Chenda Chhay

If her grandmother hadn't needed an operation, Chenda Chhay might have grown up as a subsistence farmer in Pursat province. Her family, after surviving the horrors of the Khmer Rouge, arrived to Phnom Penh in 1981 to see a doctor. They stayed, and their move was the first in a series of events that changed the trajectory of Chenda's life. A year after arriving in a city still recovering from devastation, the family's second child was born. They named her Chenda, the Khmer word for "thoughtful," perfectly suited for a bright inquisitive baby.

In 2001, at the age of 19, Chenda's curiosity lead to another transformative moment when she joined a new start-up that offered her a chance to follow her dreams. She was among the first group of data management operators at DDD. Along with her peers, she learned to type quickly and accurately in English to digitize Harvard University's student newspaper. Her Cambodian managers noticed she was facile with numbers; after a year she was promoted to help with accounting for our growing business. During her 5-year tenure at DDD, Chenda completed a degree in Accounting and Finance, helped DDD to open our office in Battambang, Cambodia, and then traveled to Laos to support the opening of our office in Vientiane.

One of Chenda's dreams was to become an entrepreneur. So, she wrote her own business plan to offer basic accounting services to NGOs operating in Cambodia. "I was inspired to launch this project because I've seen a growing need for local, quality accounting resources", says Chenda. "The big accounting firms in Cambodia are too costly for local NGOs and businesses."

Another door opened for Chenda when her plan was recognized-and she had the opportunity to visit Shanghai and Paris -as a finalist in the Cartier Women's Initiative Awards for Asia. She launched her own accounting services firm, working with clients globally. She learned to market her business and provide services to a range of clients-and also about the challenges of being an independent businesswoman. In 2011she took a position at FAO, the United Nation's food security program in Cambodia. Chenda was thrilled to go to work for the UN, because as she says, "I want to drive a similar change as DDD."

The "thoughtful" young woman her parents nurtured has not ceased to value education. She secured an internship at an accounting firm in New York City, to continue to build her skills. Even while she works for the UN, she is pursuing a 2-year advanced certification from the UK-based Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).