Andrew Chong (ACCA, 2016) went from the halls of Sunway University to leading financial solutions in Europe. Andrew has built an impressive global career with a strong foundation in corporate finance and a passion for innovation. He transitioned from EY Malaysia to becoming a key player in M&A (Mergers and Acquisitions) and strategic finance. Today, as the founder of uPledge and Portio Capital, Andrew’s journey symbolises perseverance, hard work and adaptability.
Reflecting on his time at Sunway, Andrew believes that “A professional qualification is important to stay visible and competitive as the job market becomes more saturated”. In addition to the qualification, he still treasures the relationships built with lecturers like Ms. Kiran and Mr. Goh to this day, who continue to inspire him.
After graduating in 2016, Andrew joined EY Malaysia’s Corporate Restructuring team where he learned to deal with liquidation, insolvency and judicial engagements. This experience helped him develop a strong judgment for negotiations, risk mitigation, management, and running a business operationally as the representative of a court appointed receiver and manager.
.jpg)
In 2018, his self taught AI and data science skills led to a global opportunity with EY working on innovation projects alongside IBM. This not only led him to a pivotal career move into international territory but also became one of his proudest achievements, as he was one of only two candidates selected from Asia Pacific region to join EY Global’s AI team, an accomplishment that brought personal and national pride. He also had the honour of sharing the stage with former minister Khairy Jamaluddin at the Johor Youth Conference in 2023.
Andrew quickly climbed the ranks and eventually oversaw regional EY S&T’s AsiaPac technology initiatives and delivered AI solutions in Europe and the Americas.
By 2022, Andrew founded his first startup - uPledge - in Netherlands, focusing on impact & retail financial services in Europe & the Americas, securing $350,000 in funding and scaled to a team of 15 people. Shortly after, he continued to embrace entrepreneurship focusing on Web3 real estate by launching Portio in Belgium, which achieved profitability within six months.
.jpg)
The journey to where he is today was not without its challenges. “Building a personal and expert brand in a new region requires extra effort. Start small, put in the hard work, create gradual wins, and keep your network updated”.
To fellow alumni aspiring for global career opportunities, Andrew offers valuable advice - “Master a widely used language like English, as communication is the most important tool in your arsenal. Be confident in your skills as you are not second to any other nationality and believe that you’re on your way to ‘world class’!”
