Sarath Ratanavadiwent to Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, before going to the United States to gain his Masters in Science in Engineering at the University of Southern California.

After moving back to Thailand, Sarath worked his way up to become the CEO of Gulf Energy Development, the third largest producer of energy in Thailand. In 2017, he took Gulf Energy public, a move that was the nation’s largest IPO in over ten years. Since then shares in the company have more than doubled, helped in part by major power projects coming online in 2018, and driving up revenue by more than 130%.

A notable current project for Gulf Energy Development is a joint venture worth over $480 million with the Oman Oil Company.

Sarath, who has a 73% stake in the company lives with his wife in Bangkok.