THAILAND – U.S. TRADE AND INVESTMENT SUMMIT 2026: Building on a Longstanding Partnership AUGUST 17, 2026 HYATT REGENCY BANGKOK SUKHUMVIT
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EVENT PROGRAM 8:30
REGISTRATION
9:00
WELCOMING REMARKS Dr. Poj Aramwattananont, Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce
9:05
SPECIAL REMARKS U.S. Ambassador to Thailand H.E. Sean O’Neill
9:10
KEYNOTE ADDRESS H.E. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, Suphajee Suthumpun
9:15
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY
9:25
RECORDED REMARKS HON Michael DeSombre, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
10:00
9-9-9 SESSION 1. Trade Opportunities (H.E. Nongnuth Phetcharatana, Thailand Trade Representative) 2. Economics (Sutida Tambunlertchai, Citibank) 3. Tourism & Hospitality (Dillip Rajakarier, Minor International) 4. Agribusiness (Dr. Chanintr Chalisarapong, The Thai Chamber of Commerce, Thai Tuna Industry Association, and Thai Pet Food Trade Association) 5. Digital Economy (Hadri Sopri, AWS) 6. Energy and Digital Infrastructure (Jerin Raj, Black & Veatch) 7. Sustainability (Wachirachai Koonamwattana, SCG) 8. Healthcare (Mo Yasin, Organon) 9. Creative Economy (Ruben Hattari, Netflix)
11:50
CONCLUDING REMARKS John Goyer, Vice President, Southeast Asia and Oceania, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
12:00
NETWORKING LUNCH
SPEAKERS
Keynote Address
H.E. Suphajee Suthumpun Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce
Special Remarks
H.E. Sean O’Neill
U.S. Ambassador to Thailand
HON Michael DeSombre Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Trade Opportunities
H.E. Nongnuth Phetcharatana Thailand Trade Representative
Agribusiness
Dr. Chanintr Chalisarapong Vice Chairman, The Thai Chamber of Commerce President, Thai Tuna Industry Association and Thai Pet Food Trade Association
Sustainability
Wachirachai Koonamwattana Chief Sustainability Officer SCG
Concluding Remarks
Welcoming Remarks
Supporting Remarks
Dr. Poj Aramwattananont
Chairman The Thai Chamber of Commerce
Economics
Sutida Tambunlertchai
Country Head of Commercial Banking Citibank
Digital Economy
Hadri Sopri
Head of Trade Policy, APAC AWS
Healthcare
Mo Yasin
Thailand Country Lead Organon
John Goyer Vice President, Southeast Asia and Oceania
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Tourism & Hospitality
Dillip Rajakarier Group CEO Minor International
Energy and Digital Infrastructure
Jerin Raj Senior Vice President, Managing Director and Head of APAC & India
Black & Veatch
Creative Economy
Ruben Hattari
Director of Global Affairs, SEA Netflix
KEYNOTE ADDRESS H.E. SUPHAJEE SUTHUMPUN Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Suphajee Suthumpun is a prominent Thai business executive and politician serving as Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce. She is the country’s first female Deputy Prime Minister and brings more than three decades of leadership experience across the technology, telecommunications, hospitality, and public sectors. Prior to entering public service, Suphajee spent 23 years at IBM, where she rose to Vice President of Global Technology Services for ASEAN. She later served as Chief Executive Officer of Thaicom before becoming Group Chief Executive Officer of Dusit International in 2016, a position she held until 2025. Drawing on her extensive corporate leadership experience, she has focused on strengthening Thailand’s competitiveness, promoting investment, and advancing the country’s trade and economic development.
H.E. SEAN O’NEILL U.S. Ambassador to Thailand U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Sean O’Neill is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. Most recently, he served as the Foreign Policy Advisor to the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps and Senior Bureau Official for the Department of State’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, overseeing over 40 diplomatic posts across East Asia. Ambassador O’Neill previously served in Thailand as the United States Consul General in Chiang Mai and as Political-Military Unit Chief at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok. His other overseas assignments include Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Burma, and Hong Kong. He also served as a legislative fellow with the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs and as the State Department Visiting Professor at The George Washington University. He holds a B.A. from Tulane University and a J.D. from Fordham University’s School of Law.
HON MICHAEL DESOMBRE Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael DeSombre was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs on October 10, 2025. Previously, he was a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell, where he led the firm’s Asia Mergers and Acquisitions Practice and its Korea and Southeast Asia Practice. He is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading mergers and acquisitions and private equity lawyers. Assistant Secretary DeSombre lived in Asia for over 25 years. From 2020-2021, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Thailand. A native of Illinois, he received a B.A. in Quantitative Economics and an M.A. in East Asian Studies from Stanford University. He graduated from Harvard Law School, magna cum laude, in 1995. Assistant Secretary DeSombre is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and is conversational in Korean and Japanese.
KEYNOTE ADDRESS DR. POJ ARAMWATTANANONT Chairman, The Thai Chamber of Commerce Dr. Poj Aramwattananont serves as the Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trade of Thailand. He is currently the Chairman and President of Sea Value, overseeing a group of 15 companies with combined annual revenues exceeding 50 billion Baht across diverse industries. Dr. Poj previously served as a Senator in Thailand's National Legislative Assembly from 2014-2018. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a master’s degree from Ramkhamhaeng University, as well as a Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science from Valaiya Alongkorn Rajabhat University.
JOHN GOYER Vice President, Southeast Asia and Oceania, U.S. Chamber of Commerce John Goyer is Executive Director of Southeast Asia at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Goyer focuses on issues of market access, investment barriers, regulatory and other issues that pose challenges for U.S. business in Southeast Asia. He oversees an array of bilateral dialogues and forums to enhance commercial relations with countries in the region. He has been closely engaged in the U.S. Chamber effort to provide Covid-19 relief and assistance to Indonesia and Vietnam and oversees research on the ongoing impact of regional trade tensions on supply chains and trade flows in the region. Since 2016, he has served as a consultant to the UN Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) ASEAN Investment Report Series as well as as a member of Indonesia’s B20 Trade and Investment Task Force during that country’s G20 Chairmanship in 2022.
OUR SPEAKERS H.E. NONGNUTH PHETCHARATANA Thailand Trade Representative Nongnuth Phetcharatana serves as Thailand Trade Representative, promoting Thailand’s trade and investment interests while strengthening economic partnerships with governments, international organizations, and the private sector. She works closely with business organizations, including the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (AMCHAM), to advance bilateral trade and economic cooperation. A career diplomat, Nongnuth previously served as Thailand’s Ambassador to Germany and Austria. She also held senior positions within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Director-General of the Department of American and South Pacific Affairs before serving as Special Advisor to the Office of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), where she supported Thailand’s investment and economic development initiatives. With extensive experience in diplomacy and international economic affairs, Nongnuth continues to play a key role in advancing Thailand’s global trade and investment engagement.
SUTIDA TAMBUNLERTCHAI Country Head of Commercial Banking, Citibank Sutida Tambunlertchai is an accomplished international banking executive with a distinguished career spanning Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. As Country Head of Commercial Banking at Citibank Thailand, she leads the bank’s efforts to support Thai corporates in realizing their international growth ambitions. Over the course of her career, Sutida has earned a reputation for building and leading high-performing teams, advising clients on complex cross-border transactions, and driving sustainable franchise growth. Her extensive global experience, strategic vision, and client-centric approach have enabled businesses to capitalize on opportunities and expand successfully across international markets.
DILLIP RAJAKARIER Group CEO, Minor International Dillip Rajakarier is the Group CEO of Minor International, overseeing Minor Hotels, one of the world’s leading hotel owners and operators. Under his leadership, the business has evolved into a multi-brand hospitality platform spanning luxury to select segments, bringing together brands like Anantara, The Wolseley Hotels, Avani, NH Collection and Oaks under the Minor Hotels masterbrand and Minor DISCOVERY loyalty programme. Dillip joined Minor Hotels in 2007 as Chief Finance & Investment Officer. Appointed CEO of Minor Hotels in 2011, he transformed the business into a global hospitality group through strategic acquisitions, partnerships, and an asset-light growth model. Since becoming Group CEO of Minor International in 2020, Dillip has guided the company through the global pandemic and a strong recovery, while leading its hospitality, food, and lifestyle business, focusing on sustainable growth, innovation, and long-term value creation.
OUR SPEAKERS DR. CHANINTR CHALISARAPONG Vice Chairman, The Thai Chamber of Commerce President, Thai Tuna Industry Association and Thai Pet Food Trade Association Dr. Chanintr Chalisarapong is the President of both the Thai Pet Food Trade Association (TPFA) and the Thai Tuna Industry Association (TTIA), as well as Vice Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC). With decades of leadership in Thailand’s seafood and pet food industries, he currently serves as Senior Vice President of Seavalue PCL. Dr. Chanintr has also played key roles in regional fisheries cooperation, having served multiple terms as Chair and Co-Chair of the INFOFISH World Tuna Conference. He holds a Doctorate in Social Sciences (Third World Development) and a master's in political science from the University of Paris VII.
HADRI SOPRI Head of Trade Policy, APAC, AWS Hadri Sopri is the Head of Trade Policy (APAC) at Amazon Web Services (AWS), where he leads the company’s trade policy strategy for the region. His work focuses on advancing trade policies that drive innovation, reducing barriers to cloud adoption, and fostering digital transformation across the region. He brings deep expertise in trade negotiations, digital economy policy, and multilateral engagement, with a strong track record of working across government, industry, and international fora such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), OECD, ASEAN, and APEC. Prior to joining AWS, Hadri was a senior trade negotiator at Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry, where he helped develop Singapore's digital trade strategy and led negotiations on digital economy agreements and free trade agreements. He also served as a trade diplomat in Geneva, where he spearheaded the launch of plurilateral negotiations on digital trade at the WTO. Hadri holds a degree in Political Science from the National University of Singapore.
JERIN RAJ Senior Vice President, Managing Director and Head of APAC & India, Black & Veatch Jerin Raj is Senior Vice President, Managing Director, and Head of APAC & India, where he guides the team to advance client success and sustainable growth across the region. He has over two decades of experience in project delivery, program management, business development, operations, and P&L leadership, delivering projects across East Asia Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, and India. Jerin has held several leadership roles, including Deputy Head of the APAC region, India Country Director, Sub-Regional Leader, and Asia Power Transmission Business Director. Jerin holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Kumaraguru College of Technology, an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode, and a Master of Science in Program Management from Said Business School, University of Oxford. He is based in Black & Veatch’s Bangkok office.
OUR SPEAKERS WACHIRACHAI KOONAMWATTANA Chief Sustainability Officer, SCG Wachirachai Koonamwattana is the Chief Sustainability Officer at SCG, overseeing the company’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction through investment planning, technology exploration, and collaboration with stakeholders in line with international standards. With over 30 years at SCG, he has held leadership roles in finance, mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning, corporate planning, and new business development. He also heads the Green Choice Technical Team, leading development standards for SCG Green products and certification frameworks for sustainable products, services, and solutions across the construction value chain. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Chulalongkorn University, an MBA from the University of Michigan, an MBE from Thammasat University, and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
MO YASIN Thailand Country Lead, Organon Mo Yasin serves as Managing Director and Country Lead for Organon Thailand. He brings over two decades of leadership experience driving growth and transformation across Europe, Asia Pacific, and China. Having led businesses at the global, regional, and country levels, he brings a broad enterprise perspective and expertise in women’s health across both Specialty Care and Established Brands. He has spent the last 15 Years in Asia Pacific working on policy initiatives and fostering strong partnerships that create lasting value for patients, healthcare systems, and healthcare professionals. Mo is known for his people-centered leadership style and his commitment to creating sustainable business impact.
RUBEN HATTARI Director of Global Affairs, SEA, Netflix Ruben Hattari is Netflix’s Director of Global Affairs for Southeast Asia, where he leads regulatory engagement and champions the region’s creative economy. Based in Singapore, he collaborates with governments to elevate local storytelling globally, while shaping public policy frameworks that drive innovation, consumer protection, and sustainable digital growth. Before joining Netflix, Ruben led public policy for Meta (Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram) in Indonesia and Timor-Leste, spearheading initiatives in digital literacy, content regulation, and election integrity. He also served as Microsoft Indonesia’s Corporate Affairs Director, advancing policies in data privacy, cybersecurity, and smart city development. Ruben served as Executive Director of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council and worked at the Asian Development Bank. An IDEAS Fellow at the MIT Sloan School of Management, he also holds a business degree from Central Queensland University, Australia.