Queenie Chong

Queenie Chong Chin Yee is a Bruneian businessperson and politician of Chinese descent who was among the members of Brunei's Legislative Council (LegCo) appointed in 2023. She is the CEO and co-founder of the online legacy planner Memori. She was also chosen as the inaugural Bruneian recipient of the Edmund Hillary Fellowship (EHF).

Early life and education
Queenie completed her undergraduate studies in economics at Monash University in Melbourne, and her master's degree in education at the University of Brunei Darussalam (UBD). She was a former government scholarship holder from Brunei and graduated with honours from the UBD's executive program in business. She also completed DARe's Accelerate program, was instrumental in founding Startup Brunei, a venture development and business consulting firm that created the UnikLearn program's pilot to help impaired adolescents become more employable. In 2018, she enrolled in the YSEALI Professional Fellowship in Seattle, US, and the YSEALI Impact eXL regional workshop in Indonesia. She was the first Bruneian to be chosen as an EHF in 2020.

Business career
Queenie taught economics at Tutong Sixth Form Centre before starting her company, and she left the Ministry of Education in 2018 because she thought that business was essential to boosting the nation's economy and generating jobs. An online platform devoted solely to environmental issues and founding Startup Brunei, a venture capital firm that provides special chances to youth with disabilities via its affiliate, UnikLearn. She is on the board of the ASEAN Young Women Entrepreneurs Club, the vice president of the Young Entrepreneur Association of Brunei, and a member of her community's Village Committee. She was among the participants of the National Environment Conference, representing Beach Bunch in 2014.

Memori/Mirath
Members of an Asian royal family have contributed to Memori's second seed round of funding as it prepares for its August 2019 soft launch. Memori, without an internet platform yet, raised B$158,000 (US$100,000) from 113 Venture Growth Fund. The company wants to develop into a one-stop shop for online legacy management, offering convenient ways to get memorial services, insurance, and wills. She lost her grandparents, which gave her the inspiration for the company.

Queenie won the Excellent Youth Award 2021 with her legacy planning business Memori, which has received two six-figure investment rounds and other local and regional honours. In 2021, she was known to be based in Singapore for a company incubation program. Memori then introduced another online platform, Mirath, which offers similarly reasonably priced will and donation planning services, to serve the Islamic market.

The supply of wasiat (will), hibah (gift/grant), and faraid (Islamic inheritance) in addition to the janazah or contribution kit for mosques—which has subsequently collected over B$10,000 for over 40 less fortunate families—are among Mirath's principal items. Both platforms are aimed at the Southeast Asian market, where the majority of people do not have wills in place and end-of-life planning is still considered taboo.

UnikLearn
Ever since the launch of the UnikLearn program in June 2018, more companies have shown interest in hiring UnikLearn trainees as interns, including young people with autism. Queenie emphasised that for businesses to remain competitive and keep producing high-quality jobs for residents, industries must reorganise and business models must change. According to her, the problem is not a lack of jobs but rather a mismatch in skills. According to her, "our challenge is to ensure that no Bruneians with autism are [offered] fair job opportunity, especially those that are willing to learn and acquire skills that are necessary to meet the changing needs of their current industry."

Political career
Her position as a committed advocate was further cemented when the Sultan of Brunei named her as a member of the LegCo on 20 January 2023. In her new role, she will be primarily focused on developing young entrepreneurship, digital and technological literacy, and a workforce prepared for the demands of the future. On 25 March 2023, Queenie brought attention to the surge in cyberattacks in Brunei, where the bulk of victims are older people who fall prey to con artists. She was worried about the changing nature of the situation and wants to know how the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications (MTIC) intends to handle it, particularly with regard to vulnerable populations like the elderly.

Queenie stated that continuous departmental collaboration must urgently become more evident in the relationship between the LegCo and the ministries during the 18th LegCo meeting on 23 March 2024. It is advised that government agencies develop policies to enhance ministerial officials' capacity to better oversee social media and conduct investigations. It is also suggested to establish a college that aims to improve public relations standards.

Queenie said in April 2024 that the MTIC will use her platform to influence future events on International Women's Day to highlight the need of mastering digital tools as we move toward a future when science and technology will play a major role.

Personal life
Queenie and her younger brother were raised by their single mother in the Tutong District where her mother had built a wooden home for them. Their former home was made of wood. Despite not having a lot of schooling, her mother has always valued hard work. Afterwards, they relocated to Kampong Bukit Udal as part of a government housing scheme. She said that her family's escape from poverty was made possible by Brunei's assistance system.

Recognition and honours
Throughout her career, she has received the following:

Recognition

 * National Excellent Youth Award (2021)
 * Brunei's 50 most inspiring LinkedIn Icon (2020; 2021)
 * 30 people to watch in the Business of Law in Asia (2020)
 * 30 Women legal innovators in Asia to follow (2022)
 * Country Winners of the MCCC-AAET Green Award (2014)
 * ASEAN Business Awards (2019)

Honours

 * Medal_for_Service_to_State_(Brunei).jpg Excellent Service Medal (PIKB; 25 June 2023)