Jia Group’s Yenn Wong on putting people first and making a lasting mark on Hong Kong’s dining scene

The CEO of Jia Group—the hospitality company behind Michelin-starred Duddell’s, Estro and Andō—reveals the recipe for running a successful F&B business

At the heart of her leadership at Jia Group, which today boasts 12 restaurants, Yenn Wong (Tatler Asia’s Most Influential 2023, 2022) has always prioritised the people behind them.

The Singaporean entrepreneur, who is the CEO of Jia Group, first came to Hong Kong at age 23 in 2003, tasked by her father, the Malaysian tycoon Danny Wong, with reviving a struggling, mid-range hotel in Causeway Bay he had bought. She transformed it into Jia Hotel (later J Plus), and it became widely known as Hong Kong’s first boutique hotel—you could almost say she fell into the hospitality industry by accident. She went on to launch Jia Group in 2010, and in the same year opened its first restaurant, 208 Duecento Otto.

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Wong has since made her mark on the city’s dining scene with an array of popular concepts—think the likes of the Michelin-starred Duddell’s, Estro and Andō. The latest, Indian restaurant Leela, opened in 2023.

The recipe behind a great restaurant always starts with the chef, says Wong. “A lot of the time, when you eat the food, you know if the chef really cares about what they put on a plate.” And the chefs who tap into their childhood for inspiration particularly stand out. Jia Group’s lineup reflects this culinary pursuit; Leela operates in partnership with Indian chef Manav Tuli; the Michelin-starred Mono, Tatler Dining’s Restaurant of the Year 2023, is helmed by the Venezuelan chef (and fellow AMI honouree) Ricardo Chaneton, who is on a mission to popularise the recipes of his native region. “We feel in order for our chefs to excel in what they do, they need to have a bit of freedom in how they conduct their operations to still be able to portray passion and creativity,” Wong adds.

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The right people—and the right opportunities—are what facilitate growth and expansion, says the entrepreneur; working in pursuit of the same goals helps, too. “My chefs are my partners—so it’s really important that our visions always have to align.” And that’s not all: “Every time we do something, it needs to be meaningful.” One such example was the February 2023 charity dinner that Louise’s executive chef Franckelie Laloum, who used to live in Turkey, hosted in aid of victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria alongside six other Hong Kong chefs. The event raised about half a million Hong Kong dollars.

With the people on her team in mind, Wong’s plans for the year ahead include prioritising mental well-being and promoting a good work-life balance—both for herself and the group’s staff—as well as continuing to learn, which are all essential to progressing and striving higher.

“It’s very important, not just as a businesswoman but also as a person, to continue to learn, to progress, to change as the world is changing,” she says. “You can learn something from anyone, whether it’s your peers, your staff, your team—or even your kids.”

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On December 4, 2023, Wong and her husband Alan Lo sold shares representing about 60 per cent of their interest in Jia Group. Tatler has recently reached out to representatives of Wong, who tell us that despite the sale, Wong remains at the leadership of the restaurant group and it is business as usual.

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Yenn Wong Jia Group Dining Hong Kong business Female leader