With its business spreading in many parts of the world, Thai Union Frozen Products Plc (TUF) faces challenges to transform itself into a global player amid an unfavourable environment for the seafood industry.
The rapidly changing seafood industry requires a global corporate structure, says Mr Thiraphong.
The 35-year-old world leader in canned tuna became a global operator just two years ago and now has three companies in the US, one in Vietnam, a group of companies in Europe and joint ventures in China and Papua New Guinea.
Half of TUF's 32,000 personnel are in Thailand and the rest abroad. They work in different environments with different cultures.
In addition to weathering short-term shortages and skyrocketing prices for ingredients such as shrimp and tuna, TUF must build a solid global structure to survive intense competition, a mission that may take 5-10 years to complete.
"The industry we are competing in has changed dramatically and rapidly," said president Thiraphong Chansiri.
"We need a global structure and process to support our path to becoming a global player."
TUF has set revenue targets of US$5 billion in 2015 (revised from $3.8 billion) and $8 billion by 2020. The company must grow by 15% a year and increase investment, especially in foreign countries.
To stay competitive, TUF plans to integrate global operations to gain more bargaining power, using headquarters set up to manage business in different regions.
The office in Thailand, for example, will oversee all subsidiaries in Asia, while the European office manages the Paris-based MWBrands, which also has a presence in Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Italy.
"Operating as subsidiaries is good in terms of flexibility, but with a global structure and process, we can exercise our power as a group to be more competitive," said Mr Thiraphong.
A global chief financial officer and heads of marketing and operations will be named together with global heads of six business units.
In addition, personnel development is crucial for TUF to achieve sustainable business growth with a strong workforce of Thais and expats.
The One Young World Summit, for instance, welcomes three employees to Johannesburg, South Africa, to exchange views with business leaders from around the globe.
In the short term, Mr Thiraphong said the industry has bottomed out and better performance is expected in the second half.
But the outbreak of a disease that cut Thailand's shrimp supply by more than half is seen lasting until next year and remains a challenge for TUF.