The Most Famous
BUSINESSPEOPLE from Thailand
This page contains a list of the greatest Thai Businesspeople. The pantheon dataset contains 847 Businesspeople, 4 of which were born in Thailand. This makes Thailand the birth place of the 29th most number of Businesspeople behind Belarus, and Czechia.
Top 6
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Thai Businesspeople of all time. This list of famous Thai Businesspeople is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity.
1. Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha (1958 - 2018)
With an HPI of 67.39, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha is the most famous Thai Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 33 different languages on wikipedia.
Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha (Thai: วิชัย ศรีวัฒนประภา; born Vichai Raksriaksorn, Thai: วิชัย รักศรีอักษร; 4 April 1958 – 27 October 2018) was a Thai billionaire businessman and the founder, owner, and chairman of King Power. He was the owner of Premier League team Leicester City from 2010 until his death in a helicopter crash just outside the club's King Power Stadium in 2018.
2. Chaleo Yoovidhya (1923 - 2012)
With an HPI of 66.20, Chaleo Yoovidhya is the 2nd most famous Thai Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.
Chaleo Yoovidhya (Thai: เฉลียว อยู่วิทยา, RTGS: Chaliao Yuwitthaya, pronounced [t͡ɕʰā.lǐa̯w jùː.wít.tʰā.jāː]; Chinese: 許書標; pinyin: Xǔ Shūbiāo; 17 August 1923 – 17 March 2012) was a Thai entrepreneur best known as the creator of the energy drink Krating Daeng and co-founder of the globally recognized Red Bull brand. At the time of his death in 2012, aged 88, Chaleo was listed by Forbes as the third-richest person in Thailand, with an estimated net worth of US$5 billion.
3. Yingluck Shinawatra (b. 1967)
With an HPI of 66.04, Yingluck Shinawatra is the 3rd most famous Thai Businessperson. Her biography has been translated into 77 different languages.
Yingluck Shinawatra (Thai: ยิ่งลักษณ์ ชินวัตร, RTGS: Yinglak Chinnawat, pronounced [jîŋ.lák tɕʰīn.nā.wát] ; born 21 June 1967) is a Thai businesswoman, politician and a member of the Pheu Thai Party who was the 28th prime minister of Thailand from 2011 to 2014. Yingluck was Thailand's first female prime minister and its youngest in over 60 years. She was removed from office on 7 May 2014 by a Constitutional Court decision. Born in Chiang Mai Province into a wealthy family of Chinese descent, Yingluck Shinawatra earned a bachelor's degree from Chiang Mai University and a master's degree from Kentucky State University, both in public administration. She then became an executive in the businesses founded by her elder brother, Thaksin Shinawatra and later became the president of property developer SC Asset and managing director of Advanced Info Service. Thaksin served as prime minister from 2001 until 2006 when he was overthrown by a military coup. He fled abroad shortly before he was convicted in absentia of using his position to increase his own wealth. Thereafter, he lived in self-imposed exile to avoid serving his prison sentence until he returned to Thailand in August 2023. In May 2011, the Pheu Thai Party, which maintains close ties to Thaksin, nominated Yingluck as their candidate for Prime Minister in the 2011 election. She campaigned on a platform of national reconciliation, poverty eradication, and corporate income tax reduction and won a landslide victory. After mass protests against her government in late 2013, she asked for a dissolution of parliament on 9 December 2013, triggering a snap election, but continued to act as caretaker prime minister. On 7 May 2014, the Constitutional Court of Thailand removed Yingluck Shinawatra from the office of caretaker prime minister and defence minister following months of political crisis. The court found her guilty of charges of abuse of power over the removal of national security chief Thawil Pliensri in 2011. In the wake of the May 2014 military coup, Yingluck was arrested along with former cabinet ministers and political leaders of all parties, and held at an army camp for a few days while the coup was consolidated. She was tried in 2016 but did not appear in court in August 2017 for the verdict. An arrest warrant was issued. She reportedly fled the country. In September 2017, she was found guilty in absentia and sentenced to five years in prison. She is rumoured to now be in London. Yingluck has become the chairwoman and legal representative of Shantou International Container Terminals Ltd since 12 December 2018, a Chinese port operator, operating in the Port of Shantou in eastern Guangdong.
4. Srettha Thavisin (b. 1962)
With an HPI of 62.67, Srettha Thavisin is the 4th most famous Thai Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 43 different languages.
Srettha Thavisin (born 15 February 1962) is a Thai businessman and former politician who served as the 30th prime minister of Thailand from 2023 until his removal from office in 2024. In 1988, he co-founded Sansiri, a venture that propelled him to become a billionaire and a leading real estate tycoon within his country. During his almost one-year premiership, he oversaw economic policies aimed at stimulating the Thai economy, particularly in Thailand's tourism sector by promoting Thai soft power. He also attempted to implement the digital wallet scheme and his international visits were aimed at attracting investors. Srettha was however labelled as a "puppet" under the control of powers behind the throne by critics. His appointment of Pichit Chuenban to his cabinet led to his dismissal by the courts in August 2024.
5. Anutin Charnvirakul (b. 1966)
With an HPI of 60.83, Anutin Charnvirakul is the 5th most famous Thai Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 34 different languages.
Anutin Charnvirakul (born 13 September 1966) is a Thai politician, engineer, and businessman who has served as the 32nd prime minister of Thailand since 2025. He has led the Bhumjaithai Party since 2012 and has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2019. Born into a wealthy family in Bangkok, Anutin was educated in Thailand and the United States, earning a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Hofstra University in 1989 and a master's degree in business administration from Thammasat University in 1990. He joined Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction (STECON), a family-owned construction company, where he became president in 1995. During his tenure, he played a major role in several large-scale infrastructure projects, most notably the construction of Suvarnabhumi Airport. Anutin began his political career in 1996 as a member of the Thai Rak Thai Party. He later served as advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Minister of Commerce in 2004, and Deputy Minister of Public Health from 2004 to 2006, during the premiership of Thaksin Shinawatra. Following the dissolution of the Thai Rak Thai Party in 2007, he was among the 111 executives banned from politics for five years. In 2012, Anutin returned to politics by joining the Bhumjaithai Party, succeeding his father, Chavarat Charnvirakul, as party leader. In 2019, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health in the second Prayut cabinet. During this period, he played a key role in managing Thailand's COVID-19 response and in the 2022 removal of cannabis from the narcotics list. Later, in 2023, Anutin became Minister of Interior in the Srettha cabinet, while continuing to serve as deputy prime minister under both Srettha and Paetongtarn governments. In June 2025, amid the Cambodian–Thai border crisis and following the leak of a phone conversation between Paetongtarn and Hun Sen, president of the Senate of Cambodia, Anutin and the Bhumjaithai Party withdrew from the Paetongtarn cabinet and moved to the opposition. Subsequently, in August 2025, after the Constitutional Court removed Paetongtarn from office, Anutin reached an agreement with the People's Party. On 3 September 2025, Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, leader of the People's Party, announced his support for Anutin to become prime minister and form a minority government under the conditions that he dissolve the House of Representatives within four months, draft a new constitution, and avoid forming a majority coalition. On 5 September 2025, Anutin was elected Prime Minister with confidence and supply support from the People's Party, and on 7 September, King Vajiralongkorn officially endorsed his appointment.
6. Annika Falkengren (b. 1962)
With an HPI of 45.66, Annika Falkengren is the 6th most famous Thai Businessperson. Her biography has been translated into 14 different languages.
Annika Falkengren (née Bolin) is a former managing partner at Lombard Odier Group, a position she held from 2017 to 2023. She was president and CEO of Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SEB) from 2005 to 2017, having built her early career at SEB. She has held various board membership positions and received numerous awards, most notably being repeatedly ranked by Fortune Magazine as one of the most powerful women in Global Business. Annika Falkengren lives in Geneva, Switzerland, with her family.
People
Pantheon has 6 people classified as Thai businesspeople born between 1923 and 1967. Of these 6, 4 (66.67%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Thai businesspeople include Yingluck Shinawatra, Srettha Thavisin, and Anutin Charnvirakul. The most famous deceased Thai businesspeople include Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, and Chaleo Yoovidhya. As of April 2024, 2 new Thai businesspeople have been added to Pantheon including Anutin Charnvirakul, and Annika Falkengren.
Living Thai Businesspeople
Go to all Rankings
Yingluck Shinawatra
1967 - Present
HPI: 66.04
Srettha Thavisin
1962 - Present
HPI: 62.67
Anutin Charnvirakul
1966 - Present
HPI: 60.83
Annika Falkengren
1962 - Present
HPI: 45.66
