First Day

Welcome Speech and Context Setting

Good morning, everyone, CEO, Deputy CEO, Department Heads, and my dear
colleagues. First and foremost, I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to the
management for giving me this wonderful opportunity to stand before you today
as the moderator of this meeting. It’s not every day that I find myself in the
spotlight in such a professional setting, especially in the presence of our
esteemed leaders and colleagues. So naturally, I couldn’t let this opportunity go!
Now, before we go any further, a quick clarification: to those who’ve been calling
me Tandin Wangchuk, I must confess—I’m not quite sure who he is either! My
name is Tandin Tshewang, and I’ve had the pleasure of working here for the past
year as the Marketing and Procurement Officer.
As we dive into today’s agenda, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the
incredible teamwork that has impacted the lives of so many women in Bhutan.
Today, I want to take this moment to specifically acknowledge the efforts of our
branch staff. We know that the work at our branch is physically demanding as
well as intellectually challenging. I’ve heard that sometimes you’d have to skip
lunch in some centers. Being at the forefront of operations, you are bound to
face the immediate challenges of the operations of the company.
Now, I’m not saying that the head office staff have it any easier—we all face our
own pressures and responsibilities. But the reality is that each part of the
organization comes with its own set of unique challenges. Whether you're in the
field, handling frontline operations, or at head office managing strategy,
compliance, or reporting, the demands are real and significant. Even if you go to
other companies, you’ll find the same truth: challenges are inevitable. Sure, they
may take different forms, but they’re part of every meaningful journey. There's a
simple quote that says, “Challenges are what make life interesting. Overcoming
them is what makes life meaningful.”
And that’s precisely why we’re here today. Our agenda for this meeting is more
than throwing information at each other, it’s a chance to reflect on those
challenges, share experiences, to discuss, and strengthen how we work together.
Now, before we begin our meeting, I’d like to first establish some ground rules:
1. This is a discussion so the input must come from both branch and head office
staff. I really want to encourage the branch staff to be a part of the discussion
and not to feel pressured, especially the new staff. Nobody in this room is
going to judge you for raising your hand and asking a question or clarifying a
doubt. Ask what you have to and say what you must.
2. I want to ask the presenters to incorporate brief pauses in their presentations,
especially in important parts so that the audience is given an opportunity to
raise their hands and clarify any doubts.
3. Do not engage in personal discussions among your groups during
presentations, and if you need to use the washroom you may silently leave
 the room, but if there are more than five people who left the room during a
presentation then please hold it till they return.
Okay now enough said, we will now begin our ASM with a note from our youngest
CEO Madam Tshering Dema.

Intro of all staff

Thank you, Madam, for your inspiring note. Your words have beautifully set the
tone and direction for the rest of our discussions today.
Now, let us get to the part where we introduce ourselves. Feel free to share your
name, your role, and maybe your favorite food or color or whatever—just to keep
things interesting!

Financial Updates
Thank you all for introducing yourselves, I could see a lot of young, energetic,
beautiful, and handsome faces.
Now next will be an update on the year 2024, highlights, and a financial overview
of the company. So please welcome our CEO and Deputy CEO.

Tea Break
I hope everyone had a refreshing break. I know it’s hard to leave the tea and the
chit-chat behind—but I promise the next part is worth your attention because we
have our legal officer Sangay Dorji for the presentation. We were not introduced
to legal concepts in our previous ASM’s but now it's going to be something new.
So please welcome sangay dorji.

Operations
Thank you, Sangay Dorji, for your insights. You know, I think as branch staff who
deal with money, it’s really important to keep the concepts of embezzlement and
forgery in mind—because even if you don’t intend to involve yourself in such
crimes, negligence, poor documentation, or even small lapses in the process can
lead to serious consequences.
In our line of work, perception matters as much as action. Even unintentional
mistakes can raise doubts and affect your professional credibility. That’s why
understanding the risks, following protocols strictly, and maintaining
transparency in every transaction is important.
So let’s take discussions like this seriously, not out of fear, but out of respect for
the responsibility we carry and the trust our clients place in us.
Let us move on to the next presentation. For the next presentation, we have our
very own operations department, the backbone of our company, or maybe the
heart or kidney, not sure. Please welcome our op gang.
Pop Quiz
Thank you, Madam Dechen, Nima, and Jamyang for your recaps and updates.
The OP department has assigned me a very important task which I gladly
accepted. We are going to do a short pop quiz on concepts regarding our
operations. Please don’t get stressed over this, this is going to be fun. There are
no brutal consequences for getting the answers wrong. You can raise your hands
if you know the answer.

After Lunch
Thank you all for returning promptly. We’ve covered a lot of topics this morning,
and we still have a few key items to go. But before that, let's play a short
icebreaker game to refresh our minds. It’s a classic icebreaker game called the
“make that noise.” So, I’m going to name an animal, thing, or activity and you
will have to make the sound of that.
 An infant crying
 Old car trying to start
 Kungfu or Karate fight
 Crashing pots and pans s
 A crazy angry monkey
 A person trying not to laugh in class
 Person with hiccups trying to sing
 Trying to lift something very heavy
 Echoing your name in a cave
 Trying to speak Korean

Discussion
Now for the last session today, we will discuss it for an hour. Branch staff are
highly encouraged to participate. Please ask all your questions, doubts, or
suggestions here.

Second Day
Welcome and Context Setting
It’s a pleasure to welcome you back for Day 2 of our Annual Staff Meeting. I hope
you all had a restful evening and have returned with fresh energy
—because we have another full and meaningful day ahead of us.
Firstly, I’d like to thank each one of you for the openness and engagement you
brought to yesterday’s discussions. From thought-provoking questions to
heartfelt sharing of experiences, the energy in the room truly reflected the spirit
of collaboration we often speak about—but yesterday, we saw it in action.
We left yesterday with a deeper understanding of our legal, operations and HR
issues, and as we continue today, I encourage all of us to carry forward that
same honesty, curiosity, and mutual respect.
But before that, let me tell you a very short story. An inspirational one. It goes
like this:
One day, a traveler was walking through a dusty town where a massive
construction project was underway. Curious, he stopped by a group of workers
who were carefully laying bricks under the hot sun.
He approached the first worker and asked, “What are you doing?”
Without looking up, the man replied, “I’m laying bricks.” His voice was flat, tired,
and without emotion. He was focused only on the task in front of him—just
getting through the day.
The traveler walked a little further and asked the second man the same
question: “What are you doing?”
This man paused for a moment, wiped the sweat off his brow, and said, “I’m
building a wall.” There was more energy in his voice—he could see the bigger
picture, but still, his focus was mostly on the structure in front of him.
Finally, the traveler reached the third worker, who was working just as hard as
the others—but there was something different about him. He looked calm.
Focused. Even proud.
When asked, “What are you doing?”—the third man stood tall, smiled, and
replied:
“I’m building a cathedral.”
He didn’t just see bricks. He didn’t just see a wall.
He saw the vision. The purpose. The legacy of what he was part of.
And I believe, in many ways, that’s what we are all doing here—whether we’re
working in the branch or at head office, whether we’re facing clients directly or
supporting the systems behind the scenes. The work can be demanding. The
days can be long. But every policy, every training, every report, and every client
interaction is a brick in something bigger—something that empowers women,
strengthens families, and builds communities across Bhutan.
So today, as we continue our conversations and planning, I invite each of you to
think like that third bricklayer. Let’s not lose sight of the bigger picture. We are
not just fulfilling tasks—we’re shaping something meaningful and lasting.
With that spirit, let’s begin Day 2. I look forward to another day of thoughtful
discussions, honest questions, and shared purpose.
And now, to kick us off, I’d like to invite our Finance Team to begin the first
session of the day.

Tea Break
Welcome back, everyone. I hope you had a refreshing tea break and a few good
conversations on the side.
Before we jump into the next session, I’d like to try something a little different—a
1-minute meditation. Now, don’t worry—I’m not turning this into a mindfulness
retreat. But just one minute to pause, breathe, and reset can go a long way in
helping us stay focused and present.
Let me tell you where this idea comes from.
When I was in Class 10, I used to really enjoy our chemistry lessons—not
because I was particularly good at balancing equations, but because our teacher
had a unique routine. Before every class, he made us meditate for 5 full minutes.
Now at the time, we students had two thoughts:
First, that it was an excellent way to waste 5 minutes from the precious 45-
minute period.
And second—if you were anything like me—it gave you a perfect window to finish
any incomplete homework just before the teacher started teaching!
But looking back, that 5-minute pause did something valuable. It created a
moment of stillness, a break from noise, and—without us even realizing—it
prepared our minds to absorb more.
So today, I’m not asking you to meditate so we can waste time or catch up on
late assignments—those days are (hopefully) behind us!
I'm doing this because a moment of quiet helps us clear the clutter, reset, and
get ready to engage with clarity.
So let’s take just one minute. You don’t need to close your eyes if you’re not
comfortable—just sit quietly, take a few deep breaths, and be still. No emails. No
thinking about what’s next. Just be here.
Let’s begin...
Thank you, everyone. Now lets move on to the next presentation by….

After Lunch