FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

Ex-Thaicom CEO tipped to be energy minister

Ex-Thaicom CEO tipped to be energy minister

Arak Cholatanont, a former chief executive officer of satellite operator Thaicom, has been tipped to be energy minister, replacing Pichai Naripthaphan.

Arak was one of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s trusted managers after he founded Shin Corp, formerly known as Shinawatra Computer Co. A source said Arak felt that he had no choice but to agree to take a Cabinet seat. He is outspoken, but easy-going. 

Arak acknowledged to The Nation that he was approached to join the Cabinet, but declined to give details about his posting. 
“I have a condition that if I’m intervened with by politics I’ll quit. The government should implement what it commits to in its announced policies,” he said.
Arak retired from Thaicom in August and then became a board member of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority briefly before resigning last Friday.
He used to oversee the mobile-phone-network business for Advanced Info Service, a cellular operator and subsidiary of Shin Corp. He was involved in expanding the mobile-phone business into foreign markets such as the Philippines, India, Laos and Cambodia. 
Arak is also a close friend of Boonklee Plangsiri, who was a top executive of Shin Corp and a right-hand man of Thaksin in terms of strategic consulting. 
RELATED
nationthailand