck a chord – offering fresh insight into the interactions I have every day, and with respect to the advice we as a business give to our valued clients. What was enjoyable about the launch was not the content of the book per se, but the delight of the principal author in delivering her presentation. A seasoned pro, the author stepped it up a notch and de...

Let’s face it: the world of work has been flipped upside down. The pandemic didn’t just throw a spanner in the works - it dumped the whole toolbox into the ocean. Old-school “command and control” leadership? Sinks like a rock. Top-down management? Wiped out. What’s keeping organisations afloat right now isn’t clinging to old ways - it’s learning how to surf the waves of change. And here’s the thing: without a coaching culture, you’re just paddling furiously, hoping not to wipe out. At Orchan, we’ve seen firsthand, in our own team and with clients, that empowerment doesn’t just happen. It takes guidance, experimentation, and yes, a few wipeouts along the way. But when coaching is part of the culture, people don’t just survive the tides - they ride them. The Surfboard of Success Think of resilience, adaptability, and sustainability as the wax, the balance, and the fins. Each is crucial, but without the surfboard - coaching - you’re not going anywhere. Resilience : the wax that keeps yo...

It doesn’t take much. One employee. One “innocent” post. One opinion too far. Next thing you know - it’s blowing up online. Offense taken. Screenshots shared. Keyboard warriors in full attack mode. Even if your employee deletes it, too late - the internet never forgets. And now the mob has tracked them back to you , their employer. Suddenly, your brand is in the firing line. PMs roll in. Hashtags trend. A campaign starts to pressure you into action. What started as their personal post has become your PR nightmare. So, what do you do? That’s exactly what we unpacked in Orchan’s recent Safe Social workshop . We dug into: How to create ethical, practical social media guidelines that actually work. How to empower employees to pause before they post. How to shield your brand when online crises come knocking. Because this isn’t about stifling voices. It’s about protecting reputations. And in today’s climate, that’s survival. At Orchan, we don’t do dusty, forgotten policy PD...