Queenie Chong, an innovator, dedicated to catalyzing substantial societal change in her community and beyond. Raised by a single mother and supported by the national welfare system, Queenie defied obstacles through education and tenacity.
Her professional journey commenced as an Economics educator, where she continually set the bar high, achieving record-high passing rates for GCE A-Level Economics. This success led to her appointment as the youngest National Head Secretary for GCE A-Level Economics. In this role, she orchestrated a team of Head of Departments across all sixth-form centres and successfully attained national targets for three consecutive years.
Believing profoundly in the transformative power of entrepreneurship, Queenie transitioned from teaching to venture into the startup ecosystem in 2018. She co-founded Startup Brunei, a venture builder aiming to cultivate a thriving startup environment in Brunei. Through this platform, she has fostered collaborations with key startup ecosystem influencers in Singapore and spotlighted several Bruneian startups at global events such as Kopi Talk, E27 partnership, Techsauce Global Summit, Echelon Global Top 100 Startup Competition, and Golden Equator Consulting partnership for DARe’s boot camps.
In the same year, Queenie co-founded Uniklearn, a specialized vocational and internship program designed for youths with different abilities, in collaboration with An-Nur Harapan. Developed in cooperation with an esteemed Malaysian Autism Center, the program equips these youths with essential life and employability skills. An-Nur Harapan now fully manages Uniklearn, with support from Brunei's Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.
Fuelled by personal experiences, Queenie shifted her innovative focus to end-of-life services. In 2019, she founded Memori, providing accessible online legacy planning in Brunei. In 2020, she introduced Mirath, a platform linking individuals with Syariah experts for Islamic wealth management and facilitating Islamic funeral kit donations nationwide.
Amid the global pandemic, Queenie and her team played a pivotal role in importing over 100,000 sanitizers for healthcare facilities across Brunei. They also designed an Islamic funeral kit for COVID-19 victims, following guidance from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Alongside her entrepreneurial endeavours, Queenie holds several esteemed positions. As the Vice President of the Young Entrepreneur Association of Brunei, a Board Member of the ASEAN Young Women Entrepreneurs Club, and a member of her community's youngest Village Committee, she serves in numerous capacities. In January 2023, His Majesty, the Sultan of Brunei, appointed her as a Member of the Legislative Council. In this role, she prioritizes digital and technological literacy, youth entrepreneurship, and the nurturing of a future-ready workforce.
Queenie's body of work speaks volumes about her innovative mindset, her commitment to societal transformation and inclusivity, and her passion for empowering individuals to drive change.
Through her contributions, Queenie was also:
- Featured on Youth Achievement Records in 2023
- Recognised as the 30 Women legal innovators in Asia to follow in 2022.
- Awarded the National Excellent Youth Award of Brunei 2021 by His Majesty, Sultan of Brunei.
- Nominated as A Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum for the class of 2021.
- Recognised as Brunei’s 50 most inspiring LinkedIn Icon in 2020 and 2021.
- Recognised as the 30 people to watch in the Business of Law in Asia 2020.
- The first Bruneian to be awarded the Prestigious Edmund Hillary Fellowship (EHF) of New Zealand in 2020.
- Awarded the Grand Winner and Country Winner of the MCCC-AAET Green Award 2014.
Activities within ASEAN and the World
In the last 4 years, Queenie has been actively bridging, enabling and sharing her knowledge and experiences as a delegate in these programs:
- YSEALI Academy Born Globals in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam (2022)
- Faithfully ASEAN, Singapore (2021)
- ASEAN Youth Fellowship, Singapore (2021)
- Queens Commonwealth Trust for One Young World Summit in London, UK (2019)
- YSEALI Professional Fellow Program Spring in Seattle, United States (2019)
- ASEAN - JAIF Business Matching Program, Singapore (2019)
- YSEALI Impact eXL Bali, Indonesia (2019)
- ChangemakerXchange - The W Summit 2018 in Ho Tram, Vietnam (2018)
- ASEAN+3 Youth Social Business Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2018)
