It is an unforgettable experience walking into the Asia Plus Securities [ASP] office, which looks more like a gallery than one of Asia’s leading brokerage companies. Elite+ sat down with the man awarded Best Advisory Broker for 2013 by The European magazine. Dr Kongkiat Opaswongkarn and ASP have also received awards in Thailand and Southeast Asia, such as Best Analyst from the Thai Securities Analyst Association (SAA), Best Securities Company from the SET, Best Bond Securities Firm from the Thai Bond Market Association, Best Mid-Cap Corporate Finance House from Alpha Southeast Asia and Analysts 2012 from the SAA.
The European
What in particular from Asia Plus Securities caught the eye of The European? In October 2013, when the political situation in Thailand started to get turbulent, no one noticed that Dr Kongkiat was recognized for his hard work. This award showed that political unrest can’t stop the private sector.
One of Thailand’s strengths lies in the many talents it has in the private sector. ASP is an example of good strategies resulting in good performance. Dr Kongkiat spoke to us about his business of over 25 years, as he looked ahead to the coming free trade agreements.
Before Dr Kongkiat became CEO of Asia Plus Securities Pcl, he served as chairman of the board of Asset Plus Securities Pcl. He has also been executive director of the Export-Import Bank of Thailand. Prior to that, he studied at the National Defence College of Thailand, an institution renowned for gathering high performers who then contribute their talents to Thailand. He received an MS and MBA, then a PhD in operations research from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His bachelor’s was in engineering from the high-profile Chulalongkorn University.
