Suphachai Chearavanont (, ; zh, 謝榕仁; 24 March 1967) is a Thai businessman, and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of C.P. Group, a multinational conglomerate owned by his father. Also chairman of telecommunications company True Corporation, of which he was the CEO from 1999, until 2017,"Supachai rises at True"
''

Bangkok Post The ''Bangkok Post'' is an English-language daily newspaper published in Bangkok, Thailand. It is published in broadsheet and digital formats. The first issue was sold on 1 August 1946. It had four pages and cost one baht, a considerable amount ...

'' (February 18, 2017) when he was named C.P. Group's CEO."Chairman vows to keep TrueVisions in operation"
Srisamorn Phoosuphanusorn, ''

'' (February 24, 2017)"CP chief outlines 'quick win' strategy"
Komsan Tortermvasana, ''

'' (November 7, 2019)"Suphachai counts down to leading CP"
Srisamorn Phoosuphanusorn, ''

'' (June 6, 2016)"Suphachai replacing Dhanin as True chair"
''

'' (June 15, 2019) Also a vice chairman at Charoen Pokphand Foods and CP ALL, he is a director at companies including TrueMove"True boss to become CP chief in conglomerate reshuffle"
Komsan Tortermvasana, ''

'' (January 20, 2017) and

TrueVisions True Visions Group Co., Ltd. is the largest provider of a cable analog television (CAtv) and digital satellite television (DStv) in Thailand. TrueVisions is a subsidiary of the business division of True Corporation. Prior to February 2007, ...

. Also, he is a chairman of CP Axtra, Retail e-commerce and wholesale business. Chearavanont has been involved in a number of public initiatives and committees. The former president of the Telecommunications Association of Thailand, he is chair and president of United Nations Global Compact Network Thailand. He is chairman of the Council of Digital Economy and Society in Thailand and a director of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.He is chairperson of Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment (Public Organization)

Early life

Suphachai Chearavanont was born in 1967 in Thailand to businessman Dhanin Chearavanont and Tewee Chearavanont. Raised in Thailand, he has two sisters and two older brothers. His father is known as the owner of

Charoen Pokphand The Charoen Pokphand Group Company, Ltd. (CP) (; ) is a Thai conglomerate based in Bangkok. It is Thailand's largest private company and the largest privately held Royal Warrant holder of the Thai Royal Family. The company describes itself as hav ...

(C.P. Group), an international conglomerate that became the first foreign company to invest in China after borders opened in 1978. At the age of eight, Chearavanont spent a year in Taiwan studying Chinese."Steering the CP 4.0 course"
Srisamorn Phoosuphanusorn, ''

'' (May 20, 2017) He graduated secondary school at Assumption College and attended

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

in the United States, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in

business administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

with a focus on financial management. In 2016 he received an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

mass communications Mass communication is the process of imparting and exchanging information through mass media to large population segments. It utilizes various forms of media as technology has made the dissemination of information more efficient. Primary examples o ...

from Ramkhamhaeng University, and he also has an honorary doctorate in business administration from

Khon Kaen University Khon Kaen University (; KKU) is a public research university. The university was the first institution of higher education in the northeastern Thailand and remains the oldest and the most competitive university in the region. The university is a ...

."Board of Directors - Suphachai Chearavanont"
Charoen Pokphand Foods

Career

1989-1998: Early positions

After graduating from Boston University, Chearavanont spent time as an intern at a

petrochemical Petrochemicals (sometimes abbreviated as petchems) are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable s ...

factory in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. On his return to Thailand, in 1989 he worked at Siam Makro (now known as CP Axtra), a C.P. Group subsidiary. Chearavanont in 1990 worked at Soltext Federal Credit Union in the United States, and in 1991 and 1992 he was employed at Vinylthai, a Thai petrochemical company.Pattanapan Wongpan and Disanee Nakcharoen., Suphachai Chearavanont: Dream Catcher CEO Making of True. In 1992 he joined TelecomAsia Corporation, Thailand's largest telecommunication company and a subsidiary of C.P. Group.Supattha Sukchoo and Napaporn Chaikhankaew, May 3, 2012.
Print News
/ref> Initially a senior officer in the president's office, he was named VP of the Operation Room in 1993 and senior VP of Planning and Project Coordination & Support in 1994. After becoming a

managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of TelecomAsia in 1995, that year TelecomAsia named him general manager of its eastern region. Also in 1995 he was

chief operations officer A chief operating officer (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the CEO, ...

(COO) of UTV Cable Network, becoming the subsidiary's president in 1996 when it was renamed Asia Multimedia. TelecomAsia appointed him executive VP of business operations in 1996, then senior executive VP in 1997."Mr. Suphachai Chearavanont"
True Corporation (2010) TelecomAsia was negatively affected by 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 ...

,"Foreign Partnerships In Thailand Dissolve As Economy Gains"
''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' (September 16, 2004) with its debt reaching record levels after the depreciation of the Thai

baht The baht (; , ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). Prior to decimalisation, the baht was divided into eight ''fueang'' (, ), each of eight ''at'' (, ). The ...

by 50% that year. Seeking to avoid bankruptcy, Chearavanont is credited with pitching TelecomAsia's growing fixed-line phone business and future prospects to investors, securing a

debt restructuring Debt restructuring is a process that allows a private or public company or a sovereign entity facing cash flow problems and financial distress to reduce and renegotiate its delinquent debts to improve or restore liquidity so that it can continu ...

plan.

1999-2005: TelecomAsia CEO

Chearvanont was named president and CEO of TelecomAsia in 1999, also becoming chairman of the subsidiary Wire & Wireless. He became an executive director of CP Lotus, a subsidiary of C.P. Group, in 2000, and 2001 he became chairman of Pantavanij Company. In May 2002 Chearavanont was also appointed the co-CEO of TA Orange, a wireless

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...

between TelecomAsia and

France Télécom Orange S.A. (; formerly , stylised as france telecom) is a French multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications corporation founded in 1988 and headquartered in Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris. ''Orange'' has been the corporation' ...

. After managerial disagreements on marketing for the Thai market, in May 2003 France Telecom began divesting of its foreign ventures, including TA Orange. Chearavanont "staged a buyback," with France Telecom ultimately selling all but 10% of its stake back to TelecomAsia in March 2004. Afterwards Chearavanont continued to invest in TA Orange to increase its network size, renaming TA Orange TrueMove. As part of the buyback, Chearavanont also rebranded TelecomAsia as True Corporation, expanding into "mobile, fixed-line phones, broadband and pay TV services."

2005-2017: True Corporation CEO

While remaining CEO of True Corporation, in 2006 Chearavanont also became CEO of

, a pay-TV subsidiary formed out of UBC. By 2007 he was overseeing four True Corporation subsidiaries beyond TrueVisions: TrueMove operated a mobile phone business, TrueOnline provided data and fixed-line phone services, TrueMoney focused on digital commerce, and TrueLife focused on digital content."Annual Report 2007"
True Corporation (page 40) In 2007 he established True Plookpanya, a CSR initiative by True Corporation that sought to use communications to "enhance education for underprivileged children" in 6000 schools in rural Thailand. In 2013 Chearavanont helped launch the Digital Infrastructure Fund, considered "Thailand’s first telecommunications infrastructure fund," and also became a director of the C.P. Group subsidiary Siam Makro Public Company Limited. In September 2014, Chearavanont sold 18% of True Corporation to

China Mobile China Mobile is the trade name of both China Mobile Limited and its ultimate controlling shareholder, China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd., a Chinese State-owned enterprises of China, state-owned telecommunicationsStrait deals ''The Econ ...

, a move that according to the ''

'' "managed to stem the bleeding at True" concerning accrued long-term debt.

2015-2018: C.P. Group CEO

After becoming an executive director of True's parent organization C.P. Group in 2008, in 2015 Chearavanont was named C.P. Group's

vice chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

and president while remaining the president and CEO of True. In 2016 he was announced as the successor to Dhanin Chearavanont as C.P. Group's chief executive, officially becoming CEO on January 9, 2017. On February 21, 2017, he was appointed chairman of True's executive committee, stepping down as True's CEO and president. He remained director of various True subsidiaries, as well as CEO of TrueVisions and TrueMove. On February 24, 2017, Chearavanont announced that True Corporation would invest in expanding TrueMove's 4G networks that year. In May 2017, Chearavanont stated that C.P. Group would focus on digitizing operations as part of a five-year business plan for the "4.0 era," pushing C.P. Group to become a "technology-led company, spanning food, retail and telecom businesses." He did note the company would avoid complete

automation Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, mainly by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machine ...

in subsidiaries such as

7-Eleven 7-Eleven, Inc. is an American convenience store chain, headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Seven-Eleven Japan, which in turn is owned by the retail holdings company Seven & I Holdings. The chain was founde ...

stores, stating that it was "unproven that unmanned retail operations ould result in greater efficiency and "we also have a social responsibility to create jobs." He also outlined expanding logistics for supply chains and distribution systems. Chearavanont announced in 2018 that the new healthcare subsidiary CP Medical Centre Company would construct and operate a Bangkok medical center.

2019-2024: Recent CP Group projects

In June 2019, he succeeded Dhanin Chearavanont as True Corporation's chairman. In 2019, Chearavanont announced that CP Group was working with the Thai government to build a $7.4 billion rail network, as well as a train station, mall, hotel, convention center, and rail research center in Bangkok. At C.P. Group he currently oversees "group-wide strategies on

sustainability Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...

policies and corporate communications," heading several

social responsibility Social responsibility is an ethical concept in which a person works and cooperates with other people and organizations for the benefit of the community. An organization can demonstrate social responsibility in several ways, for instance, by do ...

and sustainability-related committees. In September 2019, he led the CP Group team that launched an

artificial reef An artificial reef (AR) is a human-created freshwater or marine benthic structure. Typically built in areas with a generally featureless bottom to promote Marine biology#Reefs, marine life, it may be intended to control #Erosion prevention, erosio ...

project in Thailand. Among other projects, in 2020 he formed a CP Group program to limit

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

in the Pua District by helping farmers replace

maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

with crops such as coffee. In May 2020, Chearavanont announced C. Group would not be laying off any of its 400,000 employees due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

, and that it had hired 20,000 delivery workers since the start of the pandemic. Also in 2020, he oversaw CP Group's acquisition of Chilindo for $18 million, with the company to "complement" CP Group's WeMall shopping platform and enter the international market. He described buying Chilindo as a "pilot project" to establish a Thai e-commerce platform. Also in 2020, as chairman of the company Eastern High-Speed Rail Linking Three Airports he was overseeing the construction of a high-speed railway project in Thailand. In 2021, he led the exploration of equal partnership between True Corporation Public Company Limited (True) and Total Access Communication Public Company Limited (dtac). Following the successful completion of the amalgamation of True and dtac in March 2023, the newly formed organization appointed him Chair of the Board of Directors. The new entity focuses on developing technology-driven businesses, fostering a digital ecosystem, and establishing a start-up investment fund to promote innovation. In Nov 2023, he introduced the concept of “Sustainable Intelligence,” emphasizing the integration of technology, people, and sustainability within the framework of the 5.0 era. He advocated for the business sector to serve as a significant learning resource for Thai children and youth, aiming to nurture their development as researchers, influential leaders, and key contributors to both national and global progress.He remains committed to empowering the younger generation, recognizing them as the driving force for the nation’s and the world’s future. His vision prioritizes advancing science and technology while upholding ethical principles, fostering positive change toward a sustainable, inclusive society where no one is left behind.

Speaking and writing

Chearavanont has published articles on business and building responsible supply chains, and also speaks publicly on corporate and social topics. Among other high-profile talks, Chearavanont gave the keynote speech at "2019 Social Business Day" in Thailand. He was also co-chair of the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...

's "Annual Meeting of New Champions" in Dalian, China in July 2019."Annual Meeting of the New Champions"
World Economic Forum, July 2019 He has written articles for the World Economic Forum on responsible supply chains. In June 2020, he spoke during a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

online seminar on corporate sustainability during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Corporate boards

An executive director of C.P. Pokphand Co., Ltd since 2008 and a current vice chairman, he is also vice chairman of both the Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited and CP ALL Public Company Limited subsidiaries. Other current positions include serving as chairman of True Corporation and a director of True subsidiaries such as TrueMove and TrueVisions."Corporate Governance Report"
CP Group, (2018) Previously chairman of Wire & Wireless, from 2000 until 2005 he was chairman of Freewill Solutions and afterwards remained on the board.

Committees and public initiatives

Chearavanont has been involved in a number of public initiatives and committees. From 1996 until 2000 he advised

Wan Muhamad Noor Matha Wan Muhamad Noor Matha (; ; ), also called Wan Noor, (; ; ; born 11 May 1944) is a Thai politician who is serving as List of speakers of the House of Representatives of Thailand, speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand since 2023. In ...

, then president of the Thai

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

. He was a member of the Thai Listed Companies Association (LCA) from 2005 until 2007, and in 2006 he joined the Thai Red Cross Eye Bank committee, also serving as chairman of organization's fundraising subcommittee. In 2008 he joined the managing committee for the Nation-Wide Strategic Approach Eye Provisioning Project. In 2009 he joined the board of trustees at Bangkok University, and he was a committee member of the Bangkok Art and Culture Center starting in 2010. Also in 2010, he became a director of the Ramathibodi Foundation. Chearavanont was a counselor and advisory board member for the One Young World Summit in 2015."Suphachai Chearavanont"

That June,"NIDA International Business Conference 2016"
NIDA (March 12, 2016) he was elected president of the Telecommunications Association of Thailand (TCT), afterwards remaining an executive director. As Chief of the Private Sector Team of Public Private Partnership in Education and Leadership Development,"Suphachai Chearavanont"
Forbes Global CEO Conference (2017) Chearavanont was involved with the Connext ED project, which provides access to education in Thailand. In May 2017, he was appointed to the Thai government's Independent Committee for Educational Reform, co-chairing a panel on education and leadership under the government's Pracha Rath initiative. As part of the initiative, Chearavanont pushed for the establishment of national "excellence centers" at universities which could interact with private companies in fields such as

nanotechnology Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). At this scale, commonly known as the nanoscale, surface area and quantum mechanical effects become important in describing propertie ...

and

robotics Robotics is the interdisciplinary study and practice of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots. Within mechanical engineering, robotics is the design and construction of the physical structures of robots, while in computer s ...

. In 2019 he began a two-year term as a director of the Thai Chamber of Commerce,"Directors of The Thai Chamber of Commerce 2019-2020"
Thai Chamber of Commerce, (2019) and in October 2019 Chearavanont was named chairman of the Council of Digital Economy and Society in Thailand. In that role, according to ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...

'' he was "pushing to transform Thailand into a more competitive country and promote the kingdom as a digital hub." Currently, at

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 ...

he is a director of several degree programs relating to technology and business. In 2016 he became chair of the preparatory committee for the United Nations Global Compact Network Thailand (GCNT). He currently serves as GCNT chairperson, president and is chairman of the GCNT Steering Committee.

Accolades

*2006: "Telecom Man of the Year" - Ministry of Information and Communication Technology of Thailand *2012: "Best Human Resource Professional of Thailand" for President and CEO category - Thailand Top 100 HR Awards,

Thammasat University Thammasat University (TU; ; , ) is a public university, public research university in Thailand with campuses in the Tha Phra Chan area of Bangkok, Rangsit, Pattaya and Lampang Province. , Thammasat University has over 39,000 students enrolled in ...

* 2013 : "Asia Brand Management Innovation Personality Award" - Asia Brand Awards *2015: "

Frost & Sullivan Frost & Sullivan is an American business consulting firm. It offers market research and analysis, growth strategy consulting, and corporate training. It has about 45 offices in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe; the principal office is in Sa ...

Asia Pacific Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

Telecom CEO of the Year" - Asia Pacific ICT Awards *2019: "Thai Venerable People Award" for Outstanding Religion Support - Asia Media Thailand Communication Association and Thai Society Support Network Council"CP CEO receives the prize "Thai precursor" of the year 2019 for the outstanding religion promotion"
Public Relations, Asian Media Association - News Plus (March 18, 2019) *2019: "Thai People Role Model Award” for Outstanding Mass Communication - Radio, Television and Newspaper Program Producer Assembly of Thailand *2019: "Gold Telly Award" in the Religion TV Program Category for "True Little Monk : A Wisdom Training Programme for Novices" *2020: "2020 Leader of Virtue Asoke Statue Award" - Association of Contributors towards Buddhism

Personal life

Chearavanont and his wife Busadee Chearavanont have three children, Korawad, Kamolnan, and Zander Chearavanont, and live in Bangkok, Thailand. Among his hobbies are cycling and traveling.

References

External links

Biography at C.P. Group
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chearavanont, Suphachai 1967 births Living people Suphachai Chearavanont Suphachai Chearavanont Suphachai Chearavanont Boston University School of Management alumni Suphachai Chearavanont Suphachai Chearavanont