Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit will in all likelihood hand the leadership of auto parts maker Thai Summit to his younger brother Sakulthorn, as the 39-year-old billionaire moves into the political sphere.
The founder of the Future Forward Party has vowed never to return to Thai Summit, even if he loses the election or the poll doesn't take place as planned.
"I will keep fighting for democracy to the death if that's what it takes," he says.
A successor will be announced as soon as the date of the election is announced, Mr Thanathorn tells the Bangkok Post.
Thai Summit's board is still discussing the plan of succession, but Mr Sakulthorn is the likeliest candidate to take on his current role. Mr Thanathorn, who is now executive vice-president, says he will delegate greater powers to his unit directors during the transition period.
Thai Summit is largely isolated from Mr Thanathorn's political activities because it is family-owned and relies on 20-30 foreign customers outside of the regime's control. But this isolation will come to an end in the next few years once the company's leadership decides to take it public.
Thai Summit's cash flow is sufficient to serve its current reinvestment needs, but the firm may need to embark on a strategic acquisition programme to reach revenue levels beyond 110 billion baht. The acquisitions will most likely be financed through the capital market, Mr Thanathorn says.
After the election roadmap is clearer, he says he might sell his part of the company and transfer the proceeds into a trust fund. Mr Thanathorn won't disclose his share in Thai Summit, but he says his mother still owns the majority of shares. Mr Thanathorn and his four siblings own equal portions of the remaining stake.
Cashing out will allow the future candidate to "come clean" of the company, reducing possible conflicts of interests, he says. If he chooses to put part of his money in a trust fund, the returns from it will be open for the public to see. He is also committed to not taking part in any governmental activity related to the motor industries to parry accusations of corruption.
Mr Thanathorn says he is eager to make a clean break with the company but is still sentimental about leaving. The executive has headed the business along with his mother for the last 18 years since the death of his father.
"When I arrived at the company there was no business plan, everything was in my father's head," he says.
In his tenure, Mr Thanathorn implemented modern management techniques, including written plans that took the company from local to regional scale. His transition comes at a critical period, as Thai Summit seeks to snatch a place among the world's largest auto parts markets, which would require it to generate US$3-4 billion (93.7-125 billion baht) in annual revenue.
The company is also vying to adapt to radical changes in the automotive market, including the rise of electric cars, ride-sharing and autonomous vehicles.
Mr Thanathorn says 7% of the parts Thai Summit produces cannot be used in electric vehicles (EV), but a massive migration to EVs is not likely to happen until the 2030s.
"The 2020s will be the decade of standardisation for EV technology," he says, and the company may start mass production of EV parts once a standard is set.
Thai Summit's revenue is expected to top 110 billion baht by 2021, according to its newest business plan. This year, Thai Summit is projected to log a 6.8-billion-baht net profit on 90 billion in revenue. Last year it managed a 6-billion-baht net profit on revenue of 80 billion.
Revamping the productivity of factory floor workers will be key to reaching its turnover targets, Mr Thanathorn says. He says comparable Japanese firms manage average revenue per person per year of 10-11 million baht. The figure in the US is 13-14 million baht.
In Thailand, the industry average runs from 1-2 million baht per person per year. The company's plan envisions a 5-million-baht-per-person target by 2021, up 35% from the 3.7 million the firm registered in 2017.
Retaliation driven by Mr Thanathorn's political activities could plausibly derail the company's plan, but he says such a move would be costly for the government.
"The government could, in theory, ask Toyota to stop doing business with us, or perhaps provide tax incentives to players that refuse to buy our products," he says. "But either of these actions would significantly reduce the government's reputation as the upholder of a fair marketplace."