Desmond Wong has more than 30 years of Asia Pacific Human Resources (HR) senior management experience, with specialisations in pioneering and setting up of HR departments in new companies and impacting employees in their career development.
His career as Regional Head of HR covered various industries, such as, property development/retail/hospitality (CapitaLand, City Development Ltd and The Ascott Ltd), professional services (Ernst and Young), healthcare/leisure (Haw Par Corporation Ltd), automotive (Borneo Motors, distributor for Lexus, Toyota, Hino, Suzuki brands), electronics, petrochemical and online publishing and sales (Global Sources Media Group). He has contributed in US and UK MNCs as well as companies listed on NASDAQ and the Singapore Stock Exchange.
Within his strategic HR level in the various industries that he has worked in, Desmond has sourced and hired both senior management and professional talents for these wide ranging sectors. Prior to joining Cornerstone Singapore, Desmond consulted for companies on specific HR needs, especially in the area of recruitment and selection, compensation and benefits, and performance management systems. He also facilitated Nationally Accreditated HR courses, equipping HR practitioners with the necessary competencies to perform well.
Specifically, he has been transforming companies to improve their capabilities through the following areas:
- Designing & formulating relevant HR strategies and policies according to best practices
- Designing & structuring competitive compensation & benefits programs for offices in the Asia Pacific (covering Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan & Korea)
- Designing talent acquisition, development & retention strategies to recruit & retain the right people
- Designing performance management systems based on the respective company’s philosophy & culture
- Managing organizational development for change through developing & conducting management training in the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia & Indonesia, and in the Chinese Language in Hong Kong, China & Taiwan.
- Conducting training needs analysis to build organisational capabilities
- Developing& maintaining good employee & industrial relations
- Evaluating, selecting & implementing HR information systems, including SAP HR
- Providing HR advice to senior management
- Rolling out management succession programmes
- Creating a caring culture for staff through “Excellent Worklife & Workplace Health” programmes
- Designing and conducting management training programmes like performance appraisals, change management, motivation workshops & On-the-job training trainer-manager
- Merging two companies’ HR to harmonize their terms & conditions of employment