Kriengsak Chareonwongsak

Kriengsak Chareonwongsak (born September 9, 1955) is a Thai scholar and politician. He is noted for promoting development that is sustainable and democratic.[1] Dr. Kriengsak established the first future studies research institute in Southeast Asia, served as a Member of Parliament (MP), was on the executive Board for the Democrat Party, and has published prolifically on popular and scholarly topics.[2]


Early life

Kriengsak Chareonwongsak was born in 1955 in Bangkok. As a child, Kriengsak spent his free time translating books into Braille for blind children, helping slum dwellers, and visiting a nearby orphanage. Later, during his teenage years, he persuaded his father’s business associates to finance working holidays during which Chareonwongsak and schoolmates, under the supervision of a teacher, built three room school houses in rural villages previously having no school.

Education

After finishing high school at the New Berlin High School in Wisconsin on a one-year American Field Service (AFS) scholarship, he completed a Bachelor of Economics (first class honours and top of class) and PhD in Economics, both on scholarship at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.

He has completed a Master of Public Administration degree at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; and holds a master's degree, from Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge, UK and post doctoral studies at University of Oxford.

The thesis of most of his writings centre on promoting national development and building strong and whole people who can reproduce their strength and wholeness at the corporate, societal, national and global levels.

To this end, Dr. Kriengsak established Thailand’s first institution dedicated to future studies in 1994. Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD), a non-profit academic research organization, aims to stimulate a long-term vision for the holistic development of Thai society, especially in the fields of Economic and Human Resource Development which focuses on interdisciplinary future studies contributing to economic, human resource, and National Development. IFD takes a multi-disciplinary approach to its research across a broad spectrum of academic fields and emphasizes sustainable solutions to offset future problems in Thai society.[3] IFD, under the leadership of Dr. Chareonwongsak, has provoked other significant changes in Thailand’s banking, finance, governance, and education infrastructures.[4][5]

The IFD focuses on research activities and also works to organize and host seminars, talk-shows, symposiums, and forums among Thailand’s intellectuals and policy-makers, publishing its findings widely in newspapers, magazines, academic journals, and other mass media formats.[6]

As a businessman, he is Chairman of the Success Group of Companies, a conglomerate of businesses, diversified into such fields of media technology, as broadcasting, publishing, educational multimedia production and distribution, internet web site and domain development, web hosting, web-based applications, systems integration and retail outlets, internet service provision (ISP), hotel booking online, e-commerce, and web portals. Other areas under the Success umbrella include biotechnology, finance and securities, investment, trading, animal health products, hotel, travel industry, and management consultancy. He also chairs the Lao-Thai Business Corporation.

Prominence within Thai society

Dr. Kriengsak’s many involvements and roles within Thai society have popularized him and his writings many which have attained best seller status within Thailand, radio and TV commentator and a newspaper and magazine columnist, discussing political and economic issues of current concern.[7][8][9] His perspectives are often highlighted in interviews both in Thailand and overseas.

Dr.Dan's 60th Birthday

He has held various university teaching positions. He is an Eminent Member of the Education Council on Standard and Quality Assurance, of the Office of the National Education Commission, and has also filled fifty other positions in a number of national organizations and committees

He has served in numerous governmental and non-governmental capacities. Some of his more prominent public roles include active participation and leadership on the National Economic and Social Advisory Council (NESAC), where he served as Chair of the Education, Religion, Arts and Culture Commission and Vice Chair of the Economic, Commerce and Industry Commission.

In 2005, he was invited to run as a party list Member of Parliament in the upcoming elections for the Democrat Party. Shortly thereafter, elected to executive board of the party and he was invited to be the Deputy Head of the Democrat Economics Team. However, in 2007, he resigned from the Democrat Party due disagreement with the party leader due to disagreement over some party policies and practices.

Voice at the international level

Dr. Kriengsak is a scholar on the Thai economy and society as well as an emerging leader of his nation. He has represented Thailand on numerous occasions, including

Other high-profile meetings where Dr. Kriengsak has represented Thailand include

and the ASEAN Business Forum (ABF)in association with the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 2004

Current activities

Dr Kriengsak is a well-known academic who has been appointed to a wide variety of advisory and chair positions in leading public and private organizations worldwide. For example, he has spent years as a Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, USA, and as an elected member of the Harvard Kennedy School Alumni

Dr.Dan's 60th Birthday

Association Board of Directors. He was also an Associate at the Weatherhead Centre for International Affairs, at Harvard. He is an active Board member of ASTI Holdings (a publicly listed company in Singapore) and is an Advisor to the Executive Chairman of CP All (a major publicly listed company in Thailand).He is an Advisor at the Doctoral Programme in International Human Resource Management at Burapha University, Thailand, and is a University Council Member of the Doctoral Programme in Business Administration at Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Thailand. He is also on the Board of Trustees at the Asian Institute of Technology and is a member of the Thailand National Research Council Board. He has been involved at Oxford University, UK, as a Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute and a Fellow of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford University's Said Business School. In 2004, he was an elected Member of Parliament for the Democrat Party and served until the Dissolution of Parliament in 2006. He is an Advisory Committee Member to an International Advisory Panel for the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Business Council, and he is a Member of the Committee for Anti-Corruption Cooperation, at the Ministry of Finance. He is Chair and President of the Political Leaders for Social Enterprise, USA, as well as Chair of the Social Entrepreneurship Institute, Thailand. At Harvard University, he serves as a member of the Thai Studies Committee. He is also a Research Professor at Regent University, USA and a Business Administration Member of the Advisory Council of The University of the People (UoPeople), USA.

Writings and other media

Although an economist by training, Dr. Kriengsak also addresses issues in numerous fields including education policy, business, politics/governance, policy formation, organization restructuring, theories of change, environment, future studies, and most recently social enterprise. He has published more than 200 books and numerous articles, presented over 500 academic papers, 5000 newspaper & magazine articles and is well known to the Thai public via frequent radio and television appearances.[10]

Selected bibliography

Books in English

Articles in English available online

Academic papers in English available online

Footnotes

  1. ↑ HI-CLASS. 20 February 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2013
  2. ↑ Chareonwongsak's academic papers http://scholar.google.ch/scholar?hl=en&q=Kriengsak+Chareonwongsak+&btnG=&as_sdt=1%2C5&as_sdtp=
  3. ↑ Institute of Future Studies for Development. Retrieved 17 July 2013
  4. ↑ John Le Fevre. “Thailand needs a great leader to reform education in Thailand” The Establishment Post. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013
  5. ↑ Chareonwongsak, Kriengsak. “From Government-controlled to Market-driven: The Case of Thailand's In-service Teacher Development”. Yin Cheong Cheng, Kwok Tung Tsui, Editor, “New Teacher Education for the Future: International Perspectives”. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2001, p. 187-218.
  6. ↑ Institute of Future Studies for Development. Retrieved 17 July 2013
  7. ↑ Bangkokbiznews.com. Retrieved 17 July 2013
  8. ↑ “ข้อเสนอแนะเพื่อการฟื้นฟูภาพลักษณ์ของประเทศไทย” Daily News. 25 November 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2013
  9. ↑ "สังคมไทยในการก้าวสู่สังคมผู้สูงอายุ" on YouTube Spring News. Retrieved 17 July 2013
  10. ↑ Oxford Internet Institute. Retrieved 17 July 2013
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