Alexandra Wong
Creative Lead, ET Partners
"Storytelling is my superpower"
Her work covering people, food, travel and culture has appeared in over 20 local and international media, including her long-running column Navel Gazer in The Star, Malaysia’s leading English-language newspaper.
Today, she splits her time between digital journalism, ghostwriting, and helping organisations tell better stories. Her proudest achievement remains her first book, Made in Malaysia: Stories of Hometown Heroes and Hidden Gems (MPH Publishing, 2014), a tribute to unsung Malaysians doing remarkable things.
A graduate in English Language and Literature Studies from Universiti Sains Malaysia, Alex believes that stories, whether from Malaysia or any other part of the world, help us understand where we come from, imagine where we could go, and recognise ourselves in each other.
Some things she's done
What people say
Alexandra and I go back more than 30 years when we worked in The Sun newspaper. When I asked Alexandra if she was willing to be the editor for my book, she didn't jump on the opportunity right away and wanted to see how serious I was and whether I would be able to take creative constructive feedback. As an editor, she did not come cheap but the value for money and quality is undeniable. She is a creative talent who is a straight shooter with an eye for finding gems and problems that are on your blind side.
As sales manager, Alex delivered scorching results quarter after quarter. She managed her team with great maturity and equanimity, demonstrating a genuine concern and empathy for every one of them. People in Dell still remember her with great affection and fondness. Alex was a stand-out communicator. Her spoken and written communication were absolutely scintillating, and delivered with tremendous confidence and style.
I chanced upon Alex Wong whilst reading an article that she had previously written.
What appealed was her style of writing. She has a way of drawing you in, with her easy way of story telling but without missing the message needed to be made. Working with Alex was most enjoyable. She took our goal and made it hers too in completing her task, which gave me a sense of reassurance that she had our best interests at heart.
I read your book Made in Malaysia: Hometown Heroes and Hidden Gems on my plane ride back from Malaysia to Norway (where I live now) and was pretty upset that it was over when I finished it. You really captured your experiences well, I could feel the simple happiness you came across, your struggles as a writer and more personally I could feel as if I was back home again. It was almost as if me ending the book meant facing reality.