Paetongtarn Shinawatra: Breaking Barriers That Shapes Positive History

The theme of aging, health, and innovation speaks directly to the challenges and opportunities that all our economies face

Paetongtarn Shinawatra (born August 21, 1986, Bangkok) is a Thai politician and businesswoman who was the 31st Prime Minister of Thailand, August 2024 to August 2025. She is the youngest to be in the office as well as the second female to be in the office after her aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra. Paetongtarn is the daughter of the previous Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the third member of the Shinawatra family to be the leader of the country. Paetongtarn was educated at Chulalongkorn University and the University of Surrey and entered business before joining politics.

In 2023, she was made the leader of the Pheu Thai Party, and in August 2024, was elected Prime Minister, replacing Srettha Thavisin. Using her tenure, Thai politics were stabilized, and economic problems were resolved. But her tenure was curtailed when, on July 1, 2025, the Constitutional Court suspended her due to an offensive telephone conversation with former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

The court decided that she had given too much respect to Hun Sen, and she was formally removed on August 29, 2025. Nevertheless, the ascension of Paetongtarn to power was perceived as a major event in the history of Thai politics, which is not only an echo of the long-standing power of the Shinawatra family but also the role of women as leaders.