AsiaLIFE

Women are tackling Cambodia’s business world headon. Members of Cambodia’s first association for female entrepreneurs talk about the challenges to Greg Pellechi. Photography by Dylan Walker.

As the owner of the Sentosa Silk shop in Phnom Penh and president of Artisans Association Cambodia, Seng Takakneary is the epitome of a modern Cambodian entrepreneur. Married with a successful company, the only thing that sets her apart is the fact that she – unlike many of Cambodia’s business leaders – is a woman.

A new generation of successful female entrepreneurs, however, is coming to the fore in order to help empower fellow businesswomen and offer the benefits of their experiences. Seng Takaneary is leading that charge as president of the newly-formed Cambodian Women’s Entrepreneurs Association (CWEA).

The body was set up two months ago to offer training and networking assistance to help create a community amongst Cambodia’s businesswomen, while promoting gender equality and opportunities in the workplace.

“To grow myself and to grow my company, is to grow my country,” says Seng Takakneary, while sitting in the new Sentosa Silk showroom on Street 294, which is set to open in January.

Joined by vice president Channda Sok, who is the owner and chief executive officer of Anana Computers, Angkor Net and Mekong Net, and 12 other board members, the knowledge they are set to impart to the organisation’s members will be substantial.

Secretary general Duong Chhorvivann, an independent management consultant who has worked in big business, says that CWEA – rather than pushing companies for positive discrimination in favour of women - wants “to raise awareness as to the importance of women in business and perhaps over time the community at large will realise that it makes good economic sense to allocate roles according to merit, not gender”.

Though many women run small-scale businesses in Cambodia, the culture remains male-dominated with most of the positions of power, whether in business or the government, still in the hands of men.

According to the Cambodian National Institute of Statistics, 52.4% of women in 2009 were self-employed or considered an own account worker - those who according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) “[work] on their own account or with one or more partners, hold the type of job defined as a self-employed job, and have not engaged on a continuous basis any employees to work for them during the reference period.” Yet in Cambodia just 0.3% of women were classified as employers.

Women can also face unique barriers in business. Maeve Galvin, communications and advocacy officer at the ILO, says: “Circumstances for women are especially difficult as they are twice as likely to face wage discrimination or find themselves in unpaid work.”

“Women entrepreneurs often face gender-based barriers to starting and growing their businesses such as lack of access to formal finance mechanisms and limited mobility and access to information and networks,” she adds.

By offering opportunities for women to share their experiences, successes and failures and participate in training schemes, CWEA hopes to garner more than 100 members – consisting of Cambodian nationals and expatriates.

The group, says Chhorvivann, will “provide a representative platform for women in business to bring issues to the attention of government, the business community at large and the media for the purpose of improving the business environment and facilitating the growth of business activity in which women are constructively involved”.

Founding members represent a wealth of experience in an impressive range of business sectors including consulting, food, handicrafts, health care, import/exports, information technology, shipping/logistics, tourism and transportation.

For those women looking at starting their own business or who are already running their own, Chhorvivann already has advice for the would-be leaders of the future.

“Know what you want and keep moving toward your goal. Do not give up even if you fail. Be passionate and positive,” she says.

The Cambodian Women’s Entrepreneur Association office can be found on the third floor of the Anana building on Norodom Boulevard. Those interested in membership: call 023 999 800 or visit http://www.facebook.com/Cambodia.