Bulky phones, super-popular Nokia 3310, and revolutionary buttonless iPhone 1 must have popped up in the mind of many at the mention of very early mobile phones. As increasingly advanced hardware technology finally turned a new page for the telecom industry, much happened in the industry’s service sector as well.
The Thai telecom industry has already gone a long way from its “beginning”. Today, its penetration rate is over 130%. In Thailand, it is now possible to get a mobile phone with mere Bt500.
The industry’s significant evolution in aspect of “penetration rate” was partly driven by competition. In this regard, Nutta Phasupat, Head of Mobile Postpaid, has undeniably played a big role. Her contributions, more or less, has changed the landscape of Thailand’s telecom industry.
In celebrating International Women’s Day 2024 or #IWD2024, True Blog thus sat down with Nutta to find out what key this “sharp but subtle” woman has held to build such a successful career.
Power of Diversity, Value of Equality
Born in Bangkok, Nutta studied for a bachelor’s degree at the Thammasat University’s Faculty of Accountancy and Commerce. As her major was accounting, she started her career as an accountant at Krungthai Thanakit Finance Company Limited. But after a while, she realized that the job did not suit her as it purely involves with figures. Every workday was also pretty much the same. Such routine did not satisfy Nutta, who has long appreciated creativity, differentiation, and opportunities to think outside the box.
Following the realization, Nutta decided to head overseas to pursue a master’s degree in International Business Management at the University of Exeter, Britain. Because this British university was like a melting pot, she was exposed to “diversity” in terms of races, cultures and experiences. Basically speaking, peoples from all over the world including Malaysia and Indonesia mingled there. Thanks to such diversity, Nutta’s horizons had expanded and her understanding of diversity had deepened. Back then, communication technologies were not as advanced as today. So, she had limited knowledge of each country’s background before she headed to the University of Exeter. While there, she therefore “adapted and adjusted” a lot.
After receiving a master’s degree, Nutta returned to Thailand with a dream to start a new career path. About two decades ago, the Thai telecom industry was still an emerging market but it caught Nutta’s eyes. Nutta thus applied for a job at AIS, which was then the only operator in the industry. Her chosen field was SIM Marketing.
As her job was under the company’s engineering group, most of Nutta’s colleagues were male. But that did not scare her a bit. She did not find male dominance a problem. By contrast, she viewed it as challenging and the opportunity to learn new things from male peers on hard skills. Supported by her employer, she even received an opportunity to study for a Mini Master in Telecoms Management at the Mahidol University.
In the past, sexual biases still prevailed in society. People, for example, tended to think that engineers should be male. Nutta, however, explained that the perception should change because working as an engineer was apparently about technology management and planning. So, in essence, genders did not affect people working in the field for as long as they were committed to learning and had the determination to work with efficiency.
“In my career, being female is by no means an obstacle. I may be different from men in terms of physical shape and strengths. But in other aspects, I am not at all inferior. I can proudly work alongside them,” Nutta said, “In the past, people might think women should be followers or daughters should stay at home. But it’s high time we reviewed such kinds of beliefs. Thai society must abandon outdated beliefs. We should value equality. People should be judged based on their potential, capabilities, and performance, not their gender”.
After four years, she started her new journey because she was interested in new challenges. Her new employer was Orange, a telecom operator from France. Orange was much watched in Thailand, because it was the first overseas operator to enter Thailand’s telecom industry. At Orange, Nutta was in charge of tariff management. In other words, she planned telecom-service packages and prices for mobile-phone users.
Changing Market Landscape Presents Opportunities
Nutta recounted that Thailand’s telecom industry was becoming “international” after Orange became a key operator. Senior executives were mostly foreigners. They brought their successful marketing concept of a mobile device with contract to Thailand. Dated back in 2002, mobile penetration rate was still low because Thais in general still had little understanding of mobile-phone services at that time. Orange therefore decided to roll out a sensational promotion. Participants in the promotion got free Nokia 3310 phones on the conditions that they subscribed for Orange’s mobile-phone services for 24 months. At that time, such promotion was relatively new.
“I could still remember that some people hired a car or a van just to come to our place and claim this tempting promotion. While this promotional campaign was not cost-efficient, it built solid brand recognition for us. We, despite being a newcomer, revolutionized the Thai telecom market,” Nutta said.
After Orange and True were merged into Truemove, mobile phones became more affordable. True seized the opportunity to first import and launch Apple products including iPhone as the first official distributor in Thailand, where Nutta was one of key pioneers in making the industry’s turning point.
Presently, the Management entrusted her with the mission of handling “post-paid segment”. She was also appointed to the Board of Directors and put at the helm of the Clearing House, which enables smooth transportability.
“Postpaid segment is now True’s core business with high contribution to the company’s revenue. So, I am under huge pressure. Every day, there are problems to tackle. I try to think positive and have confidence in my and my team’s abilities. I have always told myself that I need to be strong or else my team will crumble too. Simply put, I have fine-tuned my own mindset first. It must be good enough to handle the huge responsibility associated with big mission,” Nutta said.
Family: Secret to Nutta’s Success
True Blog asked Nutta, “What has brought you this far?”
“Family,” Nutta replied without any hesitation. She revealed further that her family had been a key force behind her career advancement because her family was very supportive. As Nutta has been advancing her career, she has sometimes worked overtime and on weekends. Rather than complaining, her family always offers moral support. Appreciating such support, Nutta has made sure that she has also contributed to her family. By managing her time efficiently, she has found time to chat and do activities with her husband. She has striven to maintain the proper balance between her career and her family.
After her wedding, Nutta and her husband had tried to conceive naturally for five full years. But the couple’s efforts were in vain. The couple almost entered the final stage of Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer (GIFT) when they decided that childless marriage was fine.
Nutta has a firm conviction that women can have a thriving career without sacrificing their family life or giving up the opportunity of having children. In her opinion, they just need to make good plans and preparations.
“When I was trying to have a kid, I made a lot of preparations. I consulted not just doctors but also friends. I asked my friends what pregnant women or mothers would face. They told me about the effects of hormonal-level changes, the need for prenatal care, milk pumping, and traditional fire-confinement treatment after childbirth. Planning and preparations will enable women to efficiently play the role of a working mom. They will strike the balance between being a mother and a career woman,” Nutta said.
Secret Sauce to Success
- Positive Mindset – it is a critical point to embark your journey. If you belief that you can make it. You will devote yourself, breaking the barriers along the path to get your mission completed without worry from the start.
- Trust in Yourself – Believe is like a Northstar that help enlarge your competency and capabilities.
- Lesson Learned – Human will be further developed themselves when they experience failures, then learned the lessons. You should also have a constructive discussion and criticism with your colleagues, generating invaluable inputs as a secret sauce to success.
Women’s rights have already advanced significantly in Thailand in regard to education, individualism, and female inclusion. At True, “equality” is solid in its corporate beliefs and culture. So, there is a springboard to promote the culture of equality across all dimensions at the company.
