Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi
Biography
Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi () (born 2 May 1944) is Thailand's third richest entrepreneur, with a net worth of at least $6bn. He also owns famous tech-mall Pantip Plaza in Bangkok, Hotel Plaza Athenee in Manhattan, hotels in Asia, the United States and Australia, plus residential, commercial and retail buildings in Singapore and Thailand.
Background
Like most of Thailand's tycoons, Charoen is ethnic Chinese. He is the sixth of 11 children of a poor street vendor who migrated to Bangkok from southern China. He left school early, at the age of nine, to work.
Early 2013, Charoen won a bidding war for Singapore's Fraser & Neave Ltd. which has properties throughout Asia as well as soft-drinks operations, with debt accounting for most of the $11.2 billion price tag. He received financing to back the deal, the largest merger-and-acquisition transaction introduced in Asia in 2012, from a group of banks including United Overseas Bank Ltd. of Singapore and DBS Bank Ltd. The total number of F&N shares owned by Charoen's group - TCC Assets and Thai Beverage - amounts to 1.19 billion, representing an approximate 82.59-per-cent stake, as of February 14.
Recognition
His real name is Khun Charoen. In 1988 the King of Thailand granted the family the name “Sirivadhanabhakdi”.
Sirivadhanabhakdi has received various honors and Thai royal decorations such as:
The Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant
The Knight Grand Cordon (First Class) of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand
The Knight Commander (Second Class Lower Grade) of the Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao
The Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn.
Sirivadhanabhakdi holds:
an Honorary Doctoral Degree of Agricultural
Business Administration from Maejo University
Doctoral Degree in Management from Huachiew Chalermprakiet University
Doctoral Degree in Business Administration from Eastern Asia University
Doctoral of Philosophy in Business Administration from Mae Fah Luang University
an Honorary Doctoral Degree of Industrial Technology from Chandrakasem Rajabhat University.
