Richard Wong Chin Mun

Founder, Vistage Malaysia Sdn Bhd

“Art of living: A master in the art of living draws no sharp line of distinction between his work and his play. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To him, he always appears to be doing both.”

Richard Wong Chin Mun is a distinguished figure in Malaysia’s business community, best known for founding Vistage Malaysia in 1994. After serving as Managing Director and Group CEO of Nylex Malaysia Bhd for 18 years, Richard launched Vistage Malaysia (formerly TEC Asia Centre), establishing it as a leading platform for CEO development. During his tenure at Nylex, he introduced the Adizes collaborative leadership methodology and achieved the ISO 9001 certification, positioning Nylex as the first company in Malaysia to earn this recognition. Under his leadership, Nylex was also ranked among the top five best-managed companies in Malaysia by Asia Money in 1991/1992.

Vistage Malaysia, under Richard’s stewardship, has grown into a thriving community of over 1,400 members with combined annual revenue of over RM90 billion and 60 Chairs as of August 2024.  The organisation offers confidential peer advisory groups and personalised coaching for CEOs and business leaders, helping them steer through critical decisions and attain superior results. Serving as Master Chair and “Chief Listener,” Richard has been instrumental in Vistage Malaysia’s expansion across Southeast Asia. Notably, Vistage recently received the Excellence Award at the CHT International Awards 2024, hosted in Kuala Lumpur by CHTNetwork.

In collaboration with MIER, Vistage Malaysia has been publishing the quarterly CEO Confidence Index since 2003, providing valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities within Malaysia’s business community.

Beyond Vistage, Richard holds several influential roles. He is the Independent Non-Executive Director and Audit Committee Chairman for Scientex Berhad and Khind Holdings Berhad. His contributions extend to various non-profit organisations, including Transparency International Malaysia, the Malaysian Rubber Export Promotion Council, Cancer Research Malaysia, and Rise Against Hunger.

“Personal transformation needs courage and the ardent belief that it is possible.”