Introducing Dr. Tonsan “Santi Thar Sathienthai,” a digital economist and former MPC board member, amid reports that Finance Minister Akniti is preparing to propose him as Assistant Minister of Finance.
On 3 April 2026, reports stated that Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Akniti Nitithanprapas plans to appoint Mr. Santi Thar Sathienthai, or Dr. Tonsan, as Assistant Minister of Finance. The appointment is expected to be submitted to the Cabinet soon. Recently, Dr. Tonsan resigned from his position as a distinguished member of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of Thailand and stepped down as an independent director of Bluebik Group Public Company Limited (BBIK) on 30 March.
Mr. Santi Thar Sathienthai, nicknamed “Tonsan,” is 45 years old and the son of Special Professor Surakiart Sathienthai, former Deputy Prime Minister, former Minister of Finance, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Thanpuying Suthawan Sathienthai (daughter of Mom Luang Tawisan Ladawan, former Royal Secretary and Privy Councillor, and Thanpuying Mom Rajawongse Busaba Sathanapong (née Kitiyakorn), sister of Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother).
Mr. Santi Thar earned a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He completed a master's in Public Administration in International Development and a PhD in Economic Policy at Harvard University, funded by a Harvard scholarship, and received a best dissertation award.
Mr. Santi Thar previously worked at Credit Suisse in Singapore, where his last position before leaving finance was Head of Emerging Asia Economics.
His research involved economic forecasting and investment advisory for 10 Asian economies. He was the only Asian economist to win the Consensus Economics Global Economic Forecasting Award three consecutive years. He has been recognized as “Asia’s Technology Sector Economist.”
He later transitioned to the digital technology industry, joining Sea Limited, a tech startup valued in the tens of billions of U.S. dollars (Decacorn), as Group Chief Economist.
He was voted Thailand’s top macroeconomist by Asia Money and was the only ASEAN economist invited by the World Economic Forum to join the Global Chief Economist Community to help design the post-COVID-19 global economy.
He has worked at Thailand’s Ministry of Finance and the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation.
He served as a guest lecturer in Macroeconomics at Chulalongkorn University.
He was a distinguished member of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of Thailand.
He served as an advisor on Future Economy at the Thailand Development Research Institute.
He was a subcommittee member of the Council of State drafting legislation on platform economy.
He advised the parliamentary special committee on artificial intelligence (AI) policy during the government of Ms. Paethongtarn Shinawatra.
He resigned as an independent director of Bluebik Group Public Company Limited (BBIK) on 30 March.
Additionally, he authored the book "Futuration: Changing the Present to Embrace the Future," published by Matichon Publishing, which was reprinted three times in less than a year. He was selected by the Asia Society as one of the 21 Young Leaders of Asia in 2017 and is a founding member of the Thai Young Philanthropist Network, which has engaged over 1,800 young Thais in social development projects.
