Hello Magazine shares the success of Harrow Bangkok Alumni
Interested in where life has taken them after Harrow, Hello Magazine met with three International Old Harrovians to find out more about their journeys and what success looks like for them 16, 13 and 11 years after leaving school.
In their exclusive interview with Hello, Charavee Bunyasiri, Thomthanut Hatayodom and Sirada Lorhpipat share their stories. Perhaps most exciting of all, each alumnus shines a light on the divergent, innovative and inspiring pathways that they have been able to choose as a result of their preparation at Harrow Bangkok for a life filled with big dreams - and even bigger success.
“Every project is unique and different”
Charavee, Deer, left Harrow in 2007 to undertake her undergraduate degree in Architecture at Chulalongkorn University before completing a Master of Architecture at the globally renowned Harvard University Graduate School of Design in Boston, USA.
Charavee Bunyasiri, Deer | Architect & Founding Partner, #Classof2007
Deer’s natural talent and dedication to her field has seen her work at prestigious architecture firms around the world, from Boston to Tokyo, and win awards including the Vorapat Grant for academic excellence from Thailand’s then Crown Prince, now H.M. King Maha Vajiralongkorn and a gold medal for academic excellence.
However, Deer was keen to take her passion for architecture and design and forge her own path, founding her own design studio, Primary Workshop, in 2016. As Head of Nehru, Deer grew to understand the fundamentals of leadership at Harrow Bangkok and continues to move forward today with great integrity as founding partner.
Placing intuition, sustainability and holistic beauty at the centre of their designs, Deer and her firm of talented architects have designed unique commercial and residential properties all across Thailand. Above all else, the client is at the heart of Deer’s work and really listening to their needs ensures great success and a stellar reputation.
“It was like being a big brother to my friends”
Thomtanut, Buddy, followed in the footsteps of many Harrow Bangkok alumni, pursuing his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at University College London, followed by a Master of Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Management at Imperial College London.
Thomthanut Hatayodom, Buddy | Chef and Restaurant owner, #Classof2010
While these top London colleges equip students for careers at top engineering firms around the world, Buddy had a different dream. After spending some time in Thailand, Buddy returned to Europe to complete the Grande Diploma at the famous Le Cordon Bleu, Paris.
Now, ten years on, Buddy is a household name in the Bangkok restaurant scene. Executive chef-proprietor at That Fat Kid Buddy - reviews and renown come with a waiting list for a table at this exclusive dining spot that champions gastronomic innovation with unusual and exciting flavour combinations.
However, Buddy is not only at the forefront of fine dining in Bangkok. With eight branches across Bangkok, including in exclusive locations such as Central World and The Commons, Easy Buddy celebrates everyone’s two favourite Thai dishes - khao pad and pad kapraow - elevating them to new heights by creating a hybrid and a hashtag - #BestKaoPadKaprao.
Buddy has kept the “big brother to my friends” ideology at the heart of his entrepreneurial success; treating his team members like friends and family ensures they are happy and able to grow and succeed along with the restaurants they work for. This very much echoes Harrow’s own ethos: a happy child will be a successful child.
Sirada, Canny, is the most recent graduate of Harrow Bangkok, leaving as part of the #Classof2012 to study for her undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering at Purdue University in Indiana, USA. She took the non-traditional path by leaving Harrow a year earlier at the end of year 12 to begin her undergraduate journey in the USA, in which she was also awarded an Industrial Engineering merit-based scholarship from Purdue University (David Wunsch Memorial Prize). One of the activities back at Harrow that inspired her to pursue this path was being one of class representatives that represented Harrow at the South East Asian Mathematics Competition (SEAMC).
“It became my passion”
Sirada Lorhpipat, Canny | Technology and FinTech Enthusiast, #Classof2012
Canny’s passion for Web 3.0, FinTech and DeFi (Decentralized Finance) emerged from doing research on blockchain technology in 2016 and continued to excel during her Master of Finance at world renowned University of Cambridge, where she was also awarded scholarship from Cambridge Judge Business School. Her international work experience in finance in Thailand and in the UK also shaped her interest in the impact of financial technology and decentralization. As she continued to research more about blockchain, cryptocurrency and DeFi in her own time over the years, diving down the Web 3.0 rabbit hole turned into her passion until today.
Now, innovation and problem solving characterise her every day, as she works full time in Web 3.0 creating a positive impact through providing real-world solutions using blockchain technology. As a technology enthusiast, she enjoys the journey to shape the future of technology and materialize meaningful impact in a way that allows it to benefit the many, rather than the few.
Beyond this, Canny is working hard to promote the crucial role of women in technology, acting as a role model to inspire other young women and girls to follow her into the sector.
Besides technology and finance, sport has been a significant part of Canny's life since Harrovian days. Canny represented Harrow across 5 sports for 7-8 years. She represented Harrow at many international and local competitions, was awarded Sportswoman of the year in 2010 and Most Valuable Player for the U19 Girl's Basketball team in 2011 when she was team captain. She was also a part of the dance team at Harrow and performed at many showcases, which shaped the foundation that led her to become a DanceSport athlete (competitive ballroom dancing) where she competed for both Purdue's and Cambridge's teams against other universities across the USA and UK. Along her dance journey of over 15 years, she has performed for TV commercials, competed in Thailand at national and international competitions, taught classes, and choreographed for showcases, events and weddings. Leveraging on over a decade of experience as a multi-sport athlete, she helped in providing advisory and incubating ventures in the health, fitness and sports industry.
Canny is a wonderful example of the courage to think beyond the obvious that students are equipped with when they leave Harrow Bangkok. While her industry did not exist when she was at school, Canny became interested through professional and personal research, her Masters, work experience in finance and technology, and then saw the true potential of working in a startup to drive real impact and push forward the industry."
Harrow can take you anywhere …
The stories of Deer, Buddy and Canny prove that traditional university pathways can lead to innovative and unconventional careers - with Canny now working in a sector that did not even exist when she was imagining her future in sixth form!
The diversity of their success is a credit to their capacity and confidence to create their own path, whether that is as a business owner, chef-proprietor or developer at the forefront of a new industry.
At Harrow Bangkok we celebrate and listen to the unique voice of every student. Through our bespoke sixth form curriculum and unique super-curricular opportunities, we work to ensure that every aspiration has the best chance of becoming a reality for our alumni.
Once a Harrovian, always a Harrovian
Harrow Bangkok graduates remain connected as part of a global network of like-minded, aspirational young men and women. This network of International Old Harrovians offers support and guidance, pathways into friendships and societies at university and beyond, and valuable networking connections, all of which are vital as our alumni transition into their independent, adult lives.
Our motto of “once a Harrovian, always a Harrovian” ultimately means that our alumni always have a family ready to cheer for them in Bangkok. We are incredibly proud of each and every one of them, and feel especially honoured to see their success recognised by influential national publications such as Hello Magazine.
Read Hello Magazine’s feature on Deer, Buddy and Canny
Watch their story here
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Inspired by their story? We would love to hear from you!
Find out more about teaching and learning at Harrow Bangkok by emailing us at hisb@harrowschool.ac.th