Cover Photo: Daniel Adams
Photo: Daniel Adams
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The Hedgeford director and founding member of the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association (Rehda) Malaysia Youth wing, Carrie Fong, relates how an impossible project was made possible through teamwork and tenacity
“My team's ‘can do’ attitude is infectious and inspiring,” says Carrie Fong, director at Hedgeford Sdn Bhd with over a decade of experience in the local property development sector. In 2022, Fong was one of two women appointed to helm the Real Estate and Housing Developers' Association Malaysia (Rehda) Kuala Lumpur branch alongside chairperson Ra Adrina Muztaza, marking the first time in the branch’s 50-year history to have two female developers in leadership roles.
Fong is also a founding member of Rehda’s youth wing, Rehda Youth, established in 2010 with the aim of empowering young developers by connecting them with industry leaders and peers.
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“I served for three years as Rehda Youth chairwoman,” she says. “It was a unique and enjoyable experience. There were many opportunities to take the lead in idea generation for future developments and collaborations.”
A firm proponent of collaboration and open leadership, Fong credits her team at Rehda Youth for their stalwart commitment to the nontrivial task of overseeing the building of the Women’s Aid Organisation’s (WAO) Child Refuge Centre, which was severely damaged by a fire in 2016.
Going beyond fundraising and gathering monetary donations, Rehda Youth tapped into its network of industry partners and consultants, bringing together over 30 businesses on a pro-bono basis to build the first Platinum-rated green child care centre in Malaysia.
“Our journey in building the WAO Child Refuge Centre conjures a myriad of conflicting emotions. Of course, there were some bumps along the way but we have such an incredible working team," adds Fong, who held a career in advertising before joining the property development sector. "It is different from completing a normal development because of the nature of how this idea was formed and the intentions behind it. This is a building that we intended to build from pro-bono expertise and donations of material and labour. Reflecting on the effort it took and then finally seeing the physical building come to life and knowing you contributed to it, I’m both proud and humbled.”
Completed in 2021, the project was the first effort of its kind from one NGO to another in Malaysia. It was also a staggering example of what different corporations from architecture, construction, property development and more can achieve in service of a good cause.
“This effort proved that it can be done,” Fong says. “We hope that it will inspire more conversations among property developers to include the needs of those less fortunate and help amplify their voices.”
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She adds: "We hope that the new teams that come after us will also find inspiration to improve on this pilot project. There were lots of moving parts and plenty of room for fine-tuning. I believe there’s talent and vigour in the association’s new teams to bring out more new collaborations.”
Dismissing the notion of being a one-woman show, Fong’s down-to-earth leadership style and passion for bringing people together was largely inspired by her father, Datuk Richard Fong.
“I believe a strong leader is one who is open to ideas and contributions from any level. I observed that my father doesn’t impose his views on others and allows for his team to charter their own growth,” she says. “It makes sense because when you take ownership of your own plans, you’d put in more effort to ensure they succeed.”
Above "A strong leader is one who is open to ideas and contributions from any level" -- Carrie Fong
"A strong leader is one who is open to ideas and contributions from any level" -- Carrie Fong
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Fong is clearly at home managing different teams and working with different types of people from various industries.
“There’s so much responsibility in how you build, thinking about how you’ll impact communities and impact people’s lives,” she says. “It’s a constant conversation between the developers, the government, and the buyers. We’re trying our best to make that conversation more inclusive.”
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Previously contributing to Esquire Malaysia, Expat Lifestyle and Newsweek, Tania oversees digital stories across Tatler’s key content pillars, also leading the Front & Female platform exploring issues and topics affecting women today.
