Leading by Example

Nov 11, 20222 min read

Thai Lee is a 64-year-old businesswoman and is the president and CEO of SHI International. SHI is an IT provider centered around "designing cloud, data center, and end-user computing strategies." Last year alone, they earned $12.3 billion in revenue. They currently have 3,000 employees worldwide and up to 17,500 customers, including AT & T, Johnson & Johnson, and Boeing. With over three decades of experience, SHI is headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey, with major operations centers in Austin, Texas, and Milton Keynes, UK. SHI is ranked in the top 15 among North America's largest IT solutions providers. She owns the largest female-owned business in America and is one of the top three minority-owned businesses.

As a woman and leader in business, she continues to lead with high moral standards. She drives to work and parks in the middle of the parking lot with no executive parking spot. Her office resides near junior employees, creating a positive environment of unity and teamwork. She even keeps her calendar, books her travel, and does her filing. Under her management, SHI International has grown from a software reseller with five employees with a small number of customers to a business with thousands of customers, being regarded as one of the best IT providers in the world with $6 billion in sales, selling products from third-party software and hardware to custom applications and consulting services.

On her Forbes profile, she says that STI has "No executive parking. We don't have a special executive compensation plan. We try to make sure that everybody feels valued.

Thai Lee has continued to create value for her organization, customers, and especially her employees.