Son of a Bangkok street vendor, Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi controls Thai Beverage, Thailand's largest brewer, known for its Chang beer. Other big assets include Singapore beverage and property giant Fraser & Neave. Charoen's retail empire includes hypermarket chain Big C Supercenter, acquired in 2016 for more than $6 billion.
Charoen listed his privately held property unit, Asset World Corp, in October 2019 and continues to hold a majority stake. Asset World, which has a portfolio of 18 hotels, reported a 13% rise in revenue for the first nine months of 2021 despite the pandemic, as tourists returned to Thailand.
