Photo: Belinda Wong, Founder and Director of Leader Corporate Services Limited

In an exclusive interview with StartupTalky, Belinda Wong, the Founder and Director of Leader Corporate Services Limited, shares her inspiring professional story. Starting from her studies in Sociology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong to creating her own company, Belinda talks about the ups and downs she faced along the way. She explains her unique way of leading, focusing on adapting to changes and putting clients first. The interview gives a peek into Belinda’s smart strategies and her strong commitment to offering top-notch solutions in today’s fast-changing business world.

StartupTalky: Could you share insights into your professional journey and experiences? Additionally, what drives and motivates your daily routines?

I graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong majoring in Sociology. This is a theoretical subject with no specific designated job prospect. Therefore, I sat for the examination of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators and started my career as a chartered secretary, now changed the designation to Chartered Governance Practitioner. Over the years, I got an MBA and became a member of each of the Hong Kong Institute of Directors and Hong Kong Securities and Investment Institute. I had worked in Big 4s and international law firms before setting up my own company, Leader Corporate Services Limited (Leader). Working in big multinational corporations offered me exposure to complicated issues from incorporation to dissolution. Clients are global and their corporate requirements are diversified beyond imagination. Corporate laws from different parts of the world as well as that of Hong Kong keep changing. The relevant practice has to be changed to be in line with the relevant laws. The changes are fascinating and challenging. These are the greatest motivation of all.

StartupTalky: Reflecting on your extensive industry background, what standout lessons have you gained, and can you elaborate on your distinctive leadership style?

Love the work! This is the impetus to continue working in the industry, deal with all the changes not only in laws but also the working environment including changes in personnel as well as clients. Professional firms have a timesheet system. Staff have to insert the time spent on each client every work day. The entire team has to immerse themselves in work in order to fill up the time sheets. As a leader, I can only lead by example – deliver service in a timely manner with the highest professional standards possible. Due care has to be given to the client’s best interests.

StartupTalky: Dive into the core offerings of Leader Corporate Services. Furthermore, shed light on the unique value propositions that individuals or businesses can anticipate from your services.

Leader grows with clients. Since 2011, I have been writing technical reference books on company secretarial practice for a publisher. Two titles with a total of seven books – Hong Kong Company Secretary’s Practice Manual (5^th edition) and Hong Kong Company Secretary Checklist (2^nd edition) have been produced. These books help me build up market credibility. Overseas potential clients can have confidence in the Company’s service delivery. The company is also a corporate member of each of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and The Chinese Manufacturers Association of Hong Kong. These two Chambers organise regular talks by different industry leaders to share their insights on the current economic and commercial situations. Visits to different industries shed light on the difficulties faced by senior management and how they handle the difficulties. These memberships give the Company capability to provide the most up-to-date government policies information to clients.

StartupTalky: In navigating your role as a leader, what significant business challenges have you confronted, and what strategies did you employ to successfully overcome them?

At the end of 2019, the virus started spreading in Hong Kong. This was the beginning of COVID-19. The borders of Hong Kong were closed for about 3 years. In-person meetings with overseas visitors came to almost a complete halt. In February 2020, I accepted the invitation of the Startup Club to manage the Startup China Club platform in Hong Kong with an objective of maintaining overseas communication. One thing led to another. The Private Wealth and Family Office Association, registered in Switzerland, appointed me as a Thought Leader (Hong Kong). Every two months, I write an article on Hong Kong and entrepreneurship to link up overseas businessmen with Hong Kong. As an Advisory Board Member of Uniplat Platform AG and one of the judges (business category) of the Uniplat Pitch Deck 2023, I had the opportunity to review the pitch decks from the Philippines startups. Quite a number of them focused on improving the productivity of and prevention of disease agricultural products. In Hong Kong, startups focus mostly on technology, life sciences, etc. This explains why some investors choose one jurisdiction over the others. They have different investment appetites. With all the network expansion and internet exposure, Leader is well-positioned to move forward. The sky is the limit!