Builk’s Linna Kanoknitanan: a COO is like a midfielder in a soccer team

A Thai startup Builk is known for its uniqueness in tackling an industry – one of the world’s biggest – that’s so un-techie, un-startup-y, and male-dominated: construction. But what many don’t know is that this startup has a female COO. Linna Kanoknitanan is the lady steering the wheel at Builk, and she was the one presenting Builk’s latest platform SiteWalk at the DEMO ASEAN conference, winning third place.

It’s not easy being a COO, let alone for a company that’s dealing with masculine stuff. To understand how she does it, we spent some time with her to gather her thoughts:

Tell us a little about yourself

I graduated with a Bachelor of Accounting from Chulalongkorn University, however, I’ve always been interested in technology. My family runs a construction-related business selling construction materials. So I basically grew up around the industry. I first contacted Builk to advertise with them and met Patai (the CEO). After talking to him, I was interested in working with him. The rest is history.

What’s your role at Builk

At first, there was no real job description. I was looking for a general picture of what to do to improve the company. I’m the fifth member of the team. Now I’m the COO, which means, using a soccer comparison, I’m a midfielder that executes the goals set by Patai the CEO. Basically, I identify what we have to do to achieve the goals and what each person’s responsibilities are. I make sure every team member brings something to the table and they can add value into the company.

I believe that’s what one has to do as an entrepreneur anyway. There’s no one telling you what to do. You look for what’s lacking then tackle that. You have to always look for ways to improve the company.

How and why did you get started in this industry? What made you decide to be an entrepreneur?

Running a family business at home was easy. It’s a comfort zone. But I wanted to do more. Being an entrepreneur is a way of opening myself to more. I can be more innovative and creative, rather than being old-fashioned. It’s more challenging now. I have to solve new problems almost everyday.

What challenges did you face in particular?