Allen Ding, CEO of Snappymob

Allen Ding

In this interview, Allen Ding, CEO of Snappymob, tells how his team is helping The Yum List and shares some news about other projects in the works.

*Header photo: From left to right: Wei Xing (Designer), Roy (Lead Developer), Allen (CEO), and Arthur (Project Manager). Special mention to Noraini (Developer) who is not in the photo but is an essential part of the team.

What do you do?

I run Snappymob. My team develops web and mobile apps with great user experiences for companies large and small across the globe.

How did you get into the industry?

My first job out of college was for a tech company in the US, and I’ve been in the industry ever since. I worked in California, Amsterdam, and Korea before starting Snappymob. 

Share with us a story from behind the scenes.

There is a huge amount of problem-solving, coordination, and inspiration that goes on behind the scenes to deliver a successful product if you care about getting it right.

What’s a food memory from your childhood or travels that stands out?

Amazing meat from Chi SPACCA in Los Angeles during a foodie road trip.

What’s the best/ worst part of your job?

The best part is my team and the sense of accomplishment when we succeed. We work together to transform our customers’ ideas into real products, and we get the chance to repeat it every 6-12 months. The worst part of my job is that it is very demanding on my time.

What’s your favourite food and beverage pairing?

Really good sushi and green tea.

How are you helping The Yum List with the website?

We’ve given a design makeover to The Yum List to give it a more contemporary feel while preserving its identity. Under the hood, we are fixing lots of bugs and design issues. Finally, we provide support so that The Yum List team has complete peace of mind when it comes to technical issues and so they can focus on content.

A day in the life of Allen Ding, tech agency CEO is…

• Catching up on the status of projects with my team.
• Providing feedback and/or help with design and technical issues.
• Business meetings and lunches.
• Planning and strategy with the management team.
• Dealing with many issues that inevitably come up.

The perfect day off would be…

Being in a quiet cafe with good coffee and catching up on personal reading (and no loose ends at work).

What do you do for fun?

I’m a movie buff.

What’s something you’d like customers to know about Snappymob?

We believe in creating great user experiences for our customers and their users. Our culture is centred around caring about our customer’s products as much as (if not more than!) our customers themselves. It is utterly important to me that we get things right and that we make it right in circumstances where we don’t.

What’s something you’d like people to know about being a tech CEO as a profession?

It really isn’t easy. You have to keep learning and improving to compete. You deal with a lot of stress-inducing issues. But it is fulfilling in the end.

What’s your view on the tech scene in KL?

It is a small ecosystem, but it is maturing. We’re still behind our peers. Expectations and appreciation for good products have grown a lot. Good talent has been and will continue to be a problem.

How has the pandemic changed you, your perspective, or how you operate?

More than before, it has taught me to look for opportunities even in challenging times. We’ve come out of the pandemic bigger and stronger than before by holding to our principles and being tenacious about our mission.

What’s in store for you in the upcoming months?

I am focused on growing our regional business now that some semblance of normalcy is back. We’ve got a fantastic team that does world-class work, and we have a lot to offer beyond our shores.

Read more interviews such as this one with Allen Ding here, and stay up to date with the latest food and beverage happenings in KL here.