Striving continuously for excellence is a sure recipe for success in the business world. Local technopreneur David Wong Nan Fay also believes in doing things differently from others and having a committed team.

Q: Can you describe your current scope of responsibilities and tasks?

A: As founder and group chief executive officer (CEO) of SnT Global, my main responsibility is to lead and grow SnT Global to become a premier business outsourcing provider in Asia

In 2007, SnT was recognised by Global Services Awards as one of the top 100 most innovative outsourcing companies in the world as well as top 10 to watch in Asia. Thus, it is my responsibility to ensure that we continue to deliver innovative outsourcing services and solutions to our customers as well as to implement business strategies for sustained growth.

As chairman of Pikom, my duty is to spearhead the association’s goals and mission along with the council in the interest of the members and the ICT industry at large.



Q: What do you enjoy most at work?

A: It gives me a “buzz” every day when I go into the office, be it SnT or Pikom, when I see initiatives that I have started and driven, have evolved and become successful. I am a result-oriented person who promotes and encourages “entrepreneurship” at all levels.

For example, SnT Global has three core businesses and these include supply chain business outsourcing, contact centre and after-market services. Each of these units is led and managed by CEOs who run the units like their own business. There is a high level of delegation to the management team to manage and implement plans within their own units and results are reviewed on a monthly and quarterly basis. I also enjoy delivering the best service level to our customers and having them as my life-long business partners and friends.



Q: What is your management philosophy?

A: My philosophy is to strive for excellence in whatever we do and doing it differently from everybody else. And this can only be successful with a dedicated and committed team who share the same vision.



Q: What would you consider a significant achievement/event in your work life so far, and why?

A: It would have to be in early 2000 during the dotcom bust. Many companies that invested heavily into e-commerce were facing a challenging time and our business model then was relying a lot on these companies to outsource their fulfilment activities. I knew that we had to evolve quickly and we made changes to our business model to meet the changes in environment.

I was able to continue to secure more funding from venture capitalists and grow the business despite the industry downturn. These funds, used prudently, together with our business model, is what drove this company from a workforce of less than three people to over 700 staff and partners today.



Q: Where do you see yourself in five years?

A: I foresee SnT becoming a premier business outsourcing service provider in Asia. SnT would be a global company with more than 50 per cent of its revenue being derived from overseas market. SnT will continue to innovate new services and solutions for its customers to be ever more competitive. And I would have implemented a strong succession plan to breed new managers and leaders to lead and manage the group into the future.



Q: In your opinion, what are among key information and communications technology (ICT) issues and challenges faced by Malaysia? What would be your answers to address these issues and challenges?

A: Lack of funds. Pikom hopes more funds will be allocated to the ICT industry in the forms of grants and ICT loan schemes, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to conduct research and development as well as to promote their products and services globally.

The Government had introduced several seed funding initiatives. However, the SMEs are still facing obstacles acquiring loans from financial institutions and equity financing from venture capitals and public exchanges.

Shortage of skilled workers – the ICT industry is experiencing rapid growth but human capital is a key issue in the services sector. The proposal to simplify the issuance of work permit and entry visas for skilled workers will be a boon for the local industry.

Infrastructure including broadband still has much room for improvement. The nation’s broadband penetration rate is still low at 12.8 for every 100 households. It remains a “wait and see” attitude in many organisations to take up broadband, their reason being its high cost, inconsistent service and coverage as hindrances to embrace it.

Nevertheless, we are optimistic that there will be more uptakes on Internet subscription as more content innovation and new applications are being rolled out. One such initiative is WiMax, which is expected to take off by the second quarter of next year. Moreover, Pikom’s PC Fair also contributes to this effort by having the fair at 30 towns and cities all over Malaysia and making the PC affordable for everyone.

The “buy local” mentality is still lacking in the country. The Government should lead by example by supporting local products and services in their procurement policies. This is a strong mandate and will gain the confidence and trust of other organisations to follow suit. It is also beneficial to highlight success stories and case studies of local companies that have made it globally.