Matilda Chong - Go Your Own Way

Singaporean businesswoman and Javanese royal Matilda Chong’s motivation, Zara Zhuang discovers, comes from proving naysayers wrong

- Zara Zhuang

"For a while, I was stereotyped as a spoilt brat who drives a Porsche, and likes to party and enjoy life,” Matilda Chong shares, recalling her early days in the family business. “‘Aiyah, she’s useless lah, she’ll just end up marrying a rich husband.’ Comments like that infuriated me.”

“I found that to be a strong driving force, because I didn’t want to be known as an incompetent fuerdai,” she adds, using the label for the stereotypically profligate offspring of self-made Chinese nouveau riche.

If only those critics could see her now. Today, Chong is the Executive Director of Lions of Asia Group, an investment management company founded by her Chinese-Indonesian father. It is involved in construction and property development, fire suppression and protection systems, and other sectors. She also serves as managing director of the group’s subsidiary Luke Alexander, one of the players making a mark on the fire suppression industry. This company, incorporated in late 2015 and named after her 10-year-old son, has gone on to exhibit internationally, such as at the Intersec global trade fair in Dubai in January.