- Title: CEO, KIP Group of Companies/KIP Real Estate Investment Trust
- Office headquarters: Malaysia
- Company operations: Malaysia
- Industry: Real estate
- Employees: 51-200
Valerie Ong is not afraid of asking questions. “It’s important to want to learn,” she says, and she demonstrates this by tirelessly eliciting advice and insights from those who know more than her. As CEO, she believes in responsible decision-making that is preceded by active listening.
“I ask all the questions I need to make the right decision,” she tells FirstClasse Malaysia, saying this is the example that she wants to set for the leaders on her team. She adds that the ability to own up to their decisions is critical for them to be successful, and that managing people is more central to her role than simply bringing in business.
When she first took the CEO role, she re-hired and restructured her office to streamline communication and boost accountability so that each leader would be empowered to make decisions and take responsibility. For the KIP workplace, her vision is simple: to provide a safe and happy environment for employees where work stress is acknowledged and managed, and not denied or ignored. She prioritises building relationships with her people and is not fond of micromanaging: “If we micromanage too much, there won’t be innovations because employees won’t develop that sense of accountability and responsibility,” she says.
Ong is also a firm believer that you cannot pour from an empty cup, saying that the pandemic taught her to be kinder to herself. She is mindful of seemingly small things that may build up and lead to burnout, and in turn she exercises a digital detox on weekends, in addition to other self-empowerment practices. For her, leadership is not about solving problems for others; rather, it is about helping more and more people come to that place themselves: of being able to navigate challenges and formulate solutions, and empowering others to do the same.
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