Suphajee Suthumpun

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce — Government of Thailand (Bhumjaithai)

About Suphajee Suthumpun

Key facts Role: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Organisation: Government of Thailand (Bhumjaithai) Country: Thailand Sector: Politics & Government (trade) Headline figures: Exports of US$266.2 billion in the first eight months of 2026, up 18.9 per cent On 28 September 2026 Suphajee Suthumpun announced that Thailand and the United States had reached an agreement in principle on tariffs, after months of talks overshadowed by Washington's trade threats. Speaking at Government House, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister said officials were reviewing technical details and wording. Thailand wants to finish before the US takes further action under Section 301 of its Trade Act (The Nation, 28 September 2026). The same day, the tenth round of Thailand-EU free trade negotiations opened in Phuket, with the aim of settling the remaining third of the text this year. The role Suphajee is the most senior woman in Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's government. She was the only woman among the deputy prime ministers named in the Royal Gazette on 31 March 2026, when Anutin's second cabinet was appointed. She kept the commerce portfolio she had taken in September 2025 and gained deputy prime minister rank. That combination makes her the government's lead official on trade negotiations, export promotion and price controls. The Nation has suggested that deputy premier status may also give her more authority to drive cross-ministry action on prices and household relief. Thailand is one of Southeast Asia's largest exporters: shipments in the first eight months of 2026 totalled US$266.2 billion, up 18.9 per cent, according to the Commerce Ministry's Trade Policy and Strategy Office. August exports rose 24.3 per cent, the fastest in 56 months, on demand for AI-related electronics (The Nation, 25 September 2026). The agenda Her agenda runs on two tracks. Abroad, she has held talks with the Office of the US Trade Representative, including during her visit for the UN General Assembly, and has said Thailand will keep negotiating with both the US and China. She has presented concerns about the misuse of Thai country-of-origin status as an opportunity to raise local content in Thai manufacturing. At home, she faces a cost-of-living squeeze, with fuel, electricity, transport and food prices weighing on households. The ministry is simultaneously running a widening trade deficit, which reached US$37.8 billion over the first eight months as imports rose 36.1 per cent. Background She came to politics from the boardroom rather than a party machine. According to The Business Times, she spent more than 20 years at IBM from 1989. She became the first woman to run IBM Thailand, serving as general manager from 2003 to 2007, and later held regional posts at the company's ASEAN headquarters in Singapore. She went on to become chief executive of the satellite operator Thaicom, which The Business Times says she turned around. From 2016 she was group chief executive of Dusit International for almost a decade. There she expanded the hotel group into food, property and hospitality services, and oversaw the redevelopment of the landmark Dusit Thani Bangkok. She resigned as a non-executive director of Kasikornbank with effect from 12 September 2025 to join the cabinet. She holds a degree from Thammasat University and an MBA from Northrop University in California. Anutin introduced her at Bhumjaithai Party headquarters in September 2025 as one of his technocrat picks. The Business Times reported speculation that she could be a future prime ministerial candidate, which she has consistently brushed aside. Regional weight Her regional weight comes from Thailand's place in supply chains. According to The Nation, Thailand has faced US Section 301 proceedings concerning forced-labour import controls and alleged excess manufacturing capacity, and concerns about the misuse of Thai origin status. The terms she agrees with Washington and Brussels will therefore bear on manufacturers and investors across Southeast Asia's export economies. What to watch: the final text of the US tariff deal and whether it heads off Section 301 measures; whether the Thailand-EU FTA closes by year-end; and whether price measures ease household pressure without denting business confidence. She ranks seventh because she holds deputy premier rank and Thailand's trade portfolio at a decisive point in its US and EU negotiations. Sources The Nation, Thailand-US tariff talks reach in-principle deal before Section 301 , 28 Sep 2026 The Nation, Suphajee Suthumpun faces rising prices test in Anutin II Cabinet , 31 Mar 2026 Thailand PRD (Government Public Relations Department), Members of the New Cabinet Have Been Appointed , 31 Mar 2026 The Nation, Thai exports surge 24.3% in August as AI demand lifts electronics , 25 Sep 2026 The Business Times, Thailand's new commerce minister Suphajee Suthumpun: 5 things to know about the PM prospect , 28 Nov 2025

Why this entry is on the list

She ranks seventh because she holds deputy premier rank and Thailand's trade portfolio at a decisive point in its US and EU negotiations. The only woman among the deputy prime ministers in Anutin's second cabinet, she announced an agreement in principle with the United States on tariffs on 28 September 2026 and leads trade policy for an economy whose exports reached US$266.2 billion in the first eight months of the year.