Narongsak Jivakanun

Chairman of the Board

Narongsak has been the MD of GC International since 2019. Concurrently, He holds the position of Executive Vice President – International Business Operations at PTT Global Chemical Plc. (GC), driving the performance and strategic direction of overseas subsidiaries, and leading GC’s international growth agenda. In addition, he also serves as a director of the board in several key GC subsidiaries. He has more than 30 years of experience in the chemical and energy industry including senior executive roles in leading business development, M&A and corporate strategy formulation.

Narongsak holds a M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Oregon State University, U.S.A. and a B.E. in Chemical Engineering from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. He has completed selective executive training programs including Director Certification Program at the Thai Institute of Directors Association in 2012, TLCA Leadership Development Program at the International Institute for Management Development in 2013, and the Executive Certification Program on Energy Literacy for a Sustainable Future at Thai Energy in 2016.

Andy Ting

President & Managing Director

Andy joined GC International in 2019 from PTT Global Chemical Plc. (“GC”). He has over 20 years of experience in the chemical and energy industry with significant part of his career devoted to executing investment projects, which included joint ventures in Asia Pacific and business acquisitions in the US and Europe. In addition to leading investment execution, Andy also held executive roles in portfolio management, corporate strategy and business planning.

Andy holds a MS in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley and MS in Industrial Administration (MBA) from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University.

Jean Uchupalanun

Sr. Analyst

Jean Uchupalanun joined GC International in 2023 as Sr. Analyst of Strategic Planning & International Subsidiary Management.

Jean joins us having previously worked Goldman Sachs & Co, PepsiCo and Procter Gamble.

Jean holds a M.Eng in Engineering Management from Cornell University and a BS in Industrial Engineering and Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Waraporn Beens-Prawchaeng

Finance Manager

Waraporn Beens-Prawchaeng holds the position of Finance Manager. She is located at GC’s Amsterdam office.

Prior to joining GC BV, Waraporn held various roles within the Finance domain of a multinational leather and apparel company. During her tenure Waraporn has worked in various countries and various areas of the business. Most recently as Group Senior Commercial Controller and Senior business Controller in the Netherlands. Waraporn has broad experience in the areas of Finance, Controlling, ERP and Project management.
Waraporn holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Chiang Mai University.

Saad Shah

Senior Director

Saad Shah joined GC International as Director to lead the firm’s M&A activities. Saad brings more than 10 years of M&A and investment experience in the chemical and energy industries.

Prior to joining GC International, Saad served as Director in the Energy & Infrastructure group of a global investment bank, specializing in M&A and capital markets transactions. Among his other experiences in M&A and investing, Saad was with a global private equity firm managing $7Bn in assets, where he drove the firm’s origination, execution and portfolio management activities with a focus on the chemical, energy, and industrial sector investment strategies.

Saad holds a B.S. in Finance and Accounting from The University of Texas at Dallas.

Theofilos Giagmouris

Sr. Analyst – M&A

Theo Giagmouris joined GC International as Sr. M&A Analyst to assist with the Company’s M&A strategy.

Prior to joining GC International, Theo served as Sr. Consultant at a global business advisory firm, specializing in M&A and corporate strategy for oil & gas clients.

Theo holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin and is a CFA charter holder.

Tony Sun, Ph.D.

Director

Tony is responsible for developing and executing GC’s corporate venture investment strategies in North America as well as managing investment portfolio. He also leads tech scouting and market intelligence activities to facilitate collaboration with emerging technologies and support new corporate initiatives.

Prior to joining GC International, Tony was Lead Analyst at a global research firm, where he advised Global-1000 corporations, venture capital, and government agencies on strategies in material-based technologies.

Tony holds a Ph.D. in Physics from Boston College and B.S in Physics from Peking University.

Tassawuth Pojanavaraphan

Tassawuth joined GC in 2017. Tassawuth focuses on corporate venture investment opportunities in advanced materials and clean technology. His responsibilities include technology and market landscape analysis, deal sourcing, opportunity assessment and investment execution. Prior to GC, Tassawuth was a senior research scientist at PTT PLC, conducting materials-related R&D projects.

Tassawuth holds a Ph.D. in Polymer Science and a B.S. in Materials Science from Chulalongkorn University.

Nattawat Nirdnoy

Nattawat joined GC in 2020. He drives corporate venture capital investments from thesis development and origination, through deal evaluation and execution. Prior to GC, he served large corporate clients in consulting projects across Southeast Asia in areas of Innovation management, Enterprise risk management and Digital Transformation with global consulting firms.

Nattawat holds a M.S. in International Business from University of Edinburgh and a B.Eng. (International Program) from SIIT, Thammasat University.

Martin Khamphoukeo

Martin joined GC in 2021. He drives sourcing of deals for corporate venture capital investments and is involved in those investments from evaluation through execution. Prior to GC, he worked in a technology consultancy providing VC as a Service to fortune 500 companies. He also worked for a startup that digitized the supply chain for manufacturing companies. Martin holds a M.S. in Marketing Communication Management and a B.S. in International Business Administration from Copenhagen Business School.

Lisa Dufresne

Associate

Lisa conducts market research and thesis development in a variety of investment areas, as well as drives the sourcing and assessment of potential deals corporate venture capital investments.

Prior to joining GC International, Lisa spent over 15 years at a consulting firm providing technical and commercialization assistance to startups and other small companies, primarily those receiving federal Small Business Innovation Research funds. These companies spanned a broad range of markets including chemicals, materials, medical devices and therapies, and energy.

Lisa holds a MS in Environmental Engineering from Tufts University and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.

Jerrold Wang

Associate

Jerrold conducts market analysis and technology scouting in a variety of investment areas, as well as facilitates startup due diligence and deal sourcing for GC’s corporate venture capital investments.

Prior to joining GC International, Jerrold worked in a global leading technology advisory firm for over 10 years, where he provided advice and opinions to Fortune 500 corporate venture arms, traditional venture capitals, and government agencies for technology scouting, deal sourcing, and technology partnership selection in the fields of advanced materials, AI & IoT, agrifood, and consumer tech.

Jerrold holds an MBA from Boston University Questrom School of Business.

Tonnis Poppema

Legal and Compliance Director

Tonnis Poppema is Legal and Compliance Director of GC’s Amsterdam office. He also holds the position of Managing Director of PTTGC International (Netherlands) B.V.

Tonnis has more than 20 years’ experience in several industries, such as specialty chemicals, mining & metals processing, telecommunications and technology.

Throughout the years, he lived in multiple countries, and held executive legal and compliance roles for global organisations such as Hasbro, Inc., Eastman Chemical, the GSM Association and Nyrstar/Trafigura.
Tonnis holds a Law degree from Groningen University, the Netherlands and an LL.M. from the College of Europe, Bruges (Belgium).

Hendrik-Jan Witsenburg

Corporate Counsel

Hendrik-Jan Witsenburg is Corporate Counsel at GC’s Amsterdam office and holds the position of Managing Director at PTTGC International (Netherlands) B.V.

Hendrik-Jan previously held different positions in the legal services industry and worked in various countries. He has vast experience in corporate governance and global subsidiary management.

Over the years he assisted numerous Fortune 500 companies and PE Firms with their subsidiary management and held board positions for companies like Blackstone, De Nora and Indika Energy in the Netherlands.

Hendrik-Jan holds a Law degree from Leiden University, the Netherlands.