Fly on the Corporate Wall

"I’ve kept in contact with Khun Suwat since we were students in America," Supaluck said. "He always was a good speaker and very charming, but I never imagined he’d go into politics!

"He’s also a good cook – he was always the one I could rely on when I craved home cooking," she laughed.

In fact it was Suwat’s mother’s considerable land holdings in Hua Hin and elsewhere that inspired her to get into the business. "Khun Suwat encouraged me to invest in The Mall Bangkae. He told me, ‘Don’t ever underestimate the purchasing power of residents in Thonburi,’ and he was right."

And it was Suwat who pointed out that Nakhon Ratchasima deserved to have an outlet, so give him credit for The Mall Korat. He predicted it would do well, and sure enough it does, with two million shoppers in the area to draw on.

So a joint investment in Hua Hin, where Suwat’s family owns the InterContinental Resort, was a no-brainer for Supaluck. And he gets a bonus because she’ll take his daughter Proudputh under her wing and train the Oxford University and London Business School graduate in retail.

"She’s at the right age, 23," Supaluck said of Proudputh. "That’s how old I was when my family handed me the task of running a business."

Proudputh has already done quite well in the hospitality trade. She’s managing director of the family’s Proud Resort Hua Hin, which runs all of its properties, including the InterContinental.

The seaside town is a magnet for investment and still has loads of potential, Suwat pointed out. Well, no one at the press conference was going to challenge that fact, so Suwat ambled on to other subjects. In fact he got a little carried away talking about the old days, including his service in the Thaksin Shinawatra administration.

His monologue started to sound like a campaign speech, leaving some people to wonder if he still misses politics. If so, better get this joint investment going fast, lest Proudputh suddenly find herself running for Parliament.