Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, is delighted to announce that Thirayuth Chirathivat, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, has been honoured with a “Thailand Top CEO of the Year 2024” award in the “Tourism & Hospitality” category.

This important accolade, which was presented by Business+ magazine, a prestigious Thai publication, in collaboration with the Journal of Business Administration Faculty at Bangkok’s Thammasat University, is a recognition of Thirayuth’s strategic vision and exceptional leadership qualities which have spearheaded a highly successful 12 months for Centara.

Having celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2023, Centara is growing from strength to strength. In Brand Finance’s prestigious “Thailand 50” report for 2024, Centara Hotels & Resort was recognised as the country’s strongest brand, reflecting its prominent position in the market and reaffirming its status as an icon of Thai hospitality. This marked the second consecutive win for the group, after Centara Grand was named as Thailand’s strongest brand last year.

The happiness of Centara’s associates is at the heart of its family-centric hospitality. The positive atmosphere at every hotel and resort helped the company to achieve a series of awards for its properties in 2024. In the Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific, Centara Reserve Samui was honoured as one of Thailand’s best “Beach + Island Resorts”, while Roukh Kiri Khao Yai was named as one of the country’s top “Upcountry Hotels”. Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives earned fifth place in the best “House Reefs” category for the Maldives. 

Moreover, on the eve of its one-year anniversary, Centara Grand Hotel Osaka was recognised, as it was honoured with the top award in the “Hotel General Managers” category for Japan. This achievement marks another significant milestone for this new hotel, which was also awarded the prestigious “Nikkei Asia Award” at the 2023 Nikkei Excellent Products & Services Awards.

Under Thirayuth’s leadership, Centara is also fully committed to sustainability. Twelve of the company’s hotels and resorts achieved Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) certification in 2024, which shows how environmental solutions and processes are being integrated into every aspect of the company’s operations. Centara is working toward its long-term goal of achieving full certification by 2025. 

Thirayuth Chirathivat, CEO of Centara Hotels & Resorts, stated: “I am deeply honoured and humbled to have been named as one of Thailand’s top CEOs for 2024. Centara is a company that is built on family values, and every member of our family plays a vital role in our success. I would like to thank our entire team for their outstanding performance and dedication to creating exceptional guest experiences, which enabled us to achieve so many prestigious accolades and awards in the last 12 months. I would also like to thank Business+ magazine for this award.”

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Somchai Supattarakul, Dean of the Department of Accounting, Thammasat University, said: “The Thailand Top CEO of the Year award analyses the vision, management and success of each CEO, including their company’s financial achievement, customer relations, shareholder and employee satisfaction, environmental stewardship, and community leadership. Mr. Thirayuth Chirathivat has shown exceptional leadership qualities in all of these areas, as he led Centara Hotels & Resorts into an exciting era of sustainable growth and success. He is a truly deserving recipient of our Top CEO award.”

To learn more about Centara Hotels & Resorts, please visit www.centarahotelsresorts.com