Winnie Wong, VP of Product Design at Pebl

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Employee Spotlight: Meet Pebl’s Vice President of Product Design, Winnie Wong

Welcome to Pebl's (previously Velocity Global) Employee Spotlight Series, where we introduce some of the members of the Pebl (previously Velocity Global) team!

Meet Winnie Wong

The strongest product and technology teams are built with individuals who have a unique mix of technical skills and creativity. They are eager to problem solve and ready to collaborate on a team.

Winnie Wong, Vice President of Product Design, not only embodies these characteristics but also joins Pebl (previously Velocity Global) with over 20 years of experience in both design and leadership. With a dedication to delivering exceptional design solutions and elevating the people on her team to tap into their full potential, Winnie exemplifies the mission and values at Pebl (previously Velocity Global).

What convinced Winnie Pebl is "the place to be"

Winnie was drawn to Pebl (previously Velocity Global) after a former work colleague joined our company and vouched for the positive culture, which was one of Winnie’s top priorities as she began to consider her next career move.

The opportunity to build something from the ground up intrigued her, and ultimately, the importance of the work solidified her decision to join the team.

“While I’ve worked on global products before, this is the first one where the compliance requirements vary widely per country,” Winnie says. “It presents a new and interesting challenge to design things in a way that is flexible enough to work well in each country, but is also easy to use and straightforward to maintain. If we hit all of that, it will truly be a beautiful solution.”

Driven by impacting the next generation

Winnie is filled with gratitude for the mentors and leaders who helped her grow as both a designer and a leader. This is why one of her current goals is to give back to others who are in the early stages of their careers.

“There were a lot of people who gave me opportunities and watched over me, and quite frankly, believed in me,” she says. “I want to provide a similar experience for team members I interact with here.”

To Winnie, the best part of working in product design is that you see the direct impact of your work. As she continues to build out her team at Pebl (previously Velocity Global), she tells potential new hires that they will be crucial to the entire system—not just a button in the corner. Winnie emphasizes the importance of everyone working toward the same goal, regardless of role or title.

A day in the life of Winnie

Before starting her work day, you can find Winnie packing lunch for her kids and, with encouragement from her health-conscious husband, getting in a (very quick) walk around the neighborhood. Swapping out a daily commute for bonus family time is one of her favorite parts of the day, thanks to the freedom to work from home.

Winnie’s typical work day includes constant collaboration—a key part of successful designing. Working as a team is an essential component of the product design process, and Winnie embraces the opportunity to bring the right people together to make the right decisions: brainstorming and discussing ideas and ultimately creating the best solutions for Pebl's (previously Velocity Global) customers. In her afternoon calls, you can almost always catch her sipping on a cup of milk tea—one of her personal requirements for a productive and successful meeting.

Winnie’s advice to new leaders

When Winnie was asked to share advice for future leaders, she reflected on becoming a leader in a way that integrated all aspects of herself.

“As you step into a role where there are a lot of eyes on your every move, people you’ve never met will have a template in their heads about how you should behave given your gender, race, age, whatever,” she says “I would often think, I’m a woman, will people think negatively of me if I don’t slot into a mother / sister / auntie template? I’m Asian, will they expect me to be submissive? I’m a designer, will they expect that I’m not grounded in my thinking?”

Learning how to trust in her own identity—even if it doesn’t match up with others' expectations—has been crucial in becoming the leader she is today.

“All of that pressure will make you question how to be your authentic self while trying to lead, especially if there aren’t a lot of role models around,” Winnie says. “I would tell my past self: It’s OK to accept that you don’t fit into people’s perception of a typical leader. It might take longer to get there, but everyone gets to choose if they want to play that game, or not.”