Dr Wong Lai Yong is the founder, principal trainer and consultant of First Penguin Sdn. Bhd. in Penang, Malaysia.
She helps organizations through her speaking, consulting and training on sustainability matters as she believes that it is important now more than ever to align personal and corporate purpose to the world at large. Focusing on purpose and people enables an organization to fully demonstrate its values and principles of doing business while doing good.
Dr Wong is a “connector” between Japan, Malaysia and Asia, speaking multiple languages such as Japanese, English, Malay, Cantonese, Hokkien and Mandarin.
She sits on boards in Japan (such as Nitto Denko Corporation) and in Malaysia (Penang Women’s Development Corporation), providing expertise and experience to create more exciting opportunities for women and youth as well as drive sustainability matters forward. Her work has been featured extensively in the Japanese and Malaysian media.
She gives lectures on sustainability topics as the Adjunct Associate Professor at Japan’s Shizenkan University. She is also the Deputy Director at the Center for Sustainability and Innovation of the same university. The center aims to turn the world’s most urgent social and environmental challenges into new and exciting opportunities.
For her contribution towards Japan, she was conferred the 2016 Asia Pacific Shining Women award by the Japanese Cabinet Office (equivalent to the Prime Minister’s Office in Malaysia). She is also the founding member and current president of the Malaysian Rotary Yoneyama Alumni Association.