William E. Heinecke Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Minor International Public Company Limited
As a Thailand-based company with presence in over 26 countries worldwide, Minor International has always put great emphasis on the development of people. I strongly believe that people are the key to drive sustainable success of our business and the Thai nation.
Over the past years, Thai cuisine has gained immense popularity abroad. A significant number of Thai restaurants are not owned by Thais and many dishes have been altered that they have lost their unique Thai taste. The Thai Cuisine Academy was created with the purpose of teaching the art of cooking and serving authentic Thai food to the World. This can only be achieved by grooming high quality chefs and offering the best learning institution for Thai cuisine for professionals and non-professionals alike. The Thai Cuisine Academy will help raise the talent pool for not only restaurants under The Minor Food Group and The Minor Hotel Group, but also for others. With our partnership with S&P Syndicate and Chef Chumpol, I am confident that The Thai Cuisine Academy will help strengthen the standard of Thai chefs and Thai cuisine, and pave the way for growth opportunities domestically and internationally, given the increasing popularity of Thai food globally.
William E. Heinecke came to the Kingdom of Thailand in 1963 and founded the Minor Group in 1967. Almost five decades later the group has grown substantially into a large company with revenue of over USD2bn and market cap of over USD3bn. Listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand in 1988, Minor International Public Company Limited (MINT) is now a global company focused on three primary businesses: restaurants, hospitality and lifestyle brands distribution, all of which are now under one umbrella. The group currently employs more than 45,000 employees.
MINT is one of Asia’s largest restaurant companies with over 1,500 outlets operating system wide in 19 countries under The Pizza Company, Swensen’s, Sizzler, Dairy Queen, Burger King, Thai Express, the Coffee Club, Ribs & Rumps and Riverside brands. MINT is also a hotel owner, operator and investor with a portfolio of over 100 hotels and serviced suites under the Anantara, AVANI, Oaks, Per AQUUM, Marriott, Four Seasons, St. Regis, Elewana and Minor International brands in Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, the Maldives, Vietnam, Tanzania, Kenya, UAE, Sri Lanka, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia and Mozambique.
In addition, MINT operates mixed-use businesses which are complementary to the hotel business. This includes real estate development, comprising sale of luxury residences and Anantara Vacation Club, MSpa, retail and property business, and entertainment outlets. MINT is one of Thailand’s largest distributors of lifestyle brands focusing primarily on fashion and cosmetics. Its brands include Gap, Esprit, Bossini, Charles & Keith, Pedro, Red Earth, Tumi, Zwilling J.A. Henckels, ETL Learning and Mysale, an online shopping website. MINT is also a contract manufacturer of household products, with its own manufacturing plant. Now 65, Mr. Heinecke currently serves as a Chairman on the Board of Directors of MINT. The author of 'The Entrepreneur - 25 Golden Rules for Global Business Manager’, Mr. Heinecke also serves as a Director of Indorama Ventures PCL, the largest PET production company in the world. Mr. Heinecke became a naturalized Thai citizen in 1991.
Mrs. Patara Sila-On Chairman, S & P Syndicate Pcl.
“Starting from a small ice-cream and bakery parlor in 1973, the S&P now becomes a leading full-sevice Thai restaurant with over hundred branches in Thailand and overseas. I always strive to maintain the consistency of high food and service standards in that quality is a state of mind. A well-trained workforce and continuous training are crucial to remain outstanding in the highly competitive industry. A professional chef is not able to deliver delicious dishes, but also be able to handle food safely and prepare it well.
I found a great opportunity to work with the two excellent partners, Minor Internatinal and Chef Chumpol Jangprai, to set up the first full-service Thai cooking school in Thailand. Student attending our course will take advantage of our excellent faculty and facilities. Onece completing our courses, the students will develop the specialized skills necessary for a global food service industry.
Futhermore, the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015 creates investment opportunities for restaurant entrepreneurs to expand their business overseas. We can support skilled chefs for you or train your existing chefs to be more professinal in order to work with the international standards and environment. We ensure that students completing our professional course will be able to show their talents to the world.
