Sister Act

Known as Numhom, Singapore-based 23-year-old Jirasiri Techalapanarasme—a strategist at human-centred data science and brand consultancy firm Synthesis— and her younger sister, 22-year-old Teshinee or Numtip—who is also based in Singapore where she works as an investment banking analyst with Barclays Bank—graduated from Harrow Bangkok in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Having each spent a decade at the prestigious school the sisters are adamant that the excellent education they received and the holistic environment in which it took place have been integral in shaping them into the confident, ambitious young women they are today.

“I think the experiences that really shaped me as a person are the school drama productions I took part in,” says Numhom. “It probably comes as no surprise to anyone who knew me in school, but the artistic side of my education at Harrow Bangkok really inspired me. At university I co-wrote and acted in a short award-winning play called Flamingoes, was nominated for best actress at Singapore’s National Youth Film Awards 2019 and wrote and produced a videogame for my final year project. She adds that her love of English literature at school prepped her well, helping to develop her analysis and critical thinking skills. “I went on to study liberal arts at Yale-NUS College in Singapore and benefitted a lot from my background in English literature. The work I do now as a strategist at Synthesis draws on my abilities to observe and distil relevant cultural insights to humanise data-driven research. I had the chance to hone these skills taking anthropology modules at Yale-NUS, but they stem from reading and critiquing The Great Gatsby at school through the lens of queer theory and writing about feminist reinterpretations of fairy tales in A-level English literature.

Recalling the enjoyment of singing with the Harrow Bangkok Jazz Band, Numhom remembers that opportunities for learning and fun were always around the corner. “Since I left the school a fantastically equipped, beautiful new arts facility has been built. I’m not jealous at all, really!” she laughs, then adds wistfully,

I didn’t realise how much I would miss Harrow Bangkok’s creative milieu—the school productions, the spoken word lunch sessions organised by Nat Siriviriyakul and the student jam sessions set up by Edward Marshall and his friends. I really enjoyed these extra-curricular activities and am very glad of the time I spent on them.”

For Numtip the Harrow Bangkok experience opened her eyes to the worlds of business and philanthropy and how the former can be used to enhance the latter. Prior to studying for a degree in economics at Cambridge University, the former deputy head girl organised fundraising activities for a number of causes including Habitat for Humanity and discussed policies to address real world problems in the Model United Nations. She was also involved in Bagtastiq, an award-winning student-led entrepreneurial initiative that tackled the social and environmental issue of waste in Thailand by recycling single-use banners to create unique and fashionable bags. Numtip went on to lead Clare College’s student investment fund at Cambridge, where she invested the college endowment in global equities and focused on stocks that satisfy good environmental, social and governance criteria to create a positive and sustainable impact on the business world.