Veena Arunyakasem

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Veena Arunyakasem is a very successful veteran of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and retail marketing in Thailand. In just seven years of working as a marketer in international organizations such as Nestlé, Diethelm, and PepsiCo., Veena quickly ascended the ranks from junior level assistant product manager to managing director of act media, tasked with turning business around from minus growth to 40 percent over and above her given target. Recognized as a natural leader, second to none in communication skills and personal development, Veena and her teams have consistently surpassed all given sales and profit targets. As a result, she was promoted every year and became the sole female executive in all the firms where she was employed.

As a leader, Veena loves growing other leaders, but over time, she noticed that no matter how much time and effort she put into grooming employees, it seemed men made it to higher levels far more quickly than women. She noticed a trend: Female employees did not step up when it came time to face the challenges, thus turning their backs on more money and fringe benefits. To her surprise, she learned that fear, inferiority complexes, guilty conscience, and lack of support prevented women from moving further in their career paths. Veena wholeheartedly believes other women can be as successful as she has been, if they will only take a chance, work with determination, and equip themselves with the tools to get there. With that in mind, Veena promoted her own high-performance secretary to the new role of general manager when the position became vacant. Much to her delight and surprise, that secretary performed so well that she was soon promoted to assistant vice president of marketing, then to vice president in a well-known retail company in Bangkok. Veena also asked her leasing manager, another secretary, to work on a restaurant application; in time, that brilliant woman drove the IT team to start a Tesco food court app, a remarkable achievement that saw her promoted to store manager of Tesco. The success of these hardworking, determined secretaries served as Veena’s inspiration to help all ambitious women who simply do not know how to get there, as well as those who are not sure whether or not to take on a bigger career role.

In To the Top, Veena shares not only her experiences but also many secrets of success that she has gleaned from exclusive interviews with over 50 top women in Thailand. Her first professional handbook will guide all women to achieve great things with courage, confidence, and insightful planning, equipping them to manage their career and personal lives for sustainable happiness. Veena knows the air is fresher at the top, and she wants everyone to enjoy breathing easier!

Veena graduated from Thammasat University in Bangkok and received her master’s in business from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. She currently leads her own business, in which she works as a shopping mall development consultant, but she continues to work as a mentor in business, marketing, corporate strategies, new business setup, and turnaround. She is an expert in executive and leadership coaching and was certified by John Maxwell International Leadership in March of 2016 as a speaker, trainer, and coach, offering sound advice in leadership, development, and sales and marketing.