Seven Thai firms win award for gender inclusivity from UN Women and EU

BANGKOK, Thailand —Seven distinguished companies and individuals were named winners in the latest edition of the EU-supported UN Women 2021 Thailand Women’s Empowerment Principles Awards, which recognize outstanding initiatives and practices that promote gender inclusivity in the business sector. The event marked the first time that the Awards were held in Thailand at a national level. 

The Awards were held amid growing efforts to push for greater female representation in Thailand. Women now make up 20 percent of board members in companies across the country Among all listed companies, 14 percent have women as their top executives (as of December 2020), according to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 

As a growing number of Thai companies are taking leaps toward gender-inclusive businesses, seven winners across industries and sizes emerged as winners out of 62 applications, including representatives of the tech and investment sectors, from social enterprises to small and medium-sized enterprises 

The winners, named in virtual ceremonies on October 21, were selected by a panel of 15 high-calibre judges assembled from across sectors including women entrepreneurs, labour, social development, business and the academe. The laureates now go on to contest the Regional Asia Pacific WEPs Awards set to be held on November 18.   

“Companies with practices in place to advance gender equality are more resilient and able to experience greater, sustainable growth towards a more inclusive economy,” said Mohammad Naciri, Regional Director of UN Women in Asia and the Pacific. 

“It is also inspiring to see the impact resulting from enhanced corporate leadership commitments to create more inclusive and diverse workplaces. We also recognize the slow but growing uptake of gender-reporting practices across corporations,” he said.  

Giuseppe Busini,  Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the EU Delegation to Thailand, said he hopes the Awards and growing participation of local firms would encourage others to adopt women’s empowerment principles. 

“The continued fight for gender equality is a priority for the EU, and included as such in our EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. At home in Europe, across the globe and also here in Thailand, the EU will continue to empower women for active involvement in civil and political decision-making, to eliminate all forms of violence against women, and to combat all forms of discrimination based on gender. The EU will also continue to promote decent work and respect of international labour standards,” he said.  

UN Resident Coordinator in Thailand Gita Sabharwal cited the importance of investing in women’s economic empowerment by encouraging them to join new industries, by including them in social protection systems and increasing their representation. 

“The key to women’s economic empowerment is threefold. It includes inspiring young women to work in new businesses including the technology industry, investing in social protection instruments that allow women working in the informal economy to secure benefits as well as increasing the representation of women in the boardroom, politics and policy making” she said. 

The winners under seven categories are:  

• Leadership Commitment: Jittirat Tantasirin, CEO, ATTA Autohaus Co. Ltd.
• Gender-Inclusive Workplace: Microsoft (Thailand) Ltd.
• Gender-Responsive Marketplace: Connecting Founders Co. Ltd.
• Community Engagement and Partnerships: L'Oréal (Thailand) Ltd.
• Transparency and Reporting: Electricity Generating Public Co. Ltd.
• Youth Leadership: Net Supatravanij, Co-founder, ila
• SME Champion: Seeds 2 Sustain Co. Ltd.

UN Women is organizing the Thailand WEPs Awards in collaboration with the SEC, the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (OSMEP), the ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network (AWEN), and key supporters, including the Thailand Management Association (TMA), the Global Compact Network Thailand (GCNT), and the Kenan Foundation Asia.  The Awards is promoted in collaboration with the European Association for Business and Commerce (EABC) and the Franco-Thai Chamber of Commerce (FTCC). 

SEC Secretary-General Ruenvadee Suwanmongkol shared how Thailand’s listed companies have adopted practices aligned with good governance standards, including gender equality and women’s empowerment. She said the SEC has been working with stakeholders to institutionalize gender equality and diversity as an example of sound business practice. Such information should also be provided in their annual report or 56-1 One report, which will be effective on January 2022 onwards.

“International and domestic research studies collectively pointed out that businesses with gender equality and women’s empowerment practices and diversity yield not only more positive impacts to the economy and society but also to the business values,” she said.

OSMEP Director General Veerapong Malai, meanwhile, cited the importance of women entrepreneurs supporting each other to lay their stake in the economy.  

"It is crucial to support female entrepreneurs in scaling their businesses towards sustainable growth and developing their digital competency and other necessary entrepreneurial skills to enhance their capacity in order to be part of a supply chain. The OSMEP also promotes collaboration between women-owned SMEs and multinational national companies (MNCs) and enhances their access to the supply chain in order to promote equal economic participation," he said. 

Mom Luang Preeyapun Sridhavat, chair of AWEN executive board, who led the Thai WEPs Awards jury panel, expressed AWEN’s enduring support for female entrepreneurs. 

“AWEN Thailand has been proactive in building the networks of female entrepreneurs in Thailand and across the ASEAN through various activities. The network also recognizes the efforts and commitments of business organisations in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment through various awards and honours,” she said.  

As more businesses join the WEP community, officials, advocates, business leaders and stakeholders are optimistic regarding its positive impact to promote gender equality and inclusiveness in business. With more women taking leadership positions in companies across Thailand and the region, the push for even more of them to be represented and heard, and receive equal opportunities, can only grow stronger. 

For more information, contact: 

Siriporn Rathie, Country Programme Manager

WeEmpowerAsia Thailand

Email: siriporn[dot]rathie[a]unwomen.org

About WeEmpowerAsia 

WeEmpowerAsia is a UN Women programme funded by and in partnership with the European Union that aims to increase the number of women who lead and participate in business in China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam. Launched in 2019, its purpose is to advance inclusive and sustainable growth and build more gender-sensitive trade and supply chains between European and Asian markets through the Women’s Empowerment Principles focus. 

Original article published on UNWomen Asia and the Pacific