ABOUT US

Ornkanya Pibuldham has served as the Chief Country Officer, Bank of America N.A since 2013. Prior to this she served as the  Managing Director, Head of Global Markets and Corporate Finance, Deutsche Bank. From 1996-2000, she was the Head of Institutional Sales, Standard Chartered Bank.

Tibor Pandi is the Country Head and Citi Country Officer of Citi Thailand starting September 1, 2017. He also oversees Citi’s business activity in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

Prior to this assignment, Tibor was appointed the Country Head of Citi Romania in 2010. He was also the Cluster Head of Romania and Bulgaria before the addition of the role as Corporate Banking Head for CE5 countries (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria), plus 13 non-presence countries in CEE.

Tibor’s career with Citi started in 2001 when he joined Citi Hungary as Relationship Manager for the Non Presence Countries (NPC) region covering Corporate, FI and Public Sector client segments in 12 countries. He became Central Europe NPC Head in October 2004.

Prior to joining Citi, he worked in a number of functions with ABN AMRO Bank in Hungary and Netherlands. Tibor has over 22 years of experience in corporate and retail banking and holds a degree from the Budapest Corvinus University.

A leader with broad based knowledge of on-line start-ups, real estate development and project finance in Asia, Charles brings more than two decades of experience in capital raising, corporate finance and commercial real estate to IC Partners Limited. Established in January 2011, and based in Bangkok, Thailand, IC Partners serves as a financial advisor and investor for a couple of on-line startups as well serves as an investment and asset manager for a number of hospitality related investment joint venture investments and family offices in Southeast Asia. IC Partners works with various capital partners, venture capital funds, family offices and international hotel operators and advises investors on development planning, capital raising, deal structuring and contractual matters in the industrial and hospitality and branded residential segments.

He is also a senior member of the advisory boards at Young Happy, Thailand’s leading social media app and e-commerce business to solve the problems of the aging society seniors and Singapore based AJT Holdings Pte. Ltd. which owns the Wellity and Dr Map brands and is a wellness management platform for hospitality, senior living and standalone medical/wellness clinics in ASEAN.

His previous engagements include appointment as Chief Development Officer in 2007 for InVision Hospitality Co., Ltd. and Senior Vice President and Director of Corporate Finance for Gannon International Ltd. and Managing Director of Gannon Realty (Thailand) from 1999-2007 overseeing the company's commercial real estate and industrial development projects in both Thailand and Vietnam.

Charles earned an MBA at the Kenan‐Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina‐Chapel Hill, with honors. He currently serves as a Trustee of The Kenan Foundation Asia and is a member of the Executive Committee. Charles served as a Governor and Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand from 2004 through 2007 and is currently Co-Chairman of AMCHAM’s Tourism & Hospitality Committee.

Gift Arpaporn Samabhandhu is the Managing Director for Johnson & Johnson Thailand & Emerging Territories, leading across Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Consumer Health sectors. Johnson & Johnson believes good health is the foundation of vibrant lives, thriving communities and forward progress. The company strives to improve access and affordability, create healthier communities, and put a healthy mind, body and environment within reach of everyone, everywhere. They are blending their heart, science and ingenuity to profoundly change the trajectory of health for humanity.

A Thai national, Gift has lived in six countries (Thailand, Canada, Vietnam, Spain, Singapore, Indonesia) with over 25 years work experience in the fields of Nutrition and Healthcare, Gift has held both commercial and regional roles in across Asia Pacific Region. Gift started her career in FMCG, working successively for LOWE Lintas, then Coca-Cola Thailand, Boots Healthcare International, Danone Groupe (both in Baby Nutrition and Dairy divisions) and Mead Johnson Nutrition Vietnam, where she also served as Chairwomen of the Nutrition Food Group sector under EUROCHAM. Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Gift was the Head of ASEA Zone and General Manager TMS for Sanofi Consumer Healthcare, covering a span of 11 countries across Southeast Asia, Hong Kong Taiwan, and South Korea.

Gift has a Bachelor of Business Degree from the Assumption University, Thailand, and an International Executive MBA Degree from the University of Victoria, Canada. She also holds a certificate for High Performance Leadership and Orchestrating Winning Performance from IMD Lausanne, Switzerland.

On top of her passion to make a difference in peoples’ lives and in healthcare, Gift is passionate in building purposeful brands and have a strong track record in building high performing diverse teams with a sincere interest in people growth and development. During her free time, she loves to water-ski and wakeboard and believes in work-life integration.

Aileen is a technology enthusiast, with almost two decades of experience in product, financial products, and go-to-market strategies. She holds a Bachelor of Accountancy from the Nanyang Technological University Singapore and is the mother of three spirited boys.

Since joining Mastercard in 2016, Aileen has been actively advocating the cashless movement in Asia Pacific. She spearheaded the development and launch of Mastercard QR based payments solution, which led to the creation and proliferation of EMV standardized QR payments in the region, while simultaneously working with regulators, and leading players in financial services and the digital space.

Aileen has been the Country Manager of Thailand and Myanmar for Mastercard since 2019. Here, she has championed the need and expansion of cashless payments and has been dedicated to accelerating the country’s digital payments landscape to support the government’s vision of creating an inclusive cashless society.

Aileen’s personal and professional diverse experience in Asia has given her firsthand insights into the need for a digitized interconnected world to ensure everyone, including SMEs, entrepreneurs, and women, is included and can gain equal access to opportunities to grow and excel. In her efforts to boost Thailand’s digital transformation, Mastercard has launched various initiatives to drive cashless payments and greater inclusiveness in Thailand.

Prior to joining Mastercard, Aileen worked for Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) in Singapore where she held key leadership positions in marketing, business and product development. Among her many accomplishments there, Aileen played an instrumental role in the development and implementation of new digital services including mobile payment solutions. In her career, Aileen has been instrumental in the strategic implementation of digital first technologies and forging strong partnerships with government agencies to establish a seamless and secure inclusive payments infrastructure that is accessible for all - cornerstone of Thailand’s 4.0 Agenda and Bank of Thailand’s Digital Payments Roadmap. Her experience has resulted in innovative and priceless changes in the payments landscape, in Thailand and Asia. Her industry knowledge, experience, and engagement has also helped in creating sustainable positive changes for Thailand’s technological and financial inclusion agenda, not just for consumers, but businesses of all sizes as well. By leveraging existing opportunities to create new ones, Aileen has also paved the way for women in technology and payments.

Eliot is the Managing Director at Nitro Labs, a Bangkok-based microbrewer of non-alcoholic beverages like cold brew coffees and teas. Co-founding this SME/startup in 2017, Eliot also currently serves as Chairman on the company's Board of Directors.  The company's mission is to support offices, hotels, and other retailers with delicious new on-tap beverage options which are healthy, convenient, energizing, and hassle-free.

Eliot is American, relocating to Asia in 2010 in a project management capacity for RMA Group's construction division in Afghanistan, where he was tasked with winning contracts and delivering projects in support of nationwide U.S. Government and ISAF operational requirements. Prior to Nitro Labs, Eliot also co-founded an early stage tech company in Thailand focusing on digital event management, e-ticketing, and payments processing services, which he later exited via private sale.

Eliot studied Chemistry at Indiana University with a concentration in analytical science. He enjoys learning Thai, golfing, studying blockchain technology, and being an active member of his community.

Mr. Viboon Kromadit earned the master’s degree in political science from Thammasat University. He has been working with Amata for over 20 years and as the head of Marketing and Sales Department of Amata City Chonburi and Amata City Rayong Industrial Estate which have the total area of more than 44,000 rai. Thereby, he is one of the key directors who has pushed Amata to be very successful.

Besides his routine work as the Director of AMATA, he also emphasizes on the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility. He works as a Chairman of AMATA Sustainable Development Committee which is officially established in 2012. The committees are responsible for the development in local community, society and environment to ensure that local people can pleasantly live with AMATA Industrial Estate.

A fluent English and Thai speaker, Nara began his career in academia in the UK and transitioned into Management Consulting and M&A focusing on healthcare transactions and eventually returned to Asia to join the pharmaceutical and medical device industries for the past 12 years, where he has had experience across multiple commercial, corporate affairs, and government affairs functions across more than ten markets.

As a recently returning member to AMCHAM after joining Baxter Healthcare as its Country Head approximately 12 months ago, his current role is to manage both people and P&L responsibilities of Baxter’s operations in Thailand. Combining his former academia background with his commercial responsibilities, he has a special passion for people and learning and development with particular interests in the evolution of people trends and the inevitable cultural barriers that exist as companies transcend geographical borders in our globalized economics. He has recently been involved as one of the panelists in AMCHAM’s Human Capital Reports to share his perspectives on a range of people topics resonating in industry and Thailand.

Nara is a Registered Chartered Director through the Institute of Directors, serves as a Board Member of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers’ Association, and is a member of the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council.

As an active supporter of community activities, Nara sponsors type 1 diabetes children and children from disadvantaged background through two charities.

Jeff Lehrmann is the managing director of the Asia South Business Unit, a position he assumed in April 2019. As managing director, he is responsible for upstream operations in four countries: Bangladesh, China, Myanmar and Thailand. Jeff was an executive director of Sumatra Operations in Indonesia Business Unit, the position he assumed in 2015. From 2010 to 2015, he served as president of Chevron Canada. Jeff received his bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1986. He joined Chevron in 1986 as a Petroleum Engineer and has held numerous engineering and management positions with increasing responsibility within his Chevron career in the US, Canada, and Indonesia. He is married. He and his wife Cindy have 4 children, 3 daughters-in-law, and 1 grandchild.

Deborah is currently the Country Manager of Pfizer Thailand and Indochina markets (Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos), where she oversees Pfizer Biopharmaceutical Group operations. Deborah leads Pfizer in its purpose of bringing breakthroughs that change patient's lives. Her focus is on driving access to innovative medicines by exercising both internal coordination and engaging external top-level representatives to lead the conversation and drive positive changes for public health in the country. Deborah is a seasoned executive with more than 25 years of in-depth and diverse experience in marketing, commercial operations management, and leadership at the local, regional, and global level within Pfizer.

Kaveepan Eiamsakulrat is Executive Chairman of K.E. Land Co. Ltd. With an experience of over 27 years in the real estate development industry in Thailand and across the globe, he has expertise in real estate investment and infrastructure development in Thailand. Kaveepan has worked in leadership roles with multi-million US dollar corporations to bring innovation and technology in the real estate space in the Kingdom. He has served on the Board of Directors at the Housing Business Association, Thai Shopping Center Association, and is actively involved with other associations. He has also received the Trade Association Prestige Outstanding Executive Awards by Ministry of Commerce and Thai Chamber of Commerce in 2018.

Noah is the Global Operations Director for StanleyBlack&Decker, Asia Pacific Region. StanleyBlack&Decker is a Fortune 250 company, the world leader in tools and storage through its brands Stanley, Black& Decker, DeWalt, Irwin, Craftsman and Facom. In Thailand, the company has two manufacturing sites in Chachoengsao and Ayutthaya with a turnover of approximately 250 million dollars  and 1,200 people producing measuring instruments(tape rules, levels and lasers), and OEM plastic parts for the automotive industry.

Noah joined StanleyBlack&Decker in 2012 as General Manager for the underperforming Thailand hand tools factory. He received an Eagle Award (40 winners from 50,000 global employees), for the Thailand plant turnaround. The Thailand plant remains the most engaged facility worldwide. Noah recently led the company's Asia manufacturing footprint strategy with responsibility for relocating manufacturing from China to Thailand. He is an internal mentor within the company and is an executive coach for the company’s leadership team.

Currently, Noah leads operational transformation across 26 manufacturing plants in India, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, and Thailand.

After working in industry in the UK, Noah moved to Thailand in 1993 and joined an upcoming but struggling ecotourism operator in Phuket as their General Manager. SeaCanoe Thailand became a regional, multi- award-winning tour operator with operations in Phuket, Krabi, Vietnam, and the Philippines. In 1999, Noah started a tourism consultancy business, developing destination travel websites for Mekong tourism authorities and online hotel and tour bookings. This business was acquired by a dotcom investor and is now part of Expedia.

Noah returned to work in Industry as the Regional Managing Director for RPT Asia in Rayong in 2001. He invested in and started a Bangkok based PVC window manufacturing business in 2004 and opened a regional sales office for a German Multinational Hardware manufacturer in 2008.

Noah served as a director of the British Chamber of Commerce from 2005-06 and was Chair of the BCCT Manufacturing Committee.

In 2019, Noah became a naturalized Thai citizen. In his spare time, he enjoys running with the Hash House Harriers, cycling, kayaking, and SCUBA diving.

John Evans is a co-founding partner and the Managing Director of Tractus, a strategic advisory firm, which has advised clients on more than 8 billion U.S. dollars in trade and investment transactions. Leading Tractus from its inception in Bangkok in late 1995, John has helped it grow into a leading Pan-Asian consulting firm with 70- plus staff and offices in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and the USA.

During his three decades in Asia, John has become a trusted advisor to multinational corporations, governments, and Non-Government Organizations NGOs. He is an angel investor in several companies and has held numerous board roles for corporates and non-profits. John frequently writes articles, gives lectures, is interviewed, and conducts workshops around the world on economic trends and doing business in Asia. John is an avid cross-country cyclist and credits his rides, which have covered most of Southeast Asia, as a time for deep thought and the origin of many of his best client solutions. He studied East Asian History and Economics at Princeton University.

Greg is Managing Director at Agoda, one of the world’s fastest-growing online travel platforms - with over 2,000 employees in Bangkok.  Experienced Board Member and former Senior American Diplomat, Greg specializes in building sustainable partnerships between government and industry.

Greg was Commercial Officer at American Embassies in Thailand, China, Malaysia, Vietnam and other global posts.  Greg was awarded the Gold Medal – the highest award given by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Greg was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Burundi, and entrepreneur with a successful import and retail business in Honolulu.

Greg studied Thai at Chula, holds an MBA from the University of Hawaii, and an MPA from Harvard.

Harold Vickery is Chair of the Board of Governors of Prem Tinsulanonda International School in Chiang Mai. In 2016 he retired from Bangkok law firm of Vickery & Worachai Ltd., which he founded in 1975. He received his BA from Trinity College and JD from the University of Pennsylvania. On active duty with the U.S. Air Force between 1967-1972, as Foreign Claims Commissioner for Thailand (1968-1970) and Military Judge on the Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan Circuit (1970-1972), in 1989 he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Harold served nine terms on AMCHAM's Board of Governors and has held the following Chamber positions: Chairman of the Tax and Legislation Committee from 1978-1980, Vice-President in 1981, 1983, 1989, 1990 and 1991, Secretary in 1982, 1986, 1987 and 1992, Treasurer in 2001 and 2002, and President in 1984. Since 2014 Harold has been an Advisor to the Chamber’s Board of Governors. He has attended 26 meetings of the Asia Pacific Council of American Chambers (APCAC) and several Washington Doorknocks, and in 1990 received the Chamber's Distinguished Service Award.  In 2004 Harold was a founder of American Chamber Of Commerce In Thailand Foundation and since then has served as a director and its treasurer.