A dramatic shareholder showdown at Dusit Thani has exposed deep tensions over the future of one of Thailand’s most iconic hotel brands, with CEO successfully fighting off an attempt to remove him from the board.

The September 26, 2025 extraordinary general meeting ended with minority shareholders decisively rejecting a motion to oust Chanin Donavanik (CEO), raising questions about corporate governance and potential monopolistic practices in Thailand’s competitive hospitality sector.

A Battle for Control

The push to remove Chanin didn’t come from Dusit Thani Public Company Limited’s existing board. Instead, the company’s largest shareholder, Chanat and Children Company Limited, invoked its legal right under Thailand’s Public Limited Companies Act to force an extraordinary meeting.

The agenda was ambitious: remove the current CEO from the board, increase the number of directors, appoint new board members, and restructure board authority.

In the end, nearly 87% of the 420 shareholders present voted against the removal. With Dusit Thani’s total share capital at 850 million shares, the verdict was clear: most investors want the current leadership to stay.

(source)