ASEAN operating & growth consultant

I help SME founders scale
without running everything themselves.

I redesign how the business runs so teams take ownership and growth no longer depends on constant founder intervention.

Ricky Chong, ASEAN operating and growth consultant
Ricky Chong Operator turned advisor

Not theory from the sidelines

I’ve sat in the seat where the decisions get real.

As COO of Vimigo, I worked at the intersection of people, performance and growth. Today, I bring that operator’s discipline to leadership teams facing their next inflection point.

Sales growth

for two consecutive years at Vimigo
RM2M+

Capital raised

through an equity crowdfunding round
1,500+

SME leaders coached

on performance and execution
Selected engagement 01 / Lunox Malaysia

Lunox Malaysia · Consumer health & sleep wellness

Built from zero. Grown to seven figures.

Lunox Malaysia mattress featured in a bedroom setting
Lunox Malaysia · Selected engagement
Strategic advisor

Lunox set out to build a new-to-market healthcare consumer brand without external funding. I helped shape the business model, brand positioning, operating structure and performance rhythms from the ground up.

Business model Brand positioning Performance rhythms
“Performance rhythms that helped sustain growth to seven figures.”
0 → 7 figures Revenue in three years
Profitable From operations
5.0★ From 100+ Google reviews
No external funding Sustainable, self-funded growth

Practical advisory, built around your reality

Clarity at the top.
Momentum throughout.

01

AI-enabled operational transformation

Redesign workflows, decision rights and accountability before introducing AI, then apply automation where it removes friction, improves visibility and strengthens execution.

02

Performance & rewards management

Design KPI, OKR and rewards frameworks with real consequences tied directly to business outcomes, team ownership and fair recognition.

03

ASEAN market adaptation & expansion

Adapt business models for Southeast Asia through local governance, cross-cultural team design and partnership ecosystems that fit the market.

Where the operating model meets the market

Different sectors. Different constraints. One discipline: execution.

Choose the context closest to your business to see where I can create the most leverage.

01Retail

Turn every outlet into a visible, repeatable operating system.

Align store execution, frontline incentives, inventory signals and customer experience across locations.

  • Outlet performance dashboards
  • Frontline KPI and rewards
  • AI-assisted demand and service workflows
Discuss retail growth
02Food & beverage

Scale consistency without losing the customer experience.

Build unit economics, shift accountability and expansion rhythms that protect quality as the footprint grows.

  • Outlet and menu profitability
  • SOP adoption and quality control
  • Expansion-readiness diagnostics
Discuss F&B operations
03Manufacturing

Connect the shop floor, leadership team and commercial plan.

Improve cross-functional visibility, decision speed and accountability from production to delivery.

  • Operational bottleneck mapping
  • Management cadence and ownership
  • Practical AI workflow opportunities
Discuss operational transformation
04B2B technology

Build the operating discipline behind recurring growth.

Align product, sales and customer success around a scalable commercial engine and ASEAN market reality.

  • Go-to-market operating model
  • Revenue and retention rhythms
  • Regional market adaptation
Discuss B2B tech growth

Operational transformation with AI

AI should make change feel lighter, not louder.

Most AI programmes stall because technology is layered onto broken workflows, unclear ownership and misaligned incentives. I help leadership teams fix the operating system first, then introduce AI where it can create measurable leverage without exhausting the organisation.

01 / Diagnose

Fix the friction before automating it.

Map the decisions, handoffs and bottlenecks that slow the business down. AI should not scale operational debt.

02 / Design

Put AI quietly inside the workflow.

Use AI to surface tensions early, connect teams and reduce repetitive coordination rather than creating another disconnected tool.

03 / Govern

Keep ownership unmistakably human.

Define decision rights, review points and performance signals so faster execution still produces responsible outcomes.

The outcome

Less administrative drag. Better decisions. Clearer accountability. More capacity for the work only people can do.

Read the field note

Built in the arena

Experience across technology, payments and high-performance teams.

Ricky Chong speaking on stage
On stage · Turning operating lessons into shared practice
Former COO
Chief Operating Officer Vimigo

Scaled growth, strengthened performance systems and helped leaders turn ambition into execution.

Before
Technology & platform leadership Revenue Monster · Touch ’n Go eWallet

Built partnerships and operating capability inside fast-moving digital businesses.

Foundation
Regional commercial leadership Korean Air

Developed a commercial operator’s instinct for customers, teams and measurable growth.

My work is most useful when the challenge crosses functions and strategy, people and execution must move together.

Native ASEAN operator · English · Mandarin · Malay Read my full operating background

A structured path from question to execution

Simple process.
Serious follow-through.

01

Discovery

Understand the context, challenge and goals in a focused first conversation.

02

Diagnostic

Surface the operational and performance gaps in a structured written assessment.

03

Engagement design

Agree a tailored scope, timeline, milestones and the right level of support.

04

Execution & review

Work through delivery with visible progress, clear ownership and direct access.

Insights from the operator’s seat

Field notes for leaders building what comes next.

Practical thinking on AI transformation, leadership, performance systems and regional execution, drawn from operating experience rather than theory alone.

Browse all insights
Team clarity

How unclear expectations kill team motivation

A six-part framework for setting expectations without creating fear, confusion or blame.

Read insight
AI & operations

AI transformation fails when the operating system stays broken

Why leaders should repair ownership, process and performance signals before adding more technology.

Read insight
A good fit if...
  • You have a growth plan, but execution is uneven.
  • Your team is busy, yet the priorities still feel blurry.
  • The business has outgrown the way it currently operates.

What working together feels like

Direct. Structured. Close to the work.

I ask the uncomfortable questions, make complexity visible and stay close enough to help your team turn the answer into action.

Start with clarity

One focused hour.
A practical next move.

Bring the team, performance or operating challenge that is slowing your growth. We will identify what matters most and turn it into a clear 90-day direction.

Paid entry engagement 01
USD 99one-time

SME Scale Diagnostic

A 60-minute working session for founders whose teams are busy, but structure, accountability or performance still depends too heavily on them.

  • Short pre-call context questionnaire
  • Diagnosis of your three highest-impact gaps
  • Prioritised 90-day action plan
Book the diagnostic The USD 99 fee can be credited toward month one when you continue into the programme within seven days.
Implementation partnership 02
USD 1,250per month · 3 months

Three-Month Scale Programme

Hands-on support to turn the diagnostic into working systems, tailored to your company, complexity and stage of growth.

  • Operating structure and decision rights
  • KPI, OKR and performance-reward systems
  • Practical AI-enabled workflow improvement

Limited to four new programme clients each month.

Start with the diagnostic

Strategy · Operations · Performance · ASEAN expansion

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia