The board of directors of IAAPA, the global association for the attractions industry, elected five new board members for 2022, including Wuthichai Luangamornlert, ICAE, as second vice chair, during its meeting on Sept. 25 in Barcelona, Spain. Luangamornlert is managing director, Siam Park Bangkok Co. Ltd, operator of the largest water and amusement in Bangkok. He will serve as first vice chair of IAAPA in 2023 and lead the association as chair of the board in 2024.
“Wuthichai has grown up in attractions industry. He attended his first IAAPA trade show with his father in the mid-1980s and has been involved in the business and IAAPA ever since,” said Greg Hale, chairman of the IAAPA Governance Committee, and vice president and chief safety officer for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “Wuthichai brings tremendous experience, expertise and a unique perspective to this leadership role at IAAPA, and I know he will ensure the association provides the events, products and services needed to help our industry fully recover from the global pandemic and thrive.”
Luangamornlert has more than 25 years’ experience in the water and amusement park industry. He has also served on numerous IAAPA committees including the Asia Pacific Regional Advisory Committee, the Governance Committee, the Asia Pacific Education Subcommittee and the Water Park Committee. He was a member of the Relocation Task Force that led the association’s headquarters move from Alexandria, VA, to Orlando, FL, and he was a member of the IAAPA Board of Directors from 2016 to 2018.
Luangamornlert has also served as the president of the Thai Amusement and Leisure Park Association since 2010 and has been instrumental in establishing the Thai Safety Standards for Amusement Rides (Ministerial Regulation on Amusement Ride Control). He has also held multiple leadership positions in the Thai Chamber of Commerce, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Tourism Council of Thailand.
Luangamornlert has a master’s degree in marketing from Thammasat University and a master’s in finance from Chulalongkorn University. He also has a bachelor’s degree (with honors) in business and economics from the University of Salford in the United Kingdom.
In addition to the selecting Luangamornlert as second vice chair, the board also elected the following IAAPA members to serve the association on the board of directors in 2022:
Facility Member Directors
- Corrine Brindley, corporate vice president, state affairs, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, United States
- Bonnie Weber, senior vice president of park operations, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, United States
Manufacturer and Supplier Member Director
- Har Kupers, Vekoma Rides Manufacturing, Netherlands
Advisory Board Director
- John McReynolds, senior vice president, external affairs, Universal Parks & Resorts, United States
