Behind the short list of corporate leaders

 Pailin, appointed as president and CEO of PTT in September, has not yet shown his management skills in his new capacity. However, throughout the past three years at IRPC, he took steps that produced a miraculous return for IRPC. He recently accepted a CNBC Asia award for the company’s achievement.
Pailin was handpicked to lead IRPC by then PTT president Prasert Bunsumpun. Lessons learned from Bangkok Polyethylene, which flopped after the 1997 financial crisis, helped him motivate employees to work harder and agree to changes.
Shareholders were also encouraged to lend their support for his “Phoenix” scheme, which focused on cost cutting and the introduction of value-added products.
From a company that showed a net loss of over Bt10 billion in 2009, IRPC last year earned a net profit of Bt6.18 billion. In the first nine months of this year, the company showed a net profit of Bt6.3 billion.
Another candidate is Dusit, who unexpectedly passed away this year. Dusit has won wide acclaim from people in business circles for his strong commitment to fight corruption. He introduced a group of businesses that later led to the formation of the Anti-Corruption Network.
Through his strenuous activities, the private sector has been instilled with higher concern for business transparency. Companies now know that bribery may benefit some of them, but if society collapses no one can survive.
As an outspoken and straightforward leader, Dusit had always dispensed his ideas and comments to the government whenever he smelled corruption.
The TCC under his reign has worked more efficiently with quick responses to any members' problem.
Despite the severe impact on her factories in Bangkadi Industrial Estate from the recent flooding, Kobkarn shows her leadership capability as a key woman driving the private sector to call on the government for long-term flood protection as well as urgent assistance packages, such as soft loans, to rehabilitate impacted manufacturers.
From her own business point of view, Kobkarn did not wait for government assistance but instead launched her own urgent management package to salvage the factories.
Under her management, Toshiba Thailand shows sustainable growth in revenues and business development and is evolving further into a good governance organisation.
Tan made it to the short list on his ability to find and seize opportunities amid a crisis to make himself always appear in the media. Tan is not only the most creative executive, he also knows how to make himself a brand with a unique and eye-catching personality.
His Facebook page has been ranked as one of the most popular in Thailand with more than 1.1 million fans.
Tan is also a very interesting businessman. Despite the huge setback to his spanking new, Bt2.4 billion green-tea factory in Rojana Industrial Estate from the recent flood and the six months or so that it would take to resume normal operations, he has no plans to lay off or cut wages for the more than 100 staff at the factory.
He has also allocated all his energy and money to help other flood victims.