Page 23 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE VOL2

n a quiet weekday afternoon,the gold shop’s narrow red and white interior is bustling with customers. Instead of more common- place wares, its glass cases house a variety of sparkling gold, delicately crafted. Guiding us past these riches is Keeradit Hirunyasiri, deputy managing director of MTS Gold Group, the leading trader of gold specialities. Pausing now and then to lift a priceless piece from its tray, Keeradit recalls the company’s early years.“I’ve grown up with this company,” he says. Son of renowned gold analyst Kritcharat Hirunyasiri, he watched his grandparents’ small gold shop in Chinatown evolve into an empire. Keeradit credits its success to his father’s vision. A decade ago, Thais only wore gold as a form of ornamentation. Gold investment, while popular in countries like Singapore and Switzerland, was relatively unheard of in Thailand. It was Kritcharat’s foresight that brought the company to the forefront of this now burgeoning market.“My generation is living on my father’s vision, hard work, patience and persistence,” says Keeradit. He fears the coming generations may not be as appreciative. “Our children won’t see what we have been going through,” he says. “They will only see a company that is already very successful. And I don’t know if they will love it the same way.”Keeradit seems to have inherited most of his father’s qualities. After four years with the company, the 28-year-old has set some lofty aims. “We want to be the very first gold company listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand,” he says. “This will be the ultimate gift for my parents because they want to see this company live on forever.“Our second goal would be to“We want them to believe that gold can be invested anytime, anywhere.”become one of ASEAN’s leading gold trading companies,” he continues, adding that Thailand could become the region’s biggest gold trading hub with the launch of the ASEAN Economic Community next year. In preparation, MTS Gold Group is investing in imported machines, redesigning their jewellery and introducing English as the operating language for their various platforms.As part of a younger crop of executives – he was 24 when he started at MTS – Keeradit is hoping to leverage his youth in several ways. A good leader knows his capabilities, strengths and weaknesses. Keeradit’s shared mentality with the country’s younger population allows him to identify trends. For example, Thailand’s youth no longer deem goldornaments fashionable, a trend he hopes to counter through celebrity endorsements and cutting-edge designs. Inside the shop, Keeradit’s own designs are also on display, ranging from wedding favours to pieces stamped with “I heart Gold”.Keeradit also sees the derivatives market of gold futures as a good fit for the younger population. “We want people to believe that gold is not just a safe asset,” he says. “We want them to believe that gold can be invested anytime, anywhere. And we want to revolutionize the gold industry so that younger generations will also invest in gold.” Hence the MTS “gold investment centres” in popular department stores and a Facebook page totalling over 47,000 likes with instant price updates and exclusiveElite+ 21