Who is Pita "Tim" Limjaroenrat, Leader of the Move Forward Party?

On May 14, 2023, Thailand held a general election that would transform the political scene in the kingdom. In an impressive turn of events, the young and relatively new Move Forward Party gained the most seats in parliament. The party is under the leadership of the charismatic Pita “Tim” Limjaroenrat, a former Prestige cover personality.

As the leader of the Move Forward Party, Pita now bears the weight of the hopes and dreams of millions of Thai citizens, all of whom are looking forward to a brighter future. If things work out, this 42-year-old politician, businessman, and father may soon find himself in charge of bringing fresh change to Thailand.

[Hero and featured image credit: Move Forward Party]

Who is Pita “Tim” Limjaroenrat, Leader of the Move Forward Party?

Harvard Alumnus

Born into a family already involved in politics, Pita is the son of Pongsak Limjaroenrat, who was an adviser to the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, while his uncle, Padung Limjaroenrat, was a close aide to the former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Pita attended Bangkok Christian College before he was sent to New Zealand to finish high school. He then returned to Thailand and entered the prestigious Thammasat University to study Finance at the Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy.

In order to pursue his political interests, Pita later received a scholarship and completed a joint Master of Public Policy and Master of Business Administration degree at Harvard University and MIT Sloan School of Management in 2011. Incidentally, this made him the first Thai person to ever receive a scholarship from Harvard University.

Life-Changing Event

During his first year of study in the USA, Pita was struck by the saddening news of the passing of his father. The young undergrad had to then fly back to his hometown to handle the family rice bran oil business, which he would look after for two years. He told Prestige Thailand in 2016 that “what I prioritised was people, first: the people who were working for my parents, who were working for my father – I switched it more to be ‘working with me’.” At the tender age of 25, Pita proceeded to take over as Managing Director of the company, CEO AgriFood Co Ltd, before returning to conclude his studies abroad.

Moving Forward

After his time spent at CEO AgriFood Co Ltd, Pita served as an Executive Director at Grab Thailand before finally venturing into politics. Prior to securing a leadership position with the Move Forward Party, he was an elected member of the House of Representatives, representing the Future Forward Party. That brand-new party managed to attract over six million votes in the 2019 general election, but was forced to disband in 2020. As a result of that dissolution the Move Forward Party was formed, and it garnered an overwhelming wave of support during the most recent election.

Pita & Pipim

From 2012 to 2019 Pita was married to a well-known Thai actress Chutima “Tye” Teepanat, and the couple had one daughter together, the now-seven-year-old Pipim. According to several interviews over the past few months, Pipim is now the priority in Pita’s life – alongside his role as the Move Forward Party leader, of course. The strong bond between father and daughter is often seen by those attending his campaign rallies.

While Pita is always aspiring to be a better politician, he also aims to be a trustworthy and supportive parent for his young daughter. “I hope Pipim has the capability to choose for herself, to do anything she wants,” Pita told Prestige. “I want her to appreciate good food, enjoy good music, and travel a lot. I want her to enjoy life to the fullest, and I would definitely support her in any possible way that I can in her endeavours and her journey.”

The Road Ahead

In a press conference the day after the election, the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) said voter turnout was the highest on record at 75.2 percent. To elect the next prime minister and form a government, a party – or coalition – must win a majority of the combined 750-seat lower and upper houses of parliament. Under the junta-era constitution, however, Thailand’s 250-seat senate is chosen entirely by the military.

In a stunning result, Pita’s Move Forward party exceeded all predictions to win 151 of the 500 seats in the lower house – the best performance by a single party. He immediately tweeted that he was “ready” to become the country’s 30th Prime Minister, saying: “We have the same dreams and hopes. And together we believe that our beloved Thailand can be better, and changes are possible if we start working on them today. This election really tells you that only four years have passed, but the people’s thinking has changed a lot, both the establishment and the pro-democracy camps. Democracy cannot be taken for granted.”

(Pita not only appeared on the cover of Prestige in June 2016, but has also featured on our 300 High Flyers list.)

The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.

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