Our CEO shared his vision of business leadership with a group of entrepreneurs during a commerce convention

On July 25, Vicente Wong participated in a keynote speech organized by the Machala Chamber of Commerce. In this convention he shared his professional experiences and the keys to exercising effective and responsible leadership with Danilo Palacios, Minister of Agriculture of Ecuador; Edith Villavicencio, CEO of DHL; and Philippe Fossaert, CEO of the Mercado Libre e-commerce platform.

At the beginning of his speech, our CEO evoked the legacy of his father, Segundo Wong Mayorga, whom he considered a reference of self-leadership:

“Despite the limitations my father had, since he barely finished school, he had a very big dream and a capacity for work and perseverance that made him pursue with passion what he dreamed of. He had an incredible energy to communicate and engage people to achieve his goals, and people followed him and supported him with pleasure because he was looking out for the good of the country and the producers around him. This is an example of what a leader must be, aware of his weaknesses, strengths, and objectives, walking towards the goals he is looking for”, he said.

When speaking about his vision of leadership, Wong stressed the importance of having a balance between the management of tangible and intangible assets, that is, also focusing on the development of talent, communication, brand, and reputation. “That is where the leader's contribution really lies: the work that transforms the organization's culture and makes it transcend over time.”

Wong also shared his experience running a family business. He pointed out that, to be successful in these cases, a lot of work must be done on a regulation that allows you to stipulate where the conflicts of interest are and where the family unit could be affected. He also highlighted the importance of delegating functions to professionals in different areas to cover the risks that a business faces when it is in its growth stage.

In addition, Wong shared his three strategies for successful leadership: focus on the customer and seek solutions for them, have people who are well prepared and connected with what customers want and, finally, be clear about your values. On this last point, he cited an example:

“In the 1990s we chose the path of environmental and social certifications. That involved a series of international and national law compliance, as well as significant costs for the business. We persisted for a decade and then five more years. Then, in 2005, European regulations came along. Since we had persisted in formality and sustainability, that immediately brought us into the European market. That's when you connect your values with the strategy and generate these opportunities”.

During his closing remarks, Wong said that it is not enough to generate value for shareholders only, but to transcend, to generate value for society, to improve the quality of life of the people, focusing on the communities around the operations.

“In our case, we work in rural areas, in very poor areas, with which we have a responsibility. In the environmental aspect, we have a lot of work to do to protect resources that will be limited in the future. We must generate opportunities, but also a great social responsibility with the country, which needs employment to solve the great problems we have, such as insecurity and child malnutrition”, he concluded.