Biography
Supaluck Umpujh is the chairwoman of The Mall Group, a leading Thai retail developer, which has played an instrumental role in bringing luxury brands into the country. The group is one of Thailand's largest mall and department store operators, with a portfolio including Paragon, Emporium, EmQuartier and Bluport across several cities. In 2022 Umpujh earmarked 20 billion bahtt ($500 million) for investment in two of the group’s malls and surrounding shopping districts in Bangkok. It is part of a broader drive to turbocharge the travel retail sector by appealing to affluent tourists beyond countries in Asia and Europe, in particular those from the Middle East, by ushering in more experiential and entertainment elements. The same year, she announced that the group will open The Emsphere mall in a newly designed district of the city in 2023.
Umpujh is leading the company’s development into Thailand’s key resort cities and islands such as Hua Hin and Phuket, in the hopes of creating a sophisticated shopping experience that equals that of the French or Italian Riviera. One of seven children of the late Supachai Umpujh, founder of the company, she joined the family’s retail business in her youth despite studying something unrelated. Umpujh has a Bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Mahidol University in Thailand and a Master’s in pharmaceutical engineering from Purdue University in the US.