BUSINESSPEOPLE from Thailand

Top 3

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. Chaleo Yoovidhya (1923 - 2012)

With an HPI of 58.56, Chaleo Yoovidhya is the most famous Thai Businessperson.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages on wikipedia.

Chaleo Yoovidhya (Thai: เฉลียว อยู่วิทยา, RTGS: Chaliao Yuwitayaa, pronounced [t͡ɕʰā.lǐa̯w jùː.wít.tʰā.jāː]; Chinese: 許書標; pinyin: Xǔ Shūbiāo; 17 August 1923 – 17 March 2012) was a Thai businessman and investor. He was the originator of Krating Daeng (กระทิงแดง) and co-creator of the Red Bull brand of energy drinks. At the time of his death in 2012 at the age of 88, he was listed as the third-richest person in Thailand, with an estimated net worth of US$5 billion.

2. Yingluck Shinawatra (1967 - )

With an HPI of 55.25, Yingluck Shinawatra is the 2nd most famous Thai Businessperson.  Her biography has been translated into 75 different languages.

Yingluck Shinawatra (Thai: ยิ่งลักษณ์ ชินวัตร, RTGS: Yinglak Chinnawat, pronounced [jîŋ.lák t͡ɕʰīn.nā.wát] ; born 21 June 1967), nicknamed Pou (Thai: ปู, RTGS: Pu, pronounced [pūː], meaning "crab"), is a Thai businesswoman, politician and a member of the Pheu Thai Party who became the Prime Minister of Thailand following the 2011 election. 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 Hakka 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 Shantou Port area in eastern Guangdong.

3. Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha (1958 - 2018)

With an HPI of 52.32, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha is the 3rd most famous Thai Businessperson.  His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Khun 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 at the club's King Power Stadium in 2018.