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This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on September 11, 2017 - September 17, 2017

AN aspect of Iclif’s Leading Leaders Programme in Bangkok that left a lasting impression on me was the Market Immersion Experience, which took the concepts of leadership out into the busy city.

I considered myself really fortunate to have got the opportunity to meet three dynamic leaders from three distinctly different organisations — Ngern Tid Lor Co Ltd (NTL) managing director Piyasak Ukritnukun, Dusit Thani PCL group CEO Suphajee Suthumpun and Duang Prateep Foundation (DPF) founder Prateep Ungsongtham.

The commonalities shared by the three leaders were obvious — they brimmed with passion, were full of energy in what they did and were crystal clear about their values and purpose.

Our first stop was NTL, a micro-financier in Thailand that is a subsidiary of the Bank of Ayudhya.

In an increasingly challenging market crowded with finance companies, loan sharks and pawn shops, NTL needed to stand out. In 2014, Piyasak, who was appointed managing director in 2013, and his management team decided to rethink the company’s strategy and mission in a bid to differentiate themselves from the rest.

The outcome of the exercise was a clear mission statement that top management shared with us — everyone has a right to financial services and NTL delivered relevant, simple, convenient and fast products to those who needed them.

Piyasak and his team strongly believe that financial access is a basic human right, especially for the unbankable. They have thus been actively communicating and educating their 3,000 employees, shifting their mindset and aligning it with NTL’s mission, culture and values.

Our next stop was at the iconic Dusit Thani Hotel to meet Suphajee, who has many achievements under her belt. Before becoming the first non-family member to run Dusit Thani, she was the CEO of Thaicom PCL and had spent 23 years with IBM in various key roles. In fact, she was the first female to be appointed general country manager of IBM Thailand.

As Suphajee talked about her career progression and various challenges along the way, what impressed me most about her was her discipline — which she attributed to her navy-trained father — and her adaptability to the different settings she was placed in.

According to Suphajee, her purpose in any company she worked for was simple: “To bring Thailand to the world.”

However, we found the most inspiring example of leadership energy in the Klongtoey slum of Bangkok — Prateep, the founder of the 39-year-old DPF.

Having grown up in the slum, she vowed to make a difference to the lives of those who dwelled there, especially after having witnessed a friend’s disabling injury following an accident. She was convinced that the only way to get these people out of poverty was through education.

Prateep started the One-Baht School in the slum with her sister but soon found herself spending less time on education and more on helping the people there upgrade their living conditions.

The 60-year-old is not slowing down. She is still actively involved in the running of DPF with projects focused on education, child abuse, welfare of the elderly and youth living in slums. The foundation even has a trained firefighting team for emergencies in the slum.

“When I see something that is not right, I want to make it better,” said Prateep.

 

 

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