# Protecting What Matters: From Global Brand Leadership to Vancouver’s Top Restaurant w/ Richard Mah

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-strategy-and-leadership-podcast-with-anthony-c-taylor-325713/protecting-what-matters-from-global-brand-leadership-to-vancouver-s-top-restaurant-w-richard-mah
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-strategy-and-leadership-podcast-with-anthony-c-taylor-325713/protecting-what-matters-from-global-brand-leadership-to-vancouver-s-top-restaurant-w-richard-mah.md
Podcast: [The Strategy and Leadership Podcast with Anthony C. Taylor](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-strategy-and-leadership-podcast-with-anthony-c-taylor-325713)
Published: 2026-02-17T20:11:42+00:00
Episode link: https://episode.flightcast.com/ooq4sf2q95x2ctqncl2x6hqu.mp3
Audio file: https://episode.flightcast.com/ooq4sf2q95x2ctqncl2x6hqu.mp3
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Duration seconds: 1540

## Resource

In a business world driven by growth targets, dashboards, and scale, leaders are often told that expansion is the ultimate measure of success. But what if the real challenge isn’t scaling bigger, it’s protecting what matters? In this episode of the Strategy and Leadership Podcast, host Anthony Taylor sits down with Richard Mah, former Global Head of Digital Marketing at ASICS and now steward of Northern Cafe and Grill, a family-run Vancouver diner that has served its community since 1949. With more than 20 years of experience leading digital teams across Asia, aligning global markets, and building performance-driven platforms, Richard has lived the world of multi-million-dollar budgets, executive reporting, and international KPIs. Today, he applies that same strategic thinking to a deeply local, human-centered business. Richard shares what it was like to build digital infrastructure from scratch at ASICS, break down data silos across regions, and align diverse markets around a single performance dashboard. He reflects on the realities of leading inside hierarchical organizations, earning executive buy-in, and balancing global strategy with local cultural nuance. The conversation then shifts from corporate boardrooms to brunch service. Richard explains why he chose to return to Vancouver and join his family at Northern Cafe and Grill, a 1949 diner that has since been named Yelp’s Top Place to Eat in Canada. Rather than chasing rapid expansion, Richard and his family focus on consistency, community, and care. They listen closely to guests, protect the legacy of the brand, and modernize thoughtfully without losing the soul of the business. Anthony and Richard explore the tension between efficiency and hospitality, innovation and stewardship, and scaling versus sustaining.…

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