Chadchart Sittipunt (, , ; born 24 May 1966) is a Thai politician, engineer, and professor who is the incumbent Governor of Bangkok. He previously was Minister of Transport from 2012 to 2014.

Early life and education

Chadchart is the third son of Police General Sa-nae Sitthiphan, former Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau and Jitcharung Kullawanit. His sister, Preechaya Sittipunt, is a retired lecturer in Architecture at Chulalongkorn University receiving a Master’s degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, while his twin brother, Assoc.Prof.Chanchai Sittipunt, is the dean of Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University Chatchart graduated high school from Chulalongkorn University Demonstration School and

Triam Udom Suksa School Triam Udom Suksa School ( th, โรงเรียนเตรียมอุดมศึกษา, ; lit.'university-preparatory school') is a state school in central Bangkok, Thailand. It admits upper-secondary students (''mathayom'' 4–6 ...

. He completed a bachelor's degree in

Civil Engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...

(First Class Honors) from

Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University (CU, th, จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย, ), nicknamed Chula ( th, จุฬาฯ), is a public and autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally fo ...

and then Master of

Structural Engineering Structural engineering is a sub-discipline of civil engineering in which structural engineers are trained to design the 'bones and muscles' that create the form and shape of man-made structures. Structural engineers also must understand and ca ...

from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern t ...

(MIT) and Doctor of Engineering from the

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univers ...

in the USA with Ananda Mahidol Foundation Scholarship in 1987. Furthermore, he also completed master degree in business administration (MBA) from Chulalongkorn University.

Career

Chadchart used to work as a

structural engineer Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants. Their work takes account mainly of safety, technical, economi ...

in a private company. Later in 1995, he became a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professor ...

at the Faculty of Engineering,

, and was appointed an academic position as

Associate Professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. Overview In the '' North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is ...

and an Assistant to the President. In addition, he has served as a director in many state enterprises such as The Transport Company Limited,

Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand or MRTA ( th, การรถไฟฟ้าขนส่งมวลชนแห่งประเทศไทย) is a state enterprise under the Ministry of Transport of Thailand. It is responsible the o ...

and Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Limited and in 2008 to January 2012 as an independent director Audit Committee and Member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, Land and Houses Plc. In January 2015, Chadchart was appointed as CEO and Managing Director of Public Company Limited (QH). On 29 December 2018, Chadchart resigned from the position and returned to work in

Pheu Thai Party The Pheu Thai Party (PTP; th, พรรคเพื่อไทย, lit=For Thais Party, , ) is the third incarnation of a Thai political party founded by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The Pheu Thai Party was founded on 20 Septemb ...

Political career

Chadchart as an academic had the opportunity to help and give advice to the Ministry of Transport during the

Thaksin Shinawatra Thaksin Shinawatra ( th, ทักษิณ ชินวัตร; ; ; Chinese: 丘達新; cnr, Taksin Šinavatra; born 26 July 1949), is a Thai businessman, politician and visiting professor. He served in the Thai Police from 1973 to 1987, ...

and

Samak Sundaravej Samak Sundaravej ( th, สมัคร สุนทรเวช, , ; 13 June 1935 – 24 November 2009) was a Thai politician who briefly served as the Prime Minister of Thailand and Minister of Defense in 2008, as well as the leader of the Pe ...

governments without holding any position until 2012, when Prime Minister

Yingluck Shinawatra Yingluck Shinawatra ( th, ยิ่งลักษณ์ ชินวัตร, , ; ; born 21 June 1967), nicknamed Pou ( th, ปู, , , meaning "crab"), is a Thai businesswoman, politician and a member of the Pheu Thai Party who became the Pr ...

invited him to serve as the Deputy Minister of Transport. Chadchart was appointed as the Minister of Transport in October 2012. Chadchart as Minister of Transport is regarded as an elite figure of the government in the country's strategic planning. In 2019, Chadchart announced that he intends to contest in the

2022 Bangkok gubernatorial election The eleventh election for the governorship of Bangkok was held on 22 May 2022. It took place 9 years after the latest election in 2013, long delayed due to the 2014 coup d'état. Chadchart Sittipunt, an independent candidate who was a member o ...

as an independent candidate. In February 2022, Chadchart officially launched his gubernatorial election campaign, with the slogan "Bangkok, a liveable city for everyone" () with important policies such as creating a network of maps of crime hotspots, and developing a public transport system to make Bangkok a city of arts and learning.

Bhichit Rattakul Bhichit Rattakul ( th, พิจิตต รัตตกุล, , born August 30, 1946) is a Thai politician who served as the governor of Bangkok from 1996 to 2000 and the science deputy minister of Thailand. He is the son of former foreign mi ...

, former Governor of Bangkok, and Nikom Wairatpanij, former President of the Senate of Thailand also joined Chadchart for the campaign. Chadchart won the

by landslide with all districts voting for him. One of the biggest wins in the history of Bangkok.

Public image

While serving as a minister, Chadchart had the image of a down-to-earth minister. In 2013, an image of Chadchart walking barefoot into a Buddhist temple went viral as an

internet meme An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...

, gaining him the nickname of "the World's strongest minister" in Thai internet circles and media. In June 2022, a friend of Wanchalearm Satsaksit claimed that the image was taken by Wanchalearm himself. It came during a talk in remembrance of Wanchalearm's second year of getting abducted.

Royal decorations

* 2013 – Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นที่เชิดชูยิ่งช้างเผือก; ) is an order of Thailand. It wa ...

* 2012 – Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Noble

Order of the Crown of Thailand The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันมีเกียรติยศยิ่งมงกุฎไทย; ) is a Thai order, established in 1869 by King Rama ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sittipunt, Chadchart 1966 births Living people Chadchart Sittipunt Chadchart Sittipunt Chadchart Sittipunt Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Chadchart Sittipunt Chadchart Sittipunt Chadchart Sittipunt