I first met Khun Patcharee ‘Nui’ Pantoomano when I was living in Thailand and running a CRM agency. Nui is an accomplished CRM and Communications professional and a consummate networker. It is great to see the work she is now doing to raise the profile of entrepreneurs in Bankgok.
What is your business?
Brand Now is a boutique marketing and public relations company with in-depth experience serving multinational and local companies in Thailand. The focus is on below the line and the services range from public relations, direct marketing to event management. Our company’s clients list includes Reckitt Benckiser, World Bank, Merck, Pepsi Co and adidas to name a few.
The commonality among our clients is that they are focused and clear on what they want to achieve and are committed to collaborating to make it happen.
What to expect when we work together?
- Local and international experience
- Connections and resourcefulness
- Creativity and value added
To see our company’s project highlight reel and customer testimonials, visit www.brandnow.asia.
What’s your story?
I moved back to Thailand from the United States in 1996. After two decades of living in the DC area, I thought it would be fun to see if I could live and work in Bangkok or another Asia city for a while. Career wise, I thought I would follow in my father’s footsteps, who served in the US government.
Armed with a double degree in International Relations and Economics, I got my start at the Department of Commerce to do research for the Thai IT sector. It was a 6 month stint and the opportunity to see if I could reintegrate into Asian society on my own.
The six months flew by and I joined private industry. I was the first Marketing Manager for Lucent Technologies after it spun off from AT&T. In the decade to follow, I served in a WPP marketing communications agency, MDK, Head of Communications and Strategy for Alcatel (prior to the Alcatel-Lucent merger), Car Brand Manager at Ford Motors and later moved to look after CRM. While pregnant, I worked part-time at Grant Thornton.
During the years at Alcatel, I started a group called www.BNOW.org with a group of friends. In our 11th year, it’s a networking group that brings together SME and other professionals for a monthly networking lunch.
What excites you most about your industry?
Working in the field of communications is always interesting. In the morning, we could be working on spa products and in the afternoon doing event production for a client that specializes in kitchen appliance. I like that our work challenges us to expand and understand new products, services and markets. I believe it keeps us all agile, physically and mentally.
Importantly, I like to see the fruit of our labor. When it’s all said and done, the results that we’re able to achieve for our clients gives the team and me a great sense of reward.
With the ASEAN Economic Community opening up next year, we’re excited about the opportunity to work across the region helping our clients to communicate their brand, plus helping other brands to establish their presence in the Thai market too.
On the community level, we believe in giving back to the society where we live and work. Earlier this year we worked on the Expat Entrepreneur Awards in partnership with Big Chilli magazine. The awards highlight contributions expatriates make to Thailand’s economy. The project wrapped up in October. In moving forward, we’re looking to continue to champion the entrepreneurial spirit and this time we want to recognize both the Thais and foreign entrepreneurs.
What’s your connection to Asia?
I am a Thai-American. I was born in Udon Thani and immigrated to the US in 1976 for my father’s work. While I was studying, I felt a calling to return and get to know Thailand. Eighteen years on, I am still living and loving Bangkok.
Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
In the 18 years that I lived in Asia, I had many opportunities to travel around the region. I’ve covered many of the major Asian cities in my corporate career. At one point, my husband and I even considered moving to Sydney or Singapore about a decade ago. For those who lived and worked in Bangkok, there’s something special here. It’s the people, the smile, the food, the East meets West, the manic chaos, the skyscrapers and the food carts that line the streets that makes this city unique, fun and occasionally maddening. So, I’d have to say my favorite city for work and play is Bangkok.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
Trust in the universe. What you think you want will not always be what you get and it could be a blessing in disguise.
Growing up in the West, there’s a strong sense to control your destiny. In Asia, karma is at play and the universe conspires to take you to the next level if you let it.
Who inspires you?
I am inspired by geniuses, mavericks, thinkers, game changers, creative and awesome people!
What have you just learnt recently that blew you away?
In the process of doing the Expat Entrepreneur Awards, I was blown away by the entrepreneurs and their stories. The nominees covered a wide range of products and service, from TV to manufacturing electric Tuk Tuk, making apps to tailoring. To check out these stories, I suggest for you to visit www.youtube.com/user/EEAwardsThailand.
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
If I had known what I know today, I would have exited the corporate world earlier and had children earlier. It’s was 8 years ago when I gave birth to our first child. This ignited a chain reaction that now permeates through my life. I am grateful for the experience that corporate gave me. It taught me about the systems which companies are built upon. My children are the catalyst that made me the entrepreneur that I am today. Wanting to manage my own schedule and create a better balance between work and home, I stumbled upon building a business. It’s been great challenge and lots of fun! To make it work professionally and personally on the clock, I have an awesome business partner, Kittima Sethi, who helps to keep everything running.
How do you unwind?
There are several ways that I unwind. In the morning, I like doing a short run to clear my head before heading to the office. If I am stressed during the day, I use EFT (emotional freedom technique). It’s like acupuncture, but no needles. After work, I spend time with the kids and learn new things through their perspective. On the weekends, I read or surf the net to learn new things. Sometime this is via TED Talks or FinerMinds.com.
Favourite Asian destination for relaxation? Why?
I have a soft spot for Bali. It’s beautiful, green, peaceful, rustic and relaxing. It’s also the place where my husband proposed.
Everyone in business should read this book:
I would recommend anyone wanting to effectively communicate and negotiate to read The Psychology of Persuasion by Dr Robert B. Cialdini.
How can people connect with you?
Drop me an email [email protected] or connect with me on Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/ppantoomano. I hope to meet you at one of our networking events in the near future.
This interview was part of the Callum Connect’s column found on The Asian Entrepreneur:
