The government has appointed Umesh Pandey and Werapong Prapha as Thai Trade Representatives.
The order issued by the Prime Minister’s Office was signed by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Nov 5 and took immediate effect.
Mr Werapong, the holder of a Master of Science in development management from the London School of Economics, has worked as a research communications manager at the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) and private sector coordinator at Oxfam Thailand. Most recently he was senior programme manager for corporate accountability at The Freedom Fund, a London-based NGO.
Mr Pandey was a former editor of the Bangkok Post before entering politics. He has served as an adviser to the Pheu Thai Party economic policy committee and last year was appointed a vice-minister to advise former premier Srettha Thavisin.
“I am humbled and honoured to be appointed to the new position today,” Mr Pandey said of his new position in a Facebook post on Nov 5. “I would like to thank Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and the entire cabinet in appointing me to be the new Thailand Trade Representative.
“I promise to do my best to help my country become the destination for investments. I look forward to interacting with all my contacts that I have built over nearly 3 decades of work life as a banker/journalist and now politician.”