Patama Chantaruck, a leading female executive at Accenture Thailand, delivered a powerful and inspiring message at the EMPOWERHER ASIA 2025 forum. She encouraged women to overcome limitations and create change in the world of technology, and unveiled her “ABCDE of Leadership” formula, a “Jeab” signature.
TheReporterAsia – The technology and innovation sector is buzzing after “P’Jeab” Ms. Patama Chantaruck, Country Managing Director of Accenture Solutions (Thailand) Ltd., took the stage at the EMPOWERHER ASIA LEADERSHIP FORUM 2025. She shared her story, experiences, and powerful inspiration for women who aspire to become leaders and make a difference in the digital world.
The EMPOWERHER ASIA LEADERSHIP FORUM 2025 was organized to drive change, create opportunities, and promote gender equality. It focused on supporting women to play a significant role in shaping the future of technology and innovation, an area that still needs greater diversity and inclusion.
From Provincial Girl to Global Tech Executive: An Extraordinary Journey
On a path that wasn’t always easy, “P’Jeab” Patama Chantaruck has proven that big dreams can come true, even if you start small. As a young girl from the provinces with a strong passion for technology, she didn’t let any limitations hinder her determination. She was ready to overcome any obstacle to pursue her dream of being part of the global technology industry.
“P’Jeab” reminisced about her childhood dream of achieving success and making a difference in the tech industry, a world of the future filled with endless possibilities. She realized that reaching the top in this field required being different, being herself, and not necessarily following in anyone else’s footsteps.
Gaining Experience in Tech Giants:
Patama’s career path did not start at the top. She began by accumulating experience and expertise at global technology giants such as Microsoft in the United States. She then joined IBM as Vice President of Business Expansion in the Indochina region and Managing Director of IBM Thailand Co., Ltd., where she was responsible for setting the direction and expanding IBM’s business in Thailand and the Indochina region.
Throughout her more than 30 years of experience, “P’Jeab” has demonstrated exceptional potential and leadership. She has worked with clients worldwide in the IT and telecommunications industries, helping them succeed in the era of digital transformation. She is known as a leader who is full of motivation and the power to drive change.
Reaching the Top at Accenture:
With a commitment to creating change and advancing Thailand’s technology industry, “P’Jeab” joined Accenture as Country Managing Director, the company’s highest position. There, she leveraged her experience, knowledge, skills, and leadership to drive the organization’s sustainable growth, while also creating new innovations and solutions that meet the needs of customers in the digital age.
“P’Jeab’s” journey from a provincial girl to the top executive of a global technology company is proof that dreams, determination, and the courage to be different can lead us to great destinations, no matter where we start.
And on the stage of EMPOWERHER ASIA LEADERSHIP FORUM 2025, “P’ Jeab” was ready to pass on her inspiration and share valuable life lessons to all women who want to create their own path in the world of technology.
Inspiration from Women Pioneers in IT
To inspire the audience, “P’Jeab” highlighted the stories of three women who served as role models and inspiration for her work in the tech industry:
- Ada Lovelace: An English mathematician considered the world’s first computer programmer for her work on developing an algorithm for Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine in the 19th century.
- Hedy Lamarr: An Austrian-American actress and inventor who co-invented spread spectrum technology, which is the foundation of modern wireless communication systems like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
- Margaret Hamilton: An American computer scientist and software engineer who led the software development team for NASA’s Apollo project, which played a crucial role in the successful landing of Apollo 11 on the moon.
These individuals demonstrate that women have the ability and potential to make significant contributions to science and technology, just like men.
“The Scripted Life”: A Trap to Overcome
“Patama Chantaruck” mentioned the book “The Scripted Life,” which discusses living according to socially prescribed roles, which can cause us to miss opportunities to pursue our dreams. She encouraged everyone to break free from conventional thinking and do what they believe in.
Corporate Culture and the Challenges of Female Leadership
“Patama Chantaruck” shared work experinces within big tech organizations and lessons learned about differences in corporate culture. She also shared about adapting to diverse environments. She also talked about being a female leader, the challanges, and her approach. Working in large organization like Microsoft taught “P’Jeab” about corporate cutures that emphasize internal competition, which sometimes creates work challenges.
She recounted a cartoon created by Google engineer to show corporate culture at Microsoft at that time, where all teams compete for bonus. “P’Jeab” admitted she was insecure before when facing situations to compete with colleagues. Or she had to express opinions in the meeting with non-native English language. However, she always adapted and learned to present herself accordingly.
ABC of Leadership: “P’Jeab’s” Secret Formula
From her years of experience, “P’Jeab” summarized her leadership lessons and concepts into the “ABCDE of Leadership” principle:
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A – Advocate for Yourself: Be bold in presenting your work and abilities. Don’t wait for others to recognize your value because no one knows you better than yourself. This is especially important for women, who often don’t express themselves as much as they should. “P’Jeab” shared a personal experience where a foreign colleague tried to take credit for her work in a meeting. But after that, she learned to confidently present her own opinions and not let anyone steal her achievements again.
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B – Be Boundless: Don’t limit your thinking. Dare to think outside the box and do new and different things.
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C – Courage to Conquer Your Fear: Be brave enough to face your fears and make the right decisions, even if change is difficult and challenging. She recounted her fear after accepting leadership of an organization in the region. However, she overcame it by self-belief and support from those around her.
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D – Dare to Dream (and DO): Dare to dream and take action to achieve that dream. Don’t let your dream be just a thought.
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E – Empathy for Others (and Yourself): Prioritize building good relationships with those around you (Empathy) and be ready to help others. And importantly, have empathy for yourself. “P’Jeab” emphasizes leaders listen and help others. Also, take care and understand yourself.
5 Ways to “Rewrite the Rules” and Create Your Own Path
In addition to the ABCDE of Leadership, “P’Jeab” also recommended 5 ways to “Rewrite the Rules” to create your own path:
- Challenge the Status Quo: Dare to question and challenge the existing situation if you see something wrong or inappropriate.
- Own Your Success: Be proud of your achievements and don’t underestimate your abilities.
- Negotiate Like a Leader: Learn to negotiate effectively to achieve the desired results.
- Build Your Network: Create a network of relationships with people in various fields because a good network will help you advance in your career.
- Keep Learning (IQ, EQ, HQ): Continuously develop yourself in terms of knowledge (IQ), emotional intelligence (EQ), and health intelligence (HQ). Because the world is changing rapidly, we must always learn and adapt.
Case Study: Melanie Perkins, Founder of Canva
“Patama Chantaruck” cited the example of Melanie Perkins, the founder of Canva, the famous graphic design platform. It started as a small startup in Australia. But with determination and perseverance, Canva became a global company worth billions of dollars. Perkins faced many rejections from investors in the beginning. But she did not give up. And continued to develop her product. Until finally able to raise funds and make Canva grow rapidly.
Melanie Perkins is the woman behind Canva. Canva is an online graphic design platform. Which has revolutionized the design industry and made design easy for everyone. Regardless of artistic background. Her story is a great inspiration to those who have a dream. And do not give up on any obstacles in front. It shows that creativity and determination Can change the world. Canva’s starting point came from the inconvenience Perkins encountered as a student at a university in Australia. She noticed that many of her friends and students struggled with using complex and expensive professional design software such as Adobe Photoshop or InDesign.
From that point on, She had the idea of creating a design platform that was easy to use. Everyone can create beautiful designs. Without prior design skills or experience. In 2007, at the age of only 19, Perkins and Cliff Obrecht, her boyfriend (who later became Canva’s co-founder), started their first business called Fusion Books, a platform for designing school yearbooks. They started from Perkins’ mother’s living room. Using a small amount of capital. And gradually expand the business until it is successful to a certain extent.
Fusion Books is like a testing ground for ideas. And it’s a testament to that concept. An easy-to-use design platform has market potential. But Perkins had bigger dreams. She wants to create a design platform that covers all needs. Not limited to just yearbooks. Fundraising to build Canva was not easy. They were rejected by more than 100 investors. Many people do not believe that a simple design platform Can compete with giant software in the market. But Perkins and Obrecht never gave up. They still believed in their vision. And try to improve the product continuously. Until finally able to raise funds and successfully launch Canva in 2013.
Today, Canva has tens of millions of users worldwide. And the company is worth tens of billions of US dollars. Became one of Australia’s most successful startups. Canva is not just a design platform. But it is a tool that empowers people around the world to create and communicate their ideas beautifully and effectively. The story of Melanie Perkins It is proof of that dream. Determination And not giving up. It can lead to great success. Even though I have to face many obstacles.
Conclusion: Don’t Measure Your Success by the Success of Others
“Patama Chantaruck” left a final thought: We should not compare our success with others because each person has different paths and goals. The important thing is to focus on doing what we love and believe in, and to encourage ourselves every day.
She also mentioned “Mi Mee” (Oranuch Lerdsuwankij), co-founder of Techsauce, as another example of someone who dared to follow her dream and build her own successful business. The story of P’Jeab “Patama Chantaruck” is a great inspiration to women in the technology industry. To dare to dream big. Take action to follow your dreams. And create change in your own way. Without being attached to the old ways of thinking of society. On the stage of EMPOWERHER ASIA LEADERSHIP FORUM 2025.
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