Venessa Wong, Director of Business Development
The Board of Directors is a fundamental part of the Chamber and a big reason for its success. As so, we wanted to get to know them better and this time we met with Venessa Wong, a member of the Board since 2021.
Hi Venessa! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?
Hi! I am the regional director of Scania, responsible for the commercial operations in Hong Kong and Southern China (Macau, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hainan, Guangxi). At the moment our business in Southern China mainly focus on the Greater Bay Area and Fujian, Jiangxi. In Hong Kong, we are also the importer for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, as most of you probably know Scania is part of the Traton Group within the Volkswagen family. Previously I worked at the distributor of Scania in Indonesia for many years. I am originally from Malaysia but my husband is Indonesian and both of us have been living in many parts of the world, but now we call Hong Kong our home! Time really flies, we've been living almost 4 years in Hong Kong now...
As the Regional Director of Scania, one of Sweden’s biggest exports, what would you say it is like working with a large Swedish brand in Hong Kong and southern China?
Scania is a 130 years old company, and therefore our culture is very strong. I always stick to our company’s core values like Customer First, Respect for the Individual, Elimination of Waste no matter where I work, and I manage the team in a Scania Way. We have to adapt to the local culture as well and a lot of my work is really about finding the balance in this with our employees, customers and partners, while managing the company’s performance.
What made you engage in SwedCham?
I was very active in different chambers of commerce when I was working in Indonesia and it was a very good platform for the business community to connect with the government, expand its network and to meet potential customers. I would really like to explore what I can contribute to SwedCham as a board member and bring those experiences I had in Indonesia to Hong Kong that can benefit our members here.
According to you, what is the greatest benefit of being a member of the Chamber?
As I mentioned before, my experience has been that SwedCham is a very good platform for the business community to connect with the government, to expand its network and to meet potential customers. The experience for me to be part of the local business community at that time was amazing, since I met with potential customers, closed deals, learned new knowledge and made long lasting friendships.
What do you wish to achieve as a Board Member in SwedCham?
I would like to provide my personal experiences, together with my takeaways from Scania, to help drive the local business community, provide different insights to relevant industries and ultimately make positive impacts here in Hong Kong.
"...SwedCham is a very good platform for the business community to connect with government, expand network and meet potential customers."
Finally, when you aren’t working, do you have a hidden gem in Hong Kong you like to visit?
I live a very simple life, I both work and live in the Hong Kong Science Park haha! I really think it is a hidden gem and I highly recommend everyone to bring their family and pets, come down here to relax, cycling, running, swimming in the sea or explore the many nearby hiking spots! And of course, you never have to worry about what to eat in this area, there are a lot of good restaurants here too!
Hong Kong Science Park seen from above.
Source: Wikipedia.org
