Featured Donor – Dymon Asia

From Burghley courts to title partner – the story of Mark Wong of DYMON ASIA

If you were at the past Singapore Squash Open events since 2023, you would certainly have noticed DYMON ASIA’s Mark Wong from amongst the crowd with his tall stature and hearty laughter. You would also have seen DYMON ASIA’s logos featured on the glass court and on promotional materials as well. Today, DYMON ASIA is featured on the grand stage of squash in Singapore, but the story of Mark and DYMON ASIA’s contributions to the squash community had started many years before.

The first two events of 2021 were held with DYMON ASIA logos gracing on the front walls of Courts 1 and 7 at the Kallang Squash Centre. Both events were fully subscribed, yet back then many have not heard of DYMON ASIA, let alone aware of what DYMON ASIA does as an organisation and why are they supporting our sport.

The man behind DYMON ASIA is none other than Mark Wong. Apart from being a newer donor to Singapore Squash Rackets Association (SSRA), Mark also holds the record for being the first donor to participate in his own event, the DYMON ASIA SG Masters Open 2021.

Mark shared that his earliest memory of the sport was when he was ten years old. Back then, he would often join his father and his friends at Burghley Squash Centre for games with his old Grays junior wooden racket. He was noted for having good ball sense, which led to Mark receiving support from his father and friends, encouraging him to enrol into the Pepsi Youth Scheme to develop promising young squash players.

As he progressed in squash, Mark won the National Junior Under-12 title, followed by championships in the Under-14 and 16 categories. As one of the top juniors in the country, he also represented Singapore at multiple regional events.

Unfortunately, a back injury during Mark’s junior college years put a halt to developing his squash further and he was forced to retire from playing competitively for several years. However, these days Mark is in better condition to play squash, eventually leading to his return to the sport. Mark now competes in Masters events, playing in the National Squash League in the Veteran’s division.

These days, Mark serves as the Co-Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Risk Officer at DYMON ASIA, a leading Asia-focused alternative investment manager. Given his organisation’s involvement in the financial markets, Mark describes his work as fast paced and intense, just like a squash match. He is constantly required to bring his ‘A-game’ to work every day, doing what’s best for the firm while staying level-headed.

On the leadership front, the experience he gained being captain of both the St. Joseph Institution and university squash teams led him on a journey to discover and refine his leadership style.

Through the years of playing in school and club teams, Mark came to appreciate the galvanising power of teamwork, a value which stood out most for him from squash as he entered the professional world.

“Everyone might have their individual singles or doubles games, but they will all strive to do their best and hold each other accountable for the common purpose of winning. Everyone contributes, and milestones are thus achieved through individuals completing their tasks – each one like a puzzle piece that when put together, completes the larger picture. It’s about sharing a common vision where everyone knows their role and what must be done to achieve the greater objective; as the saying goes, ‘Eyes on the prize’.”

Mark also added, “Squash unveiled a certain competitive drive in me. It drove home the value of grit and perseverance – that you need to train hard, put in the requisite hours, and work consistently to achieve success.”

During the interview, Mark also mentioned that the sport had been sidelined for some years now, believing that everyone has a part to play to turn this situation around.

“It should be a ground-up effort supported by public-private partnerships, where everyone can play a part, whether through local grassroots organisation, schools or awareness campaigns.”

He believes that hosting regional or even international events would help shine a spotlight on squash in Singapore. This initiative has started to bear fruit,  given SSRA’s success in bringing the PSA World Tour to Singapore for three years, from 2022 to 2024, the holding of a PSA Challenger Tour event in 2025, and the organising of Gold and Platinum level Asian Junior Super Series events such as the Lion City Junior Open and Singapore Junior Open respectively this year.

Mark added that he is inspired by the many individuals working in squash clubs and Singapore Squash in keeping the spirit of the game strong and growing. He ended the interview with the following words:

“Squash has provided the foundation of many values that I live by.  I am doing my small part to give back.”