Introducing the profile of Suphajee Suthumpun, who rejects the label of "Blue Bearer" but has propelled the Bhumjaithai Party's popularity. Her notable achievement is the "Rice for Arms" policy, leading to her appointment as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce in the second Anutin Cabinet.
On 31 March 2026, reporters noted that the Royal Gazette website published the appointment of ministers in Anutin Charnvirakul’s government, known as the second Anutin Cabinet, which retained key positions for threetechnocrats.These include Ekniti Nitithanprapas, who continues as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance; Sihasak Puangketkaew, who remains Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs; while Suphajee Suthumpun, as expected, was appointed Deputy Prime Minister alongside Minister of Commerce.
Suphajee Suthumpun, nicknamed "Taem," was born on 15 April 1964 and is currently 61 years old. She is married to Prethyut Niwasabut, CEO of Lifespan Care Company Limited, and they have two children. She completed secondary education at Saint Joseph Bangna School in Bangkok and holds a bachelor's degreein Sociology and Anthropologyfrom Thammasat University. She earned a master’s degree in Business Administration (Finance and International Accounting) from Northrop University in Inglewood, California, USA. Currently, she is pursuing a doctoral degree in Buddhist Studies with a focus on Innovation and Peace Studies at Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University.
Suphajee served as Managing Director of IBM (Thailand) before being appointed Vice President of General Business, overseeing Southeast Asia and India. She was then selected as Executive Assistant to IBM Chairman Samuel J. Palmisano at IBM’s New York headquarters, becoming the first ASEAN executive in that role, before returning as General Manager for ASEAN in Global Technology Services.
After leaving IBM, she became CEO of Thaicom in 2011, a company that had suffered continuous losses for years. She successfully turned around the company’s performance, restoring profitability and enhancing its reputation across Asia.
In 2016, she was appointed Group CEO of Dusit Thani Public Company Limited, becoming the first CEO outside the founding family. She played a pivotal role in driving the mixed-use "Dusit Central Park" project in central Bangkok and expanded the food and catering business under "Dusit Foods," earning a place on Forbes’ 50 Over 50 Asia 2024 List.
She also served as an independent director of Kasikornbank and SCG Packaging before resigning from all three positions in September 2025.
Suphajee entered politics during Anutin Charnvirakul’s formation of the Bhumjaithai government, beinginvited toserve as Minister of Commerce in the first Anutin Cabinet. She impressed with her performance during her first parliamentary debate as minister, earning praise from opposition MPs for being well-prepared and creative.
Her notable accomplishment was the modern barter trade policy, negotiating that foreign buyers of Thai military equipment, fighter jets, or warships also purchase agricultural products such as rice and cassava at 10-20% value to help alleviate surplus agricultural goods. Due to her positive image and effective communication, her popularity steadily rose, leading Anutin to announce her as a prime ministerial candidate for Bhumjaithai, which she declined. Nonetheless, she continued campaigning for the party and was often regarded as the "Blue Bearer," a role she denied, affirming at a major campaign event in Bangkok's Lumphini Park on 30 January 2026: “Many say Taem is the Blue Bearer, working for Bhumjaithai and for Prime Minister Anutin. Today, I want to clearly say that I do not work for Bhumjaithai or for Prime Minister Anutin. I work for everyone here, for our country, for all Thai people no matter which province they live in or whether they vote or not. We are all Thai, and I will do my best with full dedication,” said Suphajee.
When forming the second Anutin Cabinet, Suphajee was named to the position ofDeputy Prime Ministerwhile continuing as Minister of Commerce, as Anutin had promised during his campaign that choosing Bhumjaithai would bring "Suphajee, Ekniti, and Sihasak" as Deputy Prime Ministers.
