Don’t try to be someone else. Just be yourself – in the professional version of you
Interview with Vasinee Sukumwattanakij
Executive Secretary to CEO & Communications
Siemens Energy Thailand
Could you please introduce yourself and share with us your background?
Sawasdee ka. My name is Vasinee or Tabtim, but most of my expat friends call me Tabbi, which is the nickname I got from the time I did my student exchange program with AFS in Germany in 2001.
I come from a family with a hospitality background. My mom is a tour guide, and my older brother is a cabin crew. I graduated from the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University with a bachelor’s in German Studies, and a minor in Psychology.
However, my first job was a sales and marketing position in a pre-press company, then I left to join EVA Airways as a cabin crew (after rejecting a job offer from the Energy sector of Siemens Limited, which I eventually came back to in 2015)
I joined Siemens Thailand in 2015 and moved to Siemens Energy Thailand in 2020. I am currently Executive Secretary to the Managing Director of Siemens Energy Thailand, with an additional role in Communications for Thailand and the Asia Pacific.
What made you decide to leave your cabin crew job, which is one of the ideal careers for many women?
The nature of the job was very physically demanding. Although I was based in Bangkok, most of the flights I was working on were long-haul flights to the USA or Europe. The resting time for us was very minimal, i.e. there were less than 24 hours of rest time between flights from Taipei to San Francisco and back.
That, plus lifting heavy stuff resulted in severe back pain for me, which my doctor recommended to not continue with the job. Also, like other Asian airlines, seniority was still a part of the working culture there, which didn’t quite fit with my personality.
So, after about 2.5 years, I decided to quit without looking for a new job as I needed time to travel and think about what I wanted to do next.
What was the most challenging situation of your career journey and during changing careers in different industries that you never have any experience with before?
One of the most challenging situations in my career was probably when I was with EastWater. We were planning a business trip to France with board members and high-level customers. I found out less than 2 days before the trip that the tour operator we had engaged with was overcharging us, and I went to my CEO about it. He asked me, “If we cancel them now, would you be able to handle everything?” and I said “Yes.”
So, the first group of board members flew to France without having any hotel or transportation booked. I was supposed to be on the trip, but my CEO assigned me to stay back to make sure that the changes we made were seamless. After two sleepless nights and dozens of phone calls, the trip turned out great. I was proud of myself for how I handled it and was very glad that my superior entrusted me with such important tasks.
Changing to a new job is always stressful. Changing both job function and industry is, well, terrifying, but long as you stay open-minded and keep learning from different sources, you will manage to adapt and adjust.
So, the most challenging time for me was not when I was changing job or industry, but more when I didn’t know which direction or which job would fulfill me, because nobody could help me with that. It was something that took some years for me to figure out.
What inspired you to start writing articles on LinkedIn? Who are your most important influencers?
I would say that my friends are my most important influencers and supporters.
As for my latest article about my career journey, one of my closest friends from high school came to me for advice as she was looking for a new job. She had been pretty much only in aviation hospitality almost all her career life and wasn’t quite sure where or how to start over.
After talking to her, I felt that I wanted to encourage others who are in the same situation to be aware of the strengths they have acquired from their current jobs and to be brave to step out of their comfort zone and believe that they can move forward in a different direction.
As you’re very active in the businesswomen community, what are the initiatives at your organization to support women’s career development and the young generation who are interested in working for Siemens Energy?
The topic of Diversity and Inclusion is very important for us at Siemens Energy, on which we do not only include different genders, but embrace all ethnicities, disabilities, and sexual orientations. In Thailand, for example, you can also see a balance of male and female proportion on management level.
There are various development programs within the organization and there is a specific program called “Catalysta”, which focuses on supporting the progression of female successors for key roles.
I am very happy to work in a company like Siemens Energy that supports gender equality as I am a part of the working group for GTCC Business Women Network which is a platform for businesswomen in Thailand to connect and support one another in a unique environment.
What makes working at Siemens Energy different from others?
One of the things that we are always encouraged to do here is to speak up, which is quite hard for Thai mentality, but to be able to speak up and make suggestions to your peers or superiors are critical for us to move forward together. Also, since we are a global company, how we work cross-regional and support one another is very inspiring, especially these days when we can only work together virtually.
How does your company apply digitalization to the business? Are there any obstacles to sustaining the environment at the same time while moving forward to the digital era?
Digitalization provides the technical basis and acts as an accelerator for Siemens Energy products and technologies. We have also set the goal of making even greater use of it, as well as investing in product and production innovations as we aim to provide a sustainable, reliable, and affordable energy supply to everyone.
Siemens Energy announced in November 2020 to no longer supply new coal-fired plant projects and that is how we are moving towards the future. The obstacles we face in doing business with that promise might be in certain countries where coal or fossil fuels are still the main resources, but that is what we have to accept.
In your view, what are the essential digital skills that businesswomen should acquire to succeed in the future where everything turns to be influenced by digital tools?
I think it depends on your role and your interests, and the key is to keep updating yourself with the latest. For myself right now, it would be learning more about managing live streaming or organizing webinars on different platforms, because virtual meetings will very likely stick with us for a while. Nevertheless, soft skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and information handling will always be essential, and you can enhance them with available digital tools.
What is your general advice for young businesswomen to represent their company in a professional way, at networking or with customers in particular?
Don’t try to be someone else. Just be yourself – in the professional version of you. Dress appropriately and comfortably. Pick the outfit that you like based on the occasion and comfortable shoes. It can help boost your confidence. Listening more than talking and try to avoid giving too personal comments about the company or certain persons in the company.
What would you define as being a strong and successful “Executive Secretary”? Which must-have skills would you recommend to your future peers?
Although the job is attached to the other person they assist, but a strong executive secretary should be able to handle all necessary tasks on their own without being told what to do. They should be well-rounded, be able to think ahead, and stay updated with what’s going on in their industries, in the country, and in the world. It is also very important as an executive secretary to not be afraid to advise the executive on sensitive topics like cultural or religious topics, especially when the executive is an expat and new in the country.
The must-have skills would be decision-making, organizational, multi-tasking, and communication skills. Also, I was taught by my first CEO to not go to him with a problem, but to go to him with options or solutions to that problem, which is quite crucial when working for very high-level executives.
How do you maintain a healthy ‘Work-Life Balance’, and how do you prioritize?
I personally take work-life balance very seriously because I know that if my body is not fit or my mind is mentally drained, I cannot perform well. Pre-covid time, I have a fixed routine for my gym visits, which is a minimum of 2 times a week, and on weekends I go wakeboarding. I then work my social schedule to meet with friends around this, and it has worked very well.
During the WFH period, I usually start my day with a short workout and end the day with another one. Also, I try my best to turn off all my working devices latest at 17.30, unless there are some urgent matters that I need to take care of or some important calls I need to join.
Who is your career role model, male or female?
My career role model is definitely my mom and it’s because of the passion she has for her job. After over 30+ years of watching her doing her job, there was never one time that she would say she didn’t want to go to work or showed up to her guests at her top form, regardless of her physical conditions. Every time I had the chance to meet her guests at the end of their trips, everybody would come to me and tell me how great my mom is. I know she is because she is passionate about what she does and for me, that is one of the key factors to thrive at what you do.
