International Women's Day Special Feature :
Ms. Boonsiri Somchit-Ong Penang Adventist Hospital Charity Fund Committee Member Find out how Ms. Boonsiri Somchit-Ong scaled to the top of the technology industry not only in Malaysia but globally, and let’s read her advice for all our women readers.
1. You were the Corporate Vice President of AMD, please tell us briefly how you started your career and how you climbed all the way to the top of the corporate world I started my career as an accident. I became an Accountant because I didn’t have a choice. I failed Form 6 and worst of all, I failed the General Paper, which was a compulsory paper that I needed to pass during my time. As a result of that failure, I could not qualify for any university entrance, so I basically messed up and had no future. However, luck was on my side as I saw in the New Straits Time paper back then, that Tunku Abdul Rahman College (TARC) actually accepted students who didn't pass the General Paper so I applied to do the Diploma in Business Studies plus the Institute of Cost & Management Accountants (ICMA) professional exams. Why ICMA? Well, I chose that thinking it was the easiest path, but boy, I was so wrong. With determination and the fact that I did not want to let myself or my family down again, I graduated within 2 years with ICMA qualifications and promptly, got a job in Motorola. That started my path into the high-tech electronics industry. I actually think that my failure has truly been my driving force and it helped make me a better person in the sense that it taught me at a very young age, that no matter what you do, it takes resilience and grit to get up and try again even if you fall or did not succeed at something the first time. I would say, that was how I managed my life and my career and so far, it has worked for me.