Dusit nontanakorn: a man for our times | Bangkok Post: business

EXECUTIVE BRIEFCASE

On Sept 6, Thai society suffered a great loss with the passing of Dusit Nontanakorn, chairman of both the Board of Trade and the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC), after a lengthy illness.

Many of us best recall Mr Dusit leading his corruption-busting initiative and as one of the few outspoken whistleblowers in the private sector. Through strong collaboration with the late Charnchai Charuvastr, his close friend and Thai Institute of Directors (IOD) president, the TCC and the IOD have since become two of the main business organisations spearheading the attack on corruption, one of the root causes of Thailand's low competi-tiveness. This was the first time that corruption was addressed directly by the general business community.

Practising good leadership: I first met Mr Dusit during my time as chief executive of the Thailand Management Association, where he was a board member. My first impression was of his outstanding active listening skills, a sign of a great leader. He always listened carefully to the concerns of all parties so as to help them find the best solution.