Mr Fong went to Trafalgar Primary School and then Raffles Institution. After obtaining his Higher School Certificate, family circumstances made it necessary for him to start working life early.

He joined The Straits Times in August 1969 and has stayed with the company ever since. Between 1983 and 1986, he was seconded to Shin Min Daily News, where he became its de-facto chief editor. He became editor of The Straits Times in 1987 at the age of 37.

He handed over editorship to Mr Han Fook Kwang in September 2002 and became Editor-at-Large with special responsibilities for China.

In April 2005, he took over as head of Marketing Division.