Editorial | Meliza M. Rusli, President Director PermataBank : One Family, One Team

On March first, Elite+ will be celebrating our 10th anniversary. And let me begin by thanking you, our readers and our sponsors, for your invaluable support without which we would not have been able to reach this important milestone. I want you to know that we take our slogan, “The Magazine for Sophisticated Cosmopolitans”, quite seriously and so put a lot of time and energy into planning and producing each issue with articles that can inform and entertain our readership. And in this issue, to mark the culmination of our first decade and the commencement of our next, we have compiled a great collection of articles for your reading pleasure.

We begin with our cover story in which we introduce Ibu Meliza M. Rusli, President Director PermataBank, a member of Bangkok Bank Group, who is followed by HE Mr. David Daly, the European Union ambassador to Thailand, in which he discusses EU-Thailand bilateral relations, particularly the important ongoing EU-Thailand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, and then the Czech Republic ambassador to Thailand, HE Pavel Pitel as our two countries celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations.

In this issue, we also tell you about the very exciting, upcoming Taipei International Book Exhibition (TIBE) and Bangkok International Book Fair and Rights Fair, both supported by the VIRF online platform that will serve as a pivotal conduit for publishers and rights traders from around the region and globe who cannot attend these events in person.

We are also then quite honoured to have an article based on the keynote speech by the eminent Professor Jeffrey Sachs, the president of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN SDSN), who provided his insights at the ‘Sustainability Talks’ sponsored by the SX Sustainability Expo, C asean, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Thai Beverage PCL on the topic, “Towards a Green ASEAN”.

After this we take you for a luxury staycation and dining at the INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit and its LUZ Bangkok Tapas Bar & The Kites Eatery, then on to the resurgent capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, followed by the fourth part of Pongpol Adireksarn’s High Arctic adventure and then, finally, Saigon and its noir mystique. In between these travels, we introduce Surachedh Assawaruenganun, the chief media and content officer of M Studio, who talks about the resurgence of the Thai and international film industries following the Covid-19 pandemic. We will also be sharing the short story, “In the Name of Loneliness”, by Anchalee Viva as an extraordinary work.

I do hope you will enjoy this 10th anniversary celebratory issue of Elite+. On behalf of my entire editorial team, I again wish to express our appreciation for your continued patronage.

Arthorn Techatada
Executive Editor