Damchae Dem
This article is about a living or recently deceased person. Edits must be supported by reliable, verifiable sources. Unsupported or potentially defamatory content will be removed.
Damchae Dem is a Bhutanese businesswoman, CEO of Pelden Enterprise Limited (Bhutan's first steel manufacturer), and founder-president of the Bhutan Association of Women Entrepreneurs (BAOWE). Rising from poverty selling homemade potato chips to heading a company that exports ferrosilicon internationally, she received the National Order of Merit from the King in 2016 for BAOWE's work empowering disadvantaged women.
Early Life
Damchae Dem was born into poverty in Bhutan. Her earliest entrepreneurial venture was cooking and selling potato chips locally — a modest beginning that foreshadowed her later career as one of Bhutan's most successful businesswomen.[2][1] She attended St. Helens Convent in Kurseong, India, for her high school education.
Pelden Enterprise Limited
Dem founded Pelden Enterprise Limited in the 1990s. In 2006, the company became the first in Bhutan to manufacture steel, a milestone in the country's industrial development. The company now exports ferrosilicon to Malaysia, Dubai, Singapore, Bangladesh, India, and Europe, making it one of Bhutan's few industrial exporters with a significant international presence.
Bhutan Association of Women Entrepreneurs (BAOWE)
In 2010, Dem founded the Bhutan Association of Women Entrepreneurs (BAOWE) with the aim of empowering disadvantaged women and unengaged youth through entrepreneurship programs addressing both rural and urban poverty. BAOWE has since become one of Bhutan's most impactful civil society organizations, providing training, micro-enterprise support, and advocacy for women's economic participation.
In 2016, BAOWE's work was formally recognized by the King of Bhutan with the award of the National Order of Merit.
International Leadership
Dem holds several international leadership positions:
- Vice President, SAARC Chamber of Women Entrepreneurs Council (SCWEC)
- Vice President, South Asian Women Development Forum (SAWDF)
- Member, Advisory Board of Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS)
- Core committee member, Civil Society Organization (CSO) of Bhutan
- Member, LDC-Watch
Legacy
Damchae Dem's trajectory from selling potato chips to heading Bhutan's first steel company is one of the most remarkable entrepreneurial stories in the country's history. Through BAOWE, she has worked to ensure that similar paths are available to other Bhutanese women, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Her dual role as both an industrial leader and a champion of women's economic empowerment makes her a unique figure in Bhutanese society.
References
Test Your Knowledge
Think you know about this topic? Try a quick quiz!
Help improve this article
Do you have personal knowledge about this topic? Were you there? Your experience matters. BhutanWiki is built by the community, for the community.
Anonymous contributions welcome. No account required.