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Published on February 14, 2008

 Most people work for a living and expect to be paid for their services. Not so Vichai Assarasakorn, 48, recently elected president of the Thai Gem and Jewellery Traders' Association. He works for free; simply for the satisfaction of dedicating his experience to help the industry's growth.

The powerful influence that led Vichai to completely change his lifestyle from profit-oriented business management to dedication to benefiting society is Dhamma - the teachings of the Buddha.

Vichai has been the association's president since late last year. He began by refusing to accept his salary. Having been an executive of his family's jewellery business as well as holding other senior positions over the past 15 years, he figured he had earned enough money for his life, and he was delighted to dedicate himself to his work without expecting anything in return.

"I wanted to work without any concerns," he says. "If I took a salary, I would not be able to completely show my management efficiency because I would still be concerned for my own benefit."

Vichai's role 15 years ago was as managing director of the Gemopolis Project, Thailand's first industrial estate dedicated solely to the gems and jewellery industry. He was one of the pioneers of Gemopolis when it was established on a 200-rai (32-hectare) plot in Samut Prakan province.

Earlier, when he was only 24, he graduated as an engineer from a university in Australia. He never imagined himself as a businessman or politician, but destiny intervened. His parents called for his help in running the family's gem and jewellery business, and Vichai, the youngest son of 11 brothers and sisters, had to forgo his career.

"I decided to help in the family business, even though I had no knowledge of jewellery. I realised my skills in jewellery were very weak, so I turned to use my management skills to help develop my parents business," Vichai recalls.

Vichai turned out to be a skilled manager and, being a relative newcomer, was able to develop broad and innovative visions for the industry.

Setting up the Gemopolis project needed more than Bt2 billion in capital investment, and Vichai helped to manage the project from its inception until the risky period passed by and the industrial estate gathered its feet. Gemopolis now has more than 70 shareholders and is listed as public company.

Vichai has now retired from Gemopolis to devote himself to the association's work. He has also turned his back on his family's business, which developed into the export trade. He remains an adviser to more than 20 companies, including Saha Union, Sumitomo (Thailand) and the Ying Charoen Market Group. But he does it all free of charge.

"I realised that I had some knowledge with which I could help to develop business growth by getting nothing in return, when I read the Dhamma of Phra Dhammapitaka (PA Prayudh Payutto)," he says.

The reading was only a start. Vichai entered the monkhood to immerse himself in studies of the real meaning of life. Since then, his aims in life have changed and he has sought to devote himself to education and social development.

"I asked myself: how can I help to develop society as well as educating people? I found that as a member of the association, I could share my knowledge and help the country's growth," he explains.

As well as his other positions, Vichai was formerly chief executive of the Bangkok Gem and Jewellery Fair, so he has dedicated the experience gathered over a lifetime in the industry to helping the association's 1,400 members.

Despite his competence in business management, Vichai still believes that his knowledge alone cannot fulfil all demands. His management style offers an open door to anyone with experience in any field to help develop growth in the jewellery business.

"I am not a one-man show," he says. "Being the leader of the association does not mean that I have to handle all the problems alone. I always distribute my responsibilities to others who have experience in the field, so that every target can be achieved easily, rather than me taking all the responsibilities alone."

For Vichai, being a leader means he has also to be a good supporter. He doesn't want full authority. He wants to see the industry grow with everyone feeling that they are a part of that accomplishment.

However, Vichai is not the kind of leader who constantly seeks compromises. Whenever he finds disagreement, he will not necessarily try to compromise. Instead, he proceeds to his target while trying to convince others of the correctness of his path.

"A conflict may be useful in some circumstances. In business, divergent ideas can be valuable in helping to develop growth," he says.

Vichai has now set three priority targets for his job as president of the Thai Gem and Jewellery Traders' Association. He wants to ask the new government to waive value-added tax for imported raw materials, to set up a Gem Bank to support small- and medium-sized enterprises, and to promote exports to new potential markets.

He will try to push his development plan to ensure sustainable business growth for the gems and jewellery business for the good of the country.

Vichai has four children and, despite the pressures of his daily work, he always has time to share his knowledge with his daughters and sons. He is keen to give his children the capacity to earn, to afford whatever they might desire, as well as passing his knowledge of Dhamma on to his children and friends. He feels this will provide them with a safety net for a happy life in a busy world of business.

"I might retire from business myself when I am 60 years old and go into the monkhood so I might learn the essence of Dhamma, to bring peacefulness to a man's life," Vichai says.

Achara Pongvuthitham,

Petchanet Pratruangkrai

The Nation