A new brand of leader emerges at 'big blue'

Parnsiree Amatayakul belongs to the next generation of IBM executives in Thailand. She became general manager for IBM Solutions Delivery early this year.

Parnsiree is responsible for IBM's services business portfolio, including strategic outsourcing, application management, infrastructure services and global resources. The group has more than 1,000 personnel supporting such international and domestic companies as Kasikornbank and the Minor Group.

"I like to meet customers and help them solve problems and face their business challenges, such as looking for the right solutions to adopt in their business," Parnsiree said.

When she was younger, her family would travel abroad to be with her father, a former "IBMer" who has worked in many countries, such as the United States and Taiwan. From her travels, she came to experience and understand Western culture, while her family kept her in touch with Thai culture.

As a result, she learned to harmonise the philosophies of East and West in her career and life.

"When I was young, I went abroad with my parents and studied there. I've seen the best of both the East and the West and learned to use the best points from both worlds in my life," she said.

Parnsiree joined IBM Thailand 15 years ago as a marketing trainee and has held a variety of sales, services and management positions. Nine years after joining the company, she was appointed as country manager for IBM's financial-services sector, which forms a big part of the company's business in the Kingdom.

In 2004, she was appointed as services executive for IBM's financial-services business for Asean and South Asia, consisting of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and India.

She said working as a team was very important for success. One must run business processes in such a way that a team stays motivated and driven towards the same goal, Parnsiree said.

Parnsiree leads the IBM Thailand Women's Council and has initiated the IBM Ultimate Woman programme, which encourages women in IBM Thailand to become high achievers.

The programme encourages women at IBM Thailand to develop their skills and attitude and grow professionally, taking pride in their careers as IBM  employees.

Parnsiree is not only an executive of "Big Blue", but also the mother of a five-year-old son. She tries to spend quality time after office hours with her family.