Mai Mai Wong

Technical Service Manager

Jungbunzlauer, Inc.

Please meet this week's WOTW, Mai Mai Wong! Mai Mai's journey started with the influence of her father, who was an engineer. She exceled in math and science, so Mai Mai knew that this would be a great foundation for her desire to study Engineering. Upon graduating with her B.S. in Materials Engineering, Mai Mai landed her first job in the electronic materials division of a large, $2B chemical company which housed divisions including chemicals, metal, and ammunition. Mai Mai's role in the organization was in the engineering group, supporting electronic materials within the semiconductor industry, but upon sale of that business unit, she had the opportunity to enter into the chemical division of the company. She spent time in roles such as technical services, market development, and account management, but once again, her business unit was sold. At the same time, Mai Mai's husband had an opportunity out of Boston, so instead of moving on to the new owner, she decided to take a break from her career to focus on family and relocate to the Boston area. After the break, Mai Mai began looking for a job that would allow her to use her transferable skills. After years of searching for the right opportunity, she found a job at Jungbunzlauer; Mai Mai has been with Jungbunzlauer for 15 years.

During the interview, Mai Mai expressed that she never had a negative experience in the chemical industry, and she is very grateful for that. In the 90s, Mai Mai found opportunities to connect with other women in the industry through her company, and she also found a key mentor during this time. After leaving the industry and returning, she was amazed at how much had changed, and she felt that the industry had become much more diverse during her time away. While she recognizes there has been growth, Mai Mai is still looking forward to seeing more diverse representation in the high-level management roles in the industry.

Mai Mai's colleagues shared that Mai Mai is versed in every topic under the sun, yet she is extremely approachable, patient, and a motivated teacher who encourages and challenges her colleagues to build their technical knowledge. She continues to expand her knowledge by working with various departments in the organization and by simply being curious and researching topics that interest her within these departments. She continually encourages her team to join her in this thought process and excel and showcase their skills. When asked about advice that Mai Mai has for the WIC community, she shared that communication is most important and what you have is what you make of it, while quoting her favorite Shawshank Redemption quote - "get busy living or get busy dying."

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