Thai Union Recruits Young Talents for Its Management Associate Program

13 March 2018, Bangkok­— Thai Union Group PCL is now recruiting its fourth group of young, talented people to join its Management Associate Program.

Fifteen top talents were successfully recruited in the first three groups. The program gives individuals a chance to work in different areas and functions of the company, while also getting to learn more the company and its visions and value.

Candidates in the current groups agreed that the overseas assignment is one of the most popular aspects of the program, attracting them to apply for the program.

Sewata Jarnsuwan, now working as deputy department manager for group marketing innovation at Thai Union's office in Bangkok, has just returned from her two-year international assignment in France.

"This MA Program is absolutely what I have been looking for. I like the way the program is designed to have both work rotation and international experience. It gave me a chance to explore my areas of interests and discover ways to improve my career path," she said.

Caption: Sewata Jarnsuwan (right) with her boss Supathra Kuratana, group director for marketing innovation, at Thai Union office in Bangkok

Sewata, 32, noted that working with the R&D team in France taught her a lot, giving her real-world experience in a cross-functional, multi-cultural environment.

"I think the international experience together with the valuable knowledge I gained through work rotation in many departments helps me with my current role. I got to know many great people and this a great benefit as I coordinate with several offices in Thailand and other continents," she added.

Kamolthorn Techaratanayuenyong, a member of the first group of the MA Program, will return to Thailand this month after working for two years as a financial analyst with Thai Union's Chicken of the Sea brand in the US.

"I'm very lucky as the overseas assignment at Chicken of the Sea has been a lot of fun with good memories. I like the open-minded culture of American people. My boss also understands and supports me in every aspect of work," she said.

Caption: Kamolthorn Techaratanayuengyong (middle) with Chicken of the Sea International’s CFO Vincent Maury (right) and financial director Kelly Stirling (left) at the company’s office in San Diego.

Kamolthorn recalled that when she first joined the Thai Union MA program five years ago, her knowledge about production was almost zero. But after having work rotation in different departments from production, planning, purchasing, marketing, R&D, to finance and accounting, she has a very clear picture of Thai Union business.

"I will come back and work in the finance department. I will use my experience and knowledge to help Thai Union," she added.

Indeed, Thai Union believes that investing in people's careers pays off in a number of ways. Not only does it support the development of young career-oriented professionals, but it also helps build potential leaders for the future.

The Thai Union MA Program is a competitive leadership fast-track program for people seeking a launch pad to a fulfilling career. The program exposes participants to all aspects of Thai Union's business and senior management, accompanied by a strong mentorship framework.

Jamikara Techasaratoole, 34, is among successful candidates in the second group and has been on her overseas assignment in France for four months. She graduated with a B.S. in food science in France before earning an MBA in the US.

She likes this MA program because it has opportunities for her to rotate through a number of key functions at Thai Union and this allows her to meet a variety of people who were able to share their knowledge and experience.

"This exposed me to every aspect of the business, so I understand the whole supply chain," she said. "Moreover, I also have good mentors such as the CEO, senior executives and general managers who devote their time to guide me and answer my questions."

 

Caption: Jamikara Techasaratoole (left) with Nathalie De Lizaso, HR director of Thai Union Europe, when she had a briefing about her international assignment in Paris.

Jamikara revealed that she was initially assigned to go to the US to continue her work on an innovation project because she was working on for one year in Thailand. But Thiraphong Chansiri, CEO of Thai Union, suggested she change and go to France instead because she could learn more from the business complexity in Europe.

"I agreed with him (Thiraphong Chansiri) and when I came to France, I was not disappointed. I can speak French and I have learned so many new things. My work in France is about supply chain and I will be given chances to manage people and learn about production in the next few months," Jamikara said.

Vorarat Lertanantrakool, director of human resources at Thai Union, said the Thai Union MA Program strives to develop young Thai talents to be recognized as future leaders.

One of the programs offered is a 3-year fast track plan. This involves a six-month assignment at a specific function, followed by six months on rotation assignments at a related function, then a further half-year at another related function. After completing the first 18 years of the program in Thailand, the candidates then spend one year and a half to two years on international assignment, aligned to a specific function.

 

Caption: Vorarat Lertanantrakool, Thai Union’s director of human resources, says the MA Program is a fast track scheme to develop future leaders for the company.

"The Thai Union MA program is a unique opportunity for young professionals to have a structured learning journey and a clear career path," Vorarat said.

Now in its 4th year, the MA Program continues to build and offer career opportunities for motivated individuals.

For more information and an application, please visit the MA Program at: http://bit.ly/2GbitTI. Applications for the MA Program are open from March 15, 2018 to January 31, 2020.

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ABOUT THAI UNION PCL

Thai Union Group PCL is the world’s seafood leader bringing high quality, healthy, tasty and innovative seafood products to customers across the world for more than 40 years.

Today, Thai Union is regarded as the world’s largest producer of shelf-stable tuna products with annual sales exceeding THB 135 billion (US$ 4.030 billion) and a global workforce of over 49,000 people who are dedicated to pioneering sustainable, innovative seafood products.

The company’s global brand portfolio includes market-leading international brands such as Chicken of the Sea, John West, Petit Navire, Parmentier, Mareblu, King Oscar, and Rügen Fisch and Thai-leading brands SEALECT, Fisho, Qfresh, Monori, Bellotta and Marvo.

As a company committed to innovation and globally responsible behavior, Thai Union is proud to be a member of the United Nations Global Compact, and a founding member of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). In 2015, Thai Union introduced its SeaChange® sustainability strategy. Thai Union’s on-going work on sustainability issues was recognized by its inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Emerging Markets (DJSI) in 2014. In 2017, Thai Union was named to the DJSI for the fourth consecutive year. Thai Union is also part of the FTSE4Good Emerging Index.

 

Media Contacts

 

Ms. Krissana Parnsoonthorn

Head of External Affairs

T:  +66.2298.0024 Ext. 4423

M: +66.0.61.418.1461

E: Krissana.parnsoonthorn@thaiunion.com