Microsoft Thailand wins AMCHAM ‘Excellence in Developing Smart People’ award and receives Gold status in CSR Excellence Recognition for ninth consecutive year

 |   Thornthawat Thongnab

Men and women in awards ceremony

Bangkok, 11 December 2018 – Microsoft Thailand was honored with two major prizes at the recent American Chamber of Commerce Thailand CSR Excellence (ACE) Awards – a signature program that recognizes outstanding efforts of the AMCHAM member companies for their long-term efforts to support Thailand’s sustainable development. AMCHAM recognised Microsoft’s excellence in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives by bestowing the company with Gold Level for the ninth consecutive year, while Microsoft’s “Equip all Youth to be Future Ready through Digital Skills and Computer Science Education” long-term campaign received first prize in the ‘Excellence in Developing Smart People’ category for its success in helping young Thais achieve their goals and overcome digital limitations in an increasingly digital economy.

With more than 77 companies submitting applications for the 2018 ACE Awards, the competition was especially tough this year as the panel of impartial judges rigorously evaluated each CSR program against measurable results that create economic and social gains, high levels of employee involvement, strong strategic partnerships with Thai organizations, and are strongly aligned with the companies’ mission.

Mr. Dhanawat Suthumpun, Managing Director of Microsoft Thailand, said “We are humbled and honored to see the results of the tremendous work we have done together with our partners in the past five years being recognized by AMCHAM. As part of our mission to empower every person and every organization to achieve more, Microsoft has always remained firm to its longstanding commitment as a long-term partner of the Kingdom. We believe in a future where everyone has the skills, knowledge, and opportunity to achieve more, and youth are the forefront of the innovative development. These awards are a clear sign that we are on the right track and are encouraging us to continue to equip Thai youth with digital skills, helping them achieve their goals, overcome digital limitations, and be the drivers of the digital economy.”

In the past five years, Microsoft Thailand has worked together with a broad spectrum of likeminded organisations from the government and strategic non-governmental organizations leading a series of connected education CSR initiatives under the theme “Equip all Youth to be Future Ready through Digital Skills and Computer Science Education”. These initiatives pursue a shared goal of using technology to empower young people and their communities to create systematic positive change. Microsoft provided digital literacy and computer science trainings to over 410,000 youths from various backgrounds, including young people living in remote areas with low access to Computer Science education, youth with physical disabilities, youths living in southernmost provinces, misplaced youth living in refugees’ camps and urban refugees, female inmates, NGO staff, volunteers, as well as nearly 4,000 educators.

Furthermore, Microsoft – together with partners such as Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), UNESCO, Redemptorist Foundation for People with Disabilities and more – has been working hard to promote the importance of STEM education and the value of coding skills. From inspirational workshops that aim to close the gender gap and increase the number of women pursuing STEM education and careers, to numerous online and offline basic computer science trainings and “Skype-a-thons” – Microsoft Thailand has consistently inspired the young generation to try and pursue a computer science career, ensuring that all young Thais are future-ready and have equal opportunities to access to digital skills and computer science education that are crucial to succeed in Thailand 4.0 digital future.

Looking forward, Microsoft recognizes that computational thinking and computer science are foundational to education in the 21st century and is committed to help the government address the jobs and skills gaps in Thailand and advance greater inclusion for people from diverse backgrounds through its advanced technology. To reinforce this commitment, Microsoft has joined “Coding Thailand”, a joint project with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) and the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA) aimed at developing ‘digital citizens’. From the very beginning, Microsoft dedicated full time technological and philanthropic resources to the initiative to ensure it reaches its ultimate goal of further spurring digital-age youth’s interest in computer science, ultimately preparing them for the Digital Age.