30 Years in Asia.
Consulting and Training.
The Sigma methodology is not just built on extensive research. Every framework is supported by direct experience — with companies across Asia in real boardrooms, real negotiations, and real transformations across several Asian markets over three decades by the founder, a former University Professor and CEO of a leading Asia-based consultancy.
University of Oxford
Sigma and Cross-cultural Business in Asia
Born in the UK, Brendan first arrived in Asia in 1988, where he toured China and worked in Japan for 2 years, getting his first taste of the Pacific Century. After graduating with an MBA from Manchester Business School, he worked as an Associate Professor and Head of Business Studies at Gyosei College, UK, a new Japanese college affiliated with Reading University and City University, UK, designing and teaching the undergraduate and graduate business curricula from scratch. Five years lecturing and researching at Ph.D level gave him the analytical foundation. Asian market experience has given him the smarts to understand complex cross-cultural and commercial environments.
Brendan has 30-years in the commercial and organisational reality of Japan, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia: a graduate of the EU Executive Training Programme, including 6 months at Dentsu, Japan, his experience covers roles as senior brand consultant at Interbrand Japan, working across airlines, automotive, B2B, fmcg, and financial services; Head of Branding client-side at Hong Kong’s flagship telcom, PCCW, — Hong Kong’s most visible corporate identity project; CEO at FutureBrand Japan from a standing start, establishing full P&L ownership and achieving profitability in year one; COO and Chairman, turning around Diamond Agency (Director of Media, Apollo Investment Group).
In 2008, Brendan founded Taosquare Group Limited in Hong Kong, a brand and marketing intelligence company and partnered with Smoothweb as Director, an award-winning B2B solutions company. Taosquare now has a Solutions Lab building and launching applied-AI products. The company that runs Sigma Mentoring as its dedicated training brand.
The Sigma framework models such as the Governance Gap, the Asian Change Architecture, the Resistance Typology, have been developed from consulting and training across seven markets, over three decades.
From Classroom to Boardroom to Curriculum
A career that has progressed from academic programme design through the highest-stakes business and brand consultancies in Asia, into company building and applied AI — supported by teaching at Oxford.
NowHong Kong
NowOxford
2025Hong Kong
2008Tokyo
2005Tokyo
2001Hong Kong
2000Tokyo
1997Reading, UK
The Field Experience
Meets Oxford Rigour.
Brendan’s collaboration with Hertford College, University of Oxford is the recognition that the frameworks developed through 30 years of Asian field experience meet the standard of one of the world’s leading academic institutions.
Since 2019, Brendan has delivered international programmes at Hertford College to visiting university and graduate cohorts from across Asia and Europe. The Sigma frameworks, simulations and course content are used in the International Programme at Hertford College.
Sigma’s Oxford Pathway extends this connection to its training participants. Programme graduates are invited to a residential programme at Hertford College applying the Sigma curriculum in the most intensive cross-cultural environment Sigma can provide.
The Wider Portfolio
Sigma Mentoring is the Taosquare training brand and sits within a wider network of activities that span applied AI, media publishing, and creative work. Each one supports the other.
30 Years in Asia.
Applied to Your Organisation.
Whether you are building a leadership programme for a cohort, exploring a specific Sigma programme for your own development, or interested in bringing students to Oxford, every engagement begins with a direct conversation with Brendan.
