Description

What lies ahead for Thailand in 2024?  Economic challenges include high household debt, the skilled labor gap, and diminishing competitiveness in the manufacturing sector.  The government’s planned economic stimulus campaigns, such as the Digital Wallet and Landbridge, may face hurdles before they come to fruition.

AMCHAM has gathered some of Thailand’s leading economists for their insights on Thailand Economic Outlook, including Dr. Arnunchanog Sakondhavat from Office of National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), Dr. Phurichai Rungcharoenkitkul from the Bank of Thailand, and Dr. Kiatipong Ariyapruchya from the World Bank.

Please join us for our Member Luncheon for a wide-ranging discussion covering regional and Thai economic outlook, fiscal and monetary policies, and more.
 
About the Speakers

Dr. Arnunchanog Sakondhavat is the Director of the Macroeconomic Strategy and Planning Division at the Office of National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC). With more than 20 years working at NESDC, she has been engaged in macroeconomic analysis, providing policy recommendations, and drafting the 5-year National Economic and Social Development Plan. She has served on many national committees including the Covid-19 Economic Situation Administration (CESA). Arnunchanog obtained her doctorate from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex. Before that, she earned her master’s degree in economics from the University of Michigan, and her bachelor’s degree in economics from Chulalongkorn University.
 
Dr. Phurichai Rungcharoenkitkul is Director of Monetary Policy Strategy Office at the Bank of Thailand. He leads a group of economists tasked with advising the Monetary Policy Committee on interest rate and exchange rate policies. He is currently on leave from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), where he is a Principal Economist. Before joining the BIS in 2014, he spent nearly a decade at the BOT in various functions, notably in monetary policy and reserve management departments. He also spent a couple of years at the International Monetary Fund covering Asia. His recent research covers monetary policy, financial stability, financial markets and open economy issues among others. He obtained his DPhil and MPhil in Economics from the University of Oxford, and a BSc in Economics with Statistics (First Class Honours) from the University of Bristol.

Dr. Kiatipong Ariyapruchya is the senior country economist of the World Bank for Thailand. His work focuses on macroeconomic assessment and structural reforms. Prior to joining the Bank, Kiatipong worked at the Bank of Thailand in the Monetary Policy Group and at the Puey Ungphakorn Research Institute. He was also the Director of the Capital Market Research Institute at the Stock Exchange of Thailand and an economist at the International Monetary Fund where he participated in program negotiation and surveillance missions to Egypt, Georgia, Nepal, and South Korea. He holds a PhD in Economics from Columbia University, and a BA in Economics from Dartmouth College.