“There are lots of roles to play in life; we should give the best to each of them.”
These wise words, spoken by outstanding alumnus Ir Dr Wong Tit-shing, certainly describe PolyU, whose students, faculty and alumni strive for excellence and integrity in all of their roles – educational, professional and application, and in building connections with the business community.
Dr Wong, who has served the toy industry in countless ways for 50 years, is no exception.
After graduating from PolyU’s predecessor, the Hong Kong Technical College, in 1967, he joined Mattel, the world’s largest toy manufacturer, as an engineer. Within a decade, he and his friends had the experience they needed to start their own company.
Today, Jetta Company Limited is an enormously successful toy manufacturing group with nearly 40,000 employees and several production sites. Not only is Jetta a commercial success, but its chairman Dr Wong has also gained an excellent reputation worldwide for his dedication to producing safe, high-quality toys.
He has also fought tirelessly to protect workers in the industry from unfair treatment. He was honoured with the Industrialist of the Year Award in 2011, and was the first Asian to become President of the International Council of Toy Industries.
However, Dr Wong’s contribution is not limited to the toy industry. In 1998, he founded the Jetta Charitable Foundation, which has financially supported the construction of many schools and hospitals in mainland China, along with disaster and poverty relief. “We should put our abilities to good use. Do what we can do to help people in need.”
PolyU is also grateful for his many generous donations over the years. Innovation depends on talent, and for Dr Wong, the most important way of cultivating talented people for the toy industry and beyond is to support education.
Indeed, Dr Wong is devoted to pursuing both entrepreneurship and philanthropy in line with his company’s core values: integrity, excellence and synergy. Echoing his alma mater, Dr Wong urges us all to pursue excellence with the utmost care for society.
The above is an English translation of a story abridged from the Chinese book “Heartening Stories” published by PolyU in 2017.
Photo credit: PolyU Communications and Public Affairs Office
