A journey of growth and success
By Wong Kin Ang
Peck Yoke Chan was working for Deloitte Consulting in Hong Kong when she got a new job that would eventually lead to her and her husband relocating to Macau.
She joined Melco Resorts & Entertainment in 2007 as the Director of Recruitment, initially still based in Hong Kong. The year after, she moved to the company’s Macau base, where she is now the Vice-President of Human Resources.
But her life journey and success began long before the two Chinese cities. It goes all the way back to the Malaysian city of Port Dickson, where she was born. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Monash University in Melbourne.
Her Christian faith has played a big part in shaping her personal life and career.
“I think everything in life is arranged by God,” Chan says. “When I first arrived in Hong Kong, I know no one. The following day, I just walked into a church close to where I was staying. Joining the service for the first time, I met with a few believers who have eventually become my good friends and mentors till today. God is great and He placed guardians on my second day in a foreign city”
Chan, however, was not born into a Christian family. Her parents were not Christians but some of her relatives were. One day, one of her uncles, a preacher, was invited to be a guest speaker at a local church in her hometown. She attended that service, after which she began to attend more church services.
During her time studying at secondary school, there was one time when one of those services she attended really made impact on her life. “I was touched by the Holy Spirit”, says Chan.
Her spiritual journey began that day, and up until today, her Christian faith continues to have a big role in her life, especially in overcoming challenges.
Prayers are important, no restriction with God
“Everyone will face challenges in different stages of life, especially in the recent years with the pandemic headwinds,” she points out. “Everyone is emotionally, physically, financially impacted – myself, included.”
Chan adds, “But, when we have Christ in us, we know that God will take care of everything. We should have faith that God will see us through in all these difficult times. And prayers are very important. God is our friend; you can just shout out to Him anytime and anywhere.”
She says, “There’s no restriction with God. You don’t even need a mask to talk to Him.”
Chan does not just pray when she faces difficult times. She does it daily, including when she is handling her family and work matters – putting everything in God’s hand has been one of the keys to her success. “When we placed God in the center of our lives, our paths will be straight”, she added.
Her work with the Melco Resorts & Entertainment has included the openings of City of Dream (COD) Macau, COD Manila in the Philippines, as well as Studio City and Morpheus in Macau. More recently, she has been busy preparing for the openings of Studio City phase two and the company’s project in Cyprus – both scheduled in 2023.
As busy as she is nowadays, however, Chan still finds time for her family. She even takes her three children to school every morning before she goes to work. “You just have to have a good discipline and time management,” she explains. And she still has time for her church activities.
Before the pandemic, Chan even managed to visit her home country a few times a year. She obviously misses home, but after nearly 15 years living in Macau, the city has become her home too.
She underlines, “Everything in Macau was a lot smaller then. But, I think, Macau has gone through a tremendous growth throughout these years,” just like her family has grown, with her three children all born in Macau.
“I love Macau and the people and the city’s Portuguese heritage. We love living in this city, otherwise, we wouldn’t have stayed this long. Everything’s so close and so convenient. It’s been good”
Looking back at her success, Chan advises, “Persevere in whatever work that you do. I think perseverance and determination are the keys to success. We’re bound to have some setbacks in life. Rather than put you down, you should take all these challenges as advantages to groom and equip you with more knowledge and experience.”
Photos: Pierre Roland
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