Mallory Loone

As a proud alumna, my journey in Sunway started when I was woken up by my parents for Sunway’s Open Day. My first impression of the campus was “Wow, it’s such a buzzing campus!” That was when everything started, meeting Mr. Jana (a lecturer from CAT and ACCA) - the most comedic lecturer from Sunway TES who then convinced my parents and the next thing I knew, I was enrolled into Sunway College. 

Studying ACCA was a family recommendation. Despite realising midway that it was not exactly a passion of mine to be an accountant, I still managed to graduate with the help of my lecturers. That said, some of the key learning modules have played a key role in my business growth today.

An honourable mention goes to my CAT lecturer Mr. Jack Wong who encouraged me to apply for the P&G CEO Challenge despite nearing my final exams. He assured me that winning the competition was not as important as gaining business exposure in the process, and I might even discover my passion there. Sure enough, despite falling short, I found my interest in building my business and even met one of my longest friends and current client through that competition. Mr. Jack even spent time coaching me and answering all my business queries. He made sure I did not neglect my studies as I still needed to graduate.

During my schooling days, I managed to make some extra money by grading and invigilating exams. I also improved my skills in PowerPoint and creating modules by working with my lecturer to adapt his notes for the China market. The Mallory you see today was shaped by opportunities from the Career Services team at Sunway University, and I am thankful for that. 

Currently, I am the Co-Founder and Director of Work Inspires, a people development and engagement company that has worked with numerous organisations across eight countries and won many awards such as Best Management Training Consultancy, Best Engagement Consultancy. I am also a 4-time TEDx speaker. We were featured on the Economist Impact as well as BRM 89.9. In summary, we work with companies in the areas of leadership and talent development, culture transformation, management trainee and graduate programmes, and team building. 

To be frank, I never planned to be an entrepreneur. My career choices whilst studying shifted from becoming an auditor to an investment banker, a business development manager, and now finally an entrepreneur. After I graduated, I took up a job with the late Nazrin Hassan from Cradle Fund Sdn. Bhd. under the Ministry of Finance. I really appreciate my lecturers and the amazing people at Sunway Career Services for encouraging and giving me the confidence to keep going. 

My love for people and business growth continues to be my anchor. On top of being my pillar of support, Sunway University even hired me to run their annual Career Bootcamp for years. Even during the pandemic when business was at its worst, they did not abandon me. 

I have been so blessed with the support and guidance given by Sunway University, and in return, I am more than happy to share and give back to my alma mater and juniors whenever I can. Working with these “younger ones” always keeps me on my toes on trends and challenges that the new generation is facing, which helps me when I work with corporate clients, especially when it comes to bridging the generational gap. 

I truly believe that we “die” when we stop learning. So, I will make it a point to have a meal with business leaders and CEOs to learn and be mentored. I believe that being hungry for knowledge, growth (both for yourself and for the business), and the curiosity to see how far you can fly should be the three core values everyone has. Only then, you will want to improve, do better and strive for a better life for yourself, your loved ones, and the community. Do not choose to settle, instead continue to stir up the hunger to be better!

At Work Inspires, we have two key elements to contribute to the wider community: 

• Sharing life skills with those who may not have the same privilege as others because we believe that though a certificate will give you a head start, but to survive, you will need life skills. We have conducted several initiatives with orphanages and will continue to do more where possible. The work may not be as sophisticated as compared to our corporate clients’ as it focuses mainly on building an individual’s confidence and goal setting, but it is truly meaningful. 
• We also believe in providing a second chance at employment to those who are still able. Interestingly, this is also part of the government’s initiative this year to get retirees back into the workforce wherever possible. We hope that we will be able to go the extra mile in helping those nearing retirement to better prepare for their life post-retirement, be it from a mental health standpoint or for future income and skills. We are currently working with a few partners to launch this nationwide initiative. 

In retrospect, I really believe that we are blessed so we must bless others too. We came into this world with a purpose, so let us leave it a better place than it was. My dad always reminds me the concept of “just one more” or “JOM”. Essentially, in everything we do, just go the extra mile and your “one extra” initiative can create a ripple effect that may be bigger than what you expected. So “JOM”, let’s make an impact together!