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Capacity Development for Regional Cooperation and Integration

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Executive Director

Mr. Suriyan Vitchitlekarn
Executive Director, Mekong Institute (MI)
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The Executive Director (ED) is the chief executive of the organization who is recruited for a renewable term of office of three years. He/She must come from one of the GMS countries, with due consideration to integrity, capability and professional experience.
The ED shall:

  • enact MI’s vision and role in accelerating sustainable social and economic development and poverty alleviation in the GMS
  • provide strategic and organizational leadership to establish MI as the pre-eminent center of excellence in research and knowledge dissemination that serves the development needs of the GMS
  • be highly knowledgeable of the broad economic and management principles underpinning MI’s programs and projects and have the ability to effectively present these principles and expound MI’s course content to prospective development partners

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MEKONG INSTITUTE
123 Mittraphap Rd., Muang District, Khon Kaen 40002, THAILAND

Tel. : + 66 (0) 4320 2411
Email: [email protected]

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Mr. Suriyan Vitchitlekarn

Executive Director, Mekong Institute (MI)

As Mekong Institute’s Executive Director beginning on September 1, 2020, Mr.Suriyan Vichitlekarn steers the strategic planning and implementation of the intergovernmental organization’s human resource development, capacity strengthening, and research efforts to spur the acceleration of sustainable socioeconomic development and poverty alleviation in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).

Recognized as a respected development leader and regional integration advocate,Mr. Suriyan holds over 15 years of experience in delivering innovative approaches and sustainable practices across his specialized areas of agriculture and rural development, public- private partnership, and trade facilitation in the GMS and Southeast Asia.

Before taking the helm at MI, Mr. Suriyan was the Deputy Cluster Coordinator for Food and Agriculture of the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in Thailand and Spokesperson of the Agriculture Working Group under the GIZ Sector Network for Natural Resources and Rural Development in Asia and the Pacific.

As Deputy Cluster Coordinator, Mr. Suriyan spearheaded project steering and management, as well as partnership development in the food and agriculture sectors across the GMS. He, as the Regional Project Director of the Better Rice Initiative Asia from 2014 to 2017, also ushered several rice-related initiatives, which continue to be adapted and implemented by major rice-producing countries across Southeast Asia today.

In addition, Mr. Suriyan carries an extensive international development network, having assumed key positions at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat in Indonesia, and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center. He remains one of the most sought-after and prolific speakers for his macro- and micro-level perspectives on agricultural development in high-level knowledge exchange and dialogue-sharing platforms organized by international and regional organizations such as ADB, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, ASEAN, FAO, the Greater Mekong Subregional Economic Cooperation, and the Sustainable Rice Platform. Mr. Suriyan has also contributed to numerous research and policy studies, including being the lead author of the ASEAN Integrated Food Security Framework.

Mr. Suriyan is a Thai national and graduate of Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University,Thailand. He completed his master’s degree program on Management of Agricultural Knowledge Systems (MAKS) at the Wageningen Agricultural University, the Netherlands.

Ms. orn-uma polpanich

Ms. Orn-uma Polpanich is Program Director at Mekong Institute, leading the Agricultural Development and Commercialization team. She oversees development programming and policy engagement through capacity building, research, and knowledge exchange. Trained as a water management specialist, Ms. Orn-uma has experience in regional program management, policy advocacy, and transboundary planning in Asia. Her expertise lies in integrating climate resilience, sustainable water management and nature-based solutions into policies that advance environmental sustainability. She has led high-impact programs, engaged with ASEAN, Mekong and U.S. partners, and previously held roles with USAID and held research roles at IRRI, SEI, IWMI, GIC/AIT, and Hohenheim University.

Mr. Madhurjya Kumar Dutta

Director, Special Projects and Resource Mobilization

Mr. Madhurjya Kumar Dutta is currently the Director of the Trade & Investment Facilitation (TIF) Department at Mekong Institute (MI). Prior to joining MI, he served as Research Director of the Economic Institute of Cambodia (EIC) and as Adviser to the Cambodia India Entrepreneurship Development Institute (a bilateral project of Governments of India and Cambodia). He was conferred as Honorary Advisor to the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training, Cambodia through a royal decree by the Prime Minister and the King of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Mr. Dutta has over 20 years of experience in private sector development in South Asian and South East Asian countries. His key areas of interest are entrepreneurship, SME development and trade facilitation. He has designed and implemented several multilateral capacity development projects on SME and Trade Facilitation in the GMS including the ‘Private Sector Development in the East West Economic Corridor (EWEC)’; and ‘SME Competitiveness in the Southern Economic Corridor’ (SEC) funded by Japan; ‘Trade Facilitation Project in the North South Economic Corridor (NSEC)’ funded by China; ‘Integration of CLMV Economies into AEC’ funded by New Zealand; and ‘Certified Logistic Master Program’ funded by the Republic of Korea, among others.

He has also served as consultant to various agencies such as UNESCAP, ADB, World Bank, GIZ, UNDP, IFC, ILO, USAID, IFAD, OXFAM, World Vision, and Chemonics International on SME policy development, value chain, tourism, investment feasibility, green business, and private sector innovations.

Mr. Dutta earned his master’s degree from the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, and his Master of Science in Regional Development Planning and Management from the Technical University of Dortmund, Germany. He also holds an advanced diploma in regional development planning.

Mrs. Guohua Liu

Director, Sustainable Energy & Environment (SEE) Department

Mrs. Liu Guohua is the Director of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Department at the Mekong Institute. Prior to this role, she worked in the Department of International Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, where she played a key role in shaping and implementing China’s cooperation strategies with UN development agencies. During this time, Mrs. Liu was actively involved in advancing initiatives related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on climate change and green development. Additionally, she contributed to the evaluation of projects funded by various Chinese initiatives, such as the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund, etc.

In addition to her work in the Department of International Economic Affairs, Mrs. Liu has an extensive diplomatic background. She spent 7 years in the Department of African Affairs, followed by a 4-year tenure at the Chinese Embassy in Lao PDR, where she gained deep expertise in both Southeast Asian and African affairs. These diverse experiences have played a crucial role in shaping her approach to sustainable development and international collaboration, particularly in building regional partnerships and tackling global challenges like climate change.

She holds a Master’s degree in Economics, with a specialization in Finance, from the Central University of Finance and Economics, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, specializing in International Economics and Trade, from the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics.

Mr. Rithy Buth

Director of Finance and Operations Department

Mr. Buth Rithy is currently the Director of Finance and Operations in the Finance and Operations Department at Mekong Institute (MI) and is responsible for the overall leadership of financial management, human resource management, general services and IT management to support the MI program departments, the Executive Director’s Office and MI as a whole.


He has more than 22 years of experience in finance, grant, administrative and human resource services and more than 12 years at the management level in various organizations. He has worked for, among others, USAID, EU, Global Fund, DFID, Comic Relief, IDRC, IFPRI, AudAid_DFAT, WLE/IWMI, UNDEF, Mekong Lancang Special Fund (China fund), SDC, HARVARD, IFAD, and SIDA.
Rithy studied ACCA at CamEd Business School, (recognized by the international ACCA) for 3 years, before going on to obtain his Masters in Business Administrative (MBA), General Management major. from Build Bright University (BBU). He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting/Finance from the National Institute of Business (NIB), and a BA in English from PPIU.


He is skilled in human resource management, the recruitment process, conflict resolution, managing and leading people, performance appraisal management, training methodology, and IT management.

Ms. Jian (Tina) Wang

Ms. Jian (Tina) Wang is currently working as a Program Manager at the Sustainable Energy and Environment Department. With over 13 years of working experience at the Mekong Institute, she has managed various project portfolios from design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, capacity building adaptive management and database management. As a Program Manager, she has also been taking care of strategy development and partnership building with both public and private sectors.


Ms. Wang is a public affairs professional with over 14 years’ demonstrated experience in international development across different countries. She has extensive experience in engaging with different national, intergovernmental and development/donor agencies and private sector, relatively high exposure to portfolio management, program/project management, monitoring and evaluation, strategic partnership building/development, capacity building, strategic communication, strategic planning, data analysis, event management, strategic sustainable development and leadership in complexity.


Prior to the MI, she worked as Director Assistant at the Rare, a U.S.-based Non-Governmental Organization focusing on promoting the sustainable nature resource management in China targeting at local leaders. She gained substantial knowledge and direct experience on environment protection, nature resource management and community outreach.
Ms. Wang holds a B.Econ. in International Economics and Trade and a M.A. in Business Management from China, and has a M.S. in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability from Sweden, and completed a Micro Master in Data, Economics, and Development Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

MS. WEN HAO

Mr. Wen Hao is a Program Manager at Trade and Investment Facilitation (TIF) Department of Mekong Institute (MI). 

Ms. orn-uma polpanich

Director, Green Transition and Nexus Solutions Department

Ms. Orn-uma Polpanich is Program Director at Mekong Institute, leading the Agricultural Development and Commercialization team. She oversees development programming and policy engagement through capacity building, research, and knowledge exchange. Trained as a water management specialist, Ms. Orn-uma has experience in regional program management, policy advocacy, and transboundary planning in Asia. Her expertise lies in integrating climate resilience, sustainable water management and nature-based solutions into policies that advance environmental sustainability. She has led high-impact programs, engaged with ASEAN, Mekong and U.S. partners, and previously held roles with USAID and held research roles at IRRI, SEI, IWMI, GIC/AIT, and Hohenheim University.

Dr. Anake Topark-ngarm

EDUCATION

Mahidol University Thailand - MDMedicine and Dispute Resolution

Month/Year

2003 - 2006

Nationality

Thai

Previous Work Experiece

Dean of Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University (1994 -1998)

Dr. Suchat Katima

EDUCATION

  • Doctor of Education Silliman University, Dumaguete, Philippines (Jan. 2005)

  • Master’s Degree in International Administration (MIA) The School for International Training (SIT), Vermont. USA (Feb. 1990)

  • Recipient of Outstanding Private Voluntary Organization Management Scholarship BA in International Politics Fergusson College, Poona, India. (1980)

    • Month/Year

    February 2007 - December 2013

    Nationality

    Thai

    Previous Work Experiece

    International Consultant (Nov 05 – Jan 07) Commissioned by different clients to provide technical and programme management support to different projects/programmes in the four lower Mekong Basin Countries.

    Prof. Dr. Vanchai Vatanasapt

    EDUCATION

    Mahidol University Thailand - MDMedicine and Dispute Resolution

    Month/Year

    1996 - 2000

    Nationality

    Thai

    Previous Work Experiece

    President of Khon Kaen University