[3] Leong was born in Ipoh, Perak to a family involved in tin mining and plantation with ancestral roots in Guangdong, China.
Prior to joining Gerakan, he was a member of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and last served as its Perak Chairman in 1972.
[citation needed] Over the next two decades, he served in various posts within Gerakan which saw him eventually occupy the office of Deputy chairman.
Among the many offices he has held includes serving as the Executive Chairman of Nanyang Press Holdings Berhad (2007–2009) and Deputy Chairman of Sin Chew Media Corporation (2004–2007), Independent non-executive director of AirAsia (2004–2013) and TSH Resources Limited (2005–2014).
[4][5] Since 2010, he has been an Independent non-executive director of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited (Malaysia).