Chirayu Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya (, , ; born 12 November 1942) is a Thai economist and court official. He has been the Director-General of the

Crown Property Bureau The Crown Property Bureau (CPB) ( th, สำนักงานทรัพย์สินพระมหากษัตริย์; ) is legally the administrative agency responsible for managing the property of the King of Thailand. It has no ...

and Grand Chamberlain of the Bureau of the Royal Household since 1987 and become Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household in the end of 2016. Chirayu is an avowed proponent of the "sufficiency economy" philosophy that is promoted by King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Background and education

Chirayu was born in Bangkok. The Isarangkun family is a distant side branch of the ruling

Chakri Dynasty The Chakri dynasty ( th, ราชวงศ์ จักรี, , , ) is the current reigning dynasty of the Kingdom of Thailand, the head of the house is the king, who is head of state. The family has ruled Thailand since the founding of the ...

. The particle ''na Ayutthaya'' indicates this distant royal ancestry. Chirayu's father Charunphan Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya was a diplomat,

foreign minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

, and member of King Bhumibol's

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

. Chirayu visited Bangkok's prestigious all-boys

Saint Gabriel's College Saint Gabriel's College ( th, โรงเรียนเซนต์คาเบรียล) is a private Catholic all-boys school in Bangkok, Thailand. The school was founded by the Brothers of Saint Gabriel in 1920. The school educates stud ...

, before moving to the King's College School in Wimbledon, London, where he acquired his A-levels in 1960. Subsequently, he studied economics at the London School of Economics, receiving an

Honours degree Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a higher standard of study, or ...

in 1964. He took a doctoral degree from the Australian National University in 1971.

Career

From 1976 to 1979, Chirayu was the dean of the faculty of economics of the government-run

National Institute of Development Administration The National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) th, สถาบันบัณฑิตพัฒนบริหารศาสตร์) is a public graduate university in Thailand under the Commission on Higher Education, the Mini ...

(NIDA). Chirayu became Minister of Industry under Prime Minister

Prem Tinsulanonda Prem Tinsulanonda ( th, เปรม ติณสูลานนท์, , ; 26 August 1920 – 26 May 2019) was a Thai military officer, politician, and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from 3 March 1980 to 4 August 1988, ...

in 1985, and Minister to the Office of Prime Minister one year later. After he had taken a stand for a controversial tantalum factory in

Phuket Province Phuket (; th, ภูเก็ต, , ms, Bukit or ''Tongkah''; Hokkien:普吉; ) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands of ...

that was burnt down by furious locals who were afraid of hazardous wastes, Chirayu was confronted with allegations of corruption, that could however not been proven. Later, King Bhumibol appointed him Director-General of the

(CPB), that is responsible for administering the immense royal assets. Moreover, the king appointed him as Grand Chamberlain of the Bureau of the Royal Household. He is member of the

boards of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

of several companies in which the CPB is a principal shareholder. Since 1987 he has been President of the Board of Directors of

Deves Insurance The Deves Insurance Public Company Limited is a Thai insurance company based in Bangkok at Ratchadamnoen Klang Road. The company is one of the leading insurance companies in the country. It received the royal warrant from the King of Thailand. T ...

. During and after the Asian financial crisis, he was the President of the Board of Directors of Siam Cement — which is one of the biggest corporations of Thailand — from 1998 to 1999, and of Siam Commercial Bank — the country's second largest bank — from 1998 to 2007. Since 2007 he has again led the Board of Directors of Siam Cement. Moreover, he has been Chancellor of the Council of NIDA since 1998. He manages several foundations under the auspices of the royal family, including the Sai Jai Thai Foundation (for wounded and disabled veterans), the

Royal Project Foundation The Royal Project Foundation is a Thai non-profit organisation based in north Thailand. It was founded by King Bhumibol Adulyadej as an umbrella organization for his charitable initiatives and research.

, and the Queen's Foundation of the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations (for farmers).

Honours

National honours

* Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Illustrious

Order of Chula Chom Klao The Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์จุลจอมเกล้า; ) was established on 16 November 1873 by King Chulalongkorn, Rama V of The Thailand, Kingdom of ...

(2017) * Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (1984) * Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand (1983) * Recipient of the Chakrabarti Mala Medal (2012) * Recipient of the King Rama IX Royal Cypher Medal (1991) *

King Rama X Royal Cypher Medal (Thailand) ribbon

Recipient of the King Rama X Royal Cypher Medal (2019)Government Gazette
Announcement on the Royal Order of Chula Chom Klao, the Front, the most glorified decoration of the White Elephant and Rattanaporn medals.
Volume 136, Part 46 B, Page 2, August 16, 2019

Foreign honours

Order of Orange-Nassau ribbon - Knight Grand Cross

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau ( Netherlands, 2004)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, Chirayu 1942 births Living people

Chirayu Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya Chirayu Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya (, , ; born 12 November 1942) is a Thai economist and court official. He has been the Director-General of the Crown Property Bureau and Grand Chamberlain of the Bureau of the Royal Household since 1987 and become Lo ...