INTO AN ASSET

A serious 2017 motorcycle crash in Vietnam left Parsinee Pratoomhual with physical limitations and a change of heart that has become an asset in her job.

“The accident made me a better person” said Pratoomhual, the assistant human resources manager at Magna’s Cosma plant in Thailand. “I have limitations, but I’m happy for what I can do. I always see the bright side, and I help other people see it, too.”

Within the 115-employee Cosma facility, Pratoomhual is known as a “people person” who knows everyone’s story.

She credits a Magna executive with spotting her ability to connect with people and steering her toward human resources.

Pratoomhual began working at Magna 10 years ago as a contract employee with a one- month assignment. During high school, she spent time in Mexico as an exchange student and learned Spanish. That skill proved to be indispensable when Mexican engineers installed a robot line at the plant and needed a translator.

One month extended into several years, as she moved into HR and continued to work as a translator and an interpreter on the shop floor as needed.

A college degree in Business English and a previous job assignment also laid the groundwork for her career in Magna human resources.

“My father was a teacher and the director of a school in a poor part of Thailand,” Pratoomhual recalled. “He needed help and asked me to teach math, English and Thai to the 9 year old students for several months. I was the kind of teacher who became their friend. My time teaching and the accident all are part of who I am today.”

Her first name, which means “light of knowledge” in Thai, captures Pratoomhual’s approach to her life and work.

“With the COVID-19 pandemic, my job was to communicate and give our employees knowledge about how to be safe,” she said. “When employees talk to me about their concerns, they know I will understand.”

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With the COVID-19 pandemic, my job was to communicate and give our employees knowledge about how to be safe. When employees talk to me about their concerns, they know I will understand.