‘Iron butterfly’ in flight

‘Iron butterfly’ in flight

Mall Group chairwoman was quick to respond to the Covid crisis, offering help to staff, customers alike

Supaluck Umpujh, 66, chairwoman of the Mall Group, one of Thailand’s biggest retail conglomerates, is one of the most successful businesswomen in Thailand’s retail sector. She was once dubbed by the well-known global magazine, Fortune, as “the iron butterfly”.

For over three decades, Ms Supaluck has helped the Mall Group overcome a slew of challenges including the novel coronavirus crisis.

“When Covid-19 started in Wuhan, China and later spread to Japan, being a pharmaceutical science graduate, I immediately sensed the situation was going to be serious,” she said.

“Even though the outbreak was far from Thailand, I held an urgent meeting with management teams to find protective…