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Published on March 14, 2008

Women may be in the driver's seat in Thailand's corporate world but the challenge now is to retain them, leading female executives of Accenture, a management consulting and technology services company, said.

Thipharat Wongwathan, executive partner for the product operating group of Accenture Thailand, said women have been recognised for their abilities and have equal opportunities at workplaces in Thailand.

Female staff are competent but some face problems balancing work and family life, Thipharat said.

To retain talented female staff, Accenture has designed several schemes including flexible work arrangements.

"In Korea, Japan or China, it's obvious [that women are discriminated against] but in Thailand, women dominate [the workplace], they're independent and are good decision-makers. Our customers don't feel any difference in dealing with our female or male staff," Thipharat said.

Sompith Kitcharoen, Accenture's executive partner for systems integration and technology, said the company has a global network of female executives to share their experiences.

"Sometime when we have a business meeting, we have another meeting attended by women only," she said.

Thipharat and Sompith were speaking at a press conference to announce the results of a survey, "One Step Ahead of 2011: A New Horizon for Working Women", conducted by its parent company.

The report, based on response of more than 4,000 male and female business professionals in 17 countries, found that less than half of female professionals feel prepared to succeed in the global business environment of 2011.

It also found women in key emerging markets such as China, India and Brazil believe they are better equipped to succeed than their female counterparts in developed countries do.

Accenture conducted the survey as a part of its celebration to mark International Women's Day.

Although the survey did not include Thais, Accenture Thailand executives believe Thailand's results would have been on a par with the global average.

Thipharat said results from the survey showed that both female and male executives are less equipped for the future in four areas - social responsibility, global skills, agility and business relationships.

Accenture has identified six areas of "skill readiness for 2011", which include these four categories and technology, inclusion and diversity.

"Business is about relationships. In Asian or Thai culture, relationships have been built through face-to-face [interaction] but in the future business environment they won't be limited to face-to-face communication. Businesses must try to build relationships through new methods and this area needs to be significantly enhanced because it will greatly [affect] businesses," she said.

Thipharat suggested executives leverage new technology such as blogs, social networks and e-mail to build and expand relationships with their business partners. This can also help introduce them to new clients and networks.

As part of its Women's Day celebrations, Accenture is organising various activities in the 45 countries in which it operates.

In Thailand, a panel discussion is planned today featuring women leaders Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand, from the Central Institute of Forensic Science, Dr Nalinee Paiboon, president of Giffarine Skyline Unity, and Leena Mayteedol, former managing director of Accenture Thailand.

Leena, who retired from Accenture two years ago, was the first female MD at Accenture in Thailand and one of the first female partners of Accenture in Asia.

Pichaya Changsorn

The Nation