As part of Baker McKenzie's 75th anniversary celebrations, Baker McKenzie Thailand has partnered with Khon Kaen University and UN Women, the United Nations organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, on a "training of trainers" program aimed at developing women's business planning skills.
The training of trainers program, organized by Khon Kaen University's Faculty of Business Administration and Accountancy, aims to provide trainers with business planning competencies to help women, disadvantaged women in particular, to succeed in starting a new business. By bringing together Baker McKenzie, UN Women, and Khon Kaen University, the program adopts the Competency-based Economies Formation of Enterprise (CEFE) approach, using an action-oriented approach and experiential learning methods to develop and enhance the business management and personal entrepreneurial competencies of a wide range of target groups, mostly in the context of sustainable economic development.
Recognized as a distinguished school of business administration and accountancy, Khon Kaen University's Faculty of Business Administration and Accountancy is driven by international standards of excellence to enable the success of students, faculty, staff, and the community. With key missions focusing on educating highly qualified graduates, advancing impactful research contributions and advancing meaningful academic services, the faculty provides co-curricular activities that respond to business community needs and reflect on the service activities to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline and an enhanced sense of ethical and social responsibility.
Four women entrepreneurs nominated by UN Women’s WE RISE Together project from UN Women in Thailand participated in the program, which was held between 13-20 May 2024 in Khon Kaen with the support of Baker McKenzie Thailand. Peerapan Tungsuwan, Member of Baker McKenzie's Global Executive Committee and Head of the Sustainability Group in Bangkok said: "We are pleased to advance our commitment to gender equality and sustainability through this program organized by a renown public university such as Khon Kaen University and to support the mission of UN Women in promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women."
“Khon Kaen University has developed curriculums and programs that respond to social needs and promote necessary skills for the 21st century. This training of trainers program aims to equip trainers with competencies to help underprivileged women possess the necessary skills to start their own business and strengthen communities economically and socially,” said Assoc. Prof. Pensri Jaroenwanit, Dean of Faculty of Business Administration and Accountancy, Khon Kaen University.
“UN Women collaborates with partners across sectors to bring about collective action to achieve tangible goals on gender equality. We are pleased to take part in this training of trainers program which promotes entrepreneurial skills and networks for women and contributes towards a more equal and resilient society as a whole,” said Supapim Wannopas, Thailand Project Manager, WE RISE Together, UN Women.
Baker McKenzie is committed to serving our clients and communities by advancing inclusion and diversity, sustainability, and access to justice and opportunity. As part of the Firm's 75th anniversary, we are celebrating this important milestone with various initiatives that highlight the importance of positive social impact in the Firm’s culture and values throughout its history, and provide our people with an opportunity to give back to their local community.
“We are proud to be supporting women entrepreneurs in this exciting project which emphasizes our commitment to inclusion, diversity and equity. We believe we can achieve more by working together, with clients, peers and partners, to bring about positive change not only in the industry but also in society in general,” commented Wynn Pakdeejit, Managing Partner, Baker McKenzie Thailand. "We hope to further develop and support initiatives and programs to enhance legal skills for women entrepreneurs in the future," added Peerapan.