A tribute to ‘ Uncle Milty’, BC’S unique bridge between commerce and community

THE LATE STRATHCONA- BORN ENTREPRENEUR- TURNED- PHILANTHROPIST MILTON WONG MADE A MARK IN FINANCE, LOVED PEOPLE AND PUSHED THE VISIONARY ENVELOPE

Once upon a time, in a land grappling with growing cultural diversity, a young man burst into adulthood, already endowed with a keen following of collaborators.

Born the eighth of nine children to parents Wong Kung Lai and Chu Man Ming and raised in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown, Milton Wong whole- heartedly understood the challenges of the not- quite- yet pluralistic nature of his home- base and found within himself a natural inclination towards social work. But after leaving UBC with a BA in Political Science and Economics instead, he then took his older brother’s suggestion to tune into the stock market, an early sign of his burgeoning business acumen. National Trustco Inc. was the initial beneficiary of Milt’s first step as a fierce- but- friendly financier, and he quickly worked his way up the proverbial corporate ladder.

Eventually, Milt’s latent entrepreneurial talent bubbled to the surface and set him on a rising path to prosperity and serving beyond bank walls. He established M. K. Wong and Associates in 1980, where his interest in his clients — as people first — and his confidence in taking high risks no one else would withstand, set him apart and well- positioned in an industry full of risky business. The company prospered under his empathic and risk- taking leadership- style until it was absorbed and re- created into HSBC Global Asset Management in 1996. Until his passing in 2011, Milt was Chairman Emeritus of the global wealth giant.

Quickly, Milt’s list of executive accomplishments began to run deeply into BC’S business and philanthropic communities. He was already chairman of the Vancouver General Hospital Board in his forties, a feat not easily matched. He was instrumental in raising funds and supporting organizations such as Science World, Salvation Army, YWCA, Red Cross, BC Cancer

Milt on entrepreneurs: “That’s what they are doing, making the impossible possible. I believe in the principle of sustainability as a natural evolution. That to me is where the future is.” Milt on business stewardship: “We can’t leave anyone behind.” He saw economic growth as best guided by its impact on people and community

Foundation, Aga Khan Foundation Canada, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation and the Canada- US Fulbright Program. He also joined the boards of Seaspan Container Inc. and Alcan Inc. ( now Rio Tinto Alcan).

His insatiable appetite for asking pertinent questions made him a consistently valuable asset in every conversation. Kyle Washington, CEO, Seaspan Container Inc.: “He always asked, Why? Sometimes it was simple, like, why are the big ships that we’re running polluting so much? I told him they ran on the same fuel as other ships, an obvious answer, but he persisted. His dogged inquiry eventually led us to run a 20% more economical ship.”

One of Milt’s life- long personal inquiries was how to demonstrate that we are but one human race. His vision was clear: collapse the walls dividing people from one another. His timing was scientifically impeccable: the newly- launched Human Genome Project in 1990 generated infinite passion in Milt, and he became both a director of Genomebc and the Stem Cell Network. And to promote cultural diversity and inclusion both educationally and athletically, he cofounded the now- renowned Laurier Institution and Vancouver’s worldclass Dragon Boat Festival, an annual event and cross- country races into which he proudly poured his ancestral roots and heart.

So powerful was Milt in his vision to see potential and beauty in places and people, one institution knows deeply their own transformational period: from 1995 to 2005, Simon Fraser University fully leveraged Milt’s investiture as a two- term Chancellor, where he was pivotal in the move of SFU’S School for Contemporary Arts to downtown Vancouver’s redeveloped Woodwards’ site.

A notable “Uncle Milty” tale speaks to his widespread legacy as an inquisitive, inspirational mentor for young entrepreneurs. In 2002, two young men showed up at Milt’s office with an idea. John de Hart, Founder/ CEO, Nurse Next Door: “Three minutes into our conversation he gave us the thumbs- up, saying, ‘ Guys, I’m in, we have to go and do this.’ Milt got it, he saw it, he asked the right questions. He knew that home care needed to be a pivotal part of future health care for our aging population. I realized what a powerful testament this was to our little industry of taking care of seniors. One decade later, our coasttocoast company has 4,000 employees in 52 offices.”

Milt somehow managed to merge his public life with his close- knit family, together with his beloved wife of 43 years, Fei, three daughters and three grandchildren. Frequently found in the heart of his home cooking up a storm, baking apple pies and hosting memorable meals, Milt shone brightest and most humbly whenever he was in conversation — with another human being.