When learning from the real business world becomes a path to success, Center Natchapon Charoenwai, a student from the School of Accounting, and Tangkwa Chananchida Chaibutr, a student from the School of Business Administration, majoring in Financial and Investment Planning, joined the ESG Super Seed – Empowered by SET project and won awards from the competition analyzing and presenting corporate sustainability operations.
When Interest Becomes Opportunity
Center shared the origin of joining this activity: "I had heard the term ESG throughout our studies at Bangkok University, I only knew it was an issue that businesses are giving increasing importance to nowadays. When the professor came to promote that the Stock Exchange of Thailand had the ESG Super Seed project, we decided to apply to gain more experience."
Tangkwa added: "In our major, there's a LINE group with faculty professors and students together. The professors regularly send various external projects or activities into the group to provide opportunities for students to gain competition experience. We decided to choose this project because we were already interested in ESG, which is something that all companies and organizations are interested in for doing business that develops society, similar to SDGs."
National-Level Selection: From 800 to 50
The ESG Super Seed project organized by the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) is not an ordinary competition, but a selection of potential candidates through a rigorous process. Both shared: "After applying, participants had to register for E-learning, which provided foundational ESG knowledge. This knowledge was then used for a selection exam from over 800 people down to 50 people to enter the camp." The process that demonstrates the job market's demand for ESG knowledge, with a competition ratio of 16:1, showing the increasing interest of Thai youth in sustainability issues.
360-Degree Learning
The ESG Super Seed camp held at the Stock Exchange of Thailand not only focused on knowledge transfer but was also designed as a holistic learning experience. Center began: "In the camp, we learned many things such as the overview of sustainability and sustainable investment, integrating ESG into business, and G in ESG was my favorite topic because I view governance as the center that connects both E and S. If an organization has good, transparent, and auditable governance systems, it can drive environmental and social aspects to achieve truly sustainable results. Learning this topic made me understand more that G is the heart of ESG."
Tangkwa added: "Besides academic content, participating in this project also allowed us to learn various soft skills such as communication skills, presentation skills, Design Thinking, and Digital Transformation, which I really enjoyed, especially learning from actual practitioners. In the case competition, we had the opportunity to do a site visit to a factory to collect data on the company's ESG practices before returning to work with the team to analyze and find ways to develop ESG."
The Final Challenge: The Real Test
The key activity of the project was receiving the competition challenge to analyze a company's Purpose and propose strategic plans to elevate sustainability. Center shared about working with teammates: "Center's group worked on KCG company, starting by analyzing the company's Purpose compared to competitors in the industry, then proposing strategic approaches that could be realistically extended. The group proposed the SUPER 5 strategy connecting parent and subsidiary company systems, with joint ESG supplier assessment, using central data and QR codes for product verification, and establishing joint R&D centers for product development. This project helps reduce costs, reduce redundancy, and create clear ESG impact and this is therefore the team's strength that enabled our team to win the championship."
Tangkwa said: "Our team brainstormed for several consecutive nights to prepare the presentation. It was a very challenging but fun competition. We can say we received knowledge to the fullest, learning teamwork, strategic analytical thinking, and professional presentation. Tangkwa felt we truly developed ourselves to another level. This camp is very suitable for people interested in ESG, regardless of what field they studied, because the content covers everything from the basics of what ESG is, why it's important, to deeper content like reading ESG reports, practical applications, and related career paths, all of which can be extended in the future."
What We Gained from This Camp
This experience taught valuable lessons to both Center and Tangkwa: "First, we found that listening is the most important thing. Many people have various ideas. Listening to each other's reasons and effects helps us find missing answers. It's about building networks with friends and seniors who are also interested in ESG. We practiced strategic thinking skills and teamwork. Most importantly, we can actually use ESG knowledge to extend in our studies and work, which will become in demand in the labor market in the future because sustainability skills are becoming the new common language in the business world, because cost reduction and sustainability are the same thing, and smart environmental conservation is creating profit without destroying nature."
The story of these two people who participated in this project reflects the changing attitude of Thai youth who see ESG as an opportunity to create a better future and serve as a good example of Thai youth being ready to lead change toward sustainable business.
