Editorial | Urassaya 'Yaya' Sperbund talks family, balancing work, leisure, everlasting beauty and health

First of all, I would like to say Happy New Year and wish you all a prosperous, successful year ahead. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our readers, sponsors, partners and friends who have made the past year a success. My team and at I at Elite+ look forward to your support and your continued readership in the year to come.

As we start the new cycle with the Year of the Rat that symbolises agility, speed and wit, I’d like to also stress the importance of balance, mindfulness and maintaining good health. For this issue’s cover story, we had the pleasure of interviewing Thailand’s biggest star of the decade, Urassaya “Yaya” Sperbund, about health and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle while working hard. Young, beautiful and fit, the actress opts for personalised preventative healthcare to boost her health and well-being. Her passion for a healthy lifestyle is radiant and inspiring, and I hope that reading her story will also inspire you to get healthy and take better care of yourself.

Late in the last year, Bangkok Bank hosted the AEC Business Forum 2020: The Age of Asean Connectivity. The Forum was intended to help Thai investors and entrepreneurs navigate a changing world and to prepare for Asean’s opportunities and challenges and we had the privilege to be in attendance.

For this issue, we feature a speech by Chartsiri Sophonpanich, President of Bangkok Bank, which explores the role and importance of digitalisation in the growth of the Asean economy. From the same event, we also extract an eye-opening speech by CEO of Indorama Ventures, Aloke Lohia, who shared his vision and strategy for implementing digitalisation into his multinational petrochemical company.

Also, in this issue, we had the honour to interview Sorphorn Ouk, Cambodian Ambassador to Thailand, about Thailand and Cambodia’s long relationship – and the Ambassador’s role in bettering the lives of Cambodians in Thailand. This edition of Elite+ also features the inspiring story of Full Moon Brewworks, one of Thailand’s earliest craft-beer producers and a business that brews premium craft beer with local flair and is creating an international sensation.

As always, we take you to far, exotic lands through the pages of the magazine with Dave Stamboulis’s Adventure column, where he treats us to the magnificent colours of Japan in autumn. In the back pages of the magazine, in Photo Essay, you’ll find a series of captivating images and poetry by Ezra Erker, a talented writer and photographer, who I’m sure will give you a new and refreshing view of the world.

Read on and enjoy. Until next time.

Warm Regards,
Arthorn Techatada
Executive Editor