Datuk Seri Paul Chong - Professional Keynote Speaker and Industry Expert

    Datuk Seri Paul Chong

    Global SPAC Authority & Resilient Finance Leader

    Known as “Saint SPAC” on Wall Street, Co-founder of Asia’s largest FinTech company (ex-China), and former CEO of regional funds managing Rothschild and Mitsubishi portfolios

    4.5
    Hong Kong
    English

    Speaking Topics

    From Regression To Resilience: The Secret to Success Is More Open Than You Think

    Inspiration and Motivation

    Synopsis

    “From Regression to Resilience” explores why the most privileged generations in history often struggle most with adversity. Drawing from generational research and Paul Chong’s personal experiences, this keynote reveals how abundance creates comfort, comfort weakens character, and resilience must be intentionally built. Participants learn how overprotection, affirmation culture, and constant support can unintentionally create fragility. Through clear insights and inspiring stories, Paul shows how setbacks, difficulty, and failure are the essential building blocks of inner strength. The session empowers individuals to embrace discomfort, take ownership, and transform their “chinks in the armour” into foundations for growth and leadership.

    Target Audience

    Professionals and leaders navigating pressure, complexity, and high expectations in rapidly changing environments. Younger generations seeking stronger emotional endurance, accountability, and personal leadership in work and life.

    Key Benefits

    Resilience Requires Discomfort: Participants understand that resilience is not built through ease but through intentional exposure to difficulty. They learn that strength, courage, and character emerge only when comfort is challenged and adversity is welcomed constructively. Stronger Through Setbacks: Attendees feel more grounded and confident navigating pressure. They recognize that setbacks are not indicators of inadequacy but opportunities for emotional growth, renewed clarity, and deeper internal stability rooted in lived experience. Build Courage Daily: Participants adopt daily habits that prioritize ownership, embrace discomfort, and practice character-building behaviors. They move from passive comfort-seeking to intentional resilience-building actions that strengthen capacity and long-term performance.

    Outline

    Understand Abundance’s Impact – How Comfort Creates Hidden Fragility Today Generational shifts show how abundant access, affirmation, and parental support unintentionally weaken resilience. Participants learn why comfort can reduce endurance, increase sensitivity to criticism, and diminish internal strength. Understanding this paradox helps individuals recognize blind spots and rebuild stronger foundations for performance and leadership. Rebuild Inner Strength – Transform Pain Into Character and Courage Resilience is built, not inherited. Participants explore how welcoming discomfort, facing setbacks, and embracing suffering as building blocks forge character. This move reframes adversity from something to avoid into something essential, empowering individuals to become more grounded, courageous, and capable. Shift Into Vision Mode – Turn Failures Into Forward Momentum Participants learn to move from victimhood to intentional self-definition. By reframing failure into opportunity, they leverage past “ruins” as foundations for comeback. This mindset shift encourages ownership, initiative, and the ability to hunt for breakthroughs instead of avoiding difficulty.

    Getting Listed: IPO, RTO, or De-SPAC?

    Innovation and Entrepreneurship

    Synopsis

    In today’s tightening private-capital landscape, more companies are turning to public markets earlier to secure growth, liquidity, and global visibility. This keynote demystifies the three core listing pathways — IPO, RTO, and De-SPAC — and explains how shifting market conditions, funding constraints, and regulatory changes shape each route. Drawing on real transactions and global deal insights, the session equips leaders with clarity on listing requirements, valuation considerations, investor expectations, and timeline realities. Attendees gain a practical, market-based understanding of what it truly takes to access deep capital pools and position their company for long-term success on major exchanges.

    Target Audience

    Founders, CEOs, CFOs, and senior leaders preparing for funding events or listing discussions. High-growth SMEs, late-stage startups, and emerging regional companies seeking global capital access.

    Key Benefits

    Clarity on Listing Strategy: Leaders develop a sharper understanding of when and how to pursue IPO, RTO, or De-SPAC pathways, enabling better strategic judgment aligned to market timing, funding realities, and long-term growth potential. Confident in Market Readiness: Participants feel more assured navigating regulatory thresholds, shifting valuations, and complex listing requirements, reducing uncertainty around market entry and increasing confidence when preparing for investor scrutiny. Execute a Stronger Path: Leaders take concrete steps to assess financing needs, evaluate suitability of each pathway, align financial reporting, and initiate early preparation to accelerate a smoother, more credible listing journey.

    Outline

    Map the Capital Landscape Before Choosing Your Pathway Private-market funding is tightening globally, with venture and private-equity firms scaling back significantly. Leaders must understand why capital scarcity pushes companies toward earlier listings and evaluate whether traditional financing is still viable. This move clarifies when the public markets become the strategic next step for sustained growth. Evaluate IPO, RTO, and De-SPAC Through Real Criteria Each listing route offers unique benefits: valuation clarity from IPOs, speed and lower thresholds via RTOs, and combined fundraising through De-SPACs. Leaders learn how regulatory requirements, forward-projection allowances, cost structures, and approval risks differ, enabling informed selection based on company maturity, financial history, and strategic goals. Leverage U.S. Capital Markets for Global Advantage The U.S. market provides deep liquidity, institutional investor access, superior valuations, and easier follow-on offerings compared to many regional exchanges. This move explains why companies unable to qualify locally can still list successfully abroad, and how U.S. listing standards shape preparation, capital raising, and long-term investor confidence.

    The Grit Reset: Thriving After Setback

    Leadership and Human Capital Development

    Synopsis

    In today’s competitive world, setbacks are no longer occasional—they are inevitable. Yet too many professionals surrender to failure, losing focus, resilience, and direction. In The Grit Reset, Paul Chong draws from his hard-won lessons on Wall Street and beyond to show how adversity can be reframed into opportunity. Through personal comeback stories and proven methods, Paul reveals how professionals can cultivate grit, embrace criticism without fear, and bounce back stronger each time. This keynote is not about avoiding failure, but about using it as the reset button that drives clarity, growth, and long-term impact.

    Target Audience

    Corporate Professionals and Leaders

    Key Benefits

    Equip professionals with the mindset, frameworks, and strategies to reset after setbacks, transform adversity into growth, and thrive with renewed grit in competitive and uncertain environments.

    Outline

    1. Reset Failure – Reframe Setbacks into Springboards for Growth Failure is not fatal—it is a reset button. Participants will learn to reinterpret failure as feedback, turning mistakes into stepping stones for advancement. Through powerful stories and examples, Paul demonstrates how setbacks, when reframed, can ignite resilience, restore confidence, and accelerate progress. 2. Rebuild Grit – Strengthen Confidence Against Criticism and Change Criticism and adversity often derail professionals. By embracing “tough love” and cultivating resilience, participants will reset their tolerance for feedback. Paul introduces strategies to strengthen grit, adapt to rapid change, and stay motivated in competitive industries where setbacks are inevitable but growth remains possible. 3. Rise Again – Harness Lessons for Long-Term Leadership and Success Sustained success demands rising each time you fall. Participants will explore how to extract life-changing lessons from adversity, channel them into leadership opportunities, and thrive even in high-pressure environments. Paul’s “phoenix rising” stories reveal how embracing failure becomes the ultimate accelerator of growth and influence.

    About

    Datuk Seri Paul Chong, widely known as “Saint SPAC” on Wall Street, is one of the world’s leading authorities on Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs). As Venture Partner at ARC Group, the #1 global investment bank for SPAC listings, and Founder of Knights Capital Partners, Paul has sponsored multiple NASDAQ-listed SPACs and helped create three Malaysian unicorns. With more than 30 years of investment banking experience, including senior roles at Goldman Sachs, UBS, and Credit Suisse-DLJ, Paul has raised billions for over 130 corporations worldwide. He also co-founded Asia’s largest FinTech company (ex-China) with operations across 16 countries. Knighted by the Malaysian government in 2009 and honored with the Malaysia Top-SME CEO Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022, Paul is a sought-after speaker on resilience, leadership, and transformative finance.

    Unique Selling Point

    Investment Banking Veteran

    30+ years of global investment banking experience across New York, London, Hong Kong, and Shanghai with Goldman Sachs, UBS, and Credit Suisse-DLJ.

    Global Deal Maker

    Raised tens of billions for 130+ clients across 10 major stock exchanges, serving corporations like Microsoft, Vodafone, China Mobile, Samsung Electronics, and PetroChina.

    Honored Business Leader

    Knighted by the Malaysian government in 2009; recipient of the Malaysia Top-SME CEO Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.

    Presentations

    Video Presentation

    YouTube Video

    Related Topics in Leadership and Human Capital Development

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    Future-Proof Your Workforce: Stop Losing Your Best People to Caregiving

    Caregiving is the silent crisis costing companies billions. With 1 in 4 employees balancing work and caregiving responsibilities—often in silence—businesses are seeing an invisible drain on productivity, engagement, and leadership retention. Dr. Wayne Freeman Chong reframes caregiving not as an HR problem, but a business strategy issue. In this keynote, he introduces a data-backed, executive-level approach to address caregiver burnout, improve leadership longevity, and retain high-performing employees. With insights cited in Singapore Parliament, this talk offers a powerful wake-up call and a 3-step framework to build a caregiver-inclusive workplace that reduces attrition and secures future workforce resilience.

    The Quality Leap: Transforming Teams, Building Champions

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    Entrepreneurial Edge: Shift Mindset, Elevate Performance

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    Breakthrough with Growth Mindset & J.O.M. (Just One More!)

    Rejections can break momentum—or build character. In this keynote, participants will discover how to bounce back stronger by applying the principles of a growth mindset. Michael Teoh shares his journey from startup struggles to global entrepreneur, with lessons from world-renowned mentors like Richard Branson and Tony Fernandes. Through live polls, group discussions, and mindset reflection, attendees will learn the “J.O.M.” habit—Just One More—which turns discouragement into daily progress. Whether you're building a business, a team, or a new personal goal, this session helps you reset your inner narrative and commit to growth, one small win at a time.

    SHIFT HAPPENS™: The Inner Edge of Mindset, Adaptability & Resilience

    Most organizations don’t fail because of change—they fail because their people never learn how to change well. In this high-impact keynote, Dr. Maria Pressentin introduces SHIFT HAPPENS™, a transformative, science-based framework to unlock mindset agility, real-time adaptability, and sustainable resilience. Through powerful stories, practical tools, and deep insights from neuroscience and behavioral science, Maria helps leaders and teams move from resistance to ownership, and from fear to flow. Participants will learn how to regulate, reframe, and recommit—leading personal and collective transformation from the inside out. This keynote doesn’t just inspire change. It equips you to be the change.

    Speaker Information

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    Languages

    English

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