A woman of substance

She’s been recognised internationally for the success of her Bangkok retail centres but what makes Chadatip Chutrakul really happy is to see customers in her shopping malls with smiles on their faces.
“For me, the greatest rewards are not the awards I receive but witnessing my malls deliver happiness to customers,” says Chadatip, the second-generation chief executive of retail developer Siam Piwat, who has received numerous international and domestic awards and has been formally recognised as a leading businesswomen.
Dubbed “mall innovator” by the Chinese media, the chief executive of Siam Piwat, which owns and operates leading shopping malls Siam Center, Siam Discovery, Siam Paragon and Paradise Park, says she has never regarded her malls as places just for shopping only.
Rather, they are venues where people congregate to see the latest trends or join activities and also serve as meeting places where families and friends choose to spend quality time together.
For Chadatip, an innovation leader in the retail property sector for nearly 30 years, clients are like a mirror that reflects back what they think and feel. For that reason, she likes to spend time every day walking around her malls to get first-hand responses from her customers as well as sit and talk with her tenants who pay handsomely to rent the prime retail space.
“My bosses are the clients and tenants who pay my salary. Clients judge us [and force us to improve] while the shop tenants know how to do their business and that’s how they inspire me,” she says.
Weekends, she says with a smile, are spent visiting her rivals.
“It’s like a medicine. I feel good when I’m surrounded by people. I don’t feel like I’m working. I enjoy seeing new things and meeting people,” she says. “And we are always learning because customer behaviour changes constantly.”
A graduate in banking and finance from Chulalongkorn University, Chadatip started her career in the insurance sector before switching to accounting. From there, she moved into public relations, retail property development and shopping malls.
Asked which career reflects the real her, the answer is surprisingly abrupt. “It’s coming up with new ideas for other people to deliver or implement,” she says.
“We are not the topmost earning retail developer but we offer a unique shopping experience customers cannot find elsewhere.
“The first thing I think about when I wake up is what new thing I will do today. I then look around the world to see the latest trends and adjust any ideas to suit our clients,” she says.
In addition to Siam Piwat’s four shopping centres, Chadatip is also the brains behind the Bt50-billion development Iconsiam. Located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, the new mega mall is a partnership between Siam Piwat, Magnolia Quality Development Corp and Charoen Pokphand Group and is slated to open next year.
An almost obsessive thinker, Chadatip sometimes wakes up during the night with an idea for something new. When that happens, she immediately pops off an email to one of her staff.
She’s well aware though that it’s not always possible to turn such ideas into realities.
“I know I make mistakes but I always thinks positively and learn from my mistakes.
“It’s important to admit failure, to use it as a lesson and never do it again. Even when I’m in trouble, I know life will go on. That motivates me and gives me energy to face the day ahead. We should never feel we’re reached the end of our tether. We need to move on,” she says.
The only daughter of a military father – she has two older brothers – Chadatip regards Thai women as lucky, as society does not have gender issues.
“We [Thai women] are fortunate that we can become whatever we want to be and not be obliged to stand in the shadow of a male. Our country is one that respects good people, no matter their gender,” she says.
She also feels that women are at a advantage over men thanks to their natural sensitivity, patience and empathy. “But it’s also important that they study and enhance their knowledge while encouraging others to do the same.”
Chadatip points to the number of women in top posts, for example. the country’s first female premier, former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Supaluck Umpujh, head honcho of the Mall Group, with which Siam Piwat partnered in developing Siam Paragon, Yuwadee Chirathivat from Central Department Store and of course Chadatip herself.
“Because retail is all about detail and women have better understanding of details than males,” says the retail queen when asked why the country’s leading retail developers are women
“I’m very thankful to have been born a woman. I have got to this point because of my femininity,” she says.
Despite winning several awards for leadership – the latest being the Asian Women Leadership Award 2016 from China Daily and Asia News Network – and succeeding in her businesses, Chadatip feels she has yet to succeed in her life.
“Whenever you think you are successful or are very good at something that’s the end [of your life]. You might as well pack your bags and go home. I prefer to think I will be able to do better tomorrow than I did today,” she says.
Chadatip, who routinely works 13 hours a day still enjoys her career, which she describes as “fun and productive”, but admits to the occasional bout of worry.
“But life goes on. Happy moments and sad ones inevitably pass eventually. We have to live with them,” she says.
She is also honest enough with herself to recognise that her business life will eventually reach the point where she has to hand over the reins to her successors.
“I’m 54 now and in the next three or four years, I plan to step aside and let my top executive team do the thinking and implementing. I will be just their mentor,” she says.
That, she adds, will allow her to concentrate on the big picture and strategize on the directions the organisation she has built should take down the line.
When that time comes, she plans to create projects to help communities and society. Already a philanthropist who devotes time to civic causes and charity, she often thinks about how she can contribute to communities in the future.
“If we want the assistance to be fruitful we need to dedicate our time. I feel good about seeing people happy and enjoying a better life. It’s an achievement [to feel that], more so that making a profit,” she says firmly.