Thiraphong Chansiri, MBA 1988 began his forage into the fish business at an early age. His father founded the family tuna processing company in Samut Sakorn, a coastal area south of Bangkok where the odor of fish processing factories was prevalent. In those days, Thiraphong's Thai Union Frozen Products (TUF) was considered a dinosaur. SaidThiraphong: "Dealing in dead fish wasn't sexy."

While the rest of the country was reeling in the late 90's due to the floating of the Baht, Thiraphong's company benefited big-time. He was debt-free, his costs were in Baht and his earnings were in dollars. His winning formula: "conservatism combined with the ability to move instantly once the right acquisition target has been identified," has stood by him well. In 1997, he bough 50% of Chicken of the Sea, an 80-year-old American company which gave him an 18% share of the U.S. tuna market. In 2001, he bought the remaining 50% of the company to make TUF the second largest tuna canning company in the world after Del Monte.

His focus on transparent and years of hand's on experience, even on the fish-gutting line, and most of all, the ability to seize opportunity, has yielded him huge success. In just a few short years, Thiraphong took TUF from what was once viewed as a sunset industry to one that is now considered a sunrise industry. It has taken Thai Union Frozen Products 27 years to reach the $1 Billion sales mark and President Thiraphong says he can double that in the next few years. To reach his next milestone, he plans to buy rivals and sell new products. People like Mr. Thiraphong who can say "shareholder value" and "corporate governance" without blushing, find themselves in an enviable position. His success and the prospects for further development of his company speak well for his education for USF.

Thiraphong, 40, is the current president of Thai Union Frozen Products and also on USF's International Executive Advisory Board and a director of Bualuang Securities PLC, Thailand.