Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip (Thai: จักรพงษ์ จักราจุฑาธิบดิ์; born 17 February 1979), also known as Anne Jakrajutatip,[1][2] sometimes informally stylized as Anne JKN, is a Thai businesswoman and television host, along with being the founder and current CEO of JKN Global Group.
Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip | |
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 Jakrajutatip in 2022 | |
| Born | 17 February 1979 Bangkok, Thailand |
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| Political party | Pheu Thai (since 2023)[citation needed] |
| Children | 2 |
A media entrepreneur and digital content distributor in Thailand, Jakrajutatip is the current owner of the Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA beauty pageant organizations. Jakrajutatip became the first trans woman who fully owned these organizations in their history. According to Forbes, she is the third richest transgender person in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$210 million (6.37 billion baht) in 2020.[3]
Early life
Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip was born into a Thai Chinese family in Bangkok. She is the eldest child of Ashira Suthisataporn and Ampai Jakrajutatip. She has two siblings. During an interview on "The Journal" podcast, Jakrajutatip mentioned that she knew she was "trapped in the wrong body" since the age of five.[4] Her parents ran a video rental store, which would later become ST Grand, and encouraged her to learn English.[5] She speaks both English and Thai.
During her early years, she attended Assumption College, Bangkok. She ran her family's video distribution and production company for her parents and invested in many media licenses and real estate.
She went abroad to study international relations at Bond University in Queensland, Australia.[6][7] She later earned a certificate of Real Estate Development from Chulalongkorn University and completed a Director Accreditation Program from the Thai Institute of Directors Association.[7]
Career
Jakrajutatip's career began to soar while she was working at her parents' video rental shop. The turning point came when she discovered the BBC documentary Walking With Dinosaurs and reached out to the BBC, expressing interest in distributing the series in Thailand. This venture proved highly successful, resulting in the sale of one million copies.[8] Commencing with the distribution of documentaries, she gradually broadened her scope to encompass content from South Korea, Japan, and Hollywood. She notably pioneered the introduction of Indian TV shows to Thai audiences, a contribution that led to her earning the moniker 'Queen of Indian Content'.[9]
Subsequently, she founded JKN Global Media in 2013. Jakrajutatip successfully listed her business, JKN Global Media, on the Market for Alternative Investment in 2017 and assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer in 2018. In 2019, Jakrajutatip was the first Thai and the first transgender woman to receive the Asia Media Woman of the Year award at the Content Asia Summit in Singapore. She was named one of the "Women of the Year 2022" by the Bangkok Post.[10]
In 2021, she elevated her business listing to the main board of the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). She continued her ambitious ventures in the media industry by investing 1.1 billion baht to acquire the TV channel JKN18 in April 2021. She then ventured into the e-commerce business, buying a stake in an online shopping company in September 2021.[11]
She has also been outspoken about her experiences as a transgender woman and is the founder and director of the Life Inspired for Transsexual Foundation, a charity organization that advocates for transgender rights in Thailand.[12][6][13][14][15]
In October 2022, she purchased the Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA beauty pageants for $20 million USD, citing the desire to expand the cause of women empowerment among those who are disenfranchised by poverty and gender discrimination.[16][17] This acquisition marked her as the first woman to own the organization since its inception in 1952.[4]
As of 23 March 2023, her shareholding in the JKN Group has decreased to 24.55%, down from a previous level of over 50%. Despite this decrease, she retains the status of the largest shareholder, as reported on the SET website. She filed for bankruptcy for the JKN Global Group in November 2023.[18][19]
Personal life
Jakrajutatip is a transgender woman. She has two children. She currently lives in Bangkok, Thailand.[20]
References
- ^ "Miss Universe: This transgender Thai media mogul owns the beauty pageant". Moneycontrol. 15 January 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ "Miss Universe's Thai new owner Kuhn Anne Jakrajutatip: "From now on, it's gonna be ran by women"". London Daily. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ "Meet Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, the trans icon who bought Miss Universe". South China Morning Post. 28 October 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
- ^ a b Konstantinides, Anneta. "Meet Anne Jakrajutatip, the first woman to own the Miss Universe pageant". Insider.
- ^ "จักรพงษ์ จักราจุฑาธิบดี จากตี๋ร้าน VDO สู่เจ้าแม่คอนเทนต์ทีวีไทย" [Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip from Chinese VDO store boy to queen of Thai TV content]. Manager Online (in Thai). 22 July 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- ^ a b "This transgender CEO is building a Thai entertainment empire". Hindustan Times. 25 October 2018.
- ^ a b "The transwoman billionaire linked to Clint Bondad has a colorful life story". Philippine Entertainment Portal. 18 October 2019.
- ^ Ratcliffe, Rebecca (5 January 2023). "'To gain respect, you need success': the trans tycoon from Thailand who bought up Miss Universe". The Guardian.
- ^ "A pioneer reveals clues to success". Bangkok Post.
- ^ "The Bangkok Post's Women of the Year". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
- ^ "Billionaire Anne's slide to bankruptcy". www.thaipbsworld.com.
- ^ "Meet Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, the trans icon who bought Miss Universe". South China Morning Post. 28 October 2022.
- ^ DAS, Mohua (25 November 2018). "Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip: Transgender from Thailand recounts struggles of transition". The Times of India.
- ^ "Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip Executive Profile - Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ^ "Successful transformation". Bangkok Post. 15 October 2019.
- ^ Bellamy-Walker, Tat (26 October 2022). "Transgender businesswoman buys Miss Universe pageant for $20M". NBC News.
- ^ "Transgender millionaire Anne JKN buys Miss Universe beauty pageant". MARCA. 27 October 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ "A filing of petition for business rehabilitation proceeding of JKN Global Group Public Company Limited with the Thai Bankruptcy Court by JKN Global Group Public Company Limited" (PDF). Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ "Thai owner of Miss Universe goes bankrupt". BBC News. 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ eliteplusmagazine.com. "Call Me a Thai Trans Woman Billionaire". www.eliteplusmagazine.com. Retrieved 22 December 2022.