The listed property developer wants to build up SEAC as Thailand’s first and premier lifelong learning centre to disrupt today’s learning methods through collaborations with world-leading institutes.

It hopes to generate revenue of Bt3 billion from the venture by 2022.

Moreover, SEAC has launched YourNextU, a new learning platform developed through 4Line Learning, its effective learning approach.

Featuring easily accessed learning content from around the world, YourNextU is a membership-based service with an annual fee of Bt10,000.

Anuphong Assavabhokhin, chief executive officer of AP (Thailand), said on Tuesday: “Following the company’s new vision under the concept of ‘AP World, A Vision for Quality of Life’, which serves as a blueprint for a good quality of life for tomorrow, we realise that one of the challenges in creating a world with a better quality of life is the development of skills, knowledge and capabilities of people – not just in the organisation, but also in society as a whole in order to catch up with the disruptive world.

“As this should be treated as an urgent and most challenging global agenda, AP Thailand is now determined to expand towards the disruptive business with a budget of Bt600 million as an investment in the Southeast Asia Centre, or SEAC, Asean’s first and only lifelong learning committed to disrupt the way people learn with new approaches to make them ready to catch up with the changes of today and the future.

“This investment is also a work of collaboration with world-leading institutes that share the same learning perspectives, including the Stanford Centre for Professional Development, The Ken Blanchard Companies, The Arbinger Institute, and many others. Our contributions should elevate capability and the thinking process of leaders in Thailand and the whole region to the level of world-class leaders.”

Arinya Talerngsri, chief capability officer and managing director of SEAC, said: “We have been in operation as APMGroup since 1992, before being renamed ‘Southeast Asia Centre’ or ‘SEAC’. The centre has its purpose similar to AP (Thailand)’s new vision to develop and bring ‘human resource’ to another level.

“This is done by creating a ‘Lifelong Learning Ecosystem’ or an environment where people can learn regardless of age, because we believe ‘learning is endless, and everyone can learn at all stages of life. It is important to know and understand how to learn, unlearn and relearn all the time. With multiple services on offer, the centre is determined to respond to various needs both at an organisational and an individual level.

“This includes creating a business network and a lifelong learning community, consultant and development service for high-level executives, skill-boosting curriculum necessary for today’s and future’s world, academic research, learning and development platforms as well as the development of a learning approach suitable for all lifestyles, which is called ‘4Line Learning’, dubbed ‘The Best Blended Learning’.”

Prakorn said on Tuesday that it was a good time to continue the management of the TOA empire, which is “the paint manufacturer of Thailand’s pride”.

He is ready to continue the policy for which the company has laid the foundation and aims to be the market leader in the paint and coatings industry within the Asean Economic Community, in terms of enhancing the growth in all product ranges in Thailand and expanding in other AEC markets with the establishment of production-based plants, together with marketing activities.

He will bring his experience, knowledge and capability in the Asean markets he is familiar with, in order to achieve the company’s goals in each country, the new president added.

Meanwhile, chief executive officer Jatuphat Tangkaravakoon said that with the vision to be a market leader in the paint and coatings industry in the AEC in terms of the products the company manufactures and the customer-service solutions it provides, TOA’s business strategy is to increase sales in Thailand by developing new paint innovations to respond to consumer needs and undertake marketing to stimulate consumption of both decorative paint and coating products.

These products are the company’s key revenue drivers, representing more than 68.4 per cent of total sales.

The company will increase its market share of non-decorative paint and coating products, which cover construction chemicals, heavy-duty coatings, wood coatings, hardware and power tools, and special paint.

Last year, the company had 6,581 auto-tinting machines, 4,428 of them in Thailand and 2,153 in other AEC markets, representing a rise of 9 per cent from 2017.

Meanwhile, the company also expects production capacity this year will total 102 million gallons (464 million litres), an increase of 16 per cent.

As a result, the company will have a total of 10 production plants covering seven countries, three of them in Thailand, two in Cambodia, and one each in Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia and Myanmar.

According to Frost & Sullivan research, in 2016, the listed company had a market share of around 13 per cent in decorative paint and coating products in the AEC.

Last year, TOA generated Bt16.34 billion in sales: Bt11.18 billion from decorative paint, accounting for 68.4 per cent of sales; Bt4.58 billion from coating products and others, accounting for 28 per cent; and Bt583 million from other products, representing 3.6 per cent.

When compared with 2017, the company’s sales rose by 4 per cent, the CEO said.

KBank president Kattiya Indaravijaya, chair of the “KBank e-Girls The 10th Generation 2019 Project”, said the contest is designed to provide valuable experiences to participants and has been organised continuously for 18 years.

The 10th Generation contest this year will open up an opportunity for eight contemporary women to gain valuable work experiences by being KBank brand ambassadors, said a release from the bank.

The contest will start from screening well-rounded contemporary women under the theme of “New experiences … to change your life”, to reflect the modern image of KBank which is ready to respond to the diverse lifestyles of customers.

Applicants must be between 19 and 25 years of age, at least 165 centimeters tall and must complete a Bachelor’s degree or have completed their studies in the academic year 2019 with qualifications pending. They must have good personality, exuding confidence while expressing themselves. Also, they must have good communication skills and be proficient in speaking, reading and writing Thai and English. Knowledge of a third language would be a plus.

The contest is open for applications until June 10, 2019. In the first round, KBank will choose about 150 applicants from their photos and video clips.

The second round involves in-person interviews with a judging committee to narrow down the number of contestants to 32 persons. Squadron Leader Nalinee Paiboon, MD, will chair the judging committee.

They will then participate in a retreat at KBank Learning Centre, Bang Pakong, Chachoengsao, July 24-26, 2019. During this period, contestants will learn about personal development, plus techniques of self-presentation and professional emceeing.

After that, only 16 contestants will be chosen for the final round of the “KBank e-Girls The 10th Generation” contest on Tuesday, August 20, 2019, when the eight winners will be decided.

Each winner will get remunerations worth over Bt2 million and serve as a KBank Brand Ambassador for two years. Their major duties will include presenting information about KBank products and services, as well as participating in branding and marketing campaigns, being an emcee and presenter for KBank TV and taking part in charity events that KBank is part of.

To apply for the “KBank e-Girls The 10th Generation” contest, visit the Facebook fanpage: KBank e-Girls, or attend an application booth at K Online Shop Space (5th Floor, Isetan), Central World shopping complex, before June 10, 2019.

However, joining Thanachart Bank Public Co Ltd (TBANK; AA-(tha)/Stable) and TMB Bank Public Co Ltd (TMB; BBB-/bbb-/AA-(tha)/Stable) also risks downsides from the complexities and challenges of integrating their respective operations and cultures, Fitch added.

The two mid-sized banks announced on February 27 that they had signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding for a merger.

The transaction is still in its early stages, with only limited information disclosed. Fitch expects to take rating actions if the merger plans are executed and when any changes in the credit profiles of the two banks become clearer.

Under the plan, TBANK would transfer its assets and liabilities to TMB at the estimated value of Bt130 billion-140 billion. About 70 per cent of the value would be financed by equity via TMB’s new share issuance, which would be allocated to existing shareholders of TBANK and TMB.

TBANK is the sixth-largest commercial bank by assets, and is Thailand’s largest automobile hire-purchase lender. TMB is Thailand’s seventh-largest commercial bank, with a strong focus in transactional banking.

After the merger, the combined bank should have a combined market share of 10-11 per cent for total assets and total deposits, which approaches the size of Thailand’s fifth-largest bank, the Bank of Ayudhya (A-/bbb/AAA(tha)/Stable). Moreover, the merger should lead to a more diversified loan portfolio due to the two banks’ different market strengths.

Another consideration for the merger discussions is the Ministry of Finance’s tax incentives announced last year aimed at boosting the size of domestic banks.

The ministry is a 26-per-cent shareholder in TMB, and is likely to retain a significant stake in the merged entity.

The merger, if it proceeds, is not expected to be completed until near the end of 2019. The transaction is subject to further discussion and negotiation, including the ultimate shareholder structure of the merged entity, as well as several legal conditions, due diligence and approval from regulators and shareholders.

As such, there is no certainty that the merger will go through as planned, Fitch noted in a release.