While we bid farewell to past MIM Director Cliff Allen as he begins a new venture in directing the online graduate Global Supply Chain Management program, we are excited to welcome our new director, Piman Limpaphayom. Originally from Thailand, Piman has an extensive background in academic finance, including 18 years working as a corporate governance consultant for institutions such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. He believes this is a great opportunity to bring his connections to the MIM program, as well as to further develop the program for current and future students.
Piman received his doctorate degree in Finance and Insurance from the University of Rhode Island, after which he returned to Thailand to investigate corporate governance. He refers to himself as becoming a “referee” between government regulators and corporations, ensuring regulations were not too overzealous and that corporations follow the rules. Beginning in 2000, he helped develop economic systems in Thailand to secure corporate governance with aid from the World Bank. He expanded his consultant work to Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
As for his new work in the MIM program, Piman has three areas of focus for change: Listening to student opinions, improving the sense of community, and leveraging the Asian trip for the greater success of MIM students. To address the first issue, Piman is creating a student committee to act as liaison between MIM staff and students. Piman believes in the power of feedback and has already taken into consideration many student concerns to make the program more relevant and attractive to future students. He also wishes to enable students to develop cohort activities outside the program, such as BBQs or other outings, where students can easily network with one another. Last of all, he hopes to enhance the Asia MIM trip to show students varied economies in different stages of development. In addition, Piman hopes to establish networking opportunities with other international graduate programs during the trip, through which students can establish beneficial connections.
At the end of our interview, I asked Piman for any advice he would give to prospective and incoming students. “Expect to work hard,” was his first piece of advice, but also expect to learn a vast amount of information and make friends along the way. His ultimate goal is to give students a program where they are equipped to be successful in a global competitive world.
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Juli Tejadilla
Juli Tejadilla is a full-time student in the Masters of International Management program. She previously graduated with two Bachelor of Arts in Marketing and Studio Art from Linfield College. While her interest in international business began as an undergraduate student, she has been traveling around the world since she was nine months old. She hopes through the MIM program to learn key insights to conduct business internationally and to establish herself as a global citizen.
Portland State MIM 