Once again, the halls of the Bangkok Post resonate with the thrill of honouring brilliance and innovation within the corporate sphere. In our steadfast commitment to recognising exceptional leadership, we take immense pride in presenting the “Bangkok Post CEO of the Year 2023” awards.
Building upon our tradition of acknowledging trailblazers who have reshaped industries and ignited change, this year’s awards pay homage and extend applause to chief executive officers and top leaders for their unwavering guidance, transforming ordinary companies into beacons of success, progress and inspiration.
The awards encompass a diverse array of categories, each representing a facet of the dynamic business world. From visionary strategies to transformative leadership, these accolades spotlight not only corporate triumphs but also the remarkable contributions these leaders have made to society and the economy at large.
As we venture into a new era with 14 distinctive awards, each winner’s captivating story will be told, illuminating why they have captured the public’s imagination and admiration. Their narratives, achievements, innovative strategies and contributions that propel their organisations into the future will be spotlighted in the days ahead.
To mark the “CEO of the Year 2023” announcement, the Bangkok Post is from today launching a series about awarded CEOs on every working day, showcasing their achievements, business strategies, and inspirational visions both in the print edition and on our website.
PTTEP LOOKS TO A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
CEO Montri Rawanchaikul understands the economic necessity for secure sources of energy, but vows that the firm will always keep the environment in mind
Mr Montri has been a driving force at PTTEP, leading initiatives to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and pave the way for sustainable approaches.
Chief Executive Officer Montri Rawanchaikul believes one key mission for PTT Exploration and Production Plc (PTTEP) is to devise ways to reduce the impact of its businesses on the environment, particularly by reducing the company’s carbon dioxide emissions.
Mr Montri said he is aware the company needs to continue to secure enough fuel to support the Thai economy, but this effort should not ignore the cost to the environment.
As someone who sets policies and strategic plans for PTTEP, Mr Montri has helped the company promote projects to cut carbon dioxide emissions, seek new alternative energies and pave the way to operate in a more sustainable manner.
One such project is developing Thailand’s first carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility at the Arthit gas field in the Gulf of Thailand, one of several efforts aimed at helping the government curb carbon dioxide emissions in the country.
The CCS project fits with the company’s campaign against global warming and the environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) principles, which promote business development and taking better care of the environment and society, said Mr Montri.
ESG refers to a set of standards that are said to be able to lead to business sustainability.
“We expect the CCS project to store up to 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide during gas production at Arthit within 2027,” said Mr Montri.
The company has already completed the preliminary front-end engineering and design phase of the project. It expects the CCS facility to start operating by 2027.
The Gulf of Thailand offers great potential to store carbon dioxide, amounting to roughly 40 million tonnes a year, because, geographically, the terrain is a sink area, which is suitable for the storage of carbon dioxide.
PTTEP is also cooperating with five companies from France and South Korea to produce green hydrogen in Oman, said Mr Montri.
Green hydrogen, which is used to fuel power generation and manufacturing processes, is produced by using electricity made from renewable energy to split water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen.
This project shows the company is not solely focused on the exploration and production of petroleum, as it is also seeking new opportunities to develop future energy.
Under a contract made with Hydrom Oman SPC, which operates under the government of Oman, PTTEP and its partners were awarded a 47-year concession to produce green hydrogen at Block Z1-02 in Dugm in eastern Oman.
The production facility, to be run by 5 gigawatts of solar and wind power, is expected to open in 2030, with an estimated 220,000 tonnes of hydrogen produced annually.
These two projects indicate PTTEP is focusing more on the environmental aspects of its businesses, which will, in turn, partly help the government to run a campaign to combat global warming successfully.
At the 26th UN Climate Change Conference held in Glasgow in 2021, Thailand announced it is determined to achieve carbon neutrality, a balance between carbon dioxide emissions and absorption, by 2050, along with a net-zero target, a balance between greenhouse gas emissions and absorption, by 2065.
PTTEP also has its own plan under — EP Net-Zero 2050 — concept, which aims to achieve a net-zero target by 2050.
“The CCS and green hydrogen projects will support PTTEP’s environmental efforts, driving Thailand and the world at large towards a low-carbon society,” said Mr Montri.
Greater care for the environment will be a crucial part of PTTEP’s work in the future.
“The company will go on expanding its investment in natural gas production, but at the same time, it will also incorporate the greenhouse gas emission issue in the decision-making process of new gas projects,” said Mr Montri.
National energy security is important to fuel the growth of the country’s economy, but its development must be sustainable, which will be achieved through better environmental management, he said.
MTL aims to go from strength to strength
Chief executive Sara Lamsam’s vision is for the insurer to become the country’s most trusted life and health partner
Mr Sara believes positive factors will support the growth of the country’s life insurance industry.
Sara Lamsam is the driving force behind the success of Muang Thai Life Assurance (MTL), one of Thailand’s most prominent life insurance companies.
Backed by 30 years of experience within the Lamsam family in the life insurance industry, the 54-year-old president and chief executive officer has played an integral role in outlining and implementing business strategies that have driven MTL’s steady growth for decades.
A key strategy that led to the company’s outstanding performance and its ability to win accolades has been MTL’s provision of a range of innovative products and services.
MTL this year announced its goal of becoming a life insurer that stands out in terms of its product offerings via online platforms to reach various groups of customers and maintain a leadership position in the country’s life insurance industry.
Consumers can now access MTL’s products via both traditional and new distribution channels. The company established the Fuchsia innovation centre under a “think out of the box” concept to strengthen innovations in relation to its products, services, and management processes. The centre is an example of MTL’s collaborations in the form of business alliances to develop products that serve different groups of customers, particularly those requiring a unique product.
MTL Click, an application developed to allow customers to access all of the company’s services in one location, received the Business+ Product Innovation Award 2023 in May after over 800,000 individuals downloaded the app.
Two months earlier, the insurer launched MTL Fit, an app to help make people’s healthcare hassle-free. It offers dynamic pricing under an “MTL Fit Reward” feature for discounts of up to 15% on insurance premiums.
Last month, the company joined hands with Line BK to offer an innovative life insurance product for lower-income consumers and freelancers. These groups can easily access information and pay a small amount for life insurance protection via Line Pay.
Mr Sara said offering products and services that are easy to understand and equipped with innovation for the convenience and accessibility of customers enables MTL to meet the needs of every kind of lifestyle at different stages of life. That, in turn, enables MTL to be connected with more targeted customers.
Such a strategy helps the company expand its customer base while core products such as health coverage, critical illness coverage, unit linked-insurance, and pension insurance continue to expand well, supporting MTL’s ability to grow continuously and stand out in the life insurance sector.
Mr Sara, early this year, announced his vision for MTL to become the country’s most trusted life and health partner and become a market leader as the “health provider” of innovation in terms of health insurance coverage and wealth management under the concept of “MTL Next to You”.
He emphasised the concept of life insurance products that meet the needs of consumers through an “outside in” perspective. Using this strategy, the company offers services with new innovations through both digital and non-digital systems to meet the needs of customers who prefer either self-service or service with a human touch.
“The life insurance business today has changed the way of thinking as companies cannot only rely on an ‘inside out’ dimension in offering insurance coverage,” said Mr Sara.
“Nowadays, the world of life insurance is about personalised or ‘outside in’ to serve customers. Finding products that meet customer needs is very important, so big data and innovation is a key success tool for today.”
Using information systems to develop insurance plans via online and offline channels is a strategy that keeps customers satisfied, making MTL successful and its operating results grow even in times of crisis, he said.
The life insurance industry overall continued to grow in this year’s first half, with total insurance premiums reaching 300 billion baht, up 3.78% compared to the corresponding period last year. For the entire year, premiums are projected to grow 0-2% year-on-year to 613 billion to 624 billion baht.
In the first five months, MTL recorded higher growth than the overall market, with insurance premiums surging 14.4% year-on-year to 29.9 billion baht. Of the total, new insurance premiums accounted for 10.5 billion baht, up 13.8% year-on-year, and insurance renewal premiums soared 14.8% to 19.4 billion baht.
In his capacity as president of the Thai Life Assurance Association, Mr Sara believes that positive factors will support the growth of the country’s life insurance industry as people become more aware of the importance of life insurance and additional health or critical illness insurance policies. The trend of increasing medical expenses and uncertainty regarding the spread of emerging diseases such as Covid-19 have driven the growth of the insurance industry so far this year.
Life insurance policies, relative to the size of the Thai population, average 38%, while the value of the life insurance industry contributes roughly 3.8% to GDP at present. In some countries, life insurance companies can reach a larger number of people and can contribute up to 15% to GDP.
The life insurance business in Thailand still has plenty of room to grow, as many people are yet to be covered by insurance products.
Moreover, 95% of the funds in the life insurance system are invested in debt instruments, government bonds, and stocks. This suggests that the insurance business is connected to the country’s ecosystem.
HSBC Thailand taps global connectivity
The bank will continue to support its clients in growing and diversifying their investments in offshore markets, said Mr Gamba.
HSBC Thailand is leveraging its global connectivity and investment expertise to help both Thai and international clients grow their businesses worldwide, while maintaining a long-term commitment to expanding the bank’s business in the Thai market.
The bank aims to establish itself as the leading international bank in Thailand for outbound business, supporting the expansion of large Thai corporations regionally and globally.
“Globalisation is the bank’s superpower in connecting our clients to new business opportunities within Asean and beyond,” said HSBC Thailand’s Chief Executive Officer Giorgio Gamba.
In the wealth space, HSBC Thailand has been actively enhancing its capabilities in Thailand to better serve the country’s high-net-worth individuals and their families.
The bank will continue to support its clients in growing and diversifying their investments in offshore markets.
HSBC Thailand launched its onshore asset management business in September 2022 after introducing private banking business to the country in February 2021, and the bank has been able to grow the business segment satisfactorily, he said.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) has been growing in various countries and industries in the region, including Thailand. Japan accounts for one-third of Thailand’s inbound FDI.
China ranked second in terms of FDI last year and will play an increasingly important role in investment as many of that country’s companies are relocating their manufacturing bases to Thailand.
Thailand has attracted FDI in several industries, but especially agriculture, hospitality, healthcare, and manufacturing, particularly EV production and the automotive-related supply chain.
In addition, HSBC Thailand aims to continue to be the leader when it comes to inbound international business in the Thai market.
The bank earned its leadership position based on the growth potential of both the Thai and regional economies.
Meanwhile, Asean continues to be the world’s fastest-growing trade bloc, offering significant wealth and trade opportunities for businesses and investors alike.
“Thailand is a country where we see tremendous potential to grow and expand our business, so we have ambitious growth plans here,” Mr Gamba said.
HSBC Thailand announced an impressive performance in 2022, with revenue growing 28% and profit growing 55% year-on-year, representing a record high over a 10-year period. Strong relationships with customers, employees and the wider community are key to achieving these remarkable rates of growth.
Moreover, the bank will continue to invest in people, digital infrastructure as well as other resources to bolster its existing operations, which span wholesale banking, market and securities services, and private banking.
In response to local business expansion, HSBC Thailand has completed a capital increase, in line with the nation’s economic growth, he said.
HSBC’s country strategy was developed in parallel with Thailand’s national development plan.
With global networks and a high level of investment expertise, international connectivity is the bank’s key business strategy in supporting corporate clients investing and expanding worldwide.
The bank focuses on helping customers expand businesses in the world’s key economic corridors, where HSBC has an active presence, notably in China, the US, Europe, Asean, and the Middle East.
The bank supports Thai clients in growing their businesses in 42 countries.
HSBC Thailand has set out an ambitious plan to prioritise sustainable financing and investment that supports the transition to a net zero global economy, said Mr Gamba.
The bank also encourages Thai clients to strategise their portfolios and raise capital for renewable investment.
The bank committed to providing US$1 trillion of sustainable finance and investments by 2030 after achieving $211 billion in 2022.