DEUTSCHE BANK EXECUTIVE WANTS TO OPEN A POLITICAL ACCOUNT

       As the managing director and head of the Global Markets division of Deutsche Bank in Thailand, responsible for more than 133 billion baht in assets and liabilities, and a mother of three young children, Ornkanya Pibuldham could be regarded as a "Thai Superwoman".
       She is also one of the best paid and increasingly influential women in Thailand and is looking beyond business, aiming to enter politics and maybe become a senator or even a minister one day.
       Ms Ornkanya, also known as Mook and who turned 40 in September, was born in Bangkok."My father used to run an engineering consulting firm and my mum was a professor of engineering at Chulalongkorn University. As both my parents were engineers,I also became one. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in engineering from Chulalongkorn University, I helped my dad, working for his company."
       But engineering didn't suit her, and pursuing an early interest in golf, she opened the first golf school in Thailand while still in her early twenties. She also became the publisher of Golf Digest Magazine . However, the business wasn't successful and seeing so many of her friends doing well in banking,she went to the University of Exeter in the UK in 1995, and emerged two years later with an MA in finance and investment.
       "After that I took a job at Standard Chartered Bank in London as a foreign exchange trader and management trainee. I was with them [in London] for one year and another four in Thailand.
       "I was approached by Deutsche Bank in 2000, and have worked here since. We are the largest bank in Germany and one of the biggest foreign banks in Thailand. My first position was in corporate foreign exchange sales, and my career took off," Ms Ornkanya said.
       "I was appointed to my current position in February 2007. I look after the bank's balance sheet, trading, sales activities, clients,markets, managing the cash-flow for the bank and so on. I have 15 people in my team, and they are all smart. I like them to be smarter than me, so that I can work less," she joked.
       "Since I'm in trading and sales, the work is quite intensive. It involves a lot of stress because we are trading. I'm so lucky that I do well. The Deutsche Bank group market department is the major contributor of the bank's revenue," Ms Ornkanya said.
       Commenting on the current economic situation in Thailand, she added:"Last year was a good year for us because the market was volatile - the stock market moved and the currency moved, because of all the news about the global economy. We were lucky that we could catch the trends so we could make money.
       "However, if you ask me about the economy, I think that Thailand is lucky because of the Bank of Thailand (BoT). It has stringent rules and regulations, but doesn't control the banks, and it has very good, well qualified people working for it. The BoT is very strict,both for local and foreign banks. That's why most of them here weren't affected [by the crisis].
       "Thai banks survived the crisis and are generally doing well in comparison to many banks abroad that collapsed because of the 'sub-prime' crisis. They [Thai banks] have plenty of cash and because of it they can lend to their clients, and for that reason the companies here have a lot of money as well.The fact that Thai companies went out buying assets in other regions is because they have access to cheap liquidity and use it as an opportunity to buy cheap assets.
       "Thailand is a country with liquidity because the banks were not affected by the crisis. We are an exporting country, so when other countries are not doing well, it is difficult for us to do well, but in general, because we have liquidity, the country has the money to muddle through the crisis.
       "The worst of the financial crisis in Thailand is most probably over. However, political uncertainties and rumours in the market are factors that discourage investors who can choose to invest somewhere else," she warned.
       And she had some advice for foreign investors:"If you ask me for advice for corporate investors, I'd need some parameters before I could advise what company or sector they should look at.
       "But for those coming here as individuals,I strongly recommend they invest in property in Bangkok, especially in the business districts.This is a very attractive investment and you can make money. To me, Bangkok is Thailand.Twenty per cent of the Thai population live here and the numbers are increasing every day. If you can't afford to invest in these areas, then buy a piece of property on the outskirts of Bangkok. As long as it's within Bangkok, you will be fine. All the infrastructure will come to you. With our current pace of development, I can't really see Chiang Mai or Khon Kaen becoming Boston or Manchester in the near future - you're not going to make money there.
       "Thailand is a good place for foreigners to invest - great infrastructure, rigid laws and regulations, a strong financial system. We may have instability on our politics, but we all know by now that it is just 'our way of life'.
       "We might not have been able to come this far without this instability," she stressed,adding:"I haven't found a foreigner who has a negative view of Thailand. They all love Thailand. Sometimes I ask myself whether Thai people love Thailand as much, whether we are proud to be Thai and say enough good things about our country.
       "Of all the foreign banks in Thailand, I'm the only female who does this kind of work.The others are all men. This job is very demanding, especially for a woman with three children to look after, plus I do a lot of travelling abroad."
       On her priorities, both personal and in business, Ms Ornkanya said:"I work for the bank, so I want the bank to be successful,because then I will be as well. As for my personal life, my priority is to make sure that my kids are doing well in a secure environment.
       "As to the future, I'm at the top at Deutsche Bank, so what next? Whatever happens, I want to live and work in Thailand. When I was young, I used to think about working abroad, but not now. If you talk about job security, or your value to an international firm, it is here."
       Commenting on her biggest achievements and failures, she said:"To have my three beautiful kids and to be a good mum to them. My family and my job are equally important to me, but of course, family is the most important. I can walk away from being a Deutsche Bank executive, but not from being a mother. No major failures as yet,definitely not in my business."
       As for her biggest challenges, Ms Ornkanya said:"Maybe I'll sit here for another few years. I need to move on at some time so my people can grow. One day, I'd like to be in politics to be able to do something for my country. My day-to-day work gives me the opportunity to get to know people and to understand their organisations and their needs. I'm making my way up there. I was approached to join a political party, but I haven't made any decision at this time. Don't you think Thai politics has many more colours than other countries? It can get you into a big fight with your best friend, and make your parents stop talking to each other."
       Ms Ornkanya attributes her success to her parents, who are also her role models:"My mum gave me self confidence and my dad gave me a great sense of humour. When people have self confidence, they tend to be surrounded by smart people.
       "And a sense of humour stops you from becoming arrogant. By the way, I'm not that successful, I have another 20 years to go before retirement. Let's talk about my 'success'then."
       Finally, Ms Ornkanya had some advice for young Thai women:"You should be committed and persistent in whatever you do.We have to make choices every day, so make sure that you make the right choices. Women always make decisions based on emotion.That's why we make wrong choices all the time. I have made wrong choices, and I have to live with them," she said without elaborating.