Not always a bed of roses

NUALPHAN “Pang” Lamsam comes from a prominent family, is president and chief executive of Muang Thai Insurance, chairs Port Football Club, and earned international recognition (and a place in Thai soccer history) as manager of the women’s national football team as well as the women’s national under-19 squad.
    If all of that weren’t enough to interest people in her back story, consider that the first half of her life was, in her own words, “no bed of roses”.
It really is an amazing tale, and now it’s told in book form. The 51-year-old has just published her autobiography, “Madame Pang – Nualphan Lamsam”, and hopes that her revelations about the early difficult years and the success that came later in spite of them might serve as an inspiration for anyone who is struggling and unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The book was officially unveiled this week in the garden of her insurance firm’s headquarters on Bangkok’s Ratchadapisek Road, in the presence of her parents, Photipong and Yupa Lamsam, and her husband, Police General Narat Sawetanan.
Close friends and members of the extended family attending the event included Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Warawut Laohapongchana, Supornthip Choungrangsee, Kwanjai Jiaravanon, Sombat Tirasaroj, Intira Thanavisuth, Joe Cheung, Ausanee Mahagitsiri Leonio, Suthanya Boonsoong, Pattharapol Puengboonpra, and Joelle and David Smaniotto.
Some of the proceeds from the book – priced at Bt285 and available at Naiin and other bookstores and via the “Amarinbooks” Facebook page – will go to the Foundation for the Blind in Thailand under Her Majesty the Queen’s patronage.

The first in what might become a series of memoirs covers Pang’s childhood, school life, work and her experience managing the remarkably accomplished women’s national football team.
“A lot of people ask about the secrets to my success, and so many think it’s simply because I’m Nualphan Lamsam,” she said, explaining that there’s much more to it than just the family connection.
“This book will tell you everything about me. My life wasn’t always a bed of roses early on. What brought me to this point in my endeavours are my determination and a positive attitude.”
The 169-page, full-colour memoir describes how Pang got started in business by importing brand-name products, and how she came to run a football team that brought Thailand unexpected glory.

The 15 chapters have lively and compelling titles, including “Game On”, “Queen of a Thousand Roses”, “Thai Government House in Boston”, “Destiny”, “20 Days of Miracles in Canada” and “Unspeakable Love”.
“As a woman, you have to forget about the word ‘gender’ if you want a place to stand,” she writes in the chapter called “Neither Men nor Women in the Business World”.
To deal with the men dominating the boardroom, “you have to be stronger, much stronger than you’ve ever been. When you can overcome your personal obstacles, that day you will receive compliments and feel proud of yourself.”
“Destiny” is what she says led her to become manager of the football squad, which was the first Thai team to qualify for the Fifa Women’s World Cup. She recalls many a tear shed, for a variety of reasons.
“The defeat we experienced in Laos didn’t discourage me,” she writes. “In fact, the bitter tears shed that day encouraged me to devote myself more fully to my new role in life. And I firmly believe that we can go further still.”