Women in Wealth: Asia Spotlight - Kay Vasey

I never listened to podcasts before last year when I started regularly walking outside and cycling indoors. Since finding the Mel Robbins podcast, I feel like I have grown as a person. I am more in tune with my nutritional needs and how to navigate the challenges of being a peri-menopausal woman; I am more aware of how to address deep-rooted issues stemming from my childhood trauma; and I am more confident dealing with difficult people. Her ‘Let Them’ theory has given me a new perspective on life that I didn’t even know I needed, and it has greatly improved my overall outlook and the way that I view my life in the context of others.  

Personally, I feel this deeply. As a lawyer, I come from the world of words. Without maths being a strong point, I have always viewed “the finances” with some sense of trepidation. Coupled with having a husband who is highly adept at managing the finances, my own knowledge and understanding of how to approach this topic is woefully low. I know there is now a lot of good advice out there, for example from Vestpod; however, I still need to make time in my busy schedule to focus on “the finances” and that’s not something I currently have easily available to me. 

Context is key. I would currently love to know more about specific areas that would be genuinely helpful in my life as a busy working mother. For example, how to talk to your kids about the value of money and what they should spend their pocket money on; or how to make a savings plan for a dream trip. Not having a great grasp of finance was detrimental to the seven years I spent as an entrepreneur. I was constantly worried about whether or not we had enough money to pay for the salaries – we were always fine – but there were countless sleepless nights that need not have happened if I had had a better grasp of the balance sheet. 

Leaving my legal career in 2017 to become an entrepreneur and start a creative technology studio and non-profit foundation. MeshMinds was a huge leap away from everything I had ever known – working in law firms or for The British Council – and so suddenly being in charge of my own destiny everyday was equal parts exciting and terrifying. Thankfully, due to my legal training, I was able to navigate and enter into several successful partnerships, such as with the United Nations Environment Programme; Apple and Meta, and in doing so, grew the team to 14 and even won some awards along the way! I was selected to meet the then Prince Charles, and later the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, and was even invited to speak at the United Nations Headquarters in Bangkok. It was a leap of faith that turned out to be the best decision I ever made and I have been reaping the rewards ever since, both in terms of growth as a person and the opportunities it has offered me. 

Absolutely! Even at 45, it is something I am still learning how to deal with. I felt it most keenly when I was under 40, walking into high-level meetings and not feeling as confident as I wanted to, which I now know stemmed from fears that I was carrying with me since I was a child. Deep-rooted feelings of inadequacy – never being good enough compared with my siblings, and always being the ‘problem-child’ that was “too sensitive” led me to having a dim view of myself in unfamiliar situations. Since turning 40, I have been working on myself a lot more: educating myself about how to build self-confidence, practising daily gratitude, and learning how to let things go. I also consulted with a professional coach who made me realise and understand where the feelings of being an imposter came from and how to manage them with a forward-looking plan that made me feel more sure of myself. I have also seen a therapist who has helped me through regression and relaxation techniques to deal with negative thoughts as and when they arise. Healers live amongst us – if you are struggling, there are many ways – in the real and online world – to embark on your journey towards a better sense of yourself. 

Being invited to present at the SEA of Solutions Conference at the United Nations Headquarters in Bangkok in 2019. I showcased CleanSeas AR, our augmented reality experience about marine plastic pollution, in front of over 300 delegates from across the Southeast Asia region, covering government bodies, business leaders, scientists, UN agencies and community groups. It felt amazing to share that we had reached more than 10,000 people across 78 countries in just one month – a significant achievement when compared with their more traditional methods of outreach. 

I was also able to share the success of our ‘Everyone Can Create: CleanSeas’ workshops for more than 200 children and parents that we were later invited to give at the Apple store on Orchard Road, when Tim Cook was visiting Singapore, which comes a close second to my list of proudest moments! 

Outside of work, I am very passionate about the ocean. My dad was a submarine engineer in the Royal Navy and growing up in Brunei, we would regularly go to the beach where I would imagine what it must have been like to live a life on the ocean wave. I have always been fascinated by deep sea creatures and am amazed that 95% of our ocean remains unexplored. I was recently very lucky to be onboard OceanX to take part in the first-ever immersive media experts hackathon where we conceptualised and created prototypes for experiences focused on increasing ocean literacy. The ocean is our planet’s lungs, generating approximately 50% of the Earth's oxygen. We must all work together to protect our oceans from pollution, acidification and warming. I invite everyone to watch (PLASTIK), my multi-award-winning microshort film about marine litter, which was selected for showcasing by the UN Environment Programme for World Environment Day 2022. 

There is absolutely no need to be so self-conscious – what you will realise as you get older is that people are more often so wrapped up in themselves that they are not judging you in the way that you may think they are. Go forth, be confident in your own skin, and use your creativity and intelligence to add value to the people around you and our planet. 

Mentorship is hugely important in anyone’s professional growth. I have been fortunate enough to have had a handful of mentors over the years who have helped me to work through professional and personal challenges. One who stands out in particular is the incredible Brad Theobald, who encouraged me to try my hand at switching from aviation to tech law, leaning on my experience as an entrepreneur. Having someone give me opportunities to learn and grow and also guide me through various career paths since then has been invaluable. He is extremely well-read and offers brilliant advice using relatable quotes from literature that often contain metaphors, which help me to interpret his advice and put it into action in my life. 

For the past nine months, I have been Head of Youth and Family at k-ID, an online safety platform that powers age-appropriate digital experiences by making it easy for any online service to recognise and respond to user age – wherever they are on the planet. It is a solution devised by a very clever bunch of lawyers and software engineers who want to provide a simple way to navigate compliance regulations and ensure online experiences are safe by design. Over the next six months, k-ID is being integrated with some huge gaming studios and social media platforms that my kids know and love well. So, I am very excited to be part of the team making the online world safer and more inclusive for them, their friends and every kid around the world. Stay tuned!