Welcome to Business DNA, a chance for us to delve into the essential make-up of business leaders and their organizations. Our focus is not on the short term but instead on understanding the driving forces behind business.
Our guest today is Chane Laosonthorn, Deputy CEO and CFO of SET-listed Wattanapat Hospital Trang Public Company Limited.
You can read a summary of the interview here.
What was one of your toughest moments coming into this role?
Imagine a company that’s been around for 30 years and isn’t doing well, with its own director and management already in place. Then one guy gets sent back from overseas, just a kid. He’s not a doctor. He’s never worked in a hospital. And he comes back to change how things are done. But I was young, eager to prove myself, and it was personal, salvaging my grandfather’s reputation. So, I had all the motivation to get things done.
A plan with two options for the board
I tried working with the old team for a year. I knew it wasn’t going to work. So, I wrote up a plan for the board: let go of almost everyone and do it my way, or keep everyone who’d been there for 40 years, and I’d go back to Perth because I still had my house next to the golf course. Keeping them would be a waste of time.
The benefit of the doubt
Luckily, the board probably knew things were bad. Something new, with the benefit of the doubt, seemed better than what they had. They didn’t expect five hospitals or a stock market listing. They just hoped for a little more profit.
Click here to read our latest report on WPH
Wattanapat Hospital Trang (WPH) ranks 11th out of 300 Uncovered Thai Stocks as of 1Q26 financial results.
