Kee Wong FAICDLife says one of the best pieces of advice he has had as a board member is to follow a “nose in, fingers out” approach.
With an engineering, IT and business background, Kee Wong has spent his career providing business and technology solutions to enterprise and government globally. After working as a senior executive with IBM in the Asia-Pacific region, he founded his first business, IT consultancy e-Centric Innovations, in 1999. During the past 20 years, he has been an entrepreneur, adviser and investor across many sectors of industry, focusing on innovation and technology.
What inspired you to seek a board role and how did you secure your first directorship?
I didn’t start out with any ambition to be a professional non-executive director. It happened organically. When I started e-Centric Innovations after leaving IBM, I felt the small and medium-sized business (SMB) community needed representation and a voice.
I wanted to contribute to help SMB information and communications technology (ICT) companies in Australia to better influence the policies and regulations that affect the growth and development of the ICT industry. Having my global corporate experience — plus my passion and involvement in SMB — I brought a good combination of skills to this endeavour. I came to realise there are other ways of providing advice and guidance by participating on boards.
This led to my first board role with the Australian Information and Industry Association (AIIA), the peak body for ICT companies in Australia. I eventually became chair for four years.
My time at IBM exposed me to global corporate experience and engagements with senior executives and board members across government and large enterprises. The AIIA board was represented by large global companies like IBM, Microsoft and Google; large Australian-listed technology companies like Data#3, TechnologyOne, SMS Management and Technology; and Australian SMB ICT companies. I brought a balanced view and perspective across the mix of members of the board.
My second board role was with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, where I learned from other experienced directors, including ASX-listed board members. These initial learnings helped shape my transition into a professional NED role later in my professional career.
What were the most critical skills that helped you get there?
My professional career has been shaped by multinational and global companies. My Asian background provides me with a great understanding of the region. I was born in an Asian country (Malaysia) and went to school in an Asian country. During my professional career, I continued to work and engage in Asia. This, plus my entrepreneurial streak, has helped me to develop and grow from a singular corporate life to a combined entrepreneur, investor and adviser.
The most critical skills I bring to my board roles are a combination of entrepreneurial “hunger” with the discipline of good corporate structure, processes and governance. Knowing that there is a clear boundary between the board and management is important.
I have grown confident over time that I can add value to the boards I sit on without interfering with or trying to “catch out” management.
However, there needs to be a trust built with the executive team [to ensure] that the flow of information I receive is adequate for me to continue to function effectively as a director. The initial temptation for me to get hands-on has dissipated after a while and I have developed a discipline to not “get in the weeds”.
One of the best pieces of advice I’ve received as a board member is to be good at practising a “nose in, fingers out” approach.
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What was the most valuable lesson in your first board role and how have you taken that forward into other board roles?
Directors are not management. I may have expertise in technology or entrepreneurial experience, or knowledge of dealing with people in various Asian countries, but my role as a director is to provide advice and guidance.
My role is not to compel or direct management to act, but to ask meaningful questions so the executive team is better equipped at managing unknowns and ambiguity. I am a sounding board for management. In addition, my role also includes bringing my network and connections to executives to help them better connect the dots in their work.
Another key lesson is the importance of a good chair. A good chair has a clear direction and purpose, and can harmonise the board, avoid groupthink and hubris, foster healthy debate and welcome challenge from fellow directors.
A good chair gets consensus from a board that has diversity in professional backgrounds, gender and cultural heritage.
A good chair brings together diverse views in a harmonious and collaborative manner, where there is a good balance between agreement and challenge from each other.
That doesn’t mean boards get it right all the time. Sometimes, it’s better to get it wrong through a healthy debate than to get the “right” decision through consensus and agreement without challenge. The former could be due to macro or external factors beyond the board’s control, but the latter could simply be due to good luck.
When a board gets it wrong without challenge or debate, it simply means the board hasn’t done its job. It’s not testing or validating management proposals sufficiently.
What advice would you give C-suite executives or emerging directors seeking their first board role?
Be clear that non-executive director is the logical next step in your career. Many C-suite executives may still have one or two more executive roles left in their career before becoming a NED. It may be too early for some to transition to a director’s role. Where it is possible for some executives to have a board role in parallel to their executive role, the C-suite executive can benefit from contributing and experiencing both sides of board and management.
Selecting your first board role is important and it could define the future NED roles in your board career. A good way to start could be to find an NFP board. Choose a board where your fellow directors are people you can learn from, which was what I did when I joined the MSO and AIIA boards.
Have a clear understanding of what value you can add to the board and how the board and organisation aligns with your values and beliefs. Are the board members people you can enjoy working with? Don’t choose “trophy” boards in your portfolio if they don’t resonate with your value and passion.
The boards I’ve been involved with have all aligned with my passions and beliefs — whether it’s about cars or technology, energy, medical research, education, investment, small business and startups, or international engagement and global consulting businesses.
This article first appeared as 'My First Board' in the February/March 2026 Issue of Company Director Magazine.
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