Baker McKenzie recently hosted a seminar titled "Playing the Green Rules" with esteemed speakers from Thailand's government and a multi-disciplinary team of senior lawyers from the Firm discussing the latest sustainability regulatory landscape, Thailand's energy transition journey and how Thai businesses could best respond. The seminar, which is part of a firmwide initiative to celebrate Baker McKenzie's 75th anniversary, highlights the Bangkok office's commitment to advancing sustainability in Thailand.
The event, which was attended by over 170 clients, featured three panel discussions led by a cross-practice, cross-office team of Firm partners and sustainability specialists, alongside honorary guest speakers from the government:
• Mr. Jatuporn Buruspat, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment;
• Dr. Phirun Saiyasitpanich, Director-General of the Department of Climate Change and Environment;
• Mr. Petros Sourmelis, Head of Trade and Economic Section, European Union Delegation to Thailand; and
• Mr. Sukal Sirichandilok, Chief of Customs Procedures Unit I, Customs Standard Procedures and Valuation Division, Thai Customs Department.
Mr. Petros Sourmelis kickstarted the first panel discussion with his invaluable insight on the implications of the European Union Green Deal for Thai businesses. This was followed by an in-depth discussion moderated by Varutt Kittichungchit around the preparations required to manage the impact of the EU Green Deal, particularly in relation to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), featuring Baker McKenzie partner, Keerati Saneewong Na Ayudthaya, and Sustainability Specialist, Dhiranantha Rithmanee, while Mr. Sukal also shared his expert insights on the topic.
The second panel covered opportunities in the evolving Thai energy sector and was led by Baker McKenzie partners from the Bangkok office's Energy & Infrastructure team, Vit Vatanayothin, Permsak Krairiksh and Napas Na Pombejra. Corporate partner Sean Duffy from Australia and Finance & Projects Principal Kim Hock Ang from Singapore shared their insightful experiences and discussed the challenges that businesses may encounter when operating in the more mature energy markets.
The third panel focused on the available mechanisms in Thailand (including legal, financial and economic measures) that enable the implementation of sustainability-related policies in business operations. The panelists included Corporate/M&A partners Sumet Orsirivikorn and Bulin Sanooj, Banking & Finance partners Kowit Adireksombat and Chavapol Akkaravoranun, and our Sustainability Specialist, Dr. Muanjit Chamsilpa.
Baker McKenzie's Global Chair, Milton Cheng, provided a closing remark: "Over the past 75 years, it's been part of our Firm's DNA to be a responsible business for our planet, our clients, our people and our communities. We remain committed to partnering with our clients, engaging our people, and leveraging our strong connections with policymakers and communities to help deliver solutions for some of the world's most important and complex challenges."
Peerapan Tungsuwan, a member of the Firm's Global Executive Committee, added: "In my role as Executive Committee member and Head of our Sustainability Practice in Thailand, I have made it my priority to not only deliver sustainable business practices within our Firm, but more importantly, to assist our clients in their sustainability journey. The transition to a sustainable business model should remain a priority, even in the face of market volatility and global challenges."
Reiterating the commitment to helping clients and progressing our own commitment to sustainability, Bangkok office Managing Partner Wynn Pakdeejit commented: "At Baker McKenzie, we understand the importance of actively engaging with our clients and assisting them with the implementation of sustainable business practices. We are proud to be able to draw upon our global experience to help support our clients with their sustainability journey."
Baker McKenzie is committed to serving our clients and communities by advancing inclusion and diversity, sustainability, and access to justice and opportunity. As part of the 75th Anniversary of the founding of Baker McKenzie, we are celebrating this important milestone with various initiatives to honor our history, our culture and values in creating positive social impact and to give back to the community that we serve.