Tos Chirathivat: Family, Education, Career and Wealth

Last Updated on August 13, 2026 by Fame Katha Editorial Team

Introduction

Tos Chirathivat is a Thai businessman best known as the Executive Chairman and CEO of Central Group, one of Thailand’s largest retail and business groups. He comes from the Chirathivat family, which built a major business empire across retail, shopping centres, hotels, property and international department stores.

Born in Bangkok on 23 November 1964, he grew up in a family closely connected with retail. His father, Samrit Chirathivat, played an important role in expanding Central Group, while his grandfather, Tiang Chirathivat, started the family business that later became one of Thailand’s best-known companies.

Today, Tos is recognised for taking Central Group beyond Thailand and helping expand its operations in Europe. His education in economics and finance also prepared him for a long career in business leadership.

Readers interested in other Asian entrepreneurs and prominent business families can explore more business leader profiles on FameKatha.

Who Is Tos Chirathivat?

Tos Chirathivat is a senior Thai business executive and a member of the family that controls Central Group.

As of August 2026, he serves as:

• Executive Chairman of Central Group
• Chief Executive Officer of Central Group
• A director of Central Group
• Chairman of the Executive Committee at Central Retail Corporation

His work focuses heavily on retail, investment, international expansion and long-term business development.

He became one of the most important executives in the family company after spending many years working across different parts of the group.

Tos Chirathivat Quick Facts

Detail	Information
Full Name	Tos Chirathivat
Thai Name	ทศ จิราธิวัฒน์
Date of Birth	23 November 1964
Age	61 years old as of August 2026
Birthplace	Bangkok, Thailand
Nationality	Thai
Profession	Business executive
Current Role	Executive Chairman and CEO of Central Group
Father	Samrit Chirathivat
Mother	Vanida Chirathivat
Grandfather	Tiang Chirathivat
Wife	Sookta Chirathivat
Children	Two sons, Arcan and Rit
Education	Wesleyan University and Columbia University
Main Business Connection	Central Group

Early Life and Family Origin

Tos Chirathivat was born in Bangkok into the Chirathivat business family.

His family has Chinese roots. His grandfather, Tiang Chirathivat, moved from Hainan, China, to Thailand. Tiang later started the business that developed into Central Group.

The family began with a small trading operation before expanding into department stores and other businesses.

Because Tos grew up around retail, business was part of his life from a young age. His father often involved the children in visits to stores and shopping centres.

This early exposure helped him understand how customers, stores and large retail businesses worked.

Father: Samrit Chirathivat

Tos Chirathivat’s father was Samrit Chirathivat.

Samrit was the eldest son of Central Group founder Tiang Chirathivat and became one of the most important leaders in the family company.

He served as chairman of the group for many years and helped develop Central into a much larger retail organisation.

Samrit was also connected with the growth of Central’s department store business in Bangkok.

He died in 1992.

His influence on the younger generation was significant because the family learned retail management through direct involvement in the business.

Mother: Vanida Chirathivat

His mother is Vanida Chirathivat.

She has appeared in publicly documented family information connected with her son and his university years.

Unlike members who hold major corporate roles, she has generally remained outside the public business spotlight.

Grandfather: Tiang Chirathivat

Tiang Chirathivat was the founder of the family business that became Central Group.

He came to Thailand from Hainan, China, and started a small business before the family later moved into modern retail.

Over the following decades, Central became one of Thailand’s biggest commercial groups.

This history explains why Tos belongs to one of the most recognised business families in the country.

Siblings and Wider Family

Central Retail’s official corporate information confirms that Yuwadee Chirathivat is his elder sister and Prin Chirathivat is his elder brother.

The wider Chirathivat family is very large, and many relatives have worked in different parts of Central Group.

However, public reports differ about the exact total number of children in his father’s family. Because reliable sources do not give one consistent number, it is safer not to publish an unverified full list of siblings.

The confirmed relatives are more useful than trying to build a complete family tree from uncertain information.

Tos Chirathivat Education

Education played an important role in preparing him for business leadership.

He studied in the United States and the United Kingdom before returning to Thailand.

Wesleyan University

He attended Wesleyan University in Connecticut, United States.

He studied economics and graduated in 1985.

At first, he considered studying medicine. Later, he moved toward economics and business.

During university, he also spent his junior year studying at the London School of Economics.

This international education gave him experience in both American and British academic environments.

Columbia University

After Wesleyan, he continued his education at Columbia University in New York.

He earned an MBA in Finance.

Finance was especially useful for his later work because Central Group operates large retail, property, hospitality and investment businesses.

He has also received an honorary doctorate in International Business Management from Bangkok University.

Early Career in the United States

Before returning to Thailand, Tos gained practical work experience in America.

He worked at Macy’s Herald Square in New York.

His experience there gave him direct exposure to the operations of a major department store.

Later, after completing his MBA, he worked for Citibank in investment banking.

He did not remain in banking for long.

Instead, he returned to Thailand and joined the family business in 1989.

Career at Central Group

His career at Central Group developed over many years.

He did not immediately become the group’s top executive. Instead, he worked through different business areas and management roles.

One of his early assignments involved projects connected with Central Pattana, the company responsible for major shopping centres and commercial developments.

He later became involved with Big C, which developed into a major hypermarket business in Thailand.

These roles gave him experience in property, retail operations and large-scale business development.

Leadership at Central Retail

From 2002 to 2014, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Central Retail Corporation.

During this period, the company expanded both inside and outside Thailand.

Central increased its presence across several retail formats and started building a stronger international business.

This period became an important stage in the group’s global growth.

Executive Chairman and CEO of Central Group

In 2014, he moved into the role of Executive Chairman and CEO of Central Group.

He continues to hold these executive positions as of August 2026.

It is important to understand that Central Group also has a separate board chairman.

Since January 2026, Prof. Emeritus Dr. Suthiphand Chirathivat has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Tos continues to lead the company from the executive side as Executive Chairman and CEO.

Central Group Expansion in Europe

One of the biggest parts of his leadership has been Central Group’s expansion into Europe.

The group has invested in several well-known department store businesses.

Its European portfolio has included:

• Rinascente in Italy
• Illum in Denmark
• KaDeWe in Germany
• Globus in Switzerland
• Selfridges Group

Central acquired Rinascente in 2011.

Later investments helped the company become an important international player in luxury department stores.

By April 2026, Central Group said its European luxury retail network included 40 department stores across 34 cities in seven countries.

The European operations recorded approximately €6.3 billion in sales turnover during 2025, according to company information.

Wife: Sookta Chirathivat

Tos Chirathivat is married to Sookta Chirathivat.

Their marriage has been publicly documented by reliable business and university sources.

The couple have also been connected with hospitality interests.

A 2014 business report stated that Tos and Sookta owned SALA Hospitality Group at that time.

Because current ownership details are not clearly published, it is better not to claim that the same ownership structure remains unchanged today.

Children

The couple have two sons:

• Arcan Chirathivat
• Rit Chirathivat

These names have been publicly documented through Wesleyan University material about the family.

Information about the sons is limited, so private or unverified details should not be added.

Tos Chirathivat Net Worth

There is no reliable public figure for Tos Chirathivat’s individual net worth.

This is an important difference because many websites incorrectly mix his personal wealth with the combined fortune of the entire Chirathivat family.

Forbes estimated the Chirathivat family fortune at about $11.7 billion in July 2026.

That figure belongs to the wider family and should not be presented as his individual net worth.

A more accurate statement is:

The Chirathivat family had an estimated combined fortune of $11.7 billion in 2026, while Tos Chirathivat’s personal net worth has not been reliably established.

This distinction avoids misleading readers.

Business Ownership and Shareholding

One publicly documented financial detail is his ownership in Central Retail Corporation.

As of December 2025, he personally held approximately 0.6358% of Central Retail’s ordinary shares.

However, this percentage alone cannot be used to calculate his complete personal wealth.

His finances may involve other investments, family structures, assets and liabilities that are not fully public.

For that reason, creating an estimated personal net worth would not be reliable.

Why Is Tos Chirathivat Famous?

He is mainly known for three reasons.

First, he belongs to the family that founded and controls Central Group.

Second, he spent decades building his own management experience across retail, property and investment businesses.

Third, he played a major role in expanding the organisation outside Thailand, especially in European luxury retail.

His career shows how a traditional family retail business developed into a large international group.

Current Position in 2026

As of August 2026, Tos remains closely involved in the leadership and long-term direction of Central Group.

The business continues to operate across areas including:

• Retail
• Shopping centres
• Property
• Hotels
• Restaurants
• Consumer businesses
• International department stores

His current work is especially important for Central’s strategy in Thailand and Europe.

Interesting Verified Facts

Tos moved to the United States while he was young.

He later studied at Wesleyan University, spent time at the London School of Economics and completed an MBA at Columbia University.

Before joining Central, he worked at Macy’s and Citibank.

His early retail experience gave him practical knowledge before he entered the family company.

He has now spent more than three decades working within Central-related businesses.

Final Thoughts

Tos Chirathivat is one of the leading figures behind the modern growth of Central Group.

His story combines family business history with formal education, international experience and decades of corporate management.

He was born into an established retail family, but he also built experience through university studies, department-store work, banking and different management positions before reaching the group’s highest executive roles.

His father, Samrit Chirathivat, and grandfather, Tiang Chirathivat, were important figures in the development of Central. Today, Tos continues that business tradition while focusing strongly on international growth.

Readers should also remember that the widely reported multibillion-dollar wealth figure belongs to the whole Chirathivat family, not to Tos alone. His exact individual net worth has not been reliably confirmed.