Latest news with #Wong
South China Morning Post
6 minutes ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
China family holds funeral as Indian neighbours host wedding in joint act of communal harmony
A Chinese funeral and an Indian wedding took place on the same street on the same day in Malaysia, but the two families managed to coexist and show mutual respect, winning applause online. Both ceremonies took place on July 5 in Tampin, in the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan. The funeral was that of the mother of a local Democratic Action Party politician of Chinese origin. Good neighbours: The two families live on opposite sides of the same street. Photo: China Press On the other side of the street, an Indian family rented a hall to host a wedding. Funerals are usually considered ominous and a jinx on new couples. Meanwhile, the happy vibes of a wedding are often believed not to be suitable for the solemnity of funerals. However, the politician, surnamed Wong, was more worried about his neighbour's big day, the Malaysian news outlet China Press reported.
South China Morning Post
7 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong police arrest man on suspicion of pushing boy, 9, into sea
A 23-year-old Hongkonger has been arrested for allegedly pushing a nine-year-old boy into the sea while the child was fishing with his mother in Hung Hom. Police said the man, surnamed Wong, was apprehended in Kowloon City at 5.22pm on Tuesday, three days after the incident, on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. They added that the arrest was made after police reviewed CCTV footage. Officers searching his flat also found the clothes he allegedly wore while committing the offence. 'When police arrived at the scene, the boy had a lot of scratches on his body. He was conscious and was discharged from hospital after treatment,' a police spokesman said on Wednesday. The suspect is currently being held in custody for further investigation. The manhunt started after the boy was pushed into the sea while he was fishing on a staircase along King Wan Street near Hoi Sham Park at around 5.40pm on Saturday.
AsiaOne
8 hours ago
- Business
- AsiaOne
Retiring OCBC chief Helen Wong drives synergies among markets, business units, bank insiders say, Money News
SINGAPORE — One of OCBC Bank chief executive Helen Wong's greatest contributions is being a leader who fosters collaboration across its different markets and businesses to drive synergies, say the bank's insiders. Koh Li-San, head of funding and capital management at OCBC, said Wong believed in the value of collaboration as part of the OCBC's "One Group" strategy — an approach of operating as a unified group across various business units, entities and geographies to capitalise on the Asean-Greater China opportunity. "She really brought people together, got everyone to work more closely and think of new ideas to reach more customers or do more cross-selling," said Koh, who worked in the CEO office for two years during Wong's tenure. Mike Ng, group chief sustainability officer at OCBC, said Wong was able to find synergies in many areas, including sustainability. "For example, best practices, training programmes, sustainable finance product development can be shared across divisions and entities," he said, adding that cross-collaboration became common across the group. OCBC mainly operates across four key markets in Asia — Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Greater China. Under its umbrella also includes private bank Bank of Singapore, insurer Great Eastern (GE) and asset manager Lion Global Investors, among others. Koh and Ng are among staff The Straits Times interviewed following news of Wong's upcoming retirement. They were as one in highlighting the CEO's positivity and empathy as a leader. Lee Shyong, who works with Wong on matters relating to large corporate and institutional clients, described her leadership as a people-centric one. "She pays you the attention. She listens to you. You feel valued, you feel seen as a person. That's very important in today's context, especially amongst the younger generation that values a more empathetic and authentic form of leadership," said Lee, who is group head of public sector, sovereign wealth and pension funds and services for global corporate banking. Ng said Wong is a positive and resilient boss who gives strength to her colleagues in difficult times. During the Covid-19 period, he had worked on a project which suffered supply chain disruptions. As a result, he felt bad and beat himself up over it. Instead of blaming him, Wong gave him words of encouragement. She had said taking risks is just part of the business and no one expected Covid-19. "As a leader, a genuine interest in people and her great sense of empathy give her what I call the superpower for others to want to do the best work to achieve the bank's vision," said Ng. He also said the bank's sustainability task force which Wong spearheaded in her first few months in OCBC provided the seed that grew into the various initiatives and governance structures in the bank today. Wong, who joined Singapore's second-largest bank by assets in February 2020 as deputy president and head of global wholesale banking before becoming group CEO in April 2021, is retiring on Dec 31 to spend more time with her family, after first indicating in 2024 her plans to do so. She will be succeeded by Tan Teck Long, who will assume the CEO role on Jan 1, 2026. For a smooth transition over the next six months, Tan, who has been head of global wholesale banking since March 2022, has assumed the additional role of deputy CEO. Wong, 64, will remain the chairwoman of OCBC China and a director of OCBC Hong Kong post-retirement. She has more than 40 years of banking experience — she started out as a management trainee in OCBC and was its first China desk manager, based at the Hong Kong branch. Before returning to OCBC, she spent 27 years at HSBC, where her last role was as its CEO for Greater China, which she was appointed to in 2015. OCBC has performed well in her years as CEO. OCBC reported a net profit of $7.59 billion for 2024, marking an eight per cent increase compared with the previous year. This achievement represents the third consecutive year of record-breaking profits for the bank. The strong performance was driven by robust income growth across its banking, wealth management and insurance businesses. Wong's total pay rose to $12.8 million in 2024, a 5.8 per cent increase from the $12.1 million she earned in 2023. Since she first took on the role of CEO on April 15, 2021, OCBC's share price has grown about 40 per cent. In February 2025, she unveiled the largest capital return plan in OCBC's history amounting to $2.5 billion, comprising special dividends and share buybacks over two years. In her four-year tenure as CEO, Wong also faced some challenges. Insurer and OCBC subsidiary GE was in the spotlight earlier in July after a vote to delist it from the Singapore Exchange (SGX) fell through and a $900 million conditional exit offering made by OCBC lapsed. OCBC said it has met its objectives with the increase in OCBC's investment in GE to 93.72 per cent in October 2024 and that this would be earnings accretive to the bank. About half a year into her CEO stint, Wong also had to oversee the bank's response to an SMS phishing scam targeting OCBC customers that resulted in about 790 victims losing a total of $13.7 million. OCBC fully reimbursed all affected customers with goodwill payouts. The bank also implemented stronger fraud controls to prevent future occurrences. Thanking Wong for her contributions, Andrew Lee, chairman of OCBC's board of directors, said in a July 11 statement: "Helen sharpened OCBC's competitive edge as an integrated financial services group by ushering in a well-defined corporate strategy. "Together with the team, Helen has executed the strategy in a clear and disciplined manner. She is handing over to Teck Long a very steady ship." [[nid:720104]] This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.
AsiaOne
9 hours ago
- Business
- AsiaOne
Las Vegas Sands' new development part of Singapore's broader, more ambitious transformation: PM Wong, Singapore News
SINGAPORE - Singapore's skyline will get a soaring new addition come 2030 when Las Vegas Sands' US$8 billion (S$10.3 billion) new hotel tower is completed. Speaking at the development's ground-breaking ceremony on July 15, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said the plans for Marina Bay are just one part of the Republic's broader, more ambitious transformation of its entire southern waterfront. A 30km stretch of coastline from Gardens by the Bay East to Pasir Panjang that is six times the size of Marina Bay, it will have more commercial, recreational and entertainment options, alongside new residential precincts that include public housing for Singaporeans, he added. The authorities said in May that the first of these homes – around 1,000 Housing Board Build-To-Order flats to be built on the site of the former Keppel Club – will be launched for sale in October. PM Wong said: 'That's what we mean when we say we are never done building Singapore. We will always keep on improving, keep renewing and keep on moving forward.' The Greater Southern Waterfront project was first announced by then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the 2013 National Day Rally, where he outlined a vision to consolidate container port activities in Tanjong Pagar, Keppel, Brani and Pasir Panjang at a unified port in Tuas, freeing up prime waterfront land for redevelopment. PM Wong was addressing about 200 guests gathered at the ground-breaking site next to Marina Bay Sands' (MBS') Hotel Tower 1. They included Las Vegas Sands co-founder Miriam Adelson, chairman and chief executive officer Robert Goldstein, and president and chief operating officer Patrick Dumont. The new Las Vegas Sands complex will comprise 570 luxury hotel suites, a casino, a 15,000-seat entertainment arena, 200,000 sq ft of meeting and convention space, and numerous high-end restaurants. It is set to be completed by 2030 and to open in the first quarter of 2031. Like MBS, it is designed by US-based firm Safdie Architects, and it will have a distinct roof in the form of an elliptical Skyloop, which will have 360-degree views, and both public and private facilities. PM Wong called Marina Bay a symbol of the Singapore Story – that of a thriving financial and business hub, a vibrant destination for meetings, conventions, tourism and entertainment, as well as a key node connecting Singapore to the global economy. But more than just an economic success story, it has become deeply embedded in the national consciousness, he added. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony for the new Las Vegas Sands hotel tower on July 15. PHOTO: The Straits Times This is as the bay is where Singaporeans come together to celebrate milestones such as the National Day Parade and year-end countdowns, and to make memories. The skyline is also instantly recognisable around the world as being Singapore, whether in movies, documentaries or music videos, he said. 'Every recruit who does basic military training, their graduation parades are held here, reminding them of why they are defending Singapore and what they are defending,' he said. 'So we are very proud of what Marina Bay has become, but we're not done yet because we believe the best still lies ahead.' (From left) Populous senior principal Andrew Tulen, architect Moshe Safdie, Las Vegas Sands chief operating officer Patrick Dumont, Las Vegas Sands co-founder Miriam Adelson, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, Las Vegas Sands chairman and chief executive Robert Goldstein, Las Vegas Sands executive vice-president of Asia operations Grant Chum and Marina Bay Sands chief operating officer Paul Town at the ground-breaking ceremony on July 15. PHOTO: The Straits Times He noted that the Las Vegas Sands development will both refresh Singapore's skyline and introduce new attractions, including the rooftop Skyloop and the 15,000-seat arena for world-class concerts and performances. Added convention and exhibition space will also further strengthen Singapore's position as a leading Mice (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) destination globally, he added. Alongside the upcoming NS Square, which is set to be completed by 2027, PM Wong said these developments will add buzz and vibrancy to the bay area, which will draw more visitors and create new opportunities for Singaporeans in hospitality and tourism. An artist's impression of the Skyloop from an aerial view. PHOTO: Safdie Architects Singapore is able to keep renewing itself and moving forward because of strong partnerships, such as with Las Vegas Sands, said PM Wong. He noted its 'bold commitment' when the integrated resort was first mooted in 2005. The American casino and resort company committed to an initial investment of $3.85 billion, which is apart from another $1.2 billion in land cost for the site. 'It was... a major investment, underpinned by confidence in Singapore, and in Singapore's future,' he said. 'I'm glad this partnership has flourished, and I'm even happier that we are now taking it to the next level.' Mr Goldstein said that Marina Bay Sands has become the most successful integrated resort in history and the industry's gold standard since it opened in 2010. 'We have every intention of delivering a product that will be the envy of the hospitality industry and ushers in a new era of luxury tourism in Singapore,' the Las Vegas Sands chairman and CEO said of the new tower. This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.
The Star
11 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
State aims to expand connectivity across globe
(From second right) Wong and Fareh holding the AirAsia RedRun poster during a press conference in George Town. Having drawn some eight million hotel guests last year, Penang is looking to expand its connectivity, says Penang tourism and creative economy committee chairman Wong Hon Wai. He said the state's Unesco World Heritage and Unesco Biosphere Reserve status, coupled with vibrant street food scene and lively cultural scene, had made it a favourite with travellers. A key driver of this growth is low-cost airline AirAsia, which currently operates 239 weekly flights to Penang. Wong expressed optimism that this network would continue to expand. 'From the first half of this year alone, AirAsia has carried over 1.8 million passengers through Penang, connecting us across the region. 'The airline connects Penang to seven international cities, namely Bangkok, Medan, Jakarta, Surabaya, Shenzhen, Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as five domestic cities which are Johor Baru, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Langkawi. 'Based on airport data, the airline contributes 38% of passenger aircraft arrival at Penang International Airport,' he said during a press conference at a hotel in Persiaran Gurney. Wong said he had also signed letters and made proposals for new routes and believed the airline would give due consideration to them. In a separate development, Wong said AirAsia was calling for participation for its RedRun event featuring 3km, 5km and 10km categories to be held on Sept 28. 'Penang has emerged as a favourite sporting hub. 'Almost every week, there are running, cycling or other sports events in Penang. 'We hope this event will draw greater regional participation and further elevate Penang as a leisure and lifestyle destination,' he said. AirAsia Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Captain Fareh Mazputra said the RedRun event celebrated the spirit of travel, local culture and togetherness. 'After a great reception in Indonesia, we are proud to bring the next edition to Penang, a city that represents the heart of our operations and our commitment to community,' he said. Registration for the run, which aims to attract 5,000 participants, is now open. Registration will close on Aug 18.
