Explore the stories of Thailand’s game-changers–space pioneers, financial leaders, creative minds, and culinary innovators shaping tomorrow.
Whether breaking new ground as the first in their field or reshaping entire industries, these leaders are steering change across Thailand. From venturing into space and revolutionising finance to nurturing creative hubs and elevating culinary arts, their influence is crafting the future. Driven by passion and purpose, they challenge conventions and open doors for the next generation, demonstrating that innovation takes many forms and transforms lives across sectors.
Today’s four Friday Future Listers invite us into their work and stories—each one shaping the future of Thailand in their own ways.
Dr Pirada “Mink” Techavijit: Thailand’s First Space Traveller and Aerospace Trailblazer
As she reaches for the stars, Dr Pirada ‘Mink’ Techavijit stands out as one of Thailand’s foremost women in aerospace. Starting her career as a satellite engineer with Thailand’s space agency GISTDA, she worked on the country’s first earth observation satellite, THEOS.
Her adventure took a leap when she was selected as one of just 23 participants worldwide–and only four of them women–to join the AXE Apollo Space Academy. After completing intensive astronaut training in Orlando, including enduring the G-centrifuge and conquering the Astronaut Assault Course. Dr Mink was named Thailand’s first future space traveller. She is set to make history as the first Thai citizen headed to space aboard the LYNX Mark II spaceplane in 2014.
Passionate about inspiring the next generation, she co-founded STEMLab, a hands-on makerspace–an engaging, tool-filled learning space that fosters creativity, innovation, and practical STEM skills, bringing science and engineering into Thai classrooms. Currently serving as an Innovation Developer at GISTDA, Dr Mink is helping build Thailand’s future in space–one student, one satellite, and one idea at a time.
Ashwani Ahuja: Turning Ambitious Ideas into Real-World Financial Success
With over three decades of experience in global investment banking, Ashwani Ahuja currently leads the Investment Banking Division at Trinity Securities Group as Chief Executive Officer. Ashwani brings a forward-thinking vision and understanding of financial markets across emerging economies.
At Trinity, he spearheads origination and execution teams that structure complex financial solutions from private equity and M&A to project financing and strategic capital funding. His team’s global footprint spans Asia, Latin America, and Europe, with expertise in sectors including healthcare, consumer goods, real estate, fintech, and telecom.
Ashwani’s impressive track record includes hands-on leadership in cross-border transactions, IPOs, and private equity investments. Notably, he has invested in 25 companies, 17 of which have gone public globally. His success is underpinned by strong relationships with equity and debt capital market investors and an ability to align financial innovation with long-term value creation. Blending insight with humility, Ashwani leads with purpose, turning ideas into lasting impact, while staying grounded and generous with his knowledge.
Onza Janyaprasert: Building Thailand’s Innovation Corridor Through Creativity and Purpose
“I believe Thailand has strong but fragmented creative talents, so I dream of building a hub with a strong ecosystem that will empower these talents.”
Onza “Moom” Janyaprasert is the Senior Vice President at Magnolia Quality Development Corporation (MQDC), where he is leading the transformation of South Sukhumvit, specifically the Onnut to Bang Na corridor, into an innovation district. His flagship development, Cloud 11, is set to become Asia’s largest hub for content creators, spanning over 254,000 sqm, and aims to empower Southeast Asia’s growing creator economy. Another major project under his leadership is Project O, a joint-venture redevelopment of Lotus Sukhumvit 50.
“I hope that the South Sukhumvit neighbourhood will be a cluster for creative talents and innovators for Thailand. I envision Cloud 11 to be a key driver in helping our nation unleash its soft power and bring our culture to the international stage.”
A recipient of the King’s Scholarship from the Royal Thai Government, Onza holds a Master’s in Management Science and a Bachelor’s in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University. Despite his young age, he has already overseen two large-scale real estate developments, each exceeding 1 billion USD in value.
Onza sees real estate as a platform for social impact. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he led the creation of a 450-bed field hospital in collaboration with Prince Hospital and MQDC. He also contributes to the Chaipattana Foundation as a land bank management committee member.
Chef Yakup Tharit Tangsongsirisak: Transforming Thailand’s Halal Culinary Landscape with Flair and Heart
Chef Yakup Tharit Tangsongsirisak has become a true pioneer in Thailand’s food scene. After training in culinary arts at Kendall College in Chicago, he returned to Thailand with one clear goal: to redefine how people see halal cuisine. Today, he’s done just that. At Fat Lamb Bangkok, his signature restaurant, halal food is not only refined–it’s celebrated. The restaurant earned Best Halal Restaurant of the Year in Thailand’s Favourite Restaurants 2023/24 by Koktail, marking a milestone for culinary diversity in the country.
“I want to show that halal food is for everyone, not just Muslims, and it’s not always just chicken with yellow rice. Halal cuisine can be any style of cooking, as long as it uses the right permissible ingredients.”
His breakthrough moment came in 2019, when he triumphed on Iron Chef Thailand, but Chef Yakup didn’t stop there. Named Thailand’s first “Lambassador” for Australian lamb from Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), he’s built a reputation on flavours and heartfelt storytelling through food. Chef Yakup is driven by purpose beyond the kitchen. As a member of Chef Cares, he channels his passion into initiatives that support vulnerable children, using food as a tool for connection and change.
With a new concept already on the horizon, Chef Yakup continues to champion a bigger idea: that great food can build bridges between cultures, communities, and hearts.
