PUCDC Organizational Talk Series: A CEO’s guide to building a global career

A few years ago, U Nyi Nyein Aye was speaking at an event when someone asked whether his company, ThitsaWorks, offered internships. He said yes and invited interested participants to attend an information session the following week.

Eighteen young people showed up. All eighteen said they wanted to apply. The company later emailed them, asking for their CVs and cover letters. Around eight responded. Four confirmed interview appointments, two attended, and when the time came to begin the internship, only one person joined.

U Nyi still remembers how those eighteen interested participants eventually became one intern. That one intern stayed for three months before moving into a full-time position elsewhere. Following through, he explained, is something employers notice.

It was one of the stories he shared with Parami University students during “A CEO’s Guide to Building a Global Career,” a speaker session organized by the Parami University Career Development Center (PUCDC).

U Nyi, the Co-Founder and CEO of ThitsaWorks, spent around twenty years with the United Nations before founding the company in 2016. His first session with Parami explored that journey. This time, he spoke about hiring young professionals and his own early job searches.

The person behind the CV

ThitsaWorks began in Myanmar, working with microfinance institutions and other financial organizations on digital transformation and financial inclusion. In 2021, the company expanded beyond Myanmar and registered in Singapore.

Today, more than 80 team members work across ten countries and four continents, serving central banks, regulators, and financial institutions. The company operates entirely remotely, and some employees have never met U Nyi in person.

Hiring in that environment has made him attentive to five qualities: communication, initiative, commitment, learnability, and judgment.

AI tools have made CVs easier to prepare, but also harder to tell apart. U Nyi has received cover letters addressed to other organizations, mistakes that can cost applicants an interview.

What U Nyi wants to know is what a candidate has actually done.

Academic projects, volunteering, or activities organized with classmates can show how first-time applicants take responsibility and solve problems. He encouraged students to bring concrete examples.

He also spoke about resilience, especially among students who have continued their education in difficult circumstances. Rather than just calling themselves resilient, students could explain the constraint they faced, the action they took, and the result they achieved.

He recalled preparing examples of teamwork and time management before interviews rather than trying to improvise hypothetical answers.

Getting comfortable with what you do not know

ThitsaWorks may begin a project in an unfamiliar country, with a new partner or system. U Nyi himself still encounters things he must learn as CEO.

He looks for people who are curious, willing to teach themselves, and comfortable asking questions. He also values judgment: knowing when to investigate a problem further and when to bring it to a supervisor's attention.

U Nyi remembered coming from a generation in which young people were not always encouraged to question their teachers or supervisors. At work, though, silence can make a problem worse.

"Don't let them find out when it is too late," he told students.

Across locations and time zones, speaking up early gives colleagues time to solve problems together.

A liberal arts graduate in a fintech company

Four Parami students and graduates worked at ThitsaWorks at the time, in business analysis, program coordination, and project-related roles. U Nyi spoke warmly about their contributions.

Their presence also raised a question students sometimes have about technology companies: where does someone without a technical degree fit?

ThitsaWorks needs people who can understand clients' requirements, communicate with developers, assess risks, and explain solutions to decision-makers. Research, analysis, and communication are also part of that work.

Kaung Myat Phyo (Kelvin), a Parami graduate who studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics, joined the session to share his experience in the company's executive office.

His responsibilities take him across different projects, and sometimes he begins working on a subject he knew almost nothing about the day before. His degree has proved useful in ways he had not initially expected, and he spoke appreciatively of colleagues who have helped him learn.

The skills he brought from Parami have become part of how he approaches that learning.

The choices that matter in the first few years

U Nyi also asked students to think about what they would look for when choosing their first jobs.

A recognizable organization or an impressive position title might sound attractive. But he wanted them to consider another question: how much would they actually learn there?

He spoke about the value of a manager willing to guide younger colleagues. He also encouraged students to finish projects and keep evidence of their work. A research paper, presentation, or independently developed project could later help an employer understand their abilities.

Toward the end of the session, a student asked how he had spent his time when he was young.

U Nyi laughed, remembering full-time studies, part-time jobs, and evenings out with friends. He was glad he had made room for all three.

"Please remember to have fun," he told students.

He wanted them to take their studies and responsibilities seriously, but he also urged them to look after their physical and mental health.

Some of the friends he met after moving to New York at eighteen remain among his closest friends today. He had spent time with them as recently as the week of the session.

Those friendships have lasted through the changes in his career and life. He hoped the students listening would find people they could rely on in the same way.

Who will give young people room to learn?

The discussion eventually turned to AI. U Nyi encouraged students to develop an understanding of it beyond programming, including governance, ethics, and responsible use.

Near the end, Dr. Kyaw Moe Tun, President of Parami University, shared an experience from an AI-focused conference he had attended two weeks earlier.

A senior executive had asked a junior colleague to prepare a document. Minutes later, he realized AI could complete it faster, finished it himself, and told the colleague she no longer needed to work on it.

The task was finished. The junior colleague, however, had lost the chance to learn how to do it.

Dr. Kyaw Moe Tun wondered what this would mean for young professionals. Experienced workers once learned from difficult assignments, mistakes, and feedback. If AI takes over those early tasks, where will the next generation gain that experience?

At the conference, he had challenged the executive to consider whether he would want his own children to grow up without opportunities to learn. If he wanted that space for them, should his employees not have it too? He acknowledged the pressure on businesses to remain competitive, but argued that employers must develop talent, not only use it. U Nyi agreed that universities and employers would need to work together.

Throughout the session, U Nyi had asked students to show what they could do through real work. Kelvin's experience showed how much learning continues after graduation. Dr. Kyaw Moe Tun's reflection raised the question of whether workplaces will continue to give beginners that chance.

A junior colleague may take longer to complete an assignment, and the first attempt may need revision. A manager might finish it faster alone, or now, with AI.

But the opportunity to attempt that work is also how a beginner starts becoming someone the organization can rely on.

And that is an experience no polished CV can replace.