Women in Training & Skill Development

Catherine Smith is Chair of the Professional Women’s Network (under the Chamber) and has been an active board member of the Chamber for more than 4 years. She has lived in Myanmar for more than 7 years, where she has established several successful startups, in business services and tourism, acted as advisor on market entry to overseas companies, and consulted to foreign and local businesses on tourism, marketing, property and consumer services.

Catherine is currently running her own business – Pragma Ventures – which is focused on reviving sericulture in Myanmar. Pragma works with, and trains farmers in Chin State to support mulberry planting for silk production, and then develops hand-woven product for local sale and export.

Catherine is passionate about female empowerment in her business - Pragma runs regular training programs with farmers and weavers to encourage farming communities to amplify the voice of women in daily life, and elevate them to leadership roles.

Tracy is a visionary social entrepreneur revolutionizing virtual training across industries. Her innovative programs in Myanmar enhance employability and prepare individuals for diverse sectors.
Through initiatives like the "Passport to Success Myanmar" training passport, Tracy unifies industries, achieving learning objectives. She also builds schools and orphanages, recognizing education as vital for poverty alleviation.
In virtual reality and the metaverse, Tracy established the first Virtual Hotel Training School, offering training in various areas. Collaborating with companies, she brings visions to life using evolving technology.
Tracy's achievements include capacity building projects and creating apprenticeship programs. Honored with the Women Leadership Award, she's also recognized for virtual reality training.
Currently, Tracy directs efforts towards VRHTI (Virtual Reality Hospitality Training International), addressing pain points across industries. Utilizing virtual reality, VRHTI reduces costs, elevates service quality, and empowers individuals.
Tracy's visionary approach drives transformative change. VRHTI's self-learning modules and collaborative sessions empower individuals, fostering continuous learning.

Ma Yin Yin Aye currently works as a Senior Adviser & National Consultant for the Vocational and Skill Development Program at Swisscontact in Yangon; her previous business experience includes 15 years as Head of Commercial department and Program Director at the Center for Vocational Training program, and 12+ years working as Senior Assistant Teacher at State High School in Yangon.

Yin is the acting Secretary of the Myanmar Women Entrepreneur Network, and was a founder member and former VP of the Myanmar Business Executives Association. She is currently a Member of the ASEAN Federation Women Business and Professionals, and also of Myanmar’s UMFCCI.

She has been awarded an Executive MBA from Yangon Institute of Economics, a Diploma in International Law from Yangon University, a BEd from the Yangon Institute of Education and a BSc Hons in Physics from Yangon University.

Ms. Aye Yie Mon has a BA in English and she is an Australia Awards scholarship alumni where she did her Masters in Education (La Trobe University, Melbourne). She has 10 years of working experience in Myanmar, in capacity development programs, M&E and education sector. She worked as a curriculum officer and a monitoring and evaluation officer for 4 years, in the Education Reform project in Myanmar. She worked with different stakeholders, and she has a lot of experience in project management.

Since 2021, Aye Yie Mon has been working as a trainer and consultant with MDF Myanmar and in that capacity she has trained many professionals, individual and groups from CSOs, NGOs and INGOs in soft skills, facilitation skills, teaching skills and methodologies, Project (Cycle) Management, Monitoring and Evaluation and Results-Based Management. She has also facilitated strategic planning workshops and multistakeholder workshops.

Ms. Aye Myat Thwe is a seasoned professional with more than a decade of working experience in Myanmar in the agricultural sector and in Training & Consultancy. She has a strong background in conducting research and analysis on market and value chains, and private sector development using both quantitative and qualitative methods. She has developed and delivered various training modules on leadership, resource mobilization, proposal writing, business skills, online facilitation skills, strategic planning, community-based advocacy and good agricultural practices to different audiences. She has provided coaching to both individual and groups from the private sectors and CSOs, helping them improve their performance and achieve their goals. Additionally, she has a keen interest and knowledge in gender issues, such as gender awareness, gender mainstreaming, gender and leadership and gender coaching for the private sector and CSOs. She is adept at using online learning platforms and digital tools to facilitate and coach online sessions.