On 16 September, the APO Secretariat welcomed 11th Secretary-General Dr. Santhi Kanoktanaporn. He was elected unanimously at the 58th APO Governing Body Meeting held in Jakarta, Indonesia, in April 2016 to succeed Secretary-General Mari Amano, who completed his term of office on 15 September.

“I am really happy to be at the APO Secretariat, the premier organization focused on improving productivity across the Asia-Pacific region. I have a long association with the APO, particularly during my recent tenure at the Thailand Productivity Institute (FTPI), and hope to work closely with NPOs to understand their country-specific needs and translate them into meaningful programs that can contribute to sustainable socioeconomic development,” he commented.

He added that as the Secretary-General his focus would be on making member countries more productive and competitive by 2020. “Globally, economies are concerned about further improving productivity through the use of better technologies and by reducing wastage of resources. The APO was the first organization in the world to promote the concept of Green Productivity, and I want to strengthen the APO’s leadership role to help even less-developed economies to achieve low-carbon development.”

Dr. Santhi Kanoktanaporn in his office at the APO after joining as the 11th Secretary-General.

A man with many hats, Secretary-General Kanoktanaporn is an industry veteran with over 40 years of hands-on experience in driving productivity enhancement initiatives and strategic international development programs. He also has vast experience ranging from product quality control, to environment and waste management consultancy, to the telecom and petrochemical sectors.

New Secretary-General Dr. Santhi Kanoktanaporn addressing staff members at the Secretariat.