Page 32 - Forbes - Asia (July - August 2018)
P. 32
FORBES ASIA
SUPATRA & CHAO PHRAYA EXPRESS
A GENERATION EMERGES
Riverboat
Queens
Starting a century ago, four generations
of women have run the Bangkok company
that ferries people across the Chao Phraya.
Now the property business is calling.
BY SUSAN CUNNINGHAM
upapan Pichaironarongsong- pree, better known as Pim, has been build-
kram is explaining the art of man- ing the group’s advertising sales, hotel and
aging the tough men who oper- real estate businesses for the past six years.
ate her 90-strong eet of ferries, Supapan is petite, sot-spoken and im-
S commuter boats and charters that peccably groomed. If she hadn’t felt a sense
ply Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River. “When of responsibility to carry on the family busi-
you work with men, you don’t work as a ness, she would have followed a more gen-
woman and a man. A man will always look teel line of work, perhaps using her French
down on a woman. hey probably don’t degree or pursuing a career as a pianist. But,
think I know much. I go to them as a friend says Pim, her only child, her mother’s be-
or mother. I protect them. If they know nign appearance is deceptive: “She works six
that, they will trust me. hey know they days a week. She doesn’t have an engineer-
will never lose a job.” ing degree, but she knows all the speciica-
Supapan, 73, represents the third gen- tions of the boats, the materials, the buoyan-
eration of women at the helm of Supatra cy required for the boats to oat, the width
& Chao Phraya Express Boat Group. Her of the river, the depth of the river. She will
grandmother started the ferry service act like she doesn’t know much, but she
roughly a century ago—the exact year is knows everything. You cannot mess with expected to soar over the next decade for
unknown—and when she died in 1931, her.” Until his death in 2007, Supapan’s archi- two reasons: Supapan plans to replace her
Supapan’s mother took over at age 20 (see tect husband, Pao Pichaironarongsongkram, entire open-air wooden express eet with
box, p. 33). Today the group comprises ten also worked in the company’s management, sleek, high-speed, air-conditioned alumi-
companies and 600 employees, and the but the women were always the bosses. num boats, perhaps catamarans that will ADAM DEAN FOR FORBES
fourth generation is getting ready to take he privately held group generates $30 skim above the water. And Pim is draw-
over. Supapan’s 32-year-old daughter, Nata- million in revenue a year, but that igure is ing up plans for the group’s $300 million in
30 | FORBES ASIA JULY / AUGUST 2018
