After more than four decades inside the Chirathivat business empire, Wallaya Chirathivat takes a new group-wide leadership role as Central Group reshapes its top management for the next phase of growth.
Thailand’s retail powerhouse Central Group has appointed Wallaya Chirathivat as its new president, placing one of the country’s most experienced retail and property executives in a key group-wide leadership position.
The appointment, announced on September 3, comes as Central Group reorganises its senior management and prepares for what it describes as its “next chapter” of sustainable growth amid rapid changes in technology, consumer behaviour and the global economy.
A major new role for a Central veteran
Wallaya is no newcomer to the group.
She has spent more than 40 years with Central Group, building experience across retail, property development and corporate management. In her new role, she will work on group-wide strategic priorities, connect capabilities across Central’s businesses and represent the organisation in dealings with government agencies, investors, business partners and international networks.
Central Group Executive Chairman and CEO Tos Chirathivat said Wallaya’s long experience and understanding of the group’s businesses would make her an important force in its next phase.
The appointment places her alongside other senior executives including Prin Chirathivat, Pichai Chirathivat and CFO Pandit Mongkolkul.
From Central Pattana to the top of the group
Wallaya’s appointment is particularly notable because of her record at Central Pattana (CPN), the group’s major property-development arm.
During her leadership, Central Pattana’s shopping-centre and mixed-use development portfolio expanded from 10 projects to 45 projects. Central Group said CPN also posted record 2025 financial results, with revenue of ฿53 billion and net profit exceeding ฿19 billion.
She served as Central Pattana’s president and CEO until April 30, 2026, before moving into the wider Central Group leadership structure. Central Pattana’s current management information confirms Wallaya’s continuing position as a director while identifying Chanavat Uahwatanasakul as its CEO.
That transition effectively moves Wallaya from running one of the group’s most important operating businesses to taking on a broader role across the entire conglomerate.
Central Group is restructuring at the top
Wallaya’s appointment is part of a wider organisational reshuffle rather than an isolated executive change.
Central Group appointed a new Board of Directors at the beginning of 2026, with Prof. Emeritus Dr Suthiphand Chirathivat as chairman. The company subsequently established an Executive Committee chaired by Tos Chirathivat in April.
The structure separates governance and strategic oversight from day-to-day senior management, while Wallaya’s new presidency gives the group another senior executive focused on connecting its different businesses.
Why the appointment matters
Central Group is no longer simply a Thai department-store company.
According to figures cited by The Nation Thailand, the group now operates in 18 countries, with activities spanning retail, property, hotels and luxury department stores in Europe. It has more than ฿520 billion in total revenue, more than 138,000 employees and a loyalty programme with over 45 million members.
Its businesses include:
- Central Retail Corporation
- Central Pattana
- Central Hotels/Centara
- Central Group Europe
That scale makes the president’s position considerably broader than overseeing a traditional retail operation.
The group is navigating an increasingly complicated environment involving artificial intelligence, rapidly changing consumer behaviour, international competition and economic uncertainty.
A leadership record that has already attracted international attention
Wallaya has also accumulated recognition outside Thailand.
Central Pattana said she became the first Thai executive to win CEO of the Year at the 2024 Retail Asia Awards. She was also recognised by Fortune among its Most Powerful Women Asia in 2024 and 2025, according to Central Group’s announcement.
Her previous leadership at Central Pattana helped turn shopping centres into broader mixed-use destinations combining retail, offices, hotels and other services — a model that has become increasingly important in Thailand’s property and consumer sectors.
What comes next?
The appointment comes at an important moment for Thailand’s biggest retail groups.
Central Group says its next phase will focus on connecting the capabilities of its businesses, strengthening cooperation across the organisation and creating sustainable growth both in Thailand and internationally.
For Wallaya, the challenge is therefore different from her previous role.
She is no longer responsible primarily for expanding a shopping-centre portfolio.
Now, she has to help connect one of Thailand’s largest business empires across multiple industries and international markets.
And with Central Group already operating on a global scale, her promotion could prove to be one of the most consequential leadership moves in Thailand’s retail sector this year.
The bigger picture
Wallaya Chirathivat’s rise is more than another executive appointment.
It represents a generational and organisational shift at one of Thailand’s most influential family-controlled business groups — with Central looking beyond its traditional retail roots toward a more integrated, international future.
The question now is whether Wallaya can translate her success in Thailand’s shopping and property sector into group-wide growth across Central’s increasingly global portfolio.
WWC ONE MEDIA J.M.D
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