Queenie_Chong

Queenie Chong

Queenie Chong

Bruneian businessperson and politician

In this Chinese name, the family name is Chong (莊).

Queenie Chong Chin Yee (Chinese: 莊靜宜; pinyin: Zhuāng Jìngyí) is a Bruneian businessperson and politician of Chinese descent who was among the members of Brunei's Legislative Council (LegCo) appointed in 2023.[1] She is the CEO and co-founder of the online legacy planner Memori. She was also chosen as the inaugural Bruneian recipient of the Edmund Hillary Fellowship (EHF).[2][3]

Quick Facts Yang Berhormat, Member of the Legislative Council ...

Early life and education

Queenie completed her undergraduate studies in economics at Monash University in Melbourne, and her master's degree in education at the University of Brunei Darussalam (UBD). She was a former government scholarship holder from Brunei and graduated with honours from the UBD's executive program in business.[4] She also completed DARe's Accelerate program, was instrumental in founding Startup Brunei, a venture development and business consulting firm that created the UnikLearn program's pilot to help impaired adolescents become more employable.[5] In 2018, she enrolled in the YSEALI Professional Fellowship in Seattle, US, and the YSEALI Impact eXL regional workshop in Indonesia.[6] She was the first Bruneian to be chosen as an EHF in 2020.[3]

Career

Business career

Queenie taught economics at Tutong Sixth Form Centre before starting her company,[7][8] and she left the Ministry of Education in 2018 because she thought that business was essential to boosting the nation's economy and generating jobs.[9] An online platform devoted solely to environmental issues and founding Startup Brunei, a venture capital firm that provides special chances to youth with disabilities via its affiliate, UnikLearn.[10] She is on the board of the ASEAN Young Women Entrepreneurs Club, the vice president of the Young Entrepreneur Association of Brunei, and a member of her community's Village Committee.[10] She was among the participants of the National Environment Conference, representing Beach Bunch in 2014.[11]

Memori

Members of an Asian royal family have contributed to Memori's second seed round of funding as it prepares for its August 2019 soft launch.[12] Memori, without an internet platform yet, raised B$158,000 (US$100,000) from 113 Venture Growth Fund. The company wants to develop into a one-stop shop for online legacy management, offering convenient ways to get memorial services, insurance, and wills. She lost her grandparents, which gave her the inspiration for the company.[13]

Queenie won the Excellent Youth Award 2021 with her legacy planning business Memori, which has received two six-figure investment rounds and other local and regional honours. In 2021, she was known to be based in Singapore for a company incubation program. Memori then introduced another online platform, Mirath, which offers similarly reasonably priced will and donation planning services, to serve the Islamic market.[5]

UnikLearn

Ever since the launch of the UnikLearn program in June 2018, more companies have shown interest in hiring UnikLearn trainees as interns, including young people with autism. Queenie emphasised that for businesses to remain competitive and keep producing high-quality jobs for residents, industries must reorganise and business models must change. According to her, the problem is not a lack of jobs but rather a mismatch in skills. According to her, "our challenge is to ensure that no Bruneians with autism are [offered] fair job opportunity, especially those that are willing to learn and acquire skills that are necessary to meet the changing needs of their current industry."[14]

Political career

Her position as a committed advocate was further cemented when the Sultan of Brunei named her as a member of the LegCo on 20 January 2023.[15] In her new role, she will be primarily focused on developing young entrepreneurship, digital and technological literacy, and a workforce prepared for the demands of the future.[10] On 25 March 2023, Queenie brought attention to the surge in cyberattacks in Brunei, where the bulk of victims are older people who fall prey to con artists. She was worried about the changing nature of the situation and wants to know how the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications (MTIC) intends to handle it, particularly with regard to vulnerable populations like the elderly.[16]

Queenie stated that continuous departmental collaboration must urgently become more evident in the relationship between the LegCo and the ministries during the 18th LegCo meeting on 23 March 2024. It is advised that government agencies develop policies to enhance ministerial officials' capacity to better oversee social media and conduct investigations. It is also suggested to establish a college that aims to improve public relations standards.[17]

Queenie said in April 2024 that the MTIC will use her platform to influence future events on International Women's Day to highlight the need of mastering digital tools as we move toward a future when science and technology will play a major role.[18]

Personal life

Queenie and her younger brother were raised by their single mother in the Tutong District where her mother had built a wooden home for them.[19] Their former home was made of wood. Despite not having a lot of schooling, her mother has always valued hard work. Afterwards, they relocated to Kampong Bukit Udal as part of a government housing scheme. She said that her family's escape from poverty was made possible by Brunei's assistance system.[8]

Recognition and honours

Throughout her career, she has received the following:[10]

Recognition

  • National Excellent Youth Award (2021)[5]
  • Brunei's 50 most inspiring LinkedIn Icon (2020; 2021)
  • 30 people to watch in the Business of Law in Asia (2020)[20]
  • 30 Women legal innovators in Asia to follow (2022)[21]
  • Country Winners of the MCCC-AAET Green Award (2014)[22]
  • ASEAN Business Awards (2019)[23]

Honours

  • Excellent Service Medal (PIKB; 25 June 2023)[5][24]

References

  1. [1]
    "New Legislative Council appointed » Borneo Bulletin Online". New Legislative Council appointed. 20 January 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  2. [2]
    Wasil, Wardi (12 December 2020). "Online Legacy planner Memori eyes Western expansion". The Bruneian. Retrieved 11 November 2023 – via PressReader.
  3. [3]
    "Memori co-founder picked as The Edmund Hillary Fellow". borneo363.rssing.com. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  4. [4]
    "e27 – Connecting you to Asia's Startup and Tech Ecosystem". e27.co. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  5. [5]
    Wong, Aaron (2 September 2021). "Entrepreneurs shine at National Youth Awards – Biz Brunei". Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  6. [6]
    "Global Entrepreneurship Week". United States Embassy, Bandar Seri Begawan. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  7. [7]
    "13th Borneo Global Issues Conference of the International School of Brunei (10.4.2017)". Pusat Tingkatan Enam Tutong (PTET). Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  8. [8]
    "莊靜宜接受本報訪問". We Are United. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  9. [9]
    "Brunei's 50 most inspiring Linkedin icons 2021 – The Bruneian". 3 January 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  10. [10]
    "YB Queenie Chong is the Youngest Legislative Council Member Driving Digital Transformation and Entrepreneurial Spirit in Brunei – Youth Achievement Records". 8 August 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  11. [11]
    "National Environment Conference 2014" (PDF). Asia Inc Forum. 13 August 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  12. [12]
    Wong, Aaron (4 July 2019). "Legacy planner Memori secures investment from Asian royal family – Biz Brunei". Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  13. [13]
    "Brunei's legacy planning startup Memori raises US$100K funding". Yahoo News. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  14. [14]
    "An-Nur Harapan | 'More companies offering internships to Uniklearn trainees'". www.annurharapan.com. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  15. [15]
    "New Legislative Council appointed » Borneo Bulletin Online". New Legislative Council appointed. 20 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  16. [16]
    Queenie, Y. B. (18 April 2023). "LegCo – Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications". queeniecy.com. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  17. [17]
    Yin Kong, Han (23 March 2024). "實現更高效率和生產力 莊靜宜籲各部門無縫協作". weareunited.com.my (in Chinese). Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  18. [18]
    Yin Kong, Han (9 April 2024). "邁向未來科技賦能旅程 莊靜宜：需掌握數位工具". weareunited.com.my (in Chinese). Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  19. [19]
    "Queenie Chong, Startup Founder, Brunei". govinsider.asia. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  20. [20]
    Portal, Asia Law (13 July 2020). "30 people to watch in the business of law in Asia in 2020". Asia Law Portal – A forum for discussion of news, information & opportunity in the Asia-Pacific legal markets. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  21. [21]
    Portal, Asia Law (5 May 2022). "30 women legal innovators in Asia to follow in 2022". Asia Law Portal – A forum for discussion of news, information & opportunity in the Asia-Pacific legal markets. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  22. [22]
    "ASEAN Green Award". aaet-asean.org. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  23. [23]
    "ABA Awards and Categories". ASEAN Business Advisory Council Brunei. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  24. [24]
    Kok Hua, Thiann (25 June 2023). "莊靜宜獲頒P.I.K.B勛章". weareunited.com.my (in Chinese). Retrieved 21 April 2024.
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