Cambodia & Career path: Ambrine, "the Kingdom, a defining professional experience”

Ambrine Kateb will leave the Kingdom in a few weeks' time after a successful work experience with the OCIC group. For the Frenchwoman with the radiant smile, Cambodia was a decisive experience for her future.

Ambrine Kateb, who will be leaving Cambodia in a few weeks' time

Tell us a little about yourself

I was born in Paris, France. I did all my schooling in the capital and then prepared a law degree which I passed at Paris II. I was thinking of becoming a lawyer, because you're inspired by what's going on around you. I'd done some internships in law firms and I thought that, on the whole, I liked it, so I thought I'd take the bar exam this summer.

So I came to Cambodia because I wanted to complete a Master 2 in law. It was more or less my first choice, because it allowed me to study French business law, but also to have an Asian perspective and to be able to move around internationally. So I arrived in Cambodia in 2022.

What was it like growing up in Paris?

There are lots of things to do. I grew up in the 15th arrondissement, and did most of my schooling there. In the end, you know everyone. It's not a village, but almost. So I have some great memories. Then, Covid slowed down my projects somewhat and it wasn't great, but there you go...

Why Cambodia?

Well, I came to Cambodia to do this Master's degree in French-Asian business law - formerly a Master's degree in international business law. The university offered either Vietnam or Cambodia. And when the assignment came up, I discovered that I'd come here. I hadn't found much on the web about this country and it was a bit of a complete stranger to me.

Was this your first trip to Asia?

I had already visited China in April 2019 as part of my history and geography course at secondary school and even learnt Chinese, which helped me quite a lot afterwards.

Your first contact with the Kingdom?

I'd say that the first 48 hours in Cambodia were really complicated. I didn't leave my hotel room. It was very, very difficult for me. I'd taken a single ticket, so I didn't know when I was coming back, so it was very tough. Then, slowly, I started to get out of my hotel room, to see what was going to happen and meet the students from my promotion. There are about ten of us per year coming from Paris, ten from Cambodia and as many from Vietnam. So, little by little, I began to get used to it, and to remember what I came here for. Finally, I learnt to appreciate the pleasures of the country, the kindness of the people, the possibility of going to the beach in the middle of November on Koh Rong, which is not possible in Paris. I also realised that this experience was an incredible opportunity, thanks to the change of scenery, the environment and the travel possibilities in the region.

I also started taking my courses and that kept me quite busy. The great thing about this Master's degree is that the courses run from 6 to 8 pm, so we're free during the day, and I started looking for an internship in Phnom Penh. I wanted to work in legal management, but in fact, even though there are some big French companies in Cambodia, their services in this field are fairly limited.

Your first internship?

I applied to EuroCham and was accepted. I worked as an advocacy intern, maintaining relations between the private and public sectors. So I had lots of meetings with ministries and also organised forums. I was also in charge of the Real Estate and Construction Committee. At the same time, I also worked with other committees, such as Health and Human Resources.

Was it a good experience?

It was a great experience to discover the inner workings of companies, to work with their managers and to be able to deal with them directly because, as an intern, it's not every day that you have the opportunity to talk to the managers of large companies, but also with quite a few civil servants and elected officials from the ministries. And I learnt about protocol in Cambodia, which was really interesting. My internship lasted four months, from February to June, after which I came back to France and worked for a month in the legal department at Rémi Cointreau. That made me realise that I didn't want to go into law any more.

Thierry Tea at the Tech Catalyst event

What happened next?

I met Thierry Tea, the vice-president of the OCIC group, at EuroCham. We had a chance to talk and he told me about his plans. I was then able to join his teams as a business executive. This gave me the opportunity to work in a wide variety of sectors, including the development and animation of the Koh Pich district. For example, I was able to help organise a number of events, including NhamFesta, Destination Mekong and the opera Madama Butterfly at the Koh Pich theatre.

In addition to this type of organisation, I was also in charge of press releases and some brochures about OCIC's property projects, as well as the town's brand new tech centre, Connexion.

What is your best memory of your time at OCIC?

Among the two experiences that have had the greatest impact on me, I'd have to mention my participation with the Group's teams in the business forum held in Paris last January. It was a really interesting experience. We had to prepare in advance everything that needed to be signed with Prime Minister Hun Manet. Three memorandums of understanding were approved and signed:

• with Platform Impact, which is going to develop a school

• with Lagardère Travel Retail for the new Phnom Penh airport

• with Aloest production for the promotion of the film "La beauté du Geste" in France and a little in Switzerland

It was very interesting, because I was able to attend interviews with Thierry Tea and also meet the Cambodian diaspora in France.

The second exciting event would be the Cambodia Tech Catalyst supported by Google Cloud APAC, because it required a lot of work upstream. The event took place over two and a half days and we had to draw up the agenda and then set up the whole event as such, bringing together partners as well as sponsors. It was great because in those two and a half days we brought together over 500 people. So I was very enthusiastic about the idea of supporting Tech here in Cambodia.

And then I worked on the development of the Innovation Center and Business Hub - Connexion, which will be launched soon. I worked on everything that made up the design of the floor dedicated to tech. So, before embarking on this project, we had to carry out an in-depth analysis of the needs of the main players. So I was able to talk to various start-up managers here in Cambodia, as well as public players such as Khmer Enterprise.

I imagine you're delighted with the experience?

Yes, I can say that it was really great, I learnt a lot and it reinforced the idea that I didn't want to go into law any more. I had the privilege of working directly with Thierry Tea. I sensed that very quickly and that's also what prompted me to join OCIC when I had the opportunity to stay at EuroCham. I knew I was going to learn a lot from him. I really appreciated his way of thinking and approaching issues.

Thierry is a businessman who also knows how to share and pass on his knowledge. He also knows how to build trust and give people responsibility. Yes, I've been extremely lucky to be able to work with him.

What's next for you after Cambodia?

I'm going back to France for at least six months. I'm doing a master's degree in strategy and business development at EM Lyon and Centrale Supélec. A year ago, I wouldn't have imagined what would happen next; I would have thought of taking the bar like most of my friends.

The idea is either to return to work in South-East Asia and maybe Cambodia, or to work in Europe or in the Gulf countries as well, but to continue to have professional relations with the countries of South-East Asia and Cambodia in particular.

Last question, what did you really like - and dislike - about Cambodia apart from the professional aspect?

What didn't I like? The traffic jams and sometimes that feeling of being a bit alone, because there were days when I couldn't go out because I had to study, because I had to remember my main objective: my degree. I can't think of any other negative aspect apart from the traffic jams, and even that taught me to be patient. In Paris, I'm a lot less patient, because everything goes so much faster, and I've learnt to be a lot less stressed, because Cambodians take things in their stride, and in the end, even if you get angry, it's clearly no use. So it taught me to really relax, to trust myself more and to get out of my comfort zone.

I also had the opportunity to visit Siem Reap, Koh Rong and Mondolkiri, which left me with some pretty incredible memories. Siem Reap, in particular, is a truly grandiose achievement. Finally, I'd also like to mention the unforgettable sunsets on the beach at Koh Rong!