Women Make Up Half of Bangkok Airways’s Management Team Behind a Decade of Service of Excellence Recognized by SKYTRAX Meet the Nine Women Leaders Driving Airline’s Success Under the Leadership of Captain Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth

Winning a prestigious international award is a moment of pride. But sustaining service excellence for an entire decade reflects something far greater than success at any single point in time. It results from a shared vision, effective leadership, and the collective dedication of people across the organization working toward a common goal.

In 2026, Bangkok Airways reached another significant milestone, receiving two prestigious accolades at the SKYTRAX World Airline Awards 2026: “World’s Best Regional Airline” and “Best Regional Airline in Asia” for the 10th consecutive year. This achievement reaffirms the airline’s commitment to service excellence and its distinctive identity as Asia’s Boutique Airline, consistently recognized by passengers worldwide.

Behind this remarkable milestone of “10 Years of Service Excellence” lies a noteworthy aspect of Bangkok Airways’ leadership: nine women executives who make up half of the airline’s management team, under the leadership of Captain Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, President of Bangkok Airways, whose understanding of the aviation business is shaped by both his executive leadership experience and his background as an airline captain.

These nine women executives represent more than Women in Leadership. They play essential roles in driving the organization across key business functions, from finance and accounting, airport management and ground operations to sales and marketing, business development, human resources, and organizational culture.

After all, service excellence does not begin only when passengers step aboard an aircraft. It is the result of collective efforts across every part of the organization, working together to establish, maintain, and pass on service standards from one generation to the next.

Over the past decade, Bangkok Airways has navigated significant changes across the aviation industry, from evolving passenger expectations and technological advancements to intensifying competition, rising operating costs, and the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the greatest challenges ever faced by the global aviation sector.

The airline’s ability to navigate these challenges while maintaining service standards consistently recognized by passengers reflects not only its adaptability but also the strength of a leadership team that brings together diverse expertise, capabilities, and perspectives. This is the story of nine women leaders who, under Captain Puttipong’s leadership, continue to play an important role in driving Bangkok Airways forward and ensuring that every passenger journey reflects the heart of Asia’s Boutique Airline.

A LEADER WHO BELIEVES IN THE POWER OF TEAMWORK

For Mr. Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth (Captain Tae), President of Bangkok Airways Public Company Limited, leading an organization shares many similarities with captaining an aircraft. Safely guiding an aircraft to its destination is never the achievement of one individual. It requires an entire team working together with precision and coordination. The same principle applies to leading an organization through change. Leadership is not simply about setting direction, but about building a strong team and ensuring that everyone works toward a shared goal.

“I believe that true leadership is not about making decisions on behalf of everyone, but about creating a shared sense of purpose and giving people the opportunity to realize their full potential. A leader's role is to bring the team's strengths together and align everyone toward the same direction, ensuring every passenger journey reflects the essence of Asia’s Boutique Airline.”

“I have great confidence in the capabilities of our management team, which includes many talented women. Their contributions demonstrate that ability is not determined by gender, but by the opportunities we create for individuals to realize their potential fully,” said Mr. Puttipong.

THE FINANCIAL STRENGTH BEHIND SUSTAINABLE SERVICE EXCELLENCE 

Consistently delivering exceptional passenger experiences requires a strong business foundation. Key contributors to this foundation include Bangkok Airways’ finance and accounting leadership team: Ms. Poonsuk Teerawanichphol (Suk), Vice President – Management Accounting; Ms. Leelapat Leelahavanich (Ti), Vice President – Finance; and Ms. Kunlapee Piyawannasuth (Koi), Vice President – Accounting.

Together, they oversee essential functions ranging from management information and financial decision-making to liquidity management, financial resilience, and the accuracy and transparency of the airline’s accounting systems.

For Ms. Poonsuk, business information should do more than explain what has happened in the past. It should enable the organization to anticipate what lies ahead and make informed decisions. Ms. Leelapat believes that financial flexibility provides the foundation for an organization to respond effectively to both opportunities and challenges.

“Money is like the lifeblood of an organization. It must be available in sufficient quantities and at an appropriate cost to keep the business operating and growing amid uncertainty. Financial management therefore requires us to stay informed, analyze developments, and anticipate emerging trends. This enables us to manage capital effectively across liquidity, asset restructuring, debt management, and the allocation of financial resources, ensuring that the organization achieves its objectives with maximum efficiency,” Ms. Leelapat said.

Meanwhile, Ms. Kunlapee believes that the accuracy and reliability of accounting information and the Group’s financial statements are equally important.

Ms. Kunlapee emphasizes that “financial information used by management and stakeholders must be accurate, transparent, verifiable, and compliant with established accounting standards. This allows stakeholders to make informed decisions regarding business management, investment, and other important matters.”

Although their responsibilities differ, these three executives share a common objective: building a strong financial foundation that enables Bangkok Airways to continue investing, developing its business, and maintaining service excellence over the long term.

WHEN QUALITY MUST BE PROVEN ON EVERY FLIGHT 

If one word could explain Bangkok Airways’ decade of recognition from passengers around the world through the SKYTRAX awards, it would be consistency.

The greatest challenge in the service industry is not creating an exceptional experience once, but ensuring that the same standards are consistently delivered every day, on every flight, and at every customer touchpoint.

For Mrs. Chanthip Thongkanya (Tar), Vice President – Office of President, another essential dimension of organizational excellence is ensuring that exceptional service goes hand in hand with responsible and sustainable growth.

This is achieved by integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles into the airline’s business operations, linking environmental responsibility, social impact, and corporate governance to long-term organizational development.

“Service excellence and sustainability must go hand in hand. We need to look beyond the passenger experience on each flight and consider the impact of our operations on the environment, society, and our stakeholders. Integrating ESG principles into our operations is not simply about doing what is right. It is about establishing the foundation for our organization to grow responsibly and sustainably over the long term,” said Mrs. Chanthip.

A GREAT TRAVEL EXPERIENCE BEGINS LONG BEFORE TAKEOFF 

At Bangkok Airways, the customer journey does not begin when an aircraft takes off. It begins the moment passengers arrive at the airport.

Ms. Tresarun Sitakalin (Nui), Vice President – Corporate Secretary and Acting Vice President – Airport, plays a key role in driving the organization across two important dimensions.

On one hand, she oversees corporate governance and company secretarial functions, ensuring that the organization operates in accordance with good governance principles and builds long-term stakeholder confidence. On the other hand, she oversees operations at Samui, Sukhothai, and Trat airports, which serve not only as aviation infrastructure but also as gateways to the destinations travelers are about to discover.

Samui Airport alone welcomed more than three million passengers across 33,823 flights in 2025. The airport was also ranked No. 2 among the best airports in Asia Pacific at the Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Hong Kong & Macau Luxury Awards Asia Pacific in both 2025 and 2026.

“An airport is not simply a place where aircraft take off and land. It is where passengers begin forming their impressions of the entire journey. That is why we pay close attention to every aspect of the airport experience, from convenience and safety to creating an atmosphere that reflects the distinctive identity of Bangkok Airways,” said Ms. Tresarun.

Beyond the airport experience, Ms. Siriporn Noochan (Koi), Vice President – Ground and Cargo Operations, oversees another essential component of the passenger journey. Her responsibilities encompass passenger and baggage handling, ground coordination, and operational support to ensure that flights depart safely and on time.

“The success of ground operations may be measured by how effortlessly everything appears to passengers. Behind that seamless experience, however, are countless people working together with precision and coordination,” said Ms. Siriporn.

FROM SERVICE EXCELLENCE TO BRAND VALUE AND BUSINESS GROWTH

As passenger expectations continue to evolve, competition in the airline industry is no longer defined solely by routes, flight schedules, or ticket prices. It increasingly encompasses the overall travel experience, convenience, digital channels, and the relationships customers build with airline brands.

For Ms. Amornrat Kongsawat (Koon), Acting Vice President – Sales and Marketing, the key challenge is translating Asia’s Boutique Airline's distinctive identity into tangible value that passengers recognize and actively choose.

“Today, passengers no longer choose an airline based solely on price and destination. They also consider the experience and value they receive throughout their journey,” said Ms. Amornrat.

At the same time, preparing the organization for the future requires looking beyond its existing business operations. Ms. Aninya Nateprapai (Sai), Vice President – Business Development, is responsible for identifying opportunities to build on Bangkok Airways’ capabilities and expand its business potential, including aviation training, airline catering, and other businesses within the broader aviation ecosystem.

“Sustainable growth is not simply about expanding a business. It is about recognizing opportunities before they fully emerge and being prepared to transform the organization’s existing strengths into new sources of value. The role of business development is to connect Bangkok Airways’ core capabilities with partners, technologies, and emerging opportunities across the aviation ecosystem, creating a foundation for long-term growth that is strong, resilient, and sustainable” said Ms. Aninya.

PEOPLE: THE HEART OF SERVICE EXCELLENCE

Aircraft can be purchased. Technology can be developed. Systems can be replicated. But what takes time to build, and cannot easily be duplicated, is people and organizational culture. For Ms. Duangjai Wuthikamonchai (Peed), Vice President – Human Resources, people management extends far beyond workforce planning, recruitment, and employee development. It encompasses establishing effective people management systems, setting clear goals and expectations, and creating a workplace environment where employees understand how their individual contributions connect to the overall passenger experience.

This approach enables employees to embody Bangkok Airways’ service DNA and deliver genuine hospitality, turning everyday operations into memorable customer experiences.

“People are at the heart of the service business. No matter how good our products, technology, or systems may be, our employees ultimately bring them to life. Our responsibility is to create an environment where our people can grow, take pride in what they do, and understand that each of them plays an important role in the success of the organization,” said Ms. Duangjai.

NINE WOMEN LEADERS, ONE SHARED PURPOSE

The nine women executives of Bangkok Airways may lead different areas of the business, from finance and accounting, quality and sustainability, airports and ground operations, sales and marketing, and business development to human resources.

Yet together, these responsibilities represent far more than a management team with women in key leadership positions. They reflect an organization that creates opportunities for diverse expertise, capabilities, and perspectives to contribute meaningfully to decision-making and business development.

Women in Leadership at Bangkok Airways is therefore not defined simply by the number of women holding executive positions, but by the responsibilities they carry and the contributions they make to driving the organization forward every day.

This offers an important perspective on why service excellence extends far beyond the aircraft cabin. It begins with decisions made in boardrooms, figures in financial statements, the standards maintained behind the scenes, airport operations, brand development, business expansion, and, ultimately, the people who bring the airline’s promise to life.

A DECADE OF EXCELLENCE AND THE NEXT CHAPTER OF ASIA’S BOUTIQUE AIRLINE 

Ten consecutive years of recognition at the SKYTRAX World Airline Awards represent a significant milestone. Yet for an organization built around journeys, every destination also marks the beginning of the next.

Just as a captain must look beyond the runway, assess changing conditions, and prepare for challenges throughout the flight, Mr. Puttipong and his leadership team today must do more than preserve the achievements of the past decade.

It is about preparing Bangkok Airways for the decade ahead. Ultimately, the true meaning of “10 Years of Service Excellence” may not lie in the number of awards displayed on a shelf, but in the collective ability of everyone across the organization to preserve what they do best, continuously improve where they can, and move forward together toward a shared destination.

Because Asia’s Boutique Airline should never be merely what Bangkok Airways tells the world it is. It should be what every passenger experiences, on every journey.