Schneider Electric's Chris Leong has been named by Forbes Magazine as one of the world’s Most Influential Chief Marketing Officers Chris discusses her successful career leading up to her leadership position at Schneider Electric and shares her advice for emerging leaders.
An exciting career in marketing
“I grew up in Ayer Panas, some people may have heard of it, it is a slightly different environment now compared in the old days”, says Chris. Leading up to her position as Chief Marketing Officer for Schneider Electric, Chris had a varied career with numerous global corporations that gave her a wealth of marketing experience. Her first working role was in Kentucky Fried Chicken's marketing department in Kuala Lumpur. “I would credit them for giving me my very first mentors that not only gave me the opportunity to grow but also a very strong foundation in customer-focused marketing and operations.”
Chris then started working with New York advertising agency Grey Group in Malaysia. “At that time Grey only had 30 people. Grey gave me the opportunity to work with big marketing brands such as Procter & Gamble, British American Tobacco and many others," says Chris. About her subsequent marketing experience with Ford Europe, Chris observes: “Automotive is a big advertising spender, especially in Europe where there is a huge fixation on cars. There is something about men with driving and the adrenaline rush of a car which is a fantastic area for any brand builders and marketers to tap into.”
Chris's next career move took her to Beijing to work with Nokia. "It was an interesting experience because I have been working on the Nokia brand since 1995 from the agency side. To be honest, before I joined the company, I already felt like I was part of the team," comments Chris. “I remember when we had fourteen consecutive quarters of market share growth. The brand was super powerful, occupying 200 million households with very strong customer affinity across the world. When I left Nokia to join Schneider in 2012 it was the end of one era (Nokia) and the beginning of another (smartphones).”
A successful leader at Schneider Electric
Chris was involved in bringing Schneider Electric to the fore of the energy industry, but couldn't have done this without the support of her team members.
“I can tell you that today in Schneider Electric, I have team members that have joined me from Nokia and Bates. I think it goes a long way in maintaining good relationships with your employees and clients as some of them have become my good friends.”
Sharing advice to emerging leaders
As a successful female leader, Chris has valuable advice for others who want to excel in their field. “I do not have all the answers," says Chris. "I am still learning daily - what I have not done, what else I could do better. The one thing that I have say is that there is no magic pill or formula but there are some fundamentals that I think you need to hold conviction to.”
"There needs to be a passion, you need to focus and be true to that passion to achieve your goals. Understanding what your customer needs and applying solutions based on the customer needs is the very basic of what marketing is and that is what Schneider Electric is achieving currently. Being a B2B company, we at Schneider, are enabling our customers to serve their customers better.”
Join talented women like Chris at Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric seeks out and rewards people for being straightforward, open, passionate, effective and challenging the status quo. They want their employees to reflect the diversity of the communities in which they operate. They welcome people as they are, creating an inclusive culture where all forms of diversity are seen as a real value for the company. They are looking for people with a passion for success - on the job and beyond. Learn more about Schneider Electric's job vacancies.
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