Jiraphon Kawswat

President & CEO
PTT Oil & Retail Business(OR)

Bangkok

“No matter how advanced the technology has evolved, stay true to your audience with something unique, timely, true and provocative."

Since being appointed the first CEO of OR when Thailand’s largest energy solution provider was incepted in 2019, Jiaphron Kawswat has successfully made the firm a part of everyday life for consumers through the company’s unique integrated oil and retail platform. OR and its franchise partners have operated at more than 2,400 PTT Station locations, and more than 4,000 branches of the Café Amazon coffeehouse chain both domestically and internationally.

Under Kawswat’s stewardship OR has created a strong network of 13,000 SME communities and 2,600 business matching projects, as well as opening opportunities in ten global markets. She says innovation plays a pivotal role in creating value for the company’s business, and that it forms an integral part of OR’s four aspects of business missions.

In early 2022, Kawswat launched OR’s new vision ‘Empowering All towards Inclusive Growth,’ which sets a clear guiding principle of several new business models and partnerships that shape growth opportunities together with people, for the benefit of communities and the planet alongside OR’s own performance. She describes this as a truly innovative moment in her career.

How do you define innovation?
Specifically for OR, innovation plays a pivotal role in creating value for the company’s business, together with benefits for its customers or stakeholders with the sense of responsibility towards society and the environment. We set innovation as an integral part in our four aspects of business missions, known as ‘OR Innovation’ in which we strive to solve social and environmental issues and problems with new business models, product and service offerings for sustainability while creating new business and market opportunities along the way.

What is the most innovative PR or marketing initiative you've seen over the past 12 months?
OR’s ongoing long-term communication campaign called “OR = Opportunities”, which has successfully reiterated OR’s mission as a business committed to creating inclusive growth in partnership with people and communities. This campaign strategy has gathered exceptional public engagement by depicting OR’s concrete social value initiative being implemented at PTT Station (OR’s petrol station brand) and Café Amazon (OR’s flagship coffee house chain) outlets as business platforms that open up the ‘Blue Door of Opportunity’ to all. It has helped cement OR’s credentials in empowering people, protecting the environment and supporting local communities.

In your opinion, which brands and/or agencies are most innovative in their approach to PR and marketing?
Apple uses marketing communications mix in order to PR and marketing. The success of Apple is based a unique marketing and communication strategy. Therefore, it directly influences target customers and society in global area.

Describe a moment in your career that you would consider to be innovative.
The launch of OR’s new vision “Empowering All toward Inclusive Growth” in early 2022. It all comes from the fact that OR was convinced that a future business is one where people and the environment grow together. We do believe that opportunities for growth toward success, growth toward a better quality of life, and growth along with a decent environment are deserved by all. OR, therefore, ready ourselves to fulfill everyone with opportunities for growth and convey them to all our loved ones. Since its launch, the new vision has set a clear guiding principle of several new business models and partnerships that encompass local and global economic contexts of the modern business world to shape growth opportunities together with people for the benefit of communities and the planet in parallel with our own performance.

Who do you admire for his/her approach to innovation?
Steve Jobs created the effective and powerful communication campaign, which influence the world along with outstanding brand identity of Apple. Additionally, he made the uniqueness of Apple, which these factors lead to reason to believe in general public.

How do you get out of a creativity rut?
I take time out from work for a short moment and relook at things around me. The approach that always works for me is taking a ride to randomly visit branches of PTT Station and Café Amazon as well as other F&B and retail establishments in Bangkok or other provincial areas to observe customers and visitors, which has usually triggered ideas on how to make improvements and fine-tune operation processes as well as come up with new business ideas and opportunities.

What advice would you give to the PR industry around embracing innovation?
Innovation should be around where and how PR messages are delivered, and it’s important for PR professionals to find the right channels for the job. PR needs to evolve with the times. In the modern days, PR needs to embrace digital channels like social media and use it to its full potential. Most importantly, no matter how advanced the technology has evolved, stay true to your audience with news that is ‘newsworthy’, something unique, timely, true and provocative.

What would you be doing if you weren't doing your current job?
I will work in the organization that contribute to the society and make the community better. Otherwise, I might be a teacher sharing business and working experience to interested people.

Which book/movie/TV show/podcast/playlist/other cultural source has provided inspiration over the past year?
News/ Inspiration Songs and Travel Channel inspire me.

How would you like to see work culture, and the role of the office, evolve?
OR cultivates its OR DNA corporate value as a foundation for shaping the mindset and way of working of all employees in accordance with our vision, missions, and strategic directions, while preparing them with knowledge, experience as well as the ability to adapt to the changing business environment and business competition in the future. I look forward to seeing this corporate value achieved its intended purpose in motivating and inspiring employees to own their success, thus creating a culture of ownership and build good relationship with internal and external stakeholders, leading to sustainable inclusive growth.

How can the PR and communications industry harness innovation to make more progress on diversity, equity and inclusion?
It’s important for the PR and communications industry to generate authoritative ‘reason to believe’ among the general public on how ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ promote business innovation. All businesses should be mindful that to truly innovate and tap into their full creative potential, they need a diverse workforce with equal access to opportunities. More importantly, DEI initiatives help organizations reimagine their approach to social change to create a more equitable world.