February 27, 2017 –
Successful
business leaders who will bring great excitement to Thai startup
industry in the launching ceremony of dtac accererate batch 5 on March
2, 2017.
Mr. Sara Lamsam,
President and Chief Executive Officer of Muang Thai Life Assurance Public Company Limited.
New
ideas to keep up with changing environment and numerous factors are
very important. In the past two years, the changes, including
the trendy Fintech from America, Europe, and Asia, and consumer
behaviors, moved very fast. These might due to the uprising equipment or
tools, thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT). Therefore, the insurance
industry must be alert more and more. It is clearly
seen that the innovation is not only restricted to just Fintech,
Biotech, or Healthtech, but also Insurtech.
Thus,
we can no longer grow in the same pattern. We have to prepare and
enhance our people to be able to compete and bring all new knowledge
such as Blockchain, Machine Learning, or Big Data Analytic to the
organization. However, we will not only focus on technology since the
impressive service cannot be replaced by technology alone. Consequently,
the innovation of
Muang Thai Life Assurance will
have both ‘Tech’ and ‘Non-Tech’ aspects. We emphasize to create this
concept to everyone regardless of age or department, so that everyone in
our organization will contribute to the innovation because the people
who know best about the customers’ needs are ones who serve and talk to
customers directly. We also want different views or ideas from a
variety of generations.
This article is referenced from Siamrath at
http://www.siamrath.co.th/n/84
Mr. Ho Ren Hua,
CEO Thai Wah
Today,
technology is a key factor to add value and drive the business.
Applying the right technology at the right time can bring success to the
business.
Thai
Wah is a manufacturer and exporter of tapioca starch, rice vermicelli,
and other food products. The company relies on farmers to produce
raw materials for their production and realizes that traditional
farming does not guarantee quality and quantity. It is therefore
important to start empowering farmers with knowledge and technology,
such as drip irrigation system to solve drought issues and
increase quality and productivity and soil analysis to help farmers
make more informed decisions. Thai Wah is now working with new
generation farmers to introduce agricultural product innovations to meet
future demand of the market. More importantly, these
products provides higher value than products from traditional farming
methods.
We
partner with farmers and provide them with support, training, and
technology to help improve agricultural productivity and increase
quality and quantity, resulting
in higher selling prices and ultimately higher standard of living. For
the company, we will receive a constant supply of raw materials for our
production, which helps us reduce the cost by importing less raw
materials from overseas and improve our quality
and quantity control.
We
have both local and international trade partners. With today’s
technology enabling faster and more convenient international
communication. We need to have efficient
management systems, including the use of cloud computing to store data
such as costs, suppliers, stocks, and purchase orders, which provides
secure storage and real-time data access. This can be a key contribution
to the success of the Thai startup industry.
June
Juthasree Kuvinichkul,
Co-founder of Grab, a taxi-booking app in Thailand
“To
start a new business, one of the key aspects is the business model
conception. A good business model should consist of three
important properties. First is the substantial and sustainable business
that can solve existing problems and create direct or indirect values
over competitors. Second is the scalable business that has a big market
that is enough for the cost and resources
and is likely to grow further, and the last is the business that can
make the sufficient spread between the amount customers willing to pay
and the capital. To start a business, do not think narrowly, but think
thoroughly and widely with great vision. You
have to know what you want from that business and do things in parallel
like connecting jigsaw puzzles in order to reach the goal. Do not be
afraid of change and correction. If one does not work out, do not hold
on to it. You have to find a new way. There
are always many approaches to achieve the goal. Another consideration
is our competitive advantage. We have to think that the market we are in
has something that yield us some gain such as cost, connections, or
resources. These competitive advantages might
come from the strong operation scheme or operation strategy.
We have a
co-founder or partner because we need ability from each other to help,
share, and give to the company. Fair play is very important for true
collaboration. Everybody has to look at the whole picture without
taking advantage on each other. Whereas, responsibility and sacrifices
are beneficial to all parties. From the royal speech of His Majesty King
Rama IX, he gave “By working with love, the result is important.
Although, nobody sees it, there is nothing to be
worried about because the result is a firm evidence. By saying this, it
is like teaching about ‘gilding gold-leaf on the back of a Buddha
image. To do a thankless job, when necessary, it must be done; compared
with gilding gold-leaf on the back of a Buddha
image. Although, most people do not like to do that because nobody sees
it. If everyone gilds only on the front of a Buddha image and leaves
the back ungilded, so the Buddha image will never become completely
beautiful.”
In business
administration, communication is very important since business runs with
people. It cannot run by one person. The ability to communicate the
goal to the team is very crucial in order for everyone to
be efficiently heading in the same direction, including convincing
people or partners as well. When there are several people working
together, access to information, communication, transparency, workplace
equality, and core value clarification are all required
communication skill.
Finally, to be sustainable company, the evident system is very essential.
System thinking and approach will create a tremendous growth to the organization.
When
your company depends on few people, your business is at risk and very
difficult to grow. This system includes back-door systems, KPI
initiation, business strategy, number recording, and data
analysis. All of these are using as a mirror for company operation and
financial management. By building a good foundation from the start, this
makes work easier for all parties.”
Shannon Kalayanamitr Founder & Group CMO at ORAMI
[formerly MOXY & BILNA]
“Business
is fluid. Its about seeing the opportunity, being reactive and
adapting to the market needs and wants, laser-focused on you, your
company and your team’s strengths and weaknesses – positioning them
well, as well as making sure you build non-replicable defense strategies
up for future competition.
You
can do your best to plan, though with variables and uncontrollable
factors such as external and internal, personnel, partners, and
market conditions, your biggest feat is how to maintain agility and
reactiveness while maintaining long-term focus on your goal.
Running
a company is like an ensemble – or best cast in a film or TV series
with a main plot. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses
and its up to the leading team to direct and manage it.
People
speak about being a woman entrepreneur. I am a woman. I am an
entrepreneur. I choose to speak about being a woman entrepreneur
since its about the end goal – encouraging other women, not the ones
used to the less gender equality parity in the western world, but women
in the masses who don’t know that they have the opportunity to reach and
to do and to achieve what they want to achieve.
I want to highlight that even with unconventional skills that women
have – contrary to the thought, it is still possible to lead and run a
business and or speak out your own way. And that you do belong in an
ensemble or cast of a business, no matter what
your gender.
It
takes an army to win a war and one built on strategy, communication,
teamwork, and even emotional intelligence. I believe everyone
has strengths, women specifically have strong soft skills and it is
healthy to get different points of view. You never know which way the
competition will come. Let’s use all the resources we have to win a
war. That includes everyone – gender blind.”
You can follow these
4 successful business leaders in the launching ceremony of dtac accererate batch 5 on March 2, 2017.
