Naruechon Dhumrongpiyawut, CEO of Gunkul Engineering, was named among Forbes Asia’s 20 powerful businesswomen in 2026. Gunkul earned 8.5 billion baht in 2025 and installed 1,629 MW of wind‑solar capacity, planning 40‑50 billion baht investment by 2030.

Naruechon grew up at Gunkul, the company founded by her father in 1982, and earned an engineering degree from Chulalongkorn University, a master’s in management from Harvard University and an MBA from Boston University. She worked at Country Group from 2011 to 2012, then joined Gunkul full‑time in 2012. After leading the firm’s expansion into Japan in 2014, she helped launch operations in Vietnam and Malaysia, and was appointed chief operating officer in 2021.

Thapanee Techajareonvikul, the first woman to lead the 144‑year‑old Berli Jucker group, oversees about 2,000 Big C stores and reported 2025 revenue of 166.6 billion baht, with women holding 53% of top‑management roles. She holds an economics degree from MIT and an MBA from Harvard, joined the company as an executive director in 2003 and became CEO and president after two decades. Thapanee aims to raise international sales to 30% of revenue by 2030 and has acquired MM Mega Market Vietnam for 22.5 billion baht, planning to add 24 new outlets in the next five years.

Both leaders illustrate how solid education, early hands‑on experience, and bold regional expansion can accelerate a career. Their commitment to gender balance—evident in Berli Jucker’s management composition and Naruechon’s mentorship of staff—shows another pathway to sustainable leadership.