IMPACT CATALYST
JASON CHUEI shares with Dorothy Ng why he decided to head community engagement at Expedia, even though the role meant taking a big pay cut
The passion to create genuine social impact runs deep for many, but there are only a rare few who will take that commitment to the point of taking a pay cut or leaving the comforts of home. Jason Chuei is one of them.
The senior manager of strategy and business development at multinational travel corporation Expedia Group so impressed his bosses in the way he helmed the company’s corporate social responsibility ( csr) projects, that they appointed him Expedia’s head of social responsibility and community engagement for the Asia-pacific ( apac) region just a year after he joined the company. It was a role specially created for him – one that he took on without a second thought even though it meant converting to a part-time pay that was less than half of his previous salary.
“My goal in life is to make a meaningful and sustainable positive impact in society, and Expedia Group’s corporate ethos of ‘Bring the World Within Reach’ resonates with me. Everyone who works here is passionate about travel, communities and cultures. We help build local economies through tourism, and we want to bolster that with community initiatives and volunteerism. So my job doesn’t really feel like work because I love what I do, and I get to help people every day,” says Chuei, who used to be a veterinarian and holds two master’s degrees – one in business administration and one in marketing.
He shares that Expedia Group’s csr programme, Expedia Cares, focuses on four of the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals in apac: quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, and reduced inequalities. There is a strong emphasis on local community needs and what the local government prioritises, travel and technology-related projects, and causes that employees personally care about. Each apac office funds its own csr activities, while the head office offers grants for special projects and a dollar-for-dollar matching scheme of up to US$10,000 to encourage employees to raise funds for causes that they are passionate about.
Activities include awareness talks and photography contests, where employees’ works are displayed to raise awareness on social issues and corporate volunteering activities. Employees have also participated in skills-based
outreach programmes in developing countries such as Cambodia, Laos and Sri Lanka, where they use their expertise to help local non-governmental organisations strengthen their capabilities.
Sohuoch Oeng, Market Representative for Siem Reap and Battambang in Cambodia, was moved by what she experienced in a social outreach programme in Laos that was organised in collaboration with the Cambodia-based Sala Baï Hotel and Restaurant School. “I never thought that I’d have enough to give,” she shares, “until that day in Laos, when I taught children computer skills without us speaking the same language.”
Chuei says: “Since the inception of my role, we have empowered our staff to initiate new projects that address the needs of their local communities. We’ve also seen a 113 percent increase in the number of donors through our donation platform, as well as a 2,760 percent increase in the number of volunteers. Our employees love what we’re doing and are engaged; they’re happy to see that we’re making a significant impact in the region.”
Last October, Chuei moved to Tokyo for six months on the same remuneration terms, self-funding his own living expenses just so that he could effectively engage his Japanese colleagues, especially those in more remote offices, in developing meaningful csr projects.
Since his move to Tokyo, the Japan offices have ramped up their csr activities. They have launched a “Lunch & Learn” series where organisations with a social purpose, such as Social Innovation Japan, give talks to Expedia’s employees; organised a photography exhibition to highlight the importance of inclusivity in societies; and held fitness classes where each participating staff donates 500 yen (roughly S$6) to a charity of their choice, with every donation matched dollar-for-dollar under Expedia Cares. The team in Okinawa is also partnering local charity npo Encourage to educate, inspire and empower underprivileged children in Okinawa, the poorest prefecture in Japan.
Chuei says: “I feel privileged to have had an upbringing where the luxury of education and the support of a loving family got me to where I am today. The majority of people do not have the same access, so I feel that as global citizens, it is our responsibility to give back to society. Every act of kindness to make the world a better place counts.”