In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 15 February 1962
- Birthplace
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Country
- Thailand
- Nationality
- Thai
- Known for
- Moving from Sansiri’s property business to a Pheu Thai-led coalition government
- Office
- 30th Prime Minister, 22 August 2023 – 14 August 2024
- Political party
- Pheu Thai Party
- Business career
- Former president and CEO of Sansiri
- Departure
- Removed by Constitutional Court Ruling No. 21/2567
Why this life matters
Srettha’s short premiership captured the compromise that returned Pheu Thai to government, its focus on economic stimulus and the continuing power of judicial ethics review.
Timeline
Key moments
Born in Bangkok
Born on 15 February into a business family.
Studied economics and finance in the United States
Completed undergraduate study at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an MBA in finance at Claremont Graduate School.
Helped build Sansiri
Moved from Procter & Gamble into the property company that became one of Thailand’s largest developers.
Joined Pheu Thai
Entered formal party politics and became an economic adviser before the general election.
Pheu Thai finished second in the election
Move Forward won the most seats, but its proposed coalition could not secure a prime minister.
Selected as the 30th prime minister
Won a joint parliamentary vote after Pheu Thai assembled an eleven-party coalition.
Presented an economic policy programme
Prioritised household stimulus, tourism, agricultural income, investment and administrative reform.
Removed by the Constitutional Court
Lost office over his nomination of Pichit Chuenban as a minister despite Pichit’s earlier contempt sentence.
From consumer goods to property development
Srettha Thavisin was born in Bangkok on 15 February 1962. He studied economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and earned an MBA in finance from Claremont Graduate School. After beginning at Procter & Gamble in Thailand, he entered property development around the end of the 1980s.
Sansiri grew from that venture into a major listed developer of condominiums, housing projects and hospitality assets. Company reports record Srettha in senior executive and board roles over several decades; he later became president and chief executive. His public identity combined real-estate wealth with outspoken commentary on inequality, urban development and the economic performance of Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government.
A rapid move into electoral politics
Srettha formally joined Pheu Thai in 2022 and advised its economic team before becoming one of three prime-ministerial candidates for the 2023 election. He left his executive roles and transferred his Sansiri shares before campaigning on economic stimulus, higher incomes and a 10,000-baht digital-wallet programme.
The election did not give Pheu Thai first place. Move Forward won the most House seats and initially built an eight-party alliance, but its leader could not secure enough votes in the joint parliamentary selection process. Pheu Thai then separated from that alliance and constructed an eleven-party coalition that included parties associated with the outgoing military-backed government.
Coalition compromise and appointment
Parliament selected Srettha on 22 August 2023 with support from elected representatives and senators appointed under the post-coup system. His ascent returned a Shinawatra-aligned party to government but depended on cooperation with political forces that Pheu Thai had opposed. That bargain gave the coalition governing numbers while disappointing voters who expected an anti-military bloc.
Srettha also served as finance minister during the first eight months of his premiership. He adopted a highly visible, business-oriented style, travelling to court investment, promoting tourism and presenting himself as a national sales representative. The coalition’s breadth, however, limited how quickly signature promises could move from campaign slogans into funded programmes.
Economic policy and the digital-wallet dispute
The government’s policy statement prioritised immediate economic stimulus alongside tourism, agricultural income, infrastructure, energy and administrative modernisation. The digital-wallet plan became its most recognisable proposal, but questions about eligibility, financing, inflation and legal authority repeatedly changed the design and timetable.
Srettha pursued visa facilitation and international investment promotion while backing large infrastructure ideas and policies intended to make Thailand a stronger aviation, tourism and service hub. Supporters saw urgency after years of slow growth; critics argued that frequent announcements exceeded delivery and that the coalition had diluted the democratic mandate expressed in the 2023 result.
The ethics ruling that ended the government
In April 2024 Srettha nominated Pichit Chuenban as a minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office. Pichit had previously served a prison sentence for contempt of court and had been removed from the lawyers’ register. Senators petitioned the Constitutional Court, arguing that the appointment showed Srettha lacked the integrity required of ministers.
On 14 August the Court ruled five to four that Srettha knew or had reason to know of the disqualification and had seriously breached ethical standards. His premiership and cabinet ended immediately, less than a year after his selection. The decision demonstrated how ministerial vetting and judicial interpretation can overturn a parliamentary coalition even when the prime minister himself has not been convicted of a criminal offence.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Srettha Thavisin
- Who is Srettha Thavisin?
- Srettha Thavisin is the 30th Prime Minister of Thailand, 2023–2024. Srettha’s short premiership captured the compromise that returned Pheu Thai to government, its focus on economic stimulus and the continuing power of judicial ethics review.
- What is Srettha Thavisin best known for?
- Srettha Thavisin is best known for moving from Sansiri’s property business to a Pheu Thai-led coalition government.
- When and where was Srettha Thavisin born?
- Srettha Thavisin was born on 15 February 1962 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Sources and further reading
How this biography was checked
Core dates and offices are checked against the sources below. This profile was last reviewed on 3 October 2026.
- Secretariat of the Prime Minister of ThailandDirectory of Prime Ministers of Thailand
- Inter-Parliamentary UnionThailand House of Representatives election, May 2023
- Sansiri Public Company LimitedSrettha Thavisin executive profile
- Associated PressProfile of Thailand’s new prime minister
- Secretariat of the Prime Minister of ThailandHistorical cabinet policy statements
- Constitutional Court of ThailandConstitutional Court Ruling No. 21/2567
- ReutersSrettha selected prime minister after the 2023 election
- Wikimedia CommonsPortrait and licence record
