Gem Legends 5

Prida Tiasuwan – Architect of Craftsmanship

The lights in the ballroom rose and the crowd grew silent as the presenter walked onto the stage at the prestigious JNA Awards in September 2018 in Hong Kong to announce the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award—the highest honor for individuals who have contributed to the advancement of the jewelry industry by promoting best business practices, leadership excellence and innovation. “And the winner is… Mr. Prida Tiasuwan.”

Among the laudatory remarks during the Awards ceremony, Letitia Chow, Chairperson of the JNA Awards, stated, "Prida Tiasuwan has revolutionized the fine jewelry industry in Thailand. His bold vision and innovative ideas have not only brought success to his organization, but they have also benefited the industry as a whole. He has led by example, boosting competitiveness by improving efficiency and precision manufacturing across different operating points. His lifelong love of jewelry, especially the beauty, joy and emotions that it represents, is the reason he remains deeply involved in the product development process.”

Soft-spoken and discreet with a great sense of humor, Prida Tiasuwan is one of Thailand’s most visionary business leaders and is credited with transforming Pranda Group into Thailand’s flagship jewelry brand and one of the world's top jewelry manufacturers and exporters. With currently a stable of a dozen international brands, Pranda has evolved from a small family enterprise into a global powerhouse.

Aside from running his own award-winning company, Prida has been active for more than four decades in the jewelry industry as a whole. He currently serves as Vice President of the Thai Gem and Jewelry Traders Association, Director of the Subcommittee on Marketing at The Gem & Jewelry Institute of Thailand (GIT) and Director of The World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO), along with many previous affiliations, including Vice President of the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA). He is also a Member (5th Class) of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand for his outstanding service to the Kingdom of Thailand.

With a strong sense of duty and fair play, Prida is also involved in a number of non-jewelry activities. He served as Chairperson of the Sub Committee of Law Reform on Fair Trade and Consumer Protection of Thailand, Director of Thailand-U.S. Business Council, Commissioner of the Legal Reform Commission of Thailand and Director of the Committee of Thailand Reform Assembly. He is also the founder and former president of the Thailand chapter of Social Venture Network Asia, believing that companies and social activists can work together for the benefit of society.

Upon receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, Prida stated, “I am truly honored and grateful to receive this international accolade from the JNA Awards. This industry has given me so much happiness in my life. I, and top leaders around me, have trained thousands of people to become fine craftsmen, who, I am extremely delighted to say, are proud to create beautiful and exquisite jewelry. We have accomplished this, and more, since we ensure that all our products are and will be produced in a socially responsible way.”

In a moment of reflection, he added, “I’m honored and happy to receive this award, but is this really the most important point? Our industry has never really been admired properly. We use our two hands to cut and beautify stones that nobody wants into a most beautiful thing and we do it with joy. I am very happy because every time I look at my workers, I see them as precious beings. When I look at their faces, they are so happy to do what they are doing, but they have never really been recognized properly. Now, I feel that I am an extension of them to receive something that they can feel proud of. I thank the JNA Awards for lifting the spirit of the gems and jewelry industry and lifting the spirit of workers who lovingly produce things for people who love beautiful things.”

 Let’s go back a few decades to understand what shaped Prida’s mindset that would later result in the creation of a company that cares about its workers and creates products in a socially responsible manner. In the late 1960s, Prida was studying at Thames Valley University in London, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma in Business Studies in 1971. To help pay tuition, he worked on the weekends.

“My first job was in the food industry, making cakes,” he reminisces. He was on an assembly line, where he “threw eggs into a basket in the cake-making chain. I never saw the finished cake, only the egg. The tasks were all separated on the chain, and the employees were merely a part of a dehumanized, isolated process.”

Prida lasted only a few days at this job, but the experience made a long-lasting impression. The young man told himself that he would never use this type of process in his own business. And, back in Bangkok, he had the opportunity to prove it when he created the Pranda Design Company in 1973, changing its name in 1984 to Pranda Jewelry Limited. “When I started my own company, it was not just because I saw a good opportunity or that jewelry is something that Thai people can do well. Rather, it was because beautiful jewelry makes people happy, makes them feel beautiful.”    

And this happiness isn’t just for his customers. “I make sure that our employees are the center of gravity of our production. They are the creators, the architects of craftsmanship. They are proud of what they make, from beginning to final product. My company is the antithesis of de-humanizing ‘industrialization,’ but one where workers love the company and want to work there.” 

    Success followed success and, in 1990, the family company became listed on the stock exchange in Thailand, transforming into a public company in 1994. It expanded rapidly into Europe, but soon set it sights on the United States without, however, ignoring Asia, a region that generates important revenue.

With more than 80% of its sales outside of Thailand, the Pranda Group’s stable of jewelry brands (as well as third-party manufacturing) includes Prima Gold, Caï jewels, Batik Silver, Esse and the historic Paris-based Gringoire, among others.

The group has a strong network of distributors, along with six marketing departments responsible for purchasing and distributing goods, with headquarters in the USA, France, England, Germany, India and Indonesia. It has more than 3000 points of sale, ranging from small neighborhood retailers to luxurious multi-brand shops. Pranda Group also manages its own network of boutiques as well as franchise operations.

“We are continuously seeking new knowledge and experience to develop ourselves, and always coming up with something new,” notes Prida, recalling his days at Harvard University in 1991, where he participated in the Distinguished Senior Executive Program in Government and Business, which reinforced his philosophy of having a socially responsible and authentic company. “In this modern world, everyone has a smart phone and access to information. A company must be transparent, responsible, authentic and passionate, not only with its employees and customers, but also with other stakeholders, such as suppliers. Everyone should be treated with dignity.”

At the core of Prida’s values and success is craftsmanship. “When you are dealing with craftsmanship, you are dealing with the human touch, and when you appreciate the human touch, you have love. We devote our hearts to working as a team, like a family. This makes us deliver the best work and achieve our goals.” The fruits of this family/teamwork can be seen in the very low employee turnover at Pranda, which currently employs some 3000 people.

For all his success, Prida does not, however, rest on his laurels, either in production or in sales. "Marketing has changed tremendously during the past decade because technological disruptions have created significant changes. It enables entrepreneurs to directly reach consumers through digital channels without going through middlemen like in the past. Our website has been jewelry products online for a decade. Satisfying feedback has been received with consistent growth rate in sales of around 20-30% per year,” he smiles.

Today, the 69-year old Prida is looking to hand the reins of the company over to the second generation. In 2010, after earning a Masters’ Degree in Boston, Massachusetts, his only son, Pitipong Tiasuwan, joined the company, where he is developing the E-channel department of the family business.

“The first thing my father taught me about jewelry making is to respect and appreciate the people behind it. It takes a great deal of talent, effort and heart to make a great piece of jewelry and achieve high quality,” says Pitipong, adding that his father “also emphasizes sustainable growth through a holistic approach that includes its many architects of craftsmanship.” 

Cynthia Unninayar

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