Charoen Kanthawongs

Dr. Charoen Kanthawongs is Of Counsel at Tilleke & Gibbins and a current Member of Parliament for the Democrat Party, having served as an elected Member continuously since 1974 for 12 consecutive terms. He is currently an advisor to the firm’s government relations group.

Dr. Charoen’s dedicated service to the government of Thailand began in 1973. In the course of his illustrious career, Dr. Charoen has served as the Minister of Science, Technology and Environment, the Deputy Minister of Education, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, and the Deputy Secretary General to the Prime Minister. Dr. Charoen has also served in a number of distinguished legislative capacities including as Chairman, House Committee on Foreign Affairs; Vice Chairman, Coalition Government Whip in Parliament; Spokesman, the House Committee on National Budget; Chairman, House Committee on House Affairs; and Chairman, House Committee on Science, Technology and Environment. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Democrat Party.

A Ph.D. graduate in Higher Educational Administration from Syracuse University, Dr. Charoen has been a champion of education in Thailand. He founded Bangkok University—one of Thailand’s largest private universities—and was its President for 26 years. He has also lectured at Chulalongkorn University.