Present
Managing Director – Aegis International Ltd (start date: January 2016)
Director – Macallan Insurance Brokers Ltd. (start date: January 2016)
Senior Adviser – PKF International (start date: April 2018)
Chairman – The Cairn Advisory (start date: June 2020)
Honorary Adviser to South African embassy in Bangkok (start date: December 2016)
Honorary Adviser to Rugby School Thailand (start date: January 2017)

Business – Past
Plant manager – Pioneer Concrete (UK) Ltd: 1983-1985
Sales Manager – Shire Group: 1985-1989
UK Sales Manager – Rentokil OMM: 1989-1994
MD of MBMG Group – co-founder: 1995-2016
Vice Chairman of ‘World of Wine’ (company gave all profits to charitable causes): 2004-2014
Regional Business Adviser – MitonOptimal Group: 2016-2017
Chambers of Commerce + South African Embassy
Founding Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand (BCCT) – Eastern Seaboard in 1997
Served as a Director on the main BCCT Board: 1998-2012
Vice Chairman of BCCT: 2005-2010
BCCT Chairman in 2010. Re-elected in January 2011 and retired in 2012
Chairman of BCCT Charity Group: 2009-2012
Director of Board of Trade of Thailand: 2011-2015; 2020-
Chairman of South African Thai Chamber of Commerce (SATCC) – first person to be head of two foreign chambers: 2012-2016; 2020-
Appointed as Honorary Adviser to BCCT and SATCC in November 2016
Honorary Consul Designate for Republic of South Africa to the Eastern Seaboard of Thailand (2016 – 2020)

Media
A writer for various newspapers, magazines and journals based in Thailand
Regular appearances on local and national television:1997-2016
Nominated for the Lorenzo Natali Prize for journalism. This award was created by the EU in 1992 and is for, “Excellence in reporting on human rights and democracy in the developing world”

Charity
President of ‘Care for Kids’: 1998-2010
Secretary of The Lighthouse Club – Eastern Seaboard: 2006-2007
President of the Royal British Legion (RBL) Thailand which also helps the Thai Veterans Assoc. and their local hospitals: 2009 – 2017
Committee member of BCTFN – a.k.a. Ploenchit Fair charity organisation: 2012-2014. Re-appointed January 2017 – 2019
Appointed as Honorary Adviser to English for All – founded by Korn Chatikanavij, Finance Minister for Thailand 2008-2011, to expand the teaching of English in Thai schools: 2016 – present

Personal
Born in Birmingham, England on 25th June 1959
Educated at Repton School and graduated from University of Bradford
Married
Awarded MBE, by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II, in New Year’s Honours list 2012, “for services to British business interests in Thailand”
Conferred with the inaugural ‘International Personality of the Year’ award, in 2016, by International Investment Magazine
In 2018, received the highest award bestowed by the RBL, the Gold Badge, which is given for “meritorious and conspicuous service”
Recreation: Chairman of Pattaya Cricket Club. A supporter of Pattaya Panthers Rugby Club, this follows from being a member of both
Wasps and Moseley Rugby Clubs when in the UK. Other interests – History, Literature, Classical Music, Travel and Movies

CURRENT ROLES:

Head of Business Development: Sasin Business School

Visiting Faculty: Sasin Business School; Asian Institute of Technology

Founder & MD: Pure Growth Asia

Orchestrator & Educator: Duke CE Advisor: Board of Trade of Thailand

CORE FOCUS AREAS:
Empathic Leadership | Strategy and Implementation | Negotiation Innovation | Leading Change | Purpose and Authenticity

Experience
Ragil trained as a Clinical Psychologist and has worked in a variety of senior corporate talent and leadership development roles roles in South Africa, the USA and the UK, focused, before setting up his own leadership development and coaching practice in Thailand. He provides Executive Coaching to C-Suite leaders and designs and delivers leadership development solutions for global clients in a range of industries including Pharma, FMCG and Banking, as well as International Organizations such as UNICEF and The World Bank Group.

Ragil is the Head of Business Development for Executive Education at Sasin Business School and teaches MBA courses at Sasin and the Asian Institute of Business. He is the Vice-President of the South African-Thai Chamber of Commerce and an Advisor to the Board of Trade of Thailand, working with government agencies and the private sector to build trade relations.

He develops leaders in the following areas, using empathy and purpose as the underlying conceptual foundation:

Strategy: Facilitating understanding of how strategy can be built, made tangible and translated for performance.

Expanding Critical and Systemic Thinking, and working with effective decision-making frameworks

Leading Change: Understanding Change Processes. Driving personal and organizational change

Interpersonal Engagement and Negotiation: Supporting leaders in building strong relationship with various stakeholder to achieve mutually beneficial goals.

Coaching: helping leaders develop the coaching skills required to lead and grow their teams sustainably. Having Critical Conversations.

Director of PKF Advisory (Thailand) Limited. Peter grew up in the Midlands of Natal, matriculating at Maritzburg College and graduated from the University of Natal with a Bachelor of Accounting degree. After completing Articles of Clerkship and sitting the Final Qualifying Exam of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants Peter set up a boutique consultancy specializing in construction engineering and agriculture. In 1995 Peter relocated to Mozambique and continued in consulting and was acknowledged as being an expert in providing 3rd World solutions for 3rd World problems. In 2004 Peter relocated to Bangkok and joined Baker Tilly Thailand heading up the management services division and rising to partner. He also headed up Baker Tilly Consulting Myanmar. In 2013 Peter left Baker Tilly and joined Smythe Partners a specialist emerging market solution provider. Smythe Partners are in a joint venture with PKF Thailand. PKF Smythe are able to offer services covering audit, accounting. legal, tax, risk, mediation and consulting in Thailand. Peter is a member of the Thai Institute of Directors and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Member Company: Amazon Colours Co., Ltd. 

In 2010, Linda and her husband Andrew, brought their proprietary colourant technology from South Africa to Thailand.  Amazon Colours specializes in the development of point-of-sale tinting systems and the production of pigment dispersions for the paint market. Leveraging extensive technical experience and regional market knowledge, Amazon Colours has become the premier colourant manufacturer in South East Asia, servicing the Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodian and Bangladesh paint markets. In 2017, the company opened a second production plant in Indonesia. Linda’s grassroots involvement in both companies has given her valuable practical business experience in Thailand and Indonesia. Back in South Africa, Linda was involved in the TV industry for over 20 years. She managed her own production company, served as the Executive Producer of an investigative journalism show, worked for Pay-TV operator MultiChoice at General Management level and also as CEO of a Mobile Broadcast TV business for the Naspers Group. Linda holds various tertiary qualifications, is a good communicator, has a practical, project-driven approach to problem solving and can lead diverse teams. For several years, she spearheaded Jabulani, the SA social organization in Thailand, with which she still remains strategically involved. Linda has served on the SATCC Board since 2015.

Member Company: Roxland International Co. Ltd. 

Rakesh’s personal experience in dealing with South Africa dates back to around 1986 before even the South African embassy in Thailand was established. He was also on the committee of Indian Thai Chamber of Commerce Between 1998-1999 as joint secretary and director to Joint Foreign Chambers coordinating Committee in Thailand. His company, Roxland is now established in Thailand for 5 years but prior to that he was a director in Harrytex (Thailand) Co., Ltd for the past 20 Years, with his main focus and role being to build relationships with South African Clientele for exports of products out of Thailand to South Africa. Rakesh has been member of the SATCC Board for the past year and has provided a good perspective on business and trade between Thailand and South Africa from his own personal experience, and provided ideas and contributions on how to build better trading relationship between South Africa and Thailand. He is a strong supporter of the SATCC and values the way it organizes small and big events to keep the South African community in close touch. Rakesh’s experience in trade between South Africa and Thailand helps him in building business ties going forward.

Member Company: United Thai Shipping Corporation Limited 

Responsible for Conventional vessel and service, running a fleet of 3 huge conventional vessels, each vessel calling at Thailand and Durban Port, S.A. and vice-versa, carrying commodities such as rice, tapioca starch and construction beam, exporting to South Africa. Born in 1967, Khun Danupong was brought up bilingually, speaking Chinese and Thai. After school, he studied in Dublin, Ireland and graduated in Business Administration, He has also completed a Major Degree in Business Management from Bangkok University. Upon returning to Thailand, he worked for UN-ESCAP Headquarters in Bangkok in 1990, and then moved on to one of the top-10 Japanese trading companies in Bangkok. This was followed by a job with a leading Thai rice exporting company. After that, he moved to his family business (SME) in the field of imported small household appliances, mainly from Germany, Italy, and France Khun Danupong is enthusiastic, flexible, sociable, and continues to serve the SATCC interests as he has previously done as Director.

Head of Sales and Business Development – Industrial APAC RCS

Executive Summary

With 15 years of strategy, sales and business development experience, I help companies ‘join the dots’ to create opportunities and ensure sustained growth. Tech entrepreneur and adviser that is passionate about turning ideas into reality.

Bombardier Transportation (2012 – 2015, 2016 to Present)

During my tenor at Bombardier Transportation, I have directly been responsible for securing +- 250m USD of business within my roles as Head of S&BD for Sub- Saharan Africa (RCS) and Head of Industrial business in APAC (RCS).

I bring proven success in development of opportunities from concept to contract

signature including strategy planning and development; market and competition analysis; leadership and team improvement; mergers, acquisition, JVs and partnership establishment; bid planning and management (including budgeting); governance management and reporting; contract structuring and negotiation; key account/customer management

Together with the Head of Industrial in 2013, was responsible for setting up the mining/industrial business within Bombardier RCS.

South African Thai Chamber of Commerce (2020 – Present)

Develop business interest and facilitate trade between South African and Thailand. Working together with the SA Embassy, we will look to mentor and coach companies seeking to trade between the 2 countries.

Investor, Co-founder (2015 to Present)

Tech entrepreneur that is currently involved in various successful startup endeavors in varying roles and responsibilities. Key areas of expertise include coaching, strategy development, sales and business development, product road- mapping, financial analysis, business case & pitch deck development

MAC Consulting (South Africa : Sep 2008 – 2012)

Engage with C-Level executives to provide objective advice and specialist skills to help their organizations solve issues, create value and maximize growth, develop efficiencies and improve business performance. I had managed various opportunities in this role, including mergers and acquisitions, process optimizations, project management consulting, facilitation of stakeholder engagement forums, etc.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead opportunity strategy planning, business development and sales including market and competition analysis, partnership establishment, bid planning and governance, contract structuring and negotiation
• Key Account/Customer management for Philippines and all mining customers across Asia Pacific
• Develop business interest between South Africa and Thailand

 

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Key opportunities secured:

— Manila MRT3 resignalling project (20m USD)
— Durban re signalling project (1.4bn ZAR)
— Zambia re-signalling project (51 m USD)
— Ethiopia awash – waldiya project (65 m USD)

SPECIALIST AREAS

• Sales and Business Development
• Partnership development (JV, Mergers and consortium setup)
• Negotiation and Contract Mgt
• Strategy planning and development
• Bid Management and Governance
• System and Process Analysis blueprinting and/or re- engineering
• Business modeling (including financial buss case development)

GEOGRAPHIC EXPERIENCE & MOBILITY

• Sub Sahran Africa (until 2016)
• Asia Pacific (2016-present)

EDUCATION

• BSc Electronic Engineering, University of Natal, 2004
• Fluent in English

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Located in Bangkok
Nationality: South African
Gender: Male

Founder and CEO: Marvel Beverage and Events Co., Ltd

Karel has over 25 years experience in business development.

After studying Law at the University of Pretoria, he became an officer and instructor in the SA army, finishing as a Law officer with the Army Battle School at Lohatla in the Northern Cape.

After serving his compulsory military service he went into the housing development business, and successfully developed one of the first South African RDP housing projects, of 180 houses, at Kalbaskraal in the Western Cape in South Africa, a proud legacy of his.

Having experienced construction business he moved to Mozambique which was an underdeveloped economy with a fast growing RDP. He launched Marvel Enterprises which is involved in numerous road building and infrastructure projects all over Mozambique and has contracts for earth moving machines and trucks in the ports of Matola and Maputo in Mozambique.

He also took on the development of a sugar farm in Macia province of Mozambique in this time.

In 2018 he was presented the opportunity to become a KWV business partner in Indochina, which appealed to him because of his Thai family roots.

Karel brings a wealth of experience to an exciting new Thai start up business.

Professional Experience: 

Mission Experience 

1. South African Embassy in Thailand, Bangkok
   Current Position: Counsellor Political/Deputy Head of Mission Duration: April 2021- Current
2. South African Embassy in Guinea, Conakry
   Position: Counsellor Political/Deputy Head of Mission Duration: July 2018- March 2021
3. South African Embassy in Senegal, Dakar
   Position: Counsellor Political/Deputy Head of Mission Duration: March 2014- June 2016
4. South African Embassy in Ireland, Dublin
   Position: Counsellor Political/Deputy Head of Mission Duration: July 2012- February 2014

Other Government Experience

Dec 2005- Sept 2008 – Deputy Director: Provincial Local Liaison (Government Communication and Information System)

Oct.2008- Feb2011 – Deputy Director Strategic Communication (Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO))

 Sep. 2011- June 2012 – Deputy Director Foreign Services- responsible for Angola and Namibia Political Desk (DIRCO)

July 2016-June2018 – Deputy Director Foreign Services- responsible for Burundi and Rwanda Political Desk (DIRCO)

 

Academic Qualifications

1. Bachelor of Social Science Degree (Media and Communications) University of Natal, South Africa (2002)
2. MA (Development Communication) University of Pretoria, South Africa (2009)
3. National Diploma in Diplomacy (2011) Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO)
4. PhD (Development Studies) Current University of Pretoria, South Africa