As Covid surged, Google soared
Jackie Wang was appointed as the first female country director of Google Thailand in September 2019, being promoted from industry head. Ms Wang joined Google Thailand’s sales team, transferring from McCann Worldgroup in 2014.
She also had experience working for Google in the US as a brand manager for the company’s products, such as Nest Thermostat and Nest Cam.
Under her leadership at Google Thailand, usage of Google services in Thailand has surged, particularly during the pandemic.
YouTube watch time in Thailand rose 20% in the first six months of 2020, compared with the same period a year earlier, while YouTube had more than 450 channels with more than 1 million subscribers as of June 2020.
She was at the helm at Google Thailand when Thailand and the world faced the challenges of the pandemic.
“Since the virus first began to spread, our focus at Google has been on making sure people have the information and tools they need,” she said.
Google Thailand plays a part in supporting Thailand both in ongoing short-term response to the virus in the long-term, concentrating on three priorities geared towards sustainable recovery — promoting authoritative and reliable information; supporting education and learning; and contributing to business continuity and economic recovery.
She said Google works closely with government, business, health and education sectors, nonprofit and community organisations, to ensure people can get help when they need it most, and start to rebuild when the time is right.
“We want to build on the strong, established partnerships and programmes we already have to support Thailand’s progress, while responding to the urgent challenges we now face,” Ms Wang said.
It's crucial that people have access to health information they can trust online, so they can make the right decisions to protect themselves and those around them from the pandemic, she said.
“We’ve featured the latest updates and health advice from international health authorities and promoted hygiene awareness campaigns like 'Do the Five',” Ms Wang said. “On YouTube, we’re raising up authoritative sources in search results and showing information panels alongside relevant videos on YouTube.”
Efforts have been made to curb misinformation spreading on Google, YouTube or other apps through Play Store, she said.
She said Google links users to the most crucial and relevant updates across its platforms, including organising search results and flagging SOS alerts to ensure sharing of the most accurate information.
Ms Wang also led Google Thailand to usher in Saphan Digital programme, through partnership with the commerce ministry and industry organisations, to equip Thai businesses, NGOs and individuals with digital know-how to maximise their business and employment opportunities.
Google meanwhile gives support for small businesses that have been hit hard by the pandemic.
“We recently announced a US$800 million (about 24 billion baht) commitment to support small businesses with access to finance, ad credits and grants to help meet the costs of the virus. That support is also available in Thailand,” Ms Wang said.
She said Google will be expanding programmes to train small businesses in digital skills, provide them with cloud-based tools, and enable their employees to work remotely.