Inside Thailand’s Chang beer dynasty, daughters got seats at the table too
Thapanee Techajareonvikul, took the reins as CEO and President of Berli Jucker PCL in 2023, becoming the storied retail and packaging firm’s first female chief executive.
For Thapanee Techajareonvikul, the conviction that women belong in top leadership roles was never unusual.
Her late mother, Wanna Sirivadhanabhakdi, was instrumental in building TCC Group into a multi-billion-dollar empire spanning beverages, property, retail and manufacturing, with holdings including Chang beer and Singapore-listed Fraser & Neave.
Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, her father, ensured his two sons and three daughters received equal opportunities within the family business. Today, each sibling oversees a different part of the empire.
Thapanee, the couple’s fourth child and youngest daughter, took the reins as CEO and President of Berli Jucker PCL in 2023, becoming the storied retail and packaging firm’s first female chief executive.
The company’s portfolio includes Big C, Thailand’s second-largest hypermarket chain, with operations in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Hong Kong.
“When I became a female leader, I didn’t feel any nervousness,” she said during a special recording of CNBC Meets: Legacies, held at a UOB private banking event in Singapore.
“I always saw Mom right there with Dad, at the front of the long table,” the MIT and Harvard Business School graduate told CNBC’s Tania Bryer.
Lessons from her parents
Thapanee and her siblings grew up observing their parents in action, often accompanying them to business meetings. Watching how they reached decisions and navigated relationships became what she described as the “greatest teaching” a person could receive.
Both parents emphasized hard work and humility as keys to unlocking opportunity. They were also diligent about ensuring every venture benefited all stakeholders.
“Dad was always looking at partnerships; he wanted a win-win situation for everyone involved,” she said.
Her mother played a balancing role, providing a vital counterweight to her father’s risk-taking as he rarely proceeded without his wife’s blessing.
From left to right: Thapanee Techajareonvikul, Wanna Sirivadhanabhakdi, Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi and Aswin Techajareonvikul. Thapanee and her siblings grew up observing their parents in action, often accompanying them to business meetings.
While TCC is a sprawling conglomerate, Thapanee said the group’s expansion through mergers and acquisitions has long been driven by strategic fit.
She cited the group’s acquisition of Berli Jucker in 2001 primarily for its glass bottle manufacturing, which complemented its beer and spirits businesses.
The group’s liquor assets have since been consolidated under Singapore-listed Thai Beverage PCL, led by her older brother Thapana, who also heads the Sirivadhanabhakdi family’s second generation.
The vast property portfolio is divided across several units. Her second sister Wallapa Traisorat leads Asset World Corp PLC in Thailand while her younger brother Panote Sirivadhanabhakdi,
Read More: Inside Thailand’s Chang beer dynasty, daughters got seats at the table too