"By 30, my career looked ideal on paper, but I couldn't ignore the pull to create something of my own. When I was studying international management at the University of Manchester, I spent a year abroad in Hong Kong. That experience opened my eyes to Asia's pace and possibilities, and I knew I wanted to be part of it. In 2016, two years after graduating, I joined AB InBev's Asia Pacific headquarters in Shanghai."
"But inside, I felt married to a single corporate identity. The path ahead was predictable - move back to the Americas and climb higher into the corporate ranks. It would have been a safe choice, but it wasn't what I wanted. I kept coming back to the same question: What would it look like to start something of my own, without the safety net?"
Yann Schuermans left a rapid corporate trajectory at AB InBev despite external success because he wanted to start something of his own. He studied international management at the University of Manchester and spent a year in Hong Kong, which drew him to Asia. He rose quickly at AB InBev, holding senior regional roles before finding the path ahead too predictable. He moved to Singapore in 2021 to join a hyper-growth startup and in 2022 co-founded Baskit with his wife, Yoonjung Yi. Baskit survived VC rejections, near-visa loss, and months without pay before finding product-market fit in Indonesia. He learned there is never a perfect time to leap and prioritized adaptation.
Read at Business Insider
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