MBA grad Candice Wong (Lau, Siu Kuen) is second-in-command at a large Hong Kong jewelry company, and the road to this position was paved with self-discipline, hard work, ana strong sense of leadership.
After she married Thompson Wong Hon Ming, he encouraged her to attend college. She applied and was accepted to BYU—Hawaii. When Wong started college, she quickly realized her study habits weren’t up to par. In high school, she spent most afternoons working at her mom’s factory, which hindered her grades. Determined to learn study skills from the best, she began asking people who the smartest student was; Wong finally tracked the recommended person down and asked her to teach her how to study.
As a result of that discussion, Wong developed a system. First, she would read a sentence; when she understood everything about that sentence she read the next sentence. After understanding everything on that page and making notes in the margins, she went on to the next page.
After she earned her BS in organizational development, Wong continued her studies by earning an MBA at the Marriott School in 1996. She says the most significant skills she learned while earning her MBA were working in groups and giving presentations. “During the period I was in the program, I learned specific aspects of logistics, operations and human resource management, marketing, financial accounting as well as controlling and strategic corporate management,” she says.
Prior to starting college, Wong had worked as an executive secretary for Nelson Ho, who owned a jewelry company. When she had completed her MBA, he called and invited her to work for him again, but as an operations manager this time. She immediately accepted and returned to Hong Kong.
Within a short time, Wong was promoted to senior operations manager, then assistant general manager, and in 2002 she was named general manager of Nelson Jewellery. Last year the company sold more than $120 million in merchandise. “My job has taught me how to lead a group of key managers who have more experience than I do in their specific fields and areas,” she says.
Wong and her husband have three children: Sharon, Cheryl, and Curtis.
