Chaiyaporn, in 2018 you joined Evonik as a Finance and Accounting Manager in Thailand. As a soccer fan, your first emotional connection to Evonik was our partnership with Borussia Dortmund. Over the years, your relationship with Evonik has been enriched by numerous experiences. Currently, you are managing two entities as the Country Finance Manager. In our talk, you specifically focused on two aspects - let´s take a closer look at them!

Networking.  

“Learn from others, spotlight yourself, and your knowledge, and don’t get stuck in your mindset”

When I joined Evonik, I was driven by the question: How can I connect with my new colleagues? I felt like starting by networking in my region would be best! So I asked my supervisor to take me and my team to meet colleagues in both Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Singapore. A great experience! The networking got started and our contacts grew rapidly. Exchanging ideas about best practices is so valuable for connecting, and it´s the perfect way to onboard into a new position! And here´s where one of my major interests also comes into place: Digitalization! It offers us so many opportunities as a company, in our relationship with our customers, but also for us as employees. It gives us the flexibility to work together from anywhere.  We have multiple global projects in Finance, which needs to be implemented locally, such as e-Tax invoices & e-withholding tax for example which makes us compliant with the tax department immediately. This sets a good example of digitalization projects that can help the company grow without having an additional headcount. 

Leadership.  
“This one conversation was my breakthrough!” 

My first impression during my job interview was very positive because I had an inspiring conversation with my future supervisor. It was not only the job itself, it was this impressive exchange that made me take the job!  
But once I started in my position, I found myself struggling to adapt to Evonik and my new environment. And again, I experienced the impact of trust-based cooperation: My boss took the time to fly over to have lunch together. He listened to me and made a simple but powerful statement: “You are important to Evonik and to your team.” This conversation was very crucial, it was my “breakthrough” at Evonik! Since then I have embraced the opportunities Evonik offers and I´m eager to further grow into the business. 

Recently, my boss encouraged me to join a management meeting for the first time in Germany. At first, I was nervous, unsure if I was ready to do it. But it turned out to be a great motivation, appreciation, and a good learning experience for me. My colleagues were so open and happy to help!  

Thanks to all my experiences with my boss, I would like to do the same for my team, too. I want to encourage and motivate them to bring out the best in them!