What happens when a Dow Jones GM builds her leadership on trust, not tech

“How They See It” is where we delve into the minds of those shaping the future of today’s most dynamic companies. In this instalment, we speak with Elayne Gan, general manager for APAC at Dow Jones. She reflects on leading with empathy in a region defined by complexity, why diversity is a competitive edge in innovation, and how trust, emotional intelligence, and cultural fluency are vital to shaping resilient, human-centred organisations in a rapidly evolving landscape.

“I remember the time I spent with my mother in her office over the weekends. She was a career woman, always impeccably dressed, precise in her words. Her tone was decisive, but never unkind. I’d sit on a worn swivel chair by her desk, watching her navigate meetings and manage people with calm, unwavering poise.

And people listened, because she commanded their respect. She was authentic and kind to everyone, regardless of their roles.

I think a lot about those weekends now that I have children of my own, and a job that often takes me away from home. At dinner, I ask my kids about their day, even though it’s a struggle to get them to elaborate beyond ‘everything’s fine’.

Still, I persist. I believe it’s essential to actively participate in my family’s lives, primarily through shared experiences like these.

As general manager for APAC at Dow Jones, I stand at the intersection of business, people, and innovation. It’s a role that demands both strategic foresight and deep cultural fluency. Just operating as a leader in Asia doesn’t automatically grant me a complete understanding of the region’s complex landscape, nor does it inherently provide me a comprehensive grasp of every local nuance and cultural difference.

Leading here means striking a balance between global ambition and local empathy.

This is where diversity stops being a slogan and starts being an advantage. The richness of perspectives across APAC helps us ideate and problem-solve, enhance decision-making, and strengthen our products and offerings.

It’s what drives our success, elevates our business performance, and enriches our workplace. Diversity provides APAC a unique edge in designing more inclusive solutions, especially where localisation and empathy are critical.

My leadership, too, has shifted over the years. I used to think it was about having the answers. Now I know it’s about creating the conditions for others to ask the right questions.

My role is to make the conditions for others to thrive — by building trust, removing friction and encouraging experimentation. This way, we can bring together passionate talents from a variety of different functions, seniority and countries to ensure our approach is future-ready.

In an era where AI has been transforming everything, especially the way we work, embracing the human side of leadership has never felt more urgent. Now, more than ever, emotional intelligence is non-negotiable. We often discuss technology, but I always return to the importance of trust. Trust is the currency that enables change.

When we first started exploring AI integration across Dow Jones, I could feel the apprehension ripple through our teams. So, we formed an internal AI committee in APAC, comprising individuals from various functions, countries, and backgrounds. The goal wasn’t to dictate; it was to challenge the status quo, share ideas and drive peer-led innovation. It’s still early days, but it’s already sparking new energy and creating a sense of shared ownership for where we go next with AI.

More than anything else, what brought me joy was seeing our grassroots idea come to life, and with it, the shift from apprehension to empowerment.

Of course, leadership in this region presents its unique challenges. Best practices across countries should, of course, be replicated; however, benchmarks like this can often be lost in translation or misinterpreted.

What works in one market can be wildly unsuccessful in another. There’s no shortcut around this. It takes time. It takes mistakes. It takes showing up again and again with the willingness to learn.

And then there’s the geopolitical uncertainty and volatility of the external landscape. Anticipating and staying ahead of ever-evolving regulations to counsel decision-makers is tough. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but I’ve always enjoyed the complexity of it all.

There’s a certain thrill in navigating chaos, in piecing together fragments of information and arriving at a clear path forward. I love the sense of achievement you get from problem-solving your way out of challenging situations!

When someone on my team, hesitant at first, takes a fledgling idea and brings it to life — that’s the reward. When collaboration clicks across time zones and disciplines, when experimentation turns into impact, when we move from doubt to possibility… Those are the moments that stay with me. 

It might be cliché, but I hope that I’ve inherited even a little bit of my mother’s ability to lead with authenticity. Her incredible work ethic, coupled with her ability to manage people and teams with poise and respect, truly left a lasting impression on me. Making room at the table for others is just one step in that direction. 

Ultimately, my job isn’t to have all the answers. It’s to create a space where others feel brave enough to search for theirs. A place where our personal differences are assets rather than obstacles.”