Manpong Senanarong, an IPO investment banker involved in taking dozens of companies public, puts on a different hat this month as he joins the Stock Exchange of Thailand.
He will serve as the SET's senior executive vice-president for the issuing division.
Mr Manpong's previous role was to drum up investor interest and mobilise funding to ensure that stocks delivered eye-popping gains on their debut. The SET plays a different role, screening companies and securities to determine whether they're qualified to list on the bourse.
With his 25 years of experiences in IPO deals, Mr Manpong knows the process of listings inside and out, says SET president Pakorn Peetathawatchai.
The exchange is counting on Mr Manpong's ability to create an investment-friendly environment while maintaining necessary listing regulations and standards.
Other priority tasks for the new hire include reducing duplicate work tasks in cooperation with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and providing a one-stop service for fund-raising and stock listing.
At present, listed firms must hold discussions with both the SET and the SEC. In each IPO deal, the SEC takes responsibility for approving the company's allocation of IPO shares to investors, while the SET's task is to give the green light for the company to list on the bourse.
The leaders of both the SET and the SEC have agreed that the back-and-forth process can be streamlined.
IPOs are the SET's main strategy for bringing the exchange's market capitalisation up to par with the Singapore Exchange's by 2023.
Mr Manpong decided to shift from the private sector to the SET because he wanted to help create a more balanced ecosystem for companies listing on the stock market.
"I'm only changing my role from a player who is supervised to a supervisor," he says. "I still work in the same industry and can utilise all of my experiences to help develop the capital market of my home country."
Mr Manpong, 50, began his investment banking career in 1993 at Phatra Thanakit Finance and Securities, whose securities unit was renamed Phatra Securities after a spin-off from the finance business. He earned a Master of Business Administration from Cleveland State University in Ohio.
At Phatra he took part in many large IPO deals, including the one for Airports of Thailand Plc. AoT raised fresh funds of 17.3 billion baht by floating IPO shares in 2004.
While working at Phatra Thanakit, Mr Manpong met his role model, Banyong Pongpanich, who is now chairman of Phatra Capital Plc.
"He is my first teacher who groomed me to gain insights into the IB business," Mr Manpong says.
After 16 years at Phatra, in 2008 he started a new journey as head of the investment banking division at SCB Securities, the stock brokerage arm of Siam Commercial Bank, before joining the parent bank as executive vice-president, head of corporate advisory, one year later.
In his last role before leaping to the SET, he joined Kasikorn Securities in 2012 as managing director in charge of supervising investment banking operations.
During his reign, Kasikorn Securities was involved in many large IPO deals. In 2017, it was the financial adviser and an underwriter in Gulf Energy Development Plc's IPO, a deal that raised almost 24 billion baht and marked the biggest corporate IPO in more than 10 years.
Gulf's share price saw a 20% gain on the first day of SET trade, despite being priced at the top end of its indicated price range of 40-45 baht a share.
The brokerage house also acted as financial adviser for two other large IPOs in 2017: B.Grimm Power Plc and TOA Paint Thailand Plc, which raised 10.4 billion and 6.1 billion baht, respectively.
Apart from Mr Banyong, Mr Manpong's late mother, Thanphuying Nuanphong Senanarong, was a mentor who cultivated his financial literacy and money-saving habits since youth.
She taught him to spend properly by providing a monthly allowance starting in elementary school (Prathom 5). To buy big things, he had to save his pocket money or find work. At age 10, he washed neighbours' cars for cash.
After studying at Chulalongkorn University, he received pocket money from his mother in the same amount as the minimum salary of civil servants at the time, aiming to prepare him in case he wanted to work at a state agency when he graduated.
"Money was not enough in some months, so I needed to think how to earn money to fill the shortage," Mr Manpong says. "I then was able to manage my first salary easily."
His management style is a combination of his mother's and Mr Banyong's. A key tenet is supporting subordinates so they can work better and smarter.
"He [Mr Banyong] taught me that 'there are no scholars in this world', so putting the right man on the right job will make everything perfect and don't expect that you must be more capable or competent than subordinates," Mr Manpong says. "I love to chit chat with my subordinates. I always spend half of my working time in places where my subordinates are."
Mr Manpong plans to become a farmer in retirement. In his leisure time he watches TV, swims or cycles near Suvarnabhumi airport.
"Riding and swimming require focus and concentration, and this helps me relieve stress," he says.