21 August 2026 — Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok 

The fifth edition of the KAIZEN™ Award Thailand brought together three finalists — EssilorLuxottica, KMITL Research and Innovation Services (KRIS), and Kenvue — to share how their teams have changed the way they work, one habit at a time. 

The Winners 

• EssilorLuxottica, represented by Supavich Rujirakanusorn (Continuous Improvement Assistant Manager, Essilor Optical Laboratory Thailand) and Ketsaraporn Intharasoot (Continuous Improvement Engineer), presented the automation and shop-floor work behind its productivity, quality, cost, and delivery results – recognized with the Excellence in Continuous Improvement award. EssilorLuxottica was also selected to represent Thailand at the Global KAIZEN™ Award, the annual recognition in which each Kaizen Institute business unit puts forward one local winner for international evaluation. 

Figure 1 – EssilorLuxottica accepting the Excellence in Continuous Improvement award 

• KRIS, the Research and Innovation Services of King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, presented by Dr. Kittichai Kasemsarn, Associate Professor and Deputy Director, shared how the institute has brought Lean thinking into research and administrative work – winning the Excellence in Lean Office award. 

Figure 2 – KRIS accepting the Excellence in Lean Office award

• Kenvue, represented by Nasha Kuakulkiat (Director of Manufacturing) and Sachin Juyal (Regional Make Excellence Leader, APAC), presented the Kenvue Operational Excellence (KOE) deployment on its Listerine lines, which lifted Line L’s OEE by 16 percentage points and unlocked capacity for 9.9 million additional bottles a year. Kenvue won the Excellence in Applying KAIZEN™ Principles award and will pursue global recognition through a joint submission alongside its sites in the United States and France. 

Figure 3 –  Kenvue accepting the Excellence in Applying KAIZEN™ Principles award

Keynote and Leaders’ Panel 

The day opened with a welcome address from Ramesh Raju, Managing Director of Kaizen Institute Thailand, followed by a keynote from Kwanpadh Suddhi-Dhamakit, Senior Country Officer for the World Bank in Thailand. Drawing on his work managing the World Bank’s partnership with the Thai government — across energy transition, climate finance, digital development, innovation, infrastructure, and the business and investment environment — Khun Kwanpadh set out the conditions Thai organizations are working under today, and why the habits built on the floor matter as much as the strategy on the page. 

Figure 4 – Kwanpadh Suddhi-Dhamakit on the Leaders’ Panel

After the finalist presentations, a Leaders’ Panel on “Driving Sustainable Growth and Transformation” brought Kwanpadh Suddhi-Dhamakit back to the stage alongside Nasha Kuakulkiat (Kenvue), Supavich Rujirakanusorn (EssilorLuxottica) and Dr. Kittichai Kasemsarn (KRIS), moderated by Ramesh Raju. The four discussed what it takes to grow, develop people, and change how work gets done before crisis forces the issue. 

Figure 5 – The Leaders’ Panel, moderated by Ramesh Raju

Looking Ahead: the KAIZEN™ Barometer 

Before closing, Kaizen Institute Thailand invited guests to take part in the KAIZEN™ Barometer, a business survey launched in partnership with Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce and its International Institute for Trade and Development (ITD), gathering insights from business leaders on the country’s economic and business trends. Results will be presented at an executive event on 21 October 2026. 

Congratulations to KRIS, EssilorLuxottica and Kenvue, and to every team whose daily work made this year’s edition possible. 

Figure 6 – KAIZEN™ Awards Thailand 2026 ceremony

For more information on the KAIZEN™ Award Thailand, go to KAIZEN™ Award Thailand | KAIZEN™ Event