Gearing Up: Returning From Schooling In Paris To His Homeland, Pily Wong Brought All His Passions With Him
AIMING HIGH
Cambodia-born Pily Wong was raised in France, where he studied Information Technology then International Trade and Chinese at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations in Paris. A serial entrepreneur, this 36-year-old is president of the Information and Communication Technology Business Association of Cambodia and French Cambodian Chamber of Commerce.
There's only one car life in the showroom. "The last months have been good," says Pily Wong as we both clamber into the luxury vehicle to talk.
The last eight years have been good too, apparently. The young head of Mercedes Cambodia can't remember a time when turnover hasn't increased since he took over the family business in 2002. Until then, the young Wong had been picturing himself as a future IT developer. He was studying in France when his father, who fled Cambodia during the war, decided to return to his native country and relaunch the family's car import business.
"A few years later, he asked me to come and took me to visit partners and clients. We spent much time in fancy restaurants and I thought that if that's what being a businessman in about, I should accept his proposal, "Pily Wong recalls.
This was way back in the beginning. Wong is still a gourmet, but he less time for wining and dining today.
Hung Hiep, of which he is CEO, distributes not only Mercedes and Volkswagen cars in Cambodia, but also consumer goods. Activities even extend to marine equipment and port projects.
The smiling serial entrepreneur's second employer is Microsoft, for which he acts as Cambodia's country manager. His latest venture is called Dragon Holdings AG, a company listed on the Frankfurt stock exchange that develops financial trading systems based on smart mathematical algorithms.
Never mind the pirates
With such a diverse set of professional activities, Wong's weekly schedules are anything but regular. "My work for Microsoft takes around 50% of my time. In the beginning that was 100%," he says.
In 2007, Wong heard from the US software giant's Cambodian distributor that the company was looking for a local representative. "I had studied IT, but was not working for any IT company here so I had no conflict of interests. I thought I could make them benefit from the network I had built thanks to the car business. With the support of the distributor, I sent them my application and it worked."
One would like think you must be suicidal, crazy or both to sell software in Cambodia, a haven for pirates. "My friends were telling me I was very brave, but generating direct revenues is actually just a part of the job. Microsoft has a long-term approach in Cambodia. I am in charge of a market development programme paving the way to a stronger presence. It consists of the gradual building of a distribution network, the education of the public about anti-piracy and advice to corporate clients."
Microsoft sells customised IT solutions in Cambodia, most notably in the fields of IT security, collaborative sites and document management. Among its clients are public entities with projects finance by the Wold Bank and other donors; banks; telecommunications firms and multinationals.
It is not all about the product
With cars just as with software, Wong believes in education and service. Less than 2,000 new vehicles are sold every year, compared to more than 100,00 secondhand, proving the Cambodian market for brand new cars i tiny.
Competing with cheap re-sellers is no easy task. "The problem is that most Cambodians still think that buying from an established outfit is synonymous with a bad bargain. It is a question of mindset. For them, circumventing the system is always better."
The number of customers who are beginning to realise what reliability and post-sale service are really worth is, however, on the rise. "With time, the numerous breakdowns and accidents due to the poor quality of used cars play in our favour," he notes. "People who buy with us know they get a guarantee and are not cheated on equipment. Mercedes even adjusts the tuning of its cars to the country's rough road conditions."
As president of the French Cambodian Chamber of Commerce, Wong is happy that French political interest in the region is on the rise. "France is reviving strong diplomatic ties with Asia. We were waiting for this for long," he says.
With Cambodian roots and a solid knowledge of Mandarin, Wong sees an opportunity to bring the country's business communities closer together. Though, for further growth, Wong says the country should expand its skill base. "The garment industry may be good for the short-term. However, it would be a pity to only employ our young labour force with activities of poor added value."
Electricity costs remain a major burden, but Wong stresses the country's infrastructure is good enough to support the development of a healthy IT sector. "And we can train network administrators in three years" he adds.
It may take a little longer to turn Cambodia into Asia's Silicon Valley, but, just as with Microsoft, Wong is planning for the long-term.
By Philippe Beco
Reference
- Southeast Asia Globe, April 2011, p.38, 39
