Banthoon Lamsam (; ), or nicknamed Pan (ปั้น);Matichon Daily Newspaper. Year 35 No.12444. Thursday April 5, 2012. ISSN 1686-8188. page 17 ; born 15 January 1953 (2496 BE) is a Thai business executive and the successor to the family business, Lamsam. He is the son of Bancha Lamsam and Thanphuying Sam-aungvarn Lamsam (maiden name Devakula; half-sister of M.R.

Pridiyathorn Devakula Mom Rajawongse Pridiyathorn Devakula (; ; ; born 15 July 1947) is a Thai economist. He was the Governor of the Bank of Thailand from 2001 to 2006. Following the 2006 Thai coup d'état he served as minister of finance and deputy prime minister in ...

). The

Lamsam family The Lamsam family () is a Thai family of Thai Chinese, Chinese descent. Notable as the founders of Kasikornbank, the extended family owns businesses in the banking and insurance industries. The family's current head, Banthoon Lamsam, together with ...

is one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in Thailand. Bantoon is Lamsam 5th generation and heading family's banking and insurance flagship. He is currently the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of

Kasikornbank Kasikornbank (, , Teochew: Khai-thài Ngîng-hâng, , stylised in all caps), often stylised as KBank and formerly known as the Thai Farmers Bank, is a banking group in Thailand. KBank was established on 8 June 1945 (2488 BE) by Choti Lamsam, ...

, the top financial service provider group in Thailand.

Early life

Banthoon Lamsam was born on 15 January 1953, son of Bancha Lamsam and

Thanphuying Honorifics are a class of words or grammatical morphemes that encode a wide variety of social relationships between interlocutors or between interlocutors and referents.Foley, William. ''Anthropological Linguistics: An Introduction''. Oxford: Blac ...

Sam-aungvarn Lamsam (maiden name

Mom Rajawongse The precedence of Thai royalty follows a system of ranks known as ''thanandon'' (), which are accompanied by royal titles. The Sovereign There are two styles which can be used for a king in ordinary speech, depending on whether he has been crow ...

Sam-aungvarn Devakula; daughter of Prince Priditheppong Devakula and Mom Rajawongse Sa-ang Pramoj). Bantoon has two younger sisters. Bantoon is a grandson of

Choti Lamsam Choti Lamsam (; ; ) was a Thai businessman who founded the Kasikornbank or otherwise known as the Thai Farmers Bank in 1945 with registered capital of Baht 5 Million. The bank has been listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) since 1976. Cho ...

who founded

in 1945 as Thai Farmers Bank. Banthoon graduated from

Saint Gabriel's College Saint Gabriel's College () is a private Catholic all-boys school in Bangkok, Thailand. The school was founded by the Brothers of Saint Gabriel in 1920. The school educates students from grade 1 through grade 12 (K–12). Admission, especially i ...

and Srinakharinwirot University Prasarnmit Demonstration School. He studied at

Phillips Exeter Academy Phillips Exeter Academy (often called Exeter or PEA) is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, college-preparatory school in Exeter, New Hampshire. Established in 1781, it is America's sixth-oldest boarding school and educates an es ...

from 1967 to 1971 before going on to earn a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

and a masters of business administration (MBA) from

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

(HBS). After graduation, he spent two years with the military's Directorate of Joint Intelligence in the Ministry of Defence. In 1979, Banthoon joined Thai Farmers Bank (later changed to Kasikornbank) in the international banking department, where he was promoted to first vice president in 1986. In 1987 he moved to the domestic banking department as a senior vice president. In 1992, Banthoon was nominated president as of Thai Farmers Bank (TFB). After the

1997 Asian financial crisis The 1997 Asian financial crisis gripped much of East Asia, East and Southeast Asia during the late 1990s. The crisis began in Thailand in July 1997 before spreading to several other countries with a ripple effect, raising fears of a worldwide eco ...

(known as วิกฤตต้มยำกุ้ง, literally translated as

Tom Yam Kung Tom yum kung, or Tom yum goong, ( ) is the Thai spicy and sour shrimp soup—a variant of Tom yum, combined with many of Thailand's key herbal and seasoning ingredients, often served with a side of steamed rice, sometimes with a dollop of chi ...

crisis), he was the first to introduce the term "reengineering" to Thailand's banking industry. The Lamsam family became a minority shareholder of Kasikornbank. Banthoon Lamsam is an important contributor to the Democratic Party. Banthoon was skeptical of the country's economic policies during Pol. Lt. Col Thaksin Shinawatra's term as the prime minister of Thailand, and it was rumored that he had been approached by the Democratic Party for the position of the party leader in 2004. In 2002, Banthoon became president and CEO of TFB. In 2003, he changed the logo and name of the bank from Thai Farmers Bank (TFB) to the current name, Kasikornbank (KBank), improvising Chinese characters style into the logo, "K". In 2010, after Dr. Prasarn Trairatvorakul, then the president of KBank, left to become the Governor of the

Bank of Thailand The Bank of Thailand (BOT; Abbreviation, abbr. ธปท.; , ) is the central bank of Thailand. History The Bank of Thailand (BOT) was first set up as the Thai National Banking Bureau. The Bank of Thailand Act was promulgated on 28 April 1942 ...

, Banthoon assumed the role of both president and CEO of KBank. He also instituted a senior executive position called "domain coordinator" and nominated four executive vice presidents to assume the positions of business domain, risk domain, infrastructure domain, and resource domain. Two of these executives later became the presidents of KBank and the other two became board directors. In May 2013, Banthoon published a 608-page novel, ''Sinaeha Montra Lanna'', which he wrote in 13 months. The publisher printed 20,000 copies in the first two months. Banthoon Lamsam's leisure pursuits are playing the saxophone and canoeing. He is a staunch feng shui believer.

Current profession

* Chairman of the Board (2013) and Chief Executive Officer (since 1991), KASIKORNBANK PLC * Director of Pukha Holdings, Pukha Realty, Pukha Go, Pukha Nanfa Hotel * Chairman and Manager, Mahamakuta Rajavidyalaya Foundation under Royal Patronage * Treasurer,

Wat A wat (, ; , ; , ; ; , ) is a type of Buddhist and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State (Myanmar), Yunnan (China), the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Etymology The word ''wat'' is borrowed from the Sanskrit ''v ...

Bovoranives Vihara and Wat Nyanasamvararam Varamahavihara Buddhist Monasteries

Work experience

1977 Directorate of Joint Intelligence, Ministry of Defense 1979 International Banking Department, Thai Farmers Bank 1986 First Vice President, International Banking Department, Thai Farmers Bank 1987 Senior Vice President, Domestic Banking Department, Thai Farmers Bank 1990 First Senior Vice President, Thai Farmers Bank 1991 Executive Vice President, Thai Farmers Bank 1992 President, Thai Farmers Bank 1998-2000 Chairman, Thai Bankers Association 2002 President and Chief Executive Officer, Thai Farmers Bank 2003 Chief Executive Officer, KASIKORNBANK PLC 2010 Chief Executive Officer and President, KASIKORNBANK PLC 2013 Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, KASIKORNBANK PLC

Decorations

Banthoon has received the following royal decorations in the

Honours System An order is a visible honour awarded by a sovereign state, monarch, dynastic house or organisation to a person, typically in recognition of individual merit, that often comes with distinctive insignia such as collars, medals, badges, and sash ...

of Thailand: * 2007 - Thutiya Chunlachomklao, The Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao, Knight Grand Commander (Second Class, Lower Grade) * 2003 - Tatiya Chunlachomklao Wiset, The Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao, Grand Companion (Third Class, Upper Grade)

Awards

2014 Business Person of the Year 2014 by Krungthep Turakij 2011 Asian Corporate Director Recognition Award 2011 by Corporate Gove 2010 THE QFC-ASIAN BANKER LEADERSHIP ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2009 Banker of the Year, ''Money & Banking'' Magazine 2003 Best CEO 2003, Stock Exchange of Thailand Awards 2003 2000 Star of Asia, ''Business Week'' Magazine 1999 Banker of the Year, ''Interest'' Magazine 1999 Banker of the Year, ''Money & Banking'' Magazine 1998 Banker of the Year, ''Interest'' Magazine 1994 Banker of the Year, ''Money & Banking'' Magazine

Other activities

* Chairman, Thai Bankers Association (1998-2000) * Chairman and Manager of the Maha Makut Buddhist University Foundation * Member of the Thai Red Cross Society Council * Member of the Sai Jai Thai Foundation Committee * Member of Sasin Graduate Institute of Business * Administration Steering Board,

Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University (CU; ; , ) is a public university, public Autonomous university, autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally founded during King Chulalongkorn's reign as a school for training ro ...

* Abbot Assistant of Wat Bovornivesviharn, Kwang Bovornives Phra Nokorn, Bangkok * Abbot Assistant of Wat Yannasangvararamvoramahaviharn, Huay Yai, Bang Lamung,

Chonburi Chonburi (, , IAST: , ) is the capital of Chonburi Province and, as part of the district Mueang Chonburi District, Mueang Chonburi, the List of municipalities in Thailand, seventh-largest city in Thailand. It is about 100 km southeast of Ba ...

* Ordained as a Buddhist monk for 3 months in 1977 at Wat Bovoranives Vihara * Ordained as a Buddhist monk for 15 Days in 2004 at Wat Yansangwararam

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamsam, Banthoon Banthoon Lamsam Banthoon Lamsam Banthoon Lamsam 1953 births Living people Harvard Business School alumni Banthoon Lamsam Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Princeton University alumni