Musings of Eric Chong

Spending time with my beloved students of Erican College is one of the few things I truly enjoy in life. As Success Mentor to the students of Erican College, I have just spent two amazing days with these incredible young people. We had loads of fun and did a great deal of interesting and enlightening things together. My vision is to create a  new breed of young people - a generation of world class Malaysians who are competitive enough to compete with the best - anywhere throughout the world! I want to mould my students into outstanding people of a great many fields. I want to see all of these students become top Designers, Entrepreneurs, CEOs, Senior Managers, Accountants, Educators and Professionals. That's why I have incorporated a Success Programme into the curriculum of Erican College. It is a two-year compulsory programme that all Erican College students, regardless of their chosen disciplines, must complete. I've pledged my personal commitment towards them. I am comm...

Eric Chong: "Branding Association of Malaysia is proud to participate in the judging of the Star Business Award." "I run a small chain of mamak restaurants in the Klang Valley.  My vision is to serve the best nasi lemak and I have lots of satisfied customers. Can I apply for the Star Business Award?" These words came from a humble-looking Indian man who approached me after I had spoken before an audience of potential applicants for the Star Business Award on Friday. I was really touched by his spirit and so I said to him, "Yes, I think you must apply. Since you are so passionate and committed to what you do, have no reservations or fears - go out there and put yourself next to the best players in the country." I look forward to spending time going through all the applications for the Star Business Award 2012 together with my peers in the judging panel. Sincerely, I wish all the applicants the best of luck. :) Eric Chong is the  Mana...

The Star Business Award is a prestigious award for outstanding non-public listed companies. I would like to express my sincerest thanks to The Star for inviting me to speak to the participating companies of The Star Business Award for 2012.  I was asked to speak on behalf of the illustrious Judging Panel, which is comprised of such reputable bodies as the Branding Association of Malaysia, Bursa Malaysia , 4As, FMM and the Chinese Chambers of Commerce. I feel very privileged to have been a judge for this prestigious award ever since its inception three years ago. I must say that this is an incredibly respectable award. There is stringent scrutiny of each and every entry and absolute transparency throughout the entire judging process. Simply put – only the most deserving companies, and not necessarily the biggest, shall take home a prize. Also, this is not an award that money buy.  However, if you do win, you will be rewarded with extraordinary prizes. There is a ...

Dato Jimmy Choo is a global icon. His name is synonymous with ultra luxury, high fashion and elegance. "Jimmy Choo" used to be just like any other ordinary Malaysian Chinese name. However,   today it is a global brand which is synonymous with ultra luxury, high fashion and elegance. Royalty, social elites and celebrities the world over love Jimmy Choo. Women feel sexy and sensual when they walk on four inch Jimmy Choo shoes. I first met Dato Jimmy Choo six years ago through Dato Lewre Lew, another top Malaysian shoe designer who shines on the world stage. It was an amazing experience. I found Dato Jimmy really down to earth and unassuming. I couldn't believe that such a big international star as Jimmy could be so friendly and approachable. Dato Jimmy Choo is indeed the pride of Malaysia. Few Malaysians have achieved fame and stardom the way he has. A name so loved by all fashion-conscious women all over the world - he is absolutely amazing! It is E...

I was most pleased to meet this fashion icon who is proudly Malaysian. Zang Toi, an iconic Malaysian-born fashion designer based in New York , is one of those rare Malaysians who have found true international fame. Zang Toi started his fashion career in New York in 1989. After years of hard work, he is now an international icon and one of the biggest names in the fashion industry. Zang Toi is truly world class and, perhaps more importantly, he remains a proud Malaysian. I strongly believe that Malaysians can be just as competitive as the top people from anywhere else in the world, if we truly put our hearts and souls into what we do.  I always tell the students of Erican College to be world class. I want them to position themselves as world class citizens. Whatever they pursue in life, I want them to strive to meet world class standards. It is not always easy, but it is necessary if they want to be really successful in life. Let's all look up to Zang Toi as ...

Tan Sri Ramon is someone I have great respect for. I ran into a very honourable man a few days ago. He was none other than Tan Sri Dr Ramon Navaratnam. Long since retired from his last government position as Transport Ministry Secretary General, Tan Sri Ramon still pursues his life long passions passionately. Not only  does he advocate corporate governance and fair business practices, he also champions poverty eradication, promotes education and addresses economic issues, both domestic and international. He wears many hats; one of the better known ones is his role as Corporate Advisor to the Sunway Group. He is also President of Transparency International Malaysia. Tan Sri, thank you for your many contributions toward building a better Malaysia. Eric Chong is the  Managing Director of Erican College, a college which unleashes the full potential of young people and molds them into leaders of the design and business fields. He is also the President of Branding Associa...

Some of you might remember that I planned to write a book on success. Well, I didn't just think about it, I took action. I went up to Fraser's Hill on the 28th Dec 2011 with this sole objective in mind. I made a promise to myself - I woul d not come down from the hill unless and until I finished writing the book! And I did!!! I wrote 15 chapters a day. And in 7 days, the book was completed. 120,000 words, 100 chapters, 350 pages. Not bad! However, that was only a draft! You can't possibly publish a book without having a few rounds of serious proof-reading and editing of the draft. However, after I returned from Fraser's Hill I was overwhelmed by a busy workload and activities. There simply wasn't time to proof-read and edit this book. Finally, after months of punishing itinerary, I found time to work at it over this weekend. So I sat down quietly at home and started going through the drafts. OMG!!! I found tons of things that I wanted to change. It isn't th...