Manoo's 'endless mission'

Manoo

Everyone in the information and communications-technology (ICT) industry knows the name Manoo Ordeedolchest.

The man's reputation and wide recognition are the result of four decades of ceaseless work for the industry. Many people regard him as a guru, but Manoo himself is happy to be known as a scientist in the fields of software and technology whose research has led to new developments in ICT.

Now 66, Manoo still maintains several top positions in the ICT industry, including membership on the board of the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), membership on the board of Software Park Thailand, chairman of the committee for ICT policy at Sripatum University and president of the Association of Thai ICT Industry (ATCI). He is a former president of both Thailand's Software Industry Promotion Agency (Sipa) and the Asian-Oceanian Computing Technology Organisation (Asocio).

Looking younger than his years, Manoo still works about 10 hours a day, just as he has for the past 40 years, and he says the answer to his constant energy is daily exercise.

"I need exercise to have the energy to work 10 hours a day, seven days a week. On weekends, I work at home. I've done this continuously for 24 years," he says.

Manoo begins each day with exercises. He wakes at 4am or 5am, does exercises until 8am, then starts work at 9. He works until 7pm or 8pm and sometimes late into the night if his day's work has been interrupted by a long meeting.

He decided more than 40 years ago to study computer science. It was then a new technology with limited acceptance and known only to small groups of people. He studied electronic engineering at Oregon State University's College of Electrical Engineering. After earning his bachelor's degree, he went on to graduate with a master's degree in computer science from the same university.

"When studying for my bachelor's degree, I did not know what a computer was. I had my first chance to experience a computer when studying for my master's degree. It was around 1960, when computers were being transferred from the military after World War II to universities throughout the United States," Manoo recalls.

His working life began when he was only 25. His first job was at the Institute of Applied Scientific Research of Thailand as a researcher taking care of software deployment by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat).

"I returned to Thailand to take a short break after graduating with my master's degree and while waiting to study for my doctorate. I had not been back to visit my home for seven years during my studies. Unintentionally, I got a job, and I enjoyed it. In the end, I did not have a chance to return for my PhD studies," Manoo says.

He worked as a researcher for a year before moving to work as a systems engineer for IBM Thailand for three years. While there, he gained much valuable experience, because he spent half his time working and the other half being trained. The training was essential to his role as a systems engineer, so he could then train IBM's customers in the efficient use of large computing systems. The customers were large organisations like the National Statistical Office, Chulalongkorn University and Egat.

In 1970, Manoo and a group of colleagues at IBM saw big opportunities in the computer industry, because there were few Thai companies in the field. So he and his colleagues set up a company called Datamat, which was aimed at being a training centre and providing data-processing services. It was the first computer-related training centre in Thailand owned and operated by Thais.

When Japan's NEC expanded its markets to include Thailand, it appointed Datamat as its sole distributor, so Datamat took on the roles of hardware distributor and system integrator while maintaining its training and data-processing services.

In the 1980s, Manoo expanded Datamat to become Thailand's biggest software factory, with about 500 full-time programmers.

Eventually in 1993, after many years of steady growth, Datamat was listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). The company controlled a major share of the software market in Thailand's banking and financial sectors. It even set up branches abroad, to develop and sell software in foreign countries.

At its highest point, Datamat was earning annual revenue of Bt800 million. Then in 1996, it was taken over by a group of investors who made an abrupt about-turn in Datamat's business, changing it from a software company to focus on selling hardware products.

Even though he was its founder and president, Manoo did not hold a majority of Datamat shares. In fact, after Datamat was listed on the SET, Manoo and his co-founders owned only 2 per cent of the company.

"We set up and ran Datamat because we were happy and enjoyed the technology. From the beginning until the company was listed in the stock market and taken over, we did not hold major stakes," Manoo recalls.

Relinquishing his ties with Datamat, Manoo moved to Shinawatra University's Faculty of Information in 2000, serving as dean for two semesters.

But in the years he had worked as president of Datamat, Manoo had also been working in many roles to encourage and develop Thailand's software industry. For example, in 1983 he initiated the establishment of the Association of Thai ICT Industry (originally known as the Association of Thai IT Industry) and became its first president, a position he has now held for more than 10 years.

As well, he played an important role in developing Thailand's public policy on software and ICT development, through his membership of several policy bodies and organisations. As a board member of the National IT Committee (NITC), he helped to draft and develop national IT planning, including the country's ICT Master Plan.

"I became involved in planning the country's public policy through the National Electronic and Computer Technology Centre (Nectec) more than 20 years ago - since the establishment of Nectec," Manoo says.

One of his biggest achievements began as an attempt to adjust tariffs for imported IT products, so that they gradually reduced from 40 per cent to zero. Eventually, it drove the government of Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun to set up policy bodies to oversee the ICT industry, including the NITC, the ICT Ministry and Sipa. In 2003, Manoo became Sipa's first president, a position he held until June last year.

"Before joining Sipa, I was also president of the Asian-Oceanian Computing Technology Organisation. I worked as Asocio's president for two years, then joined Sipa," he says.

Asocio has 20 member countries and represents more than 10,000 IT companies in the region. Its main objectives are to develop the industry and establish a computing society in Asia and Oceania.

During his years as Sipa's president, Manoo worked for Thailand's recognition as a software developer in world markets. For the local industry, he focused on three main issues: human resources for software development; new software-technology skill sets, including service-oriented architecture, Web service and Internet II or Web 2.0; and building a wider awareness of software development with the promotion of animation, multimedia and digital content.

He succeeded in creating international connections between Thailand and country partners through Asocio.

Today, Manoo still pursues the development of human resources for the software industry and the building of networks with other countries. He also encourages small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) - which he regards as Thailand's economic grass roots - to adopt and benefit from using technology and software.

"My mission remains the same: encouraging and promoting local software development, although I may do it differently through different organisations."

He says he drives the development of human resources through a network of universities, while encouraging SMEs to adopt technology and software through the NSTDA and its associated organisations, such as Nectec and Software Park Thailand. He builds and exercises international networks through Asocio and the ATCI.

"I'm proud of the development of the local software industry," he says. "It started with nothing and over the past years has become an industry worth about Bt50 billion."

Manoo says he will continue his efforts to support local technology and develop the local software industry as long as he still has energy.

"I've never had the idea I would stop working, because it's an endless mission. The technology is still not stable, so my work is similar to that of any scientist: to research and study every day to satisfy my curiosity," Manoo says, adding that he also wanted to contribute his knowledge to society, although he hopes it may take less than 10 hours a day in the future.

"I've lived with technology for four decades and experienced great changes. I understand the reasons behind the development of today's technologies and can share this knowledge with new generations of software technologists. My main job now is to follow and learn new technology and transfer it to others," he says.

Over his 40 professional years, he has also built up substantial networks, both locally and globally, so it is easy for him to initiate and develop collaboration in software development, as well as the transfer of technology.

"Today's technology is not stable and will not be so for many years yet, especially when we can expect ICT technology to merge with biotechnology within the next 30 to 40 years. Once ICT merges with biotechnology, it will lead to an endless science that will have a great effect on human life - beyond our imagination. It's very exciting," Manoo says.

 Asina Pornwasin

 The Nation