Strategic Leadership Course in Trade and Development launched
The International Institute for Trade and Development (ITD) launched the inaugural edition of its Strategic Leadership Course in Trade and Development this week.
The course aims to equip government and private-sector leaders with the skills and knowledge needed to drive the growth of four key industries: tourism, agriculture and food, automotive, and logistics and energy.
A total of 81 carefully selected executives from both the public and private sectors participated in the intensive three-month programme. The participants, representing a diverse range of industries, were tasked with developing innovative policy recommendations to propel these sectors forward.
Suphakit Charoenkul, ITD's executive director, emphasised the importance of these industries in Thailand's economic development. He noted that while tourism is currently a major driver of gross domestic product, the agriculture and food sector offers significant growth potential, particularly in the area of future foods.
The automotive industry, with a focus on electric vehicles, and logistics, are also seen as promising sectors for Thailand.
The course curriculum includes expert training in various fields, as well as business management and organisational management principles from the Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration.
The goal of the course is to foster collaboration between the government and private sector and generate novel policy proposals that can be implemented as practical action plans. These proposals will be presented to relevant policymakers to drive further development in the selected industries.
"The outcome of this course will be a collaborative effort between the government and private sector participants to prepare policy recommendations," Suphakit said.
“We aim to generate novel proposals that haven't been presented before, forming a practical and tangible action plan with clear steps. These proposals will then be submitted to relevant government and private sector policymakers to drive industry forward."
ITD plans to offer a second edition of the course in 2025, focusing on issues related to government policies, trade, development, and soft power.
