Dalton Wong clinches Asia Responsible Enterprise Award for the company’s CSR initiatives
When Speedwind Distributions Co. Ltd recently bagged the Asia Responsible Enterprise Award’s (Area) ‘Outstanding and Exemplary Achievements in Sustainability and Responsible Entrepreneurship Award’ in the Social Empowerment Category for its ‘Giving with Heart’ CSR initiative, it was a deserving honour for the contributions of its chairman Dalton Wong.
More than 500 Asian businesses and leaders from 19 countries have won the Area awards for championing sustainable and responsible entrepreneurship since its launch in 2011. The award categories are Social Empowerment, Investment in People, Health Promotion, Green Leadership, Corporate Governance, Circular Economy Leadership, and Responsible Business Leadership.
Wong initiated the ‘Giving with Heart’ CSR activities in 2018.
Talking about the recognition, Wong said, “Despite the challenges and difficulties during the Covid-19 pandemic, the company even carried out more CSR activities between 2020 and 2021, to help flood victims and their families as well as those who faced economic hardship and challenges as a result of the pandemic.”
Explaining the rationale for conducting various CSR initiatives, Wong told Khmer Times, “We do not classify or consider an activity or initiative to be more significant than another. We believe that all activities that we undertake and are committed to will benefit the target beneficiaries, whether they are just 50 families affected by the floods or a few hundred students who need school materials for their studies.”
“We are fortunate to have been a beneficiary of the Cambodian economy, and we must therefore always find a way to help members of the community who are in need,” he pointed out.
“With a strong commitment from all the stakeholders of Speedwind, we will continue our CSR initiative for as long as the company is in operation. As a responsible member of the Cambodian community and a beneficiary of its economy, we believe that the company and its employees must always find ways to help members of the local community who are in need.”
Some of the CSR activities and social support initiatives that Speedwind organised include Covid-19 Donation Programme, Flood Relief Aid, Education Aid for Rural and Underprivileged Communities, Hiring Programme for Disabled Minorities and Gender Equality Employment Programme.
Wong, an entrepreneur with extensive experience in distribution, founded Speedwind – which became a top distribution service company in the Kingdom – in 2018.
“Speedwind achieved a very strong distribution coverage nationwide and was able to grow its 8,000 points of distribution to more than 30,000,” he said.
Wong, an Indonesian, who has been visiting Cambodia since 2009, decided to establish his business here after realising the attractive growth potential due to the Kingdom’s pro-business and pro-investment approach.
While talking about his businesses in the country, Wong said, “Other than SpeedWind, our group also owns one of the most successful Business Process Outsourcing services under Massive Distributions. It offers merchant acquisition and management services to financial institutions, as well as the implementation and management of loyalty programs for B2B2C. We also operate one of the largest digital screens in Cambodia under Pixled Media, an IT solutions company, an HR recruitment and placement company and a company with dis-infection services. Our most recent venture is Massive Beverage which distributes APB products in Sihanoukville.”
Speedwind has three regional headquarters and 42 local offices that cover all 25 provinces in Cambodia.
He has been involved in various businesses for around 20 years, covering multiple industries and sectors, from international distribution to brand licensing, retail, project fit-outs, etc.
“I am really proud to say that one of the biggest personal accomplishments was that I fulfilled my wish to travel to all the capital cities of Southeast Asian countries before I was 30.”
When asked whether he had further expansion plans for Speedwind in the country, Wong replied: “Speedwind started as a last mile company and we are planning to use technology to improve the efficiency of the operations and to increase the points of distribution from traditional trade to all aspects of modern trading activities.”
Talking about the major challenges he faced while conducting business in the country, Wong said, “When I first started the business in Cambodia, there were the usual challenges that most businesses encountered as the laws and regulations for commercial entities and activities were not as clear and information was difficult to come by.”
“However, the Royal Government has greatly reformed and transformed its systems and processes, and provided greater clarity on various laws and regulations, culminating in the recently announced new investment law from CDC. Cambodia has become, without doubt, a much more pro-business and pro-investment destination, especially when compared to other developing countries or emerging economies.”
Wong, who has recently been appointed as the Vice Chairman of the Cambodia-Vietnam chapter of KADIN (Kamar Dagang dan Industri Indonesia), the apex business chamber in Indonesia, also talked about the upcoming activities of the chamber.
“I hope we can help contribute to a further strengthening of bilateral relations between Cambodia and Indonesia through greater trade and investment activities and initiatives. One such activity we are planning is an investment roadshow to Indonesia in the coming months,” he said.
While explaining the significance of conducting more awareness campaigns about the business-friendly nature of the Kingdom among more businesspeople, he said, “Just a couple of days ago, when I hosted a group of businessmen bikers from Indonesia in Siem Reap, one of them remarked, ‘I was shocked to see how peaceful Cambodia is, back home we thought this country is still at war’. This shows there is still a lack of awareness and understanding about how much Cambodia has progressed, and there is a need for IndoCham and Kadin to help socialise and raise awareness about both our countries.”
“Therefore, activities that will be planned in the future will have to focus on socialising both countries’ people to learn more about Cambodia and Indonesia, so that their respective businesses and investors are more aware of the growth potential and investment opportunities that both offer to each other,” he added.
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