Rachel Lau is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Malaysian VC firm RHL Ventures focusing on growth capital investments in Southeast Asia.
Before establishing RHL Ventures as a partner in February 2016, Lau was VP at Heitman Investment Management in Hong Kong and Australia.
Lau also serves on the Leadership Team of the Hong Kong chapter of Ellevate (formerly 85 Broads), a 34,000-member global network of professional women. She also sits on the Program Committee of EMpower, an international not-for-profit organisation that supports at-risk youths in developing countries.
In 2018, Lau was named one of the 50 People Redefining the Way We Live by Business Times Singapore.
Lau graduated from Australian National University with a Bachelor of Commerce with Distinction (double major in Accounting and Finance) and received a Master of Law (major in Business Law) from the University of Sydney.
In addition, Lau represented Malaysia in rhythmic gymnastics in various tournaments and the British Council as a delegate in the Young Global Citizen Summit to solve global poverty and human rights issues.
She is a regular contributor of articles for e27 (you can read her thought leadership articles here).
In this candid interview, Lau talks about her personal and professional life.
How would you explain what you do to a five-year-old?
The easiest way to explain is to say I invest in people that change the world.
What has been the biggest highlight/challenge of your career so far?
RHL Ventures was founded in 2016, and we have always been focused on driving transformative growth in the ASEAN through investing in small and medium-sized companies in the region. Setting up RHL Ventures and building it to become Malaysia’s most prominent homegrown VC has been my career’s most significant challenge and highlight.
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How do you envision the next five years of your career?
The best way to progress in life is through having a goal and working towards it. The next five years of my time will be focused on building RHL as the go-to VC in the region.
What are some of your favourite work tools?
The best tool ever created was Microsoft Excel. I am a pure nerd at heart.
What’s something about you or your job that would surprise us?
We all have a side of us that people don’t know. What surprises many people is that we invest in the unknown, taking risks into young innovative solutions. We believe in new ideas and support them in making their dreams a reality.
Do you prefer WFH or WFO, or hybrid?
The best version of me is when I am around people. So, Work from Office. I love the energy in the office, the chats, the lunch meetings, all of it.
What would you tell your younger self?
A piece of advice I will always hold close to me is to never listen to people who put you down. Destiny is not what you are born into; chart your path, for the future is what you make it. Be fearless, take risks, fall, and cry, but keep going.
Can you describe yourself in three words?
Disciplined, calm and fearless
What are you most likely to be doing if not working?
Reading. I love always keeping myself updated with new things. It is the one thing that everyone should cultivate.
What are you currently reading/listening to/ watching?
Listening to Smash Mouth’s All-Star and watching Money Heist.
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