ALUMNI FOCUS
Angela Ng – International Achievement
2020 Alumni Award Winner – International Achievement
MBA 2003, MMgt 2002
From a young girl of 14 who had to give up school to support her family, to the head of a publicly listed company with 5,000 employees, Angela Wai Yung Ng has displayed a single focus to improve her life and that of her family through education, of which Macquarie University has played a part. And yet, eminently successful, material wealth holds little charm for this gracious and joyful woman full of integrity and character. To her, giving back, and raising others, is her raison d’être.
There is something awe-inspiring about talking with someone who, over their lifetime, has displayed a dogged determination to improve their standing in life, and beyond that their family’s. Someone who not only dreamed of a better future, but who has studied and worked tirelessly to make those dreams come true.
‘I came from a poor family of seven children,’ explains Angela. ‘At 14 I left school and went to work, sewing to make money to help the family, but I never stopped learning. I went to evening school and no matter how hard it got, I kept going. My mother and father always said that even though we were poor, we needed to keep learning; their guidance has been very important.’
This high value placed on learning by Angela’s parents has paid off handsomely – four of her siblings have achieved a Masters degree and two have a PhD. Angela herself has completed a degree in management in Hong Kong, studied at Harvard Business School, and attained a Masters of Management as well as an MBA at Macquarie University.
The promise of a better life, which education could give her, spurred her on to keep learning and improving – and start a business with her husband: ‘Forty years ago, after I graduated and got married, we started the printing business. We started with nothing, it was just me running the business, but we dreamed of being happy and successful.
‘We wanted a better life, and we wanted our children to have a good life and a good education too. We knew we had to be strong and independent to make an income that would allow us to do all these things, so we planned for our future, and for our children’s.
‘We worked hard for a long time, it was very difficult, but there was an element of good timing too,’ says Angela, talking about the period of growth for the printing company that resulted in its public listing – and which led her to complete a Masters at Macquarie University.
‘I decided to broaden my knowledge so we could keep improving the business. It’s very important, when you’re leading a company, to expand your mindset and learn from other people. Keeping up to date and looking forward is very important.
‘As an ambitious, mid-life international student at Macquarie, I had opportunities to learn from faculty members and students from all over the world,’ Angela says. ‘I felt accepted and appreciated for my best qualities.’
It was a very intense period of her life too; running a company, a home, and studying part-time, but Angela says it was worth it. Not least for the freedom it has given her to give back; a conscious decision she made a long time ago. ‘I knew from experience that education and study shapes a person, and ever since I was young, I knew I wanted to do as much as I could for those who need help.
‘This is the real meaning of money and success,’ shares Angela. ‘If money is only about how rich you are and living the luxurious life, it’s has no meaning. But if you can help people, that is meaningful.’
Angela generously supports many organisations, including scholarships for the MQ medical degree program, and being able to give back to society is, to her, the true mark of her success. Now, her vision is to succeed in the health and wellness space.
‘I’m 70, but I still have a lot of dreams; there are so many things I still want to do for society,’ says Angela. And there is no doubt she will achieve whatever she sets her mind to, lifting others up along the way.
Angela Wai Yung Ng holds a MMgt (2002 and an MBA (2003) from Macquarie University. In 1979, she established Chung-Tai Printing with her husband Dr Suek Chai-kit. The company, which was successfully listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1992, is now a subsidiary of Neway Group Holdings, a market-leading karaoke and entertainment business that she and her husband acquired in 2009. Chief operating officer of Ching Tai Printing until her retirement in 2015, when she passed the reins to her second son, Angela is now focused on giving back to society in the areas of education and health.
Words: Megan English
Very good example in building community wellbeing and care in oz.
Thankyou Dr Angeja Ng!
Prond of Macquarie!