Dusit Thani Faces Family Office Power Struggle Over Board Control

A shareholder battle has erupted at Thailand’s Dusit Thani as the founder’s family office, Chanut and Children, seeks to oust Acting Chairman Chanin Donavanik. The Dusit Thani family office called for an extraordinary meeting on 26 September, proposing to remove Chanin from the board and nominate 10 directors, six of them new. The family office, led by Chanin’s sisters, holds 49.74% of the SET-listed hotel group, while Central Pattana, part of Central Group, owns 17.09%. Chanin accused his siblings of aligning with Central to gain control, citing their partnership on the THB46bn Dusit Central Park project. Central Pattana denied involvement, while Dusit’s board warned that Chanin’s removal could disrupt operations. CEO Suphajee Suthumpun assured that business continues as normal despite the family rift.