Bangkok: Life is never outdated. When we talk about "retirement," many people may think of the day they stop working and start living comfortably after decades of hard work. But for Dr. Krit Ungvituratsathit, the word retirement has a different meaning. From his perspective, retirement is like the start of a countdown to life. Instead of stopping, he chose to move forward, working, learning new things, and taking care of his health so that he could continue to live and contribute to others for as long as he had the strength.
According to Thai News Agency, this idea didn't just emerge in his later years, but is reflected throughout his 36-year journey in the business world, from pioneering the market in Myanmar to his current venture into the medical innovation business. After graduating from Taiwan, Dr. Krit began his business career by exporting consumer goods to New York, but intense competition led him to seek out new markets. Myanmar at that time presented an interesting opportunity. He then shifted his focus to a market with few players and became one of the pioneers in bringing Thai brands to Myanmar, including Red Bull (golden canned version), Sam Mae Krua canned fish, and other products, accumulating decades of experience in this market. These experiences have also made Dr. Krit known as the Chairman of the Thai-Myanmar Business Council and a highly experienced professional in both trade and international business.
But even after being in the business world for so long, he never considered his extensive experience to be enough to stop learning. One of the periods in Dr. Krit's life that best reflects his philosophy is his decision to return to the classroom at the age of 46. Due to past educational limitations, he chose to restart his undergraduate studies in Thailand before pursuing higher education. He then worked as a lecturer, sharing his knowledge and experience with younger generations for almost 10 years. But the learning journey doesn't stop there. At the age of 67, Dr. Krit decided to pursue a doctoral degree in public health to enhance his knowledge and credibility for his current health innovation business, despite it being a field requiring considerable effort and memorization.
Currently, Dr. Krit has taken on another role as an executive at Cytolaora (Thailand) Co., Ltd., which develops innovative cancer detection technology using Liquid Biopsy. This business also applies technologies from various fields, including AI, nanotechnology, and 3D printing, and received an innovation award at CES in Las Vegas. The shift from commercial business to medical innovation may seem like a drastically different path, but for Dr. Krit, the destinations are interconnected: the desire to create things that benefit people and give back to society.
Despite his long years of service, Dr. Krit does not view work as a hardship or a burden that he must endure until retirement. On the contrary, he views work as a form of life. Therefore, the important thing is not just to get the job done, but to maintain both physical and mental health. He prioritizes working without creating excessive stress for himself, avoids getting angry easily, and believes that when mental health is good, physical health will also have a better chance of improving. That's one reason why the word "retirement" has almost no place in his life plans. The goal, however, is to stay healthy and be able to continue working until the age of 90.
Another interesting insight from Dr. Krit's management experience is his perspective on the role of a CEO. He likened a CEO to a "conductor" standing in front of an orchestra. A conductor doesn't necessarily need to be a better player of every instrument than the musicians, but they must know what each musician excels at and how to make their diverse abilities work together in the best way possible. Similar to managing an organization, leaders don't need to do everything themselves, but they must be willing to trust those with more expertise in specific areas. At the same time, Dr. Krit emphasized the importance of respecting people in all positions, whether they are executives, employees, drivers, or cleaning staff, because everyone has their own responsibilities and abilities. Position, therefore, should not be used to judge someone's worth.
Dr. Krit Ungvituratsathit's life journey has encompassed many roles, from a businessman and pioneer of international markets to a professor and student advisor in a position many have chosen to retire from, and finally to the executive of an innovative medical business. But one thing remains the same: never stopping learning. Because the world is constantly changing, and the experiences that led to our success in the past may not always be the answer for tomorrow. Perhaps "aging" doesn't begin with the numbers on an ID card, but rather on the day we decide that we no longer need to learn anything. And as for Dr. Krit, as long as he continues to learn, work, and contribute to others, retirement may not even need to happen yet.