“Crisis Brings Opportunity” Supaluck Umpujh Showcases Women’s Leadership in Transforming Thai Retail on the Global Stage at Bloomberg Business Summit at ASEAN
Kuala Lumpur, October 2025 – Ms. Supaluck Umpujh, Chairwoman of The Mall Group, EM District, and Siam Paragon Retail, was invited by Bloomberg to share her inspiring journey as a pioneering Thai businesswoman who redefined the country’s retail landscape on the global stage.
At the Bloomberg Business Summit at ASEAN, held in Malaysia on October 27, 2025, Ms. Supaluck joined international economic and business leaders to discuss transformation, resilience, and the future of innovation-driven economies in the region.
During her session, Ms. Supaluck shared her personal journey ; a story of courage, vision, and belief in turning adversity into opportunity inspiring women across Asia that “starting from zero is not an obstacle, but the beginning of transformation.
On stage, Ms. Supaluck spoke candidly about her beginnings, sharing that her family once operated a massage business something she admitted made her feel embarrassed as a young woman. “I asked my father to stop that business,” she recalled, “because I didn’t want people to remember our family that way.” Determined to redefine her family legacy and reshape how the world perceived Thailand, she embarked on a new path to elevate Thai retail and showcase the true potential of Thai people to the world.
That determination gave birth to The Mall Department Store, which became a national success and laid the foundation for the creation of The Emporium, Thailand’s first luxury retail mall. Against the backdrop of the 1997 Tom Yum Kung financial crisis, when many businesses were collapsing, Ms. Supaluck saw an opportunity: as the number of international tourists grew from 7 million to 17 million, Thailand’s retail sector was reborn.
Following that success, she led the creation of Siam Paragon, envisioned as “The Jewel of Asia,” integrating five key concepts — Heritage of Thai, World-Class Phenomenon, Pride of Siam, and Regional Prosperity. Opened around the same time as Dubai Mall, both destinations later became global icons for commerce and tourism.
Addressing the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in modern retail, Ms. Supaluck emphasized that technology can never truly replace human connection: “AI brings convenience, but the heart of retail lies in human understanding. The future of retail will be about harmonizing AI’s efficiency with the human touch that creates genuine relationships and emotional value.”
In closing, Ms. Supaluck expressed gratitude to Bloomberg for the opportunity to share her vision with a global audience: “I’m deeply grateful to Bloomberg for allowing a Thai woman like me to share my journey on such a global stage. I hope my story inspires others — especially women to be confident, take the lead, and create meaningful change in society.”
The audience and organizers alike described Ms. Supaluck’s talk as deeply moving and empowering — a testament to how passion, perseverance, and belief can transform “embarrassment into pride” and “crisis into opportunity.” “We can make it, women can rise and redefine success with heart.” Supaluck Umpujh
