How women can find courage to leave their career comfort zones
I’m pleased to introduce the third instalment of Women in Tech, our series of interviews with senior members of the industry we’re lucky enough to know. This time, I talked to Nod Virayasiri, who is Head of Business Marketing - Thailand, TikTok, as well as a fitness fan and coffee lover.
Read on to discover her advice on reassuring yourself when you’re taking a career risk, how TikTok approaches diversity in Thailand, and what becoming a runner has taught her about life.
Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Sirinit Virayasiri, but you can call me Nod. I was born and raised in Bangkok and I’ve spent over 20 years working in the media and for some of the biggest names in tech industries, including TikTok.
Ironically, my background had nothing to do with tech – my first degree was in education, from Chulalongkorn University, which I followed with a Masters in Communication from Thammasat University, and then an MSc in Marketing from Johns Hopkins University. I ended up studying education because I missed out on a place on the hugely oversubscribed mass communications course. My father has his own production house and I had initially planned to follow in his footsteps.
Describe a typical day in your life.
’m one of those people who thrives on routine, so I start every day with a workout, even on weekends. There’s no typical day at TikTok but as you can imagine it always involves meetings and preparing for meetings.
One nice element of my job is that I get to keep up with the latest TikTok trends, which is fascinating and constantly surprising. A couple of my current favourites are #รีวิวของดีบอกต่อ (#tiktokmademebuyit), where the TikTok community creates content about their ‘influenced-by-TikTok’ purchases; and #tiktokพากิน, which is everything from food reviews to viral recipes – and the source of a few life hacks I’d never have thought of.
Outside of work, I enjoy travelling and tracking down the best coffee wherever I happen to be. Any readers who’ve ever been to Bangkok will also know this is a city of amazing food, so I usually spend my weekends catching up with friends and family at one of my favourite restaurants, or discovering new ones.
I am also a strong believer of maintaining my health and keeping active with weight training and running. I have two marathons and a triathlon under my belt – this is also ironic, because when I was in school, I actually hated all kinds of sports!
What do you do at TikTok?
My official title is Head of Business Marketing - Thailand, TikTok. This means that I help brands and businesses understand what our platform is all about, and how we can help them connect with their audiences in ways that are creative and authentic. My core role is focused on the Thai market but I do also work on some regional campaigns in countries including Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Can you share how you found your way into the tech industry?
I’d been given an amazing opportunity by Jittima Pangsapa, a friend of my Mom’s, who hired me as a graduate at her agency Spa Advertising. After about eight years mainly in agencies, I was interested in making a move to the client side. At the same time, it was starting to become clear how much digital transformation was happening, including online marketing and advertising.
This meant that tech companies began thinking in far more consumer-oriented ways. With my B2C/agency background, one of the big tech companies hired me as Central Marketing Organisation Lead to work on their marketing communications and help the brand engage with a new generation of consumers. It was a whole new world and I spent three months just getting up to speed about everything to do with the company and its customers, culture and products.
Putting my energy into learning, instead of worrying about looking smart, paid off. The first big campaign I led, a software launch in Thailand, was a huge success and became recognized as APAC best practice – of course my amazing, supportive colleagues were a vital part in that achievement. We followed this, in 2014, with the launch of the brand’s first tablet device, and won silver at the Loyalty & Engagement Awards in Singapore.
What is the tech scene like in Thailand? Is there a trend of women founders at the helm?
Over the last couple of years, the tech industry and lifestyle platforms have been growing tremendously. Many companies have expanded and begun operations in Thailand, including TikTok. Moreover, numerous companies have invested greatly in lifestyle platforms, such as food and goods delivery services, etc.
Thailand is known as a country which supports equality. We are ahead of other countries when it comes to senior management roles filled by women, with a figure of 34% compared to the global average of 30%.
Nowadays, we can clearly see that more women are taking executive leadership positions at tech companies. There is more gender equality in the executive ranks, and I think that women are given better access to opportunities for career growth and leadership roles. Today, when selecting a top management talent, it is usually evaluated on experiences, skills, abilities, and qualifications, not gender.
Many women who come to me for advice are often holding back from doing something because they don’t think they’re qualified, and they fear leaving their comfort zone. It is a big risk when you’re jumping into things that are unfamiliar, but a few thoughts which help me are:
Thinking back to my favourite quote: “If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later.” Once you’ve said yes, you have already made the commitment and the commitment will push you to make it happen.
We’ll never find out if we’re qualified to do something if we don’t get out of our comfort zone and try. Taking risks is not just about career development, it’s about self discovery.
Believe in yourself. Believe that your intelligence and talents can be developed over time. No one knows things, or is good at something, without learning and practising.
Believe in the person who offers you the opportunity – when someone has given me a chance in the past, I’ve always thought it’s because they’ve seen something in me, and that’s why they chose me and not someone else.
I don’t just use this as guidance for my professional life but in my personal life as well. I used to hate running and all kinds of sports, I couldn't run even 100 metres. But I kept practising and after a week or two, I started seeing myself running longer and longer distances. That’s when I clearly realised that our bodies, just like our talents can really be honed – I just need to get started and push my own boundaries.
Was there someone who inspired you to make the move from advertising to tech?
I would say Pornthip Kongchun, who was at a giant tech company, as their first Head of Marketing. I always read her interviews and was lucky to be at many events where she spoke, and very impressed at how she along with just a small team grew the brand and business in Thailand.
Does anyone or any brand in particular inspire you in tech?
After almost two years at TikTok I can honestly say that I truly admire and look up to Vanessa Pappas, who is COO of TikTok and is currently Interim Head globally. She is outstanding, seemingly talented in everything that she does, and very inspiring.
I also look up to Zhang Yiming, Founder of Bytedance and TikTok, and Shou Zi Chew, TikTok’s 39-year-old CEO who got his start at a social media platform and led a Chinese smartphone giant through one of the biggest tech IPOs in history.
Pornthip Kongchun remains a heroine too. She is now COO and Co-Founder of Jitta, which is a financial intelligence platform that helps investors create good returns through simple methods. Like me, she started out without a background in tech, so where she’s ended up is very impressive.
As an experienced marketer, how can agencies and brands be more conscious when it comes to inclusive marketing? Are there any best practices that you can share?
TikTok is a platform that embraces diversity and prioritises marketing which is representative of the real world. A concrete example is our Come Join Your Own Joy in TikTok campaign, that emphasises the importance of finding the fun side of life regardless of age or group, imbuing some of the latest trends on TikTok – with a side of humour to it.
Readers might not realise that although Thailand has one official language, there are many mother tongues spoken here. So another way TikTok embraces inclusivity is to make content specifically for audiences living in the northern and northeastern regions, so they are not left out.
Any personal advice you would like to share with women who would like to follow in your footsteps?
My message to women wanting to get into tech is to be brave and step out of your comfort zone. Dare to learn something new, invest in yourself, and just try to get into the industry and unlock new opportunities.