A Day in the Life of CMO and Angel Investor Ching Har Wong

Welcome to the first of our ‘A Day In the Life Of’ series, in which inspiring women walk us through their day. First up is independent consultant Chief Marketing Officer and Angel Investor, Ching-Har Wong a news addict and reformer pilates evangelist, who has her best ideas in the shower…

You may have never heard of Ching-Har Wong, but odds are you’ve seen her work. As an independent consultant Chief Marketing Officer specialising in beauty and tech sectors, she’s worked with some of the fastest growing brands on the market today – including Skin + Me. In her spare time (although we’re not sure how she has any with the amount she packs into her day), she’s also an angel investor, putting her own money on the line to support up and coming brands she believes can go the distance. 

The Dose spoke to Ching for insight into how she gets it all done from her home in Islington, London – here’s a day in her life. 

6.30am: My alarm goes off and I allow myself just one hit of the snooze button. Getting up on time requires discipline! I scan my emails and Slack messages in case anything urgent came up overnight (some of my clients are in different time zones so this happens occasionally) before jumping in the shower. I take a leisurely shower; as I’m free from all tech distractions I do some of my best thinking and problem-solving during this time. Once finished in the shower, I do my skincare routine which is stripped back (cleanse, mist, moisturise) and only takes a few minutes thanks to Skin + Me.

7.15am: I eat breakfast whilst my hair air-dries for a bit if I’ve washed it. It’s usually wholemeal toast and peanut butter (sometimes with a sliced banana), or scrambled eggs. And then a large cup of black filter coffee whilst I read BBC News online and articles from my favourite daily newsletters, which are BeautyMatter, Business Of Fashion, Sifted and McKinsey.  

7.45am: I finish getting ready and get dressed. I wear SPF religiously every day and I apply it before doing my hair to allow it time to sink in before putting make up on. If I’m working from home I can take my time but if I’m commuting to a client’s office I’m normally out the door by 8am.

8.30am: As I’m currently working from home, I’m at my desk (more accurately my dining table ) and raring to go. A typical day will be a whirlwind of emails, constant pinging of Slack, Zoom calls and the occasional coffee meeting in person. 

10am: Sometimes, I work exclusively for one client for a period of time and other times, I am juggling multiple projects. It’s hectic but I enjoy it.

11am: I keep up to date with issues impacting my clients and industry news largely via social media, so I’m always dipping in and out of Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

12pm: Almost on a daily basis the postman or a delivery driver will ring my doorbell with a package for me or a neighbour in my building who’s not at home. Why do they always come when I’m on a call?

1pm: I could easily work through the day with only a quick bite to eat, but I try to go out for a walk at lunch time. I’ll normally do a lap of Highbury Fields, or some food shopping at the local M&S. I’ll either listen to a podcast or Spotify.

2pm: Back to dealing with messages or making calls. I try to remember to drink a glass of water on an hourly basis to keep hydrated.

3pm: More calls. They never end!

4pm: More messages. I usually have a snack to fend off the afternoon slump. It’s usually a Eat Natural bar or fruit, especially mango or grapes.

5pm: Final set of messages and calls for the day before I close my laptop for the day.

6pm: I do reformer Pilates everyday. It helps me to switch off and I cannot imagine ever not doing it. I either do a class at Tempo Pilates or I practice on my own reformer machine which I bought during lockdown. I challenge myself with difficult moves and am usually exhausted and sweating by the end of the session but it feels great!

7pm – 9pm: After a shower I might be out for dinner (current favourites are Perilla, Trullo or Hakkasan for incredible Cantonese food), watching something on Netflix (I Care A Lot is amazing if you haven’t watched it yet) or catching up on life admin. 

10pm: I do my evening skincare routine – double cleanse with the Dermalogica PreCleanse then their Intensive Moisture Cleanser, Skin + Me, then moisturise with Kate Somerville’s K8 Peptide Cream.

11pm: I’m terrible at going to bed and am often still pottering about until I eventually collapse into bed.