MATILDA CHONG

Singaporean businesswoman and Javanese royal MATILDA CHONG’S motivation, Zara Zhuang discovers, comes from proving naysayers wrong

‘‘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.

On top of that, the 39-year-old is involved in establishing the upcoming Royal Mataram Airport for the city of Solo, expanding nickel and gold mining in Indonesia, and developing a theme park that will connect Solo with Yogyakarta.

For her contributions to the economy of Solo and Indonesia, Chong was made a member of the Royal Family of Istana Mataram, a kingdom in central Java, and granted the official title of Her Royal Highness, Princess Kanjeng Ayu Adipati Choon Mei Matilda Chong Widyaninggar during a two-day ceremony last April. (Her father, William Marie Chong, received the title of Abdi Dalem, or “royal servant”, in 2016.)

The road has not been easy though. Without a background in engineering – she took business studies in university, while her personal interest lies in psychology – Chong took pains to gain a grasp of technical processes and systems that rely on gaseous fire suppression agents with names such as hfc- 227ea and fk- 5-1-12.

“This is extremely dry,” she says while motioning to the metal cylinders lined up along an office wall. “It’s not something every girl will be happy to work on – women like to do fashion or blogging – but it’s a family business, and there’s a lot of potential.”

The older of two children, Chong was given early lessons in the trade by her father. She recalls how, since she was nine or 10, they would head out together after Sunday church service to tuck into wonton mee at his favourite store at Marine Parade, over which he would discuss the intricacies of running a business and managing staff.

“My father had a rough childhood, so he doesn’t believe in easy money. Everything he has now, he built up from scratch. He really taught me the ways of the world,” she recounts. “He said this to me and I’ve never forgotten it: ‘You have the looks, that’s a good start, because the world is partial to people with good looks. So look like a woman, behave like a lady, but think like a man. Don’t get emotional – that’s how to survive in business.’ And I think he was preparing me for this business, because in these industries, you rarely see women.”

Chong says she has never resented her father’s insistence that she join the Lions of Asia Group, despite her early ambition of becoming a psychologist. “I’m flattered, actually,” the self-professed daddy’s girl explains. “My father has always expected me to lead the company, maybe because he personally mentored me.”

And she approaches her multiple projects with the same fire she possessed when she first stepped up at 19. “This is a real challenge! I like challenges, because it’s my nature.”

“The more people say I can’t accomplish something, the more I want to show them I can.”