The Legal 500’s inaugural GC Powerlist: Thailand took place on 22nd June 2023, and proved to be a huge success; a fitting end to the months and years our research team has spent building relationships with the in-house community in Thailand which is undoubtedly one of the best in the region. 

In association with long-term Legal 500 partners Chandler MHM, Herbert Smith Freehills, Kudun & Partners, Tilleke & Gibbins and Robert Walters, the event welcomed over 140 people to the beautiful Sindhorn Kempinski Hotel in Central Bangkok and we were also pleased to play a part in the joint launch of the new Thai Corporate Counsel Association. 

We were delighted to invite some unbelievably qualified keynote speakers to the stage next, among the most well-respected in-house lawyers in the country and wider region. First up was the legendary Khun Peangpanor Boonklum of PTT, a legend in the worldwide in-house legal community and perhaps one of the most highly regardeda GCs in the whole of Asia. She spoke about the burning issues faced by general counsel and urged those in the audience to have the confidence to speak up and stay true to their core principles when communicating with business partners.  

Next was Khun Siriporn Chaiyasuta of Chevron, perhaps the most influential Thai GC given the trailblazing role she played by taking a senior in-house legal role with Chevron many years ago, long before it was common for talented Thai lawyers to take the in-house route. Khun Siriporn spoke about some of the challenges she faced in breaking these barriers, and how rewarding it has been to see the Thai in-house legal community grow and prosper since.   

As well as The Legal 500 GC Powerlist, the event also marked the launch of the brand-new Thai Corporate Counsel Association (Thai CCA for short), an institution by Thai corporate counsel, for corporate counsel. One of the key personalities pushing this initiative forward, Khun Sahachai (Jack) Wiboulotai of PwC, then took the stage now to say a few words about the organization, its goals and concept. 

We then moved on to the main event, as successful candidates we invited on stage in turn to collect their award certificate from Khun Siriporn Chaiyasuta; you can see some of these being presented below.   

Heartfelt congratulations from The Legal 500 to everyone who made it on the list this year for their fantastic achievement and thank you to everyone involved for making this such a successful and pleasant evening for all our guests. Thank you especially to our wonderful keynote speakers Siriporn Chaiyasuta, Peangpanor Boonklum and Jack Wiboulotai and to our event partners Chandler MHM, Herbert Smith Freehills, Kudun & Partners, Tilleke & Gibbins and Robert Walters. 

We hope to make the Thailand GC Powerlist an annual event, so we look forward to putting on another wonderful evening celebrating the best GCs in Thailand in 2024. Our Thailand GC Summit will also be taking place later this year, so watch this space!