Natalie Cheng
When Natalie Cheng started out as an assistant buyer for Parkson Holdings’ beauty and cosmetics department, she recalls feeling baffled at the complexity of the office’s photocopy machine and struggling to figure out how to key in order numbers for stock purchases. “My friends thought that all I do in my job is go shopping every day at high-end malls and attend posh parties or fun product launches. But the actual fact is, we do have a lot of paperwork in the office, there’s meetings to attend, and a lot of numbers to crunch,” says this jovial and warm young woman.
But the eldest daughter of Tan Sri William Cheng and Puan Sri Chelsia Cheng is not one to throw in the towel easily in the face of a challenge. After all, she grew up watching her father in action as a businessman. Tan Sri William, who is the executive chairman of Lion Group and chairman of Parkson Group, is still hands-on with the company despite being in his late 70s. “He’s a workaholic who is still going strong, even though most of his peers have retired. Today, he still has admirable gumption to explore new ideas and he’s constantly thinking about his business even while he’s on holiday!” she reveals.
Armed with a Bachelor of Arts in Media & Communications from the University of Melbourne, Natalie interned at an American advertising firm in Beijing before her homecoming to Parkson. With a history of over 30 years, Malaysians are familiar with the multilevel Parkson retail stores that can be found in a number of leading shopping malls around the country. In an age where e-commerce is changing the way we purchase products, Natalie and her team knew that they needed to switch things up to remain relevant in the market. “Our long history meant that we had our database of valued customers which we must prioritise. So we began our own loyalty programme—the Parkson Card. Today, we have over 2 million Parkson Card members. We analyse their shopping habits and transactions, and work out promotions to suit their needs,” she shares.
Aside from this, Parkson also focused on building itself as a platform for local and international brands. “We are the sole distributors for leading Korean brands such as SPAO and Mixxo. We also launched PLAY UP—A multibrand beauty concept store that carries affordable labels from Korea, Japan, Thailand and more,” she shares.
Here, she gives us a valuable piece of advice from her experience. “Never stop learning. Popular trends today will become outdated. Don’t dwell on the past, make changes when it’s necessary. Also, stay humble. You may be the market leader today, but not forever.”
Her mother, a charitable tour de force, inspired Natalie to continue giving back to society. Through the Lion-parkson Foundation by the Lion Group established in 1985, Natalie intends to disburse the funds for education and charitable causes, like the scholarships already awarded by the organisation to over 350 Malaysian students to pursue undergraduate studies. “My parents have been very involved in charity for as long as I can remember. Together with my siblings, I wish to continue our parents’ legacy of contributing to improve the lives of others.”