When you’ve spent most of your career in one market, it’s easy to assume Martech challenges are universal. But move across regions, and suddenly familiar frameworks start to look very different.

That’s what struck me while talking to Teik Chua, now Head of AdTech & Audience at O2 Virgin Media, who previously worked across Southeast Asia with Accenture and other large consulting projects. Teik has seen Martech maturity through several lenses, from fast-moving experimentation in Asia to slower, highly structured transformation programs in Europe.

“Consulting gives you frameworks, but leading Martech in-house teaches you patience. You can’t just walk in and roll out a playbook. You have to learn how things really get done, who influences what, and where you can create small wins that build momentum.”

What stood out most was his calm, matter-of-fact way of describing those differences. In Asia, he said, “experimentation comes first, governance follows.” Teams are used to testing ideas quickly, adapting, and only formalizing processes once they’ve proven value. In contrast, European organizations tend to start with frameworks and control, often at the cost of momentum.

It reminded me of conversations I’ve had with enterprise teams here: everyone talks about agility, but very few are comfortable with the cultural discomfort that comes with it. Teik’s perspective quietly exposes that truth, that you can buy the same tools, but you can’t buy the same culture.

“Transformation is often described as a technology challenge, but really it’s about comfort with change. The systems can work; the question is whether the people feel safe enough to change how they work.”

We also spoke about how his time in consulting shaped his leadership style. Frameworks and methodologies are useful, he said, but only to a point. At O2 Virgin Media, the real challenge lies in applying those frameworks in an environment where legacy systems, historical roles, and organizational politics all intersect. That’s where patience and soft influence start to matter more than strategy decks.

There’s a subtle irony in the conversation: as Martech becomes more standardized globally, its success still depends on the most unstandardized variable — people. Teams that learn to listen across cultures, not just departments, tend to make Martech work better.

“Every market thinks it’s unique, but the core problems are the same: data quality, alignment, trust. What changes is how honest people are about it. In Asia, people talk about the mess openly. In Europe, it’s hidden behind slides.”

So this episode isn’t just about CDPs or transformation. It’s about learning to see beyond your own context and realizing that maturity isn’t a fixed destination, but a cultural posture.

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