The 14th cohort of the Executive Management Program (EMP) at the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) concluded its intensive course by presenting a leapfrog strategy to restore Thailand as ASEAN’s number one. They proposed integrated civil service reforms to break down government agency silos and amend outdated laws, emphasizing the urgent need to transition toward a high-value economic ecosystem encompassing digital technologies, special economic zones, and innovative agriculture.
On 8 April 2026, the 14th cohort of NIDA’s Executive Management Program held a major academic seminar titled "Thailand’s Leapfrog Strategy to ASEAN Economic Leadership." The event consolidated in-depth research from over 120 participants, leaders from both public and private sectors, crystallizing structural proposals based on studies of six key issues to sustainably elevate the nation’s economic wellbeing.
Ms. Suwannaya Piyapanichyakul, Senior Executive Vice President of Finance at National Telecom Public Company Limited. She highlighted Thailand’s strength as a regional ASEAN submarine cable hub but noted a shortage of digital talent. She proposed that the government expedite a Cloud First Policy to attract major technology investors and integrate government IT systems to reduce costs, which would boost Digital GDP growth by 7.3% and create over 10,000 new jobs in the near future.
Mr. Pongsakorn Kowanich, Regional Head for Bangkok at Advanced Info Service Public Company Limited. He stated that leading a smart city requires prioritizing "security," but current challenges include fragmented data and unclear PDPA regulations. He recommended establishing a Single Command Authority and a National Urban Data Platform to shift from reactive prevention to proactive measures using predictive AI, thereby raising urban living standards to global levels.
Mr. Yuttana Silpsanvich, CEO of Pladin Workwear Company Limited. He reflected on delays in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) caused by overlapping authorities and rigid regulations. Emphasizing that "speed is the new capability," he urged the government to implement a genuine One Stop Service to regain investor confidence, which could attract over 2.5 trillion baht in investment and drive GDP growth of 5–7%.
Mr. Patanachai Singhavara, Director of the Bureau of Convention and Exhibition Promotion (Public Organization). He proposed transforming the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions) industry from sporadic events into an ecosystem-driven model that connects local industries and leaves a legacy of knowledge in communities to create sustainable economic value and attract high-value investment long-term.
Ms. Pim Suntornpipat, Director of Accounting and Finance at the State Railway of Thailand Electric Train Company Limited. She highlighted the "Mango Sandbox" model addressing mango oversupply by extracting the high-value compound Mangiferin for the global $5.6 trillion wellness market. She called on the Board of Investment (BOI) to provide tax incentives to shift Thailand from a fresh fruit exporter to a regional leader in the bioeconomy and wellness hub.
Mr. Kaona Deelon, Senior CEO of Thai Agro Energy Public Company Limited (Norie). He proposed upgrading the palm oil sector by establishing the Palm Oil Board of Thailand as the main authority to create a National Data & Traceability Platform, certify ESG standards, and upgrade factories to biorefineries producing high-value medical extracts, steering Thailand toward becoming ASEAN’s leader in sustainable palm oil.
These six representatives of EMP 14 led groups to study deep-seated problems and formulated proposals to the government across six key areas.
Brainstorming across the six groups identified a common "major obstacle": the segmented civil service system and rigid regulations, which impede the full effectiveness of mega-projects like the EEC and Smart City initiatives. The urgent recommendation is for the government to transition to a Single Host management model with a principal authority wielding decisive power to remove inter-agency bottlenecks and implement a National Data Hub architecture to enable data-driven decision-making.
"Thailand is not lacking potential, but it is trapped by an outdated bureaucracy. If we boldly reform laws to be flexible and enable true integrated collaboration, we can reduce logistics costs below 10% and gracefully surpass middle-income status to become ASEAN’s number one," the group emphasized.
The core goal of the Executive Management Program is to build a new generation of leaders who "see before others, think beyond, and take real action." The academic work and proposals from this seminar are more than a training summary; they are a national strategy handbook based on the real experiences of senior executives, ready to be passed to the government to drive the country forward, unlock economic constraints, and restore Thailand’s prominence both regionally and globally.