Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit , a Thai politician, political activist and former Vice President of the Thai Summit Group. Thanathorn decided to end his successful business career as Executive Vice President of Thai Summit Group to found Future Forward party with several like-minded allies in early March 2018. He was unanimously elected as Future Forward party leader during the party's first public meeting in May 2018.
Profile
Thanathorn was born and raised in Bangkok. He started working for the first time during third grade school holidays, earning a small wage of 30 bath per day by counting steels part in his parent's factory.
Thanathorn received a joint-honours Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Thammasat University and the University of Nottingham. Due to his keen interest in social issues and economic theories, Thanathorn decided to pursue a master's degree in Political Economy at Chulalongkorn University and later studied Global Finance, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and New York University and International Business Law at the University of St. Gallen.
His previous early career includes working with NGO networks such as Friends of The People (FOP) and the Assembly of The Poor. Thanathorn was about to begin his career with the United Nations as a development worker in Algeria, however, shortly after he has received unfortunate the news that his father, Pattana Juangroongruangkit, was diagnosed with cancer. Thanathorn subsequently moved back to Thailand to run the Thai Summit Group following his father's death in 2002.
Thai Summit Auto Parts Co., Ltd. is a leading manufacturer of automotive parts in Thailand. Since Thanathorn began to manage the business, the company revenue has grown from THB 16 billion in 2001 to THB 80 billion in 2017. Under his leadership, Thai Summit Group has been transformed into a global company with manufacturing facilities in 7 countries and more than 16,000 employees worldwide.
Why Future Forward
While Thanathorn was studying at the University of Nottingham in England, he pursued an interest in political theory, which went on to influence his political stance as a social democrat. He was an active member in Thai activist groups fighting for rights of the people. One of his notable campaigns was for land and compensation rights of villagers affected by the Pak Mun dam in Ubon Ratchathani Province.
On 15 March 2018, Thanathom together with Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, a former constitutional law professor at Thammasat University, announced that they are going to form a new political party under the name Future Forward Party.
Fun Fact
The leader of Future Forward Party enjoys extreme outdoor activities such as hiking, trekking, climbing, marathons, kayaking, biking, diving and mountaineering. He has participated in various extreme sports competitions, including significant world's tournament such as Tor Des Geants and the Sahara Marathon. Thanathorn was notably the first Asian to complete the 560-kilometre self-supported foot race above the Arctic Circle.
He reads The New York Times, The Economist. Financial Times, Matichon Newspaper and Krungthepturakij Newspaper every day. He loves new challenges, readings and being with nature. He is a big fan of e-sport and gaming, such as Minecraft and ROV.
