Vistage Malaysia’s 25th Anniversary 2019

I first had the pleasure of meeting Richard  Wong and the team running Vistage Malaysia  in 2015, shortly after I joined Vistage.

It immediately became clear to me why it had been strongly suggested that I include a stop in Kuala Lumpur as early as possible in my initial visits to our international operations. Here was a business that was thriving, exemplifying Vistage’s values of Trust, Caring , Challenge and Growth, and here  was a leader who was not only a successful entrepreneur  and businessman, but also a highly respected Vistage Chair, epitomising those values, and dearly loved by his staff and members . I remember the few days I spent with Richard and his team vividly.

Richard’s track record spoke for itself, but it was his energy and drive to  do something different, of importance and enduring value, at the age of 50, at a time when his colleagues might have been more focused on their long term incentive plans (LTPs) and pensions, that really impressed those at TEC. The company’s leaders at that time recognised what those of us fortunate enough to know him now see clearly day in, day out –  his absolute commitment to Vistage ‘s core purpose, to help CEOs and business leaders make the  great decisions that will help  their companies, families and communities.

He himself sets an outstanding example as a Chair, as attested by the fact that he was named Vistage’s 2017 Don Cope Award winner –  the highest honour that can be attained by any Chair in the  global Vistage community –  at our annual Chair World Conference in 2018. The list of his local accolades is too long to mention, but as a testament  to his leadership, he was able to persuade his CEO group (average age 52 and at diverse fitness level) to join him on a trek to Everest Base Camp in 2018 to challenge their self-limiting beliefs and encourage them to broaden their horizons.  Laying down and joining in such a challenge is so typical of Richard, and the culture of aspiring always to do better that he has engendered in the Vistage Malaysia community.

Vistage Malaysia 25^th Anniversary Book