When and how did you decide to join the technology field (as a career)?
I think my interest in IT goes back to when I was a child – although I did not actively choose it as a career until later. My parents were always really concerned about my education and tried to make sure I got the best education possible both at school and through extra-curricular activities. My parents also taught me homework every day and were always thinking up plans to support the things I did which, looking back, I think has helped me to view things logistically. As I grew older, my parents guided me closely on what I should study at university. My father really believed and envisioned that technology and IT would become essential to everyone’s lives so he advised me to choose technology subjects. In fact both of my parents inspired me a lot to study computer science and mathematics. When I passed the entrance examination and registered to study computer science, they rewarded me with my first personal computer which I think marked the beginning of my professional relationship with IT. After that, the more I learned about technology, the more I became fascinated with it and in particular I became hooked on the notion of using technology as a tool to really change and enhance peoples’ lives.
Did you ever feel discriminated against in your work place because of your gender?
No, not at all. At Microsoft we believe in diversity and I’m happy to say that everyone is respected equally. People are judged on their professional capabilities and skills – not their gender, age, color, race, disability, or national origin. Spending over 8 years working at the corporate headquarters, I have witnessed how actively the Global Diversity and Inclusion team at Microsoft has been in delivering many initiatives and areas of responsibility that have helped to drive Microsoft toward their goal of becoming the industry leader in diversity and inclusion. I’m always grateful to have been given such an opportunity to work with such a diversified group of professionals at Microsoft.
How do you balance your work and family responsibilities? Do you think you have to sacrifice one for the sake of the other?
I think this largely comes down to each individual and how well you manage your time. For me personally, I believe in ‘life balance’ so I don’t feel that my work-life steals time away from my family-life. Naturally my role as Managing Director comes with a lot of responsibility; even so, I still find time to enjoy traveling with my family on some weekends and during my vacation. Even during my eight year in the U.S., I spoke with my parents over the phone almost every day and with my baby sister in London every week. I put a priority on making sure that we can spend time enjoying long holiday vacations together whenever possible.
Please describe your typical day in office and at home?
Like other MDs, my responsibilities span over both internal and external activities. I get to the office very early every morning to prepare for meetings with internal teams, customers and partners at the office. Visiting government figures, partners and customers is a major part of my everyday work because it helps me to connect with them on a personal level and make sure that they are happy with our level of service. As such, I often receive invitations to speak at educational institutions, private organizations and/or government events, which is great for both me and the company. I get to share Microsoft’s thought leadership with the public and I then have the unique opportunity of interacting personally with them and receiving feedback from the audience. Most preciously, I get to learn more about how they are feeling about Microsoft and how our technology can help them change their lives and realize their full potential. Once I get home in the evening, if my parents are here to visit me I like to spend time chit-chatting with them about many things and we might plan our next trip together when I will take them up country for a weekend or vacation. Otherwise, I just try to relax by reading books and magazines, listening to music, playing the piano or watching TV.
In the West, the proportion of women in IT is declining. Do you think the situation in Asia is better in this regard?
The IT industry here in Asia has traditionally been dominated by men - especially in Thailand and perhaps even more so than in the West. However, we are seeing more and more women find their careers in IT so the proportion is certainly not declining. I hope that stories of female IT professionals such as mine will inspire more women to take that first step and get more actively involved in IT, whether in their studies at school and/or university or when applying for their first job.
Women leave IT because they can but men typically don’t have that alternative because they tend to be the primary breadwinners. Do you agree?
I think this could be applied to any industry, not just to IT. However, and more importantly, I would say that there is no clear rule these days that states that men have to be the primary breadwinners. Actually, in Thailand it is very common for both men and women to support their families and to also give financial support to their parents and elder relatives.
Does gender diversity bring a competitive edge to IT companies?
No, not by itself. Speaking from my experience at Microsoft, the competitive edge comes from establishing a healthy atmosphere in the workplace that will encourage all staff to achieve and even surpass the company’s targets. If female employees ever feel that they are under pressure to outperform their male colleagues, I would say that they can use this to their advantage as it may give them that extra push they need to really further themselves and their careers.
Should IT companies consciously increase the percentage of women in their employee pool?
Efforts should certainly be made to maintain a balanced work environment, but just as it would be wrong for IT companies to give preference to male candidates, it would be equally wrong to hire a female candidate simply to improve this ratio. At Microsoft we believe that all potential employees should be judged on their professional abilities, experience and skills – regardless of their gender.
What is the impact on team dynamics, working hours, customer satisfaction, cost of facilities and attrition?
I think you can achieve the best team dynamics by matching the right people and skill-sets together - which may or may not include an equal mix of men and women. A strong manager will firstly look at everyone as an individual in order to identify their unique skills and strengths and then match these with the right team members. If this is done successfully, the rest should fall into place. At Microsoft we are always trying to put our people’s strengths to work!
What are the challenges of recruiting, retaining and managing women employees?
The challenges faced are comparable to those of employing and retaining male staff. For example, at Microsoft we are always striving to create a dynamic and challenging environment for all our employees, regardless of their gender. Our primary goal is to lay the foundations and give all of our staff the tools they need to establish prosperous and successful career paths.
Is there a need for special policies to retain women?
Again efforts should be made to retain all staff, both male and female. This should, however, include policies that are relevant to women such as maternity leave options that allow women to become working mothers at no detriment to their careers.
Despite a large number of talented and successful women in the field, why is it that society tends to associate only men with technology?
These associations have been made over a long period of time and have become deeply ingrained in society despite no longer being accurate. Fortunately however, it is becoming increasingly common for people to question these stereotypes. Every day we are hearing of exciting achievements that are being made by women in a variety of fields that have traditionally been dominated by men. This is equally true for technology and it gives me a lot of pleasure when I hear about or meet young female IT students in Thailand who have already achieved so much in their young careers and are sure to achieve many more great things in the future.
Do you think one of the reasons for marginalization of women in technology are the social myths such as women are emotional whereas technology is logical, and compared to women, men are better with maths and machines?
These are known as myths for a reason – because they are not true! I would argue that each person has their own individual strengths and weaknesses. It is these unique factors which determine what kind of person they are, not simply whether they are male or female.
One of the myths is about women’s looks: technical women are unattractive, arrogant and abnormal. Your comments on this?
Naturally I would have to disagree! I’m always meeting female IT professionals who are very beautiful and far from arrogant or abnormal.
An internet survey polling over 2557 women working in the technical field found that 56% of women had never been able to wear a skirt to work in any tech industry job because they are afraid of being perceived as unprofessional. Is this a right or wrong perception in the light of your experience?
Of course it is important to always dress appropriately for every occasion, but I don’t think this should ever mean that women should feel that they cannot wear a skirt if they want to. In my experience, women’s professionalism is proved not by what they are wearing, but by their performance.
In the same poll, 70% of the respondents said plain glasses, little or no make up and a tight hair bun helps them if they want their work to be taken seriously. Is this the right approach?
Again I would encourage women to dress in whichever style they feel most comfortable in and in a way that best represents who they really are. Being comfortable in your own skin should always be the top priority!
Do the media also play a biased role when it comes to coverage of IT professionals? Most IT magazines go for male CEOs or CIOs or male industry analysts for their stories. Is there a need to ensure that successful women in IT are displayed more regularly? Is there a need for government advocacy in this area?
As mentioned, it is quite common for there to be more male IT professionals in the first place so I don’t think that they receive more media coverage due to bias on anyone’s part. Nonetheless, as more and more women achieve leading positions within IT companies, the media should absolutely promote these stories in order to give other women more confidence and inspire them to push themselves to reach similar positions themselves.
Does lack of networking, compared to the opportunities that men have, also play an enormous role in rendering women in IT invisible?
Whether male or female, you will always need to be visible to a certain extent in order to become successful. Networking is certainly an important tool for this and from my own experience, working with Microsoft has allowed me to meet many wonderful people who have gone on to become customers, partners and close friends. I’ve certainly never encountered an ‘old boys club’ where women are denied access to networking opportunities - so to the women reading this, I would say: get out there, get yourself noticed and let people really see your full potential!
