Description

With changes and updates announced daily, all eyes are on the Trump administration as we wait to learn what trade policies will be implemented, where tariffs might fall and what the expected impact will be on the U.S. – Thailand trade relationship.
 
AMCHAM is privileged to assemble a panel of diverse experts, including former U.S. Congressman Ken Buck (R-Col), distinguished economist Dr. Kirida Bhaopichitr of the TDRI Economic Intelligence Service, and international trade and customs expert Paul Sumner of PricewaterhouseCoopers. The discussion will be moderated by Lyn Kok of MulaX. 
 
Ken Buck will set the stage with a brief overview of what we know so far about the new U.S. administration’s trade policies. Our panelists will then launch into discussion and analysis of the key changes and their impacts on Thailand; which sectors will be most affected by tariffs and where opportunities may emerge; and how changes might affect areas of economic collaboration, especially in technology and innovation.
 
This event will also serve as the Annual General Meeting for the purposes of approving the 2024 President’s Report and 2024 Audited Financial Statements, along with the appointment of the 2025 Auditor. These documents will be available to all members in the Member Information Center and will be included in the online ballots on March 12. Voting will open then and conclude at 12:30 pm on March 27, after which the results will be announced at the meeting.
 

About the Speakers:

Ken Buck was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for the Fourth Congressional District in Colorado in 2014. He served on the Judiciary Committee and was ranking Republican on the Immigration Subcommittee and the Antitrust Subcommittee. Ken also served on the Foreign Affairs Committee, where he was a member of the East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee. Small government, debt reduction, US-Asian relations, and promoting competition policy in the tech sector were among his signature issues.

Before joining Congress, Ken was elected district attorney for three terms in Colorado. Prior to that he spent twelve years with the Colorado U.S. Attorney’s Office where he became the Chief of the Criminal Division, while also teaching as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Denver, College of Law. Ken graduated from Princeton University in 1981 and the University of Wyoming Law School in 1985.  

Dr. Kirida Bhaopichitr, Director, TDRI Economic Intelligence Service (EIS). Dr Kirida is a renowned economist with extensive experience in monitoring and analyzing the global and Thai economies, as well as demographic changes and technological development issues. She currently serves as the Director of TDRI Economic Intelligence Service (EIS), a corporate membership program that prepares monthly seminars for members on relevant business issues. Prior to joining TDRI, she was a Senior Economist at the World Bank Group for over 15 years, where she authored the bi-annual Thailand Economic Monitor. Dr. Kirida has a Ph.D. in Economics from Cornell University (USA) and is a regular speaker at high-level forums and executive courses in Thailand and abroad.
 
Paul Sumner, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers. Paul is a Partner of the Worldtrade Management Services (WMS) practice in Thailand. Paul has been in Thailand since 1997, where he now leads the Customs and International Trade practice for Mekong (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos), Malaysia and the Philippines. Paul is experienced in advising clients on various aspects of customs and international trade and is actively involved with customs and BOI compliance issues, including internal compliance reviews, dispute resolution, optimising preferential trading arrangements and implementing customs valuation and tariff classification solutions. Prior to joining PricewaterhouseCoopers, Paul was a Higher Executive Officer with the HM Customs and Excise in the UK.

Lyn Kok (Moderator), CEO and Founder, MULA-X. Lyn is the founder of the fintech digital lending platform business MULA-X, which is focused on the underbanked and underserved communities in Thailand, Previously she has served as President and Chief Executive Officer for Standard Chartered Bank (Thai) as well as Managing Director and General Manager, Beijing for Standard Chartered Bank in China.