He was in an economic bubble nearly 20 years ago and enjoyed a life of considerable luxury.

But then came a turning point for Supachai Lorlowhakarn, when he realised his luxury was doing nothing at all for Thailand - and the realisation changed his life forever.

At 36, he was a product stewardship manager for the international chemical company ICI Asiatic, working as a researcher to bring his company's chemical products to the Thai market. His bosses predicted that he would be chief executive before he turned 50.

Then, 13 years ago, he chose to leave his high salary and all the benefits of his position in private enterprise to become a government officer at the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA). He was driven by a desire to do something to help his country build up a knowledge-based society.

He is now the director of the National Innovation Agency.

Supachai gained a master's degree in biological science from Chulalongkorn University before he went to work for ICI, where he became involved in international business. Ultimately, despite everything progressing well in his life and his company's business growth rising, he saw nothing in it for his country. It was all like an illusion.

"I realised that the country could not really generate income, but would only consume while it had no knowledge to further develop. So, I wanted to play a part in helping the country to build up businesses based on knowledge," he says.

His chance came when the current Science and Technology Minister, Yongyuth Yuthavong, who was NSTDA's director at the time, invited him to help in the agency's work. They talked several times, then Supachai decided to leave his rising career of 10 years to join the agency. His first task was to oversee its Public Information Department, to disseminate news about science and technology to the public.

He knew his new path was not rosy, and he would have to start from zero, but there were valuable things to be done for the country and this challenged him.

Supachai used his business experience together with his scientific background to help the NSTDA's work. After the bubble burst in 1997 and innovation became a buzzword for the country's recovery and development, Supachai was involved in operating a newly established Innovation Development Fund (IDF), which later became the foundation for establishment of the present National Innovation Agency (NIA).

The IDF was founded as a part of the NSTDA in 2000, to provide funding support for the development of private sector innovations for business enhancement. Supachai became the fund's director in 2002.

However, to separate the funding unit away from the research organisation for the sake of transparency, the Science and Technology Ministry split off the IDF and changed it to the NIA in 2003, with Supachai as its director.

Working in the funding organisation drove Supachai to perform in both private enterprise and government management styles. He insists on his organisation adopting an aggressive stance and setting outcome targets like a private company. At the same time, he has to understand government protocol and bureaucratic regulations and follow government style.

"In this environment, you have to combine both together," he says. "Sometimes, you have to be very smart, but many times, you have to be very humble."

For Supachai, humbleness does not mean weakness, and even though he has often "had to flow like a wind", he has never betrayed himself by failing to do the right thing.

After working in the government environment for 13 years, Supachai, now 48, still enjoys it. He brings both happiness and energy to his task of overseeing innovation development at the NIA.

He says he's never afraid of obstacles and never feels discouraged or stressed with problems because he believes every problem can be solved.

Over the past three years, the NIA has given funding support amounting to Bt176.2 million to 162 innovation projects. However, its director has come to believe that offering only funding is not enough to boost innovation in business, so the agency has begun to provide a business model consultancy service to help private sector organisations develop research and innovation.

"We believe that innovation should go together with a good business model. So, to make the development of innovations successful, we have to do both," he says.

Supachai is therefore in the process of changing the NIA. In the future, it will no longer be solely a funding organisation, but will offer a new business solution consultancy service. The aim is to help private sector operators develop business models by using research and innovation, as a back up for their ordinary business.

"I want to push the NIA towards providing services and solutions rather than funding. We're in a transition period now and I hope that the new-look NIA will happen in the next three to five years," Supachai says.

However, to boost innovation development, the private sector should push itself to enhance business by introducing innovations. The NIA will then be a catalyst to encourage business awareness of innovation development and give assistance when it is needed.

Finally, to complete all the mechanisms for innovation development, the government should become involved, Supachai says.

"I think that the government should include innovation as one of Thailand's strategic policies, so that the country has a direction on innovation development," he says.

What he wants to see is the development of a national innovation ecosystem - a "soft infrastructure" that will help create collaboration among different organisations from both the private and government sectors, as well as research institutes, for innovation development.

Supachai feels there are still many things to do, and he never tires of the job. His desire to promote widespread innovation development prompts him to urge business operators to "dare" to think of new things.

"Thinking of a new thing - a new way of doing something - is not difficult," he says. "What is more difficult is throwing away old things, so we have to overcome this barrier. If we continue to be afraid of change and want to hold on to old things, then innovation will not emerge at all."

Pongpen Sutharoj

The Nation