Building a life philosophy
by Michèle Nardelli
Yeong Chee Meng is quite sure that the year he spent studying in South Australia changed his life. But while he marks his career lift-off from the time he completed his Master of Applied Science in Project Management at UniSA in 1994, he also sees it as the first step in fulfilling some long held philosophical ambitions.
"From my youngest years I was always interested in what it took to build things, not because of the things themselves, but because they can change people's lives.
"If you can build a bridge that saves thousands of people the struggle of crossing the river by boat, you can make their lives better. If you can design safer roads you make an impact on the whole community. This is something I always wanted to do."
Today Yeong is one of Malaysia's top civil engineers having worked in leadership roles on some of the nation's most high profile projects including the new Kuala Lumpur International airport, the Federal Administrative Capital project and most recently, the Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd where he is managing director.
Back in 1994 Yeong saw a scholarship opportunity to study for a year offshore as the chance to learn more and a reward for 15 years of loyal service (including more than eight years as deputy director) to the Department of Public Works.
That he chose UniSA as his study destination was more about timing than anything else. The plan had been to head to the UK, but at the last minute Yeong changed his mind because the study timetable in Australia was more suitable and he says it's a decision he doesn't regret.
"The Masters program opened my eyes to some important aspects of project management that were removed from the hard civil engineering issues," he says.
"I had a bit of a resistance to studying things like marketing, but as it turned out, it was these aspects of the degree that I enjoyed the most and they had an impact on how I looked at communications and people management."
Yeong's wife and young family joined him in SA and while the transition wasn't easy, he says when they returned to Malaysia they all missed Adelaide and its open spaces and relaxed lifestyle.
"It was really one of the best times – studying was challenging but also very fulfilling and Adelaide is an easy place to live.
"I realised that study is just one aspect of this kind of scholarship, the experience of studying somewhere else is almost as valuable as the degree itself.
"The benefits of an Australian education are in the style of learning. There is much less learning of formulaic solutions to problems and more focus on gaining the kinds of skills that allow you to tackle any problem and work out a creative and effective solution. Those skills are invaluable in the modern world. It made a huge impact on my working style and how I approach projects and people."
And it is with a real fondness for his days of study that Yeong talks about turning the tables and spending some time teaching.
"It is something I would really love to do when I retire because I really believe helping young people to achieve their full potential is an important role for mature people who have had strong career experience," he says.
"In my working life I have discovered that emotional intelligence is very important and that believing everyone has their good points is a useful philosophy because you can encourage them to be their best. I know this can turn people around – make an average performer a great performer – I have seen it and worked with people to achieve that.
Yeong has just relinquished another important leadership role as the 'founding father' of the UniSA Malaysian Alumni Chapter. Officially formed in 2000 the Malaysian chapter was several years in the making and Yeong was one of key figures leading its development. But naturally, in keeping with his philosophy of positive role modelling, he has been happy to pass on the reigns to the next generation of UniSA graduates.
Today Yeong is also on the Malaysian Australian Alumni Council, a group which among other things is committed to bilateral relations between Australia and Malaysia and to the development of an educated and caring Malaysian nation. For Yeong it's a good fit.