Thirachai Ongmahutmongkol, Automotive Technology (’69) and Industrial Technologies (’72) graduate received the Distinguished Alumni Award from SIUC. Thirachai’s picture and biography will be placed in the SIUC Student Recreation Center on the Wall of Distinguished Alumni.

As President of the Thai Student Association during the 1969-70 school year at Southern, Thirachai Ongmahutmongkol was already exhibiting exemplary leadership skills he would later parlay into a highly successful career as an executive. Thirachai began his career with Du Pont Corporation in 1977. He held several key executive assignments during his tenure, including Regional Product Manager for polymers in Asia Pacific, General Manager for Du Pont in Hong Kong and China, Managing Director of a joint-venture firm and President of Du Pont in Thailand. The Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand presented Thirachai the “Annual Honorable Executive” award in 1990. In 1992, Thirachai received the Chivas Regal “Young Entrepreneur” award for corporate leadership, and the “Marketing Management” award from the Asian Institute of Management. He was also named “Executive Award of the Year” from Thai Economic Relations in 1993. Thirachai is a special lecturer on various subjects to MBA classes in his country. A life member of the SIU Alumni Association, he assists SIU with international student recruitment in Asia, particularly in Thailand.

“In addition to the American students, it was always nice to meet international students from different parts of the world at SIU. The borderless friendship among the diversities and learning and sharing of various cultures became the modern management concepts and practices in the globalization era today of the borderless trade and industries, the knowledge-based society and interdependency of individuals and interlinked economy. These valuable lessons are my most memorable experiences at Southern Illinois University.”

Thirachai Ongmahutmongkol, Automotive Technology (’69) and Industrial Technologies (’72) graduate, visited the College’s Carterville Campus when he was in Carbondale recently to receive the Distinguished Alumni Award from the SIUC Alumni Association.