Partners

Charuwan Charoonchitsathian

Partner, Corporate & Commercial

Key Practices

Qualifications

  • LLM, University of Nottingham
  • LLM, University of Queensland
  • LLB, Thammasat University

Charuwan Charoonchitsathian is a partner in Tilleke & Gibbins’ corporate and commercial group in Bangkok, where she leads the firm’s market-leading TMT transactional and regulatory practice, with a particular focus on the areas of telecommunications and related infrastructure (e.g., data centres, satellites, subsea cables, etc.), fintech, artificial intelligence and robotics, media and entertainment (e.g., OTT services and film production), and software-as-a-service. In 2022 and 2023, Charuwan was named among the top 15 TMT lawyers in Asia by Asian Legal Business, and she has been ranked for TMT by Chambers Asia-Pacific.

Further to her TMT practice, Charuwan advises multinational clients on a wide range of commercial matters in Thailand, and she is well regarded for her expertise in project development and finance, mergers and acquisitions, cross-border transactions, and business reorganisation, with a focus on clients involved in the renewable energy and technology sectors.

Charuwan has over a decade of experience advising clients in Thailand and has previously held senior positions at some of Bangkok’s largest and most well-respected international firms. She holds master’s degrees from prestigious universities in Australia and the UK, is a barrister-at-law certified by the Thai Bar Association, and is a lawyer licensed with the Lawyers Council of Thailand.

  • Advised the fintech arm of one of Southeast Asia’s 10 unicorn companies on the client’s day-to-day business operations in Thailand and assisted with the launch of various new products. Advice has included developing a comprehensive handbook on Thai regulations related to cybersecurity, digital marketing, Thailand’s new PDPA, loans and lending, e-payment systems, and various other topics, as well as advising on nano-finance, personal loans, sale and purchase, regulatory and license issues, and KYC and AML/CFT laws.
  • Advised a global retail giant on regulatory queries and concerns regarding their store value credit systems (which is one of the largest e-wallet pools in Thailand), including consultations with the Bank of Thailand regarding structuring the client’s store value model, advice on requirements under payment systems laws in Thailand, and a number of proposed schemes relating to commercialisation of its store value pool.
  • Advised a multinational insurance company headquartered in the Netherlands on the launch and operation of its Insurtech products in Thailand.
  • Advised numerous financial institutions, technology companies, telecommunication companies, and fintech companies on planning and adjusting their data protection policies and business strategies to ensure conformity and compliance with Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).
  • Provided tax planning advice for the Singaporean entity of a leading information and communications technology company ahead of a proposed business collaboration with a subsidiary of one of Thailand’s largest mobile phone operators.
  • Advised a major Thai bank on the local regulatory framework applicable to the proposed launch of an online lending platform through its mobile application.

Chambers Asia-Pacific
Technology, Media, Telecoms 2023 – Band 2

  • "Charuwan is extremely knowledgeable and responsive. She is a tremendous asset for our team."

IFLR 1000
Corporate/M&A 2024 – Rising Star Partner

Asian Legal Business Top 15 TMT Lawyers 2023
Named as one of Asia's Top 15 TMT Lawyers for 2 consecutive years