Korn Chatikavanij

Korn Chatikavanij (, , born 19 February 1964 in London) is a Thai politician. He was formerly the leader the Chart Pattana Kla Party and the Kla Party. He was a deputy leader of the Democrat Party. A five-term MP, he served from 2008 to 2011 as finance minister under Abhisit Vejjajiva. Early life Korn was born on 19 February 1964 in London, United Kingdom. He attended Somthavil School and Sathit Patumwan for primary school and Winchester College in the United Kingdom for secondary school. Korn then read philosophy, politics, and economics at St. John's College, University of Oxford, where he graduated with honours. At the age of 21, Korn began his career as an investment banker in 1985, his first role being in asset management for SG Warburg. Three years later in 1988, Korn founded JF Thanakom Securities, becoming the youngest head of a Thai investment bank at the time. In 1999, Korn sold JF Thanakom to JP Morgan and became the firm's country chairman for four years. Early political career (2004-2008) In 2004, Korn decided to resign from his post at JP Morgan to enter politics under the Democrat Party banner; he was elected as one of the Democrats' four Bangkok MPs at the 2005 general election. He represented the Yannawa district. He entered politics due to the invitation of Abhisit Vejjajiva, a friend from his time studying in the UK. Korn won with 36,010 votes and would subsequently be elected to four more terms in parliament. In early 2006, Korn had an important role in scrutinizing the sales of the shares of Shin Corp owned by the Shinawatra and Damapong families. The Democrat Party assigned the role of head of the committee scrutinizing the Shin Corp shares sales to him, with the shares being suspected of being linked to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. At the time, the Shinawatra family's sales of the Shin Corps shares were criticized for tax evasion and conflict of interest. Thaksin was eventually found guilty and some of his assets were seized.