About Scott Coates

Scott has lived/worked in Asia since 1999 when he moved to Thailand to co-found specialized luxury travel company Smiling Albino, which he successfully sold his ownership of in 2013 to pursue a career in training and leadership.

A lifelong learner, in 2011, he spent five-months as a Fellow in the Asia Pacific Leadership Program at the East-West Center in Hawaii, which sent him on a new journey, eventually joining EXO Travel as their Director of People Development. There, he was responsible for identifying, designing, and delivering training programs for EXO\'s 940+ team members at 26 offices in 10 countries. Developing HR policy and strategy, working on succession planning and employee engagement, were also major focuses, while managing HR teams across the region.

Scott has a strong interest in employee fulfillment, happiness and community engagement. Over the years he’s managed multiple community outreach programs in Asia, and has worked as a Team Building Consultant for such clients as AstraZeneca, BP, HSBC and Tetra Pak. He’s written for publications around the world, cycled to Mount Everest Base Camp (Tibet), runs half-marathons, and maintains a travel podcast (www.talktravelasia.com).