Interview with Wanna Thianin

1st PART: Woman’s history comprehension/understanding

• Can you present yourself in a few words and explain us what is your job/responsibilities?

I’m responsible for chartering and operating so basically what I’ve been doing before was a bit different, I was more into operation, I had to give instructions day to day to ships and crews, showing them where to go and what to do. What I’m doing more now is commercial shattering, to hire other other ships, to rent other ships to carry our cargo. I have to give informations about our cargo, like the weight, the shortage, the time loading and charging...

Because we have two parts, we have our own ships to carry our cargos but sometimes we don't have enough capacity and we have to rent other ships. I have to deal with many types of people, the vessel owner, the operation manager, the master of the ship.

• How did you come to engineering and sciences ?

Actually I have a master degree in communication in english. Before, I was working in an other job which was already technical. I was a middle person between the ship owner and the client.

And them the shipping market slowed a lot, 2 or 3 years ago. So it was more secure for me to come in a company like Colas.

But here I deal more with the technical, because I have to work with the technical department, when we have to repair a boat for example, or to do maintenance. With my master degree of english, I could do a lot of different things in different field. At first, I worked in a company to do administration, which requires a lot of english. But it was a routine, I don't really like paper work, and I wanted more challenge. Actually, when I was in high school I wanted to be an engineer, but I was not really good in maths, I was a bit lazy !

But as I told you, I found in my first job paper work more boring every day. So I wanted to change to my originel idea, engineering. But it was too late, you can't be an engineer without diploma. So I tried to find a job closed to the dream thing. And I kind of like it ! It's good to go to the field, to see the ships, get on board. I think engineering is cool, you have to think, to go outside, you have your own project and they are different each time, whereas for paper work you stay in the office and you do a bit of this, a bit of that, and at the end you have the impression to do nothing!

• Did you have to face any difficulty as a woman in your studies/in your job? Or do you think being a woman facilitated it ?

At the beginning, it was difficult, because in Thailand if you want to be part of the crew you have to have graduated from a school called Motion traing school. And girls can't go to this school, it is only oppened to boys. And when these men have been part of the crew for some time,

some of them come on shore and work in the field. SO if you are a girl working in the field, it's sure that everybody know that you haven't done this school, and they may think you are not skilled for that. And so directing them is a bit difficult at the beginning. But it's not so difficult, because when they see you know how to work and you know what you are talking about, then it's ok. In my previous company I was the only girls !

• What are the special qualifications you need to have for your job ?

You have to know about shipping, the whole process of shipping, you have to knpw who is who and how the ship works. You have to know how to speak english. We have only 2 or 3 thai ship owners, the other are english speakers.

• What are your everyday motivations?

What I prefer in my job, even The challenge when you have to negociate the chartering contract. You have to fight for 50 cents.

• Do you have to move abroad for your job?

I've always been here, but I know that if I want to grow more in the company, I should have gone more international from the beginning.

• How do you conciliate professional and personal life?

I'm not married, but I have a boyfriend and I'm planning to have a kid. But I think I can manage. even now I manage to conciliate my professional  and personnal life. I have hobbies, I go dancing, running, I go out. I'm not worried about having a child for my work. Because I can see the character of my partner. I know he will not let me with the baby alone ! He would help me to manage, and also we could hire a nanny, to make it more easy and so I can concentrate when I'm at work. I don't think it would affect a lot.

• Could you tell us professional realizations you are proud of?

Hum, difficult question, because I'm never happy when I do something, I always want it to be better! I've been working and studying, I managed to do both in the same time since I was young (14). I'm proud of this.

• What do you like in this company?

In this company I can learn. And it has a lot of stability.

2nd PART:  General debate on woman engineer: differences and new things a woman can bring in a male team

• Do you think men and women work differently? Could you give us concrete examples (personal works, project works)?

The way they work is different. Men when they work they look out more into big pictures, women look more into little details. When men want something to be done, they don't care the way they do it, they just want it to be done. But women look more on how to do it.

Women are more personal. For example if somebody ask my male collegue for information, they will answer yes or no, depending on if he has it or not. But if somebody ask me and I have, I would more think "I can give, but do I want to, should I give him or not?". And on the other hand, if I haven't, I won't answer "I have not". I would think more on how to help this person, or where I could find it.

What I don't like with men, it is that sometimes they do things too fast, and sometimes they ask other people to do things for them without thinking what they asked.

What I like when I work with men is their ability to take decisions, and that you can say whatever to them, they don't take it personnaly. You cannot say the same to your female collegues, because they won't take the words litteraly, they will take them with feelings. An other thing is that women are more organized, and are able to do several things in the same time.

• Do you think that gender diversity in a team is helpful for working atmosphere and/or is linked to team performance?

It depends on the situation and the people. In a meeting, I would say I prefer gender diversity, for the atmosphere more than for the productivity. But for sure if you do a meeting with only women, you won't go nowhere, because everybody goes into details, and you never get the point. And men do more jokes.

Vidéo

• Can you present yourself in a few words ?

Hi, my name is Wanna, I am rsponsible for chartering, chartering means to hire big ships to carry our cargos, and we carry the bitumen, which is asphalt, and I've been in this job for 4-5 years now, and I love the job. At the beginning I wanted to be an engineer, and I could't get a job as an engineer, so I tried to do something that is clother as engineer that I could, that is why I came to this job.

• Which advice could you give to young women who hesitate to start engineering studies ?

Ok, I think my advice is : when I was a little girl I wanted to be an engineer, but I didn't do very well in mathematics, I was a little bit lazy, "well doesn't matter" I thought at that time, but later I thought "it might be interesting and challenging to be an engineer", so I think if I had a chance, I would go back, and try to learn, study, and become an engineer like I dream. So I think if you guys want to be an engineer, you shouldn't hesitate otherwise you would regret it like me.

• What has been your biggest difficulty as a woman engineer ?

The biggest difficulty at the work is having to prove you point in a really short time with all the support that sometimes you don't have, and how not just to prove your point but across as well, and how to communicate with the people.

• What has been your biggest satisfaction as a woman engineer ?

The satisfaction is that I have done things by myself since I was young until now, and I sort of build my own life by myself, and even now I think I would be more satisfied if I could do something more exciting, being an engineer for example would be more exciting!

• What is your next challenge ?

I want to have my own company, something really exciting, in ten years for example!