Mahanakorn Partners Group
Mahanakorn Partners Group (MPG) is a multidisciplinary legal, tax and management consulting firm, headquartered on Wireless Road in Bangkok, with a footprint in ASEAN and around the world.
It has received many accolades over the past 22 years and is consistently one of the most recommended law firms by leading foreign Embassies and Chambers of Commerce in Thailand.
On September 20th, 2019, MPG celebrated its 20th anniversary at their Bangkok headquarters, along with over 200 VIP guests, including distinguished members of the Royal Thai Government, high ranking officials of the Royal Thai Armed Forces and Police, members of the Board of the Thai Bar Association and the Lawyers Council of Thailand, representatives of the key foreign embassies in Thailand and, of course, its many clients, who have contributed to MPG’s success over the past 20 plus years.
MPG has become a long standing government advisor in most of the ASEAN countries:
In Thailand, MPG is a consultant of the Public Debt Management Office (PDMO), under the Ministry of Finance.
In the Philippines, MPG has been a government advisor for several mega-infrastructure projects:
Government of the Philippines signs contract with Mahanakorn Partners Group from Thailand for feasibility studies of the Greater Subic Bay Freeport Multimodal Transport and Access and Logistics Support Projects.
Mahanakorn Partners Group breaks ground on Municipal Medical Centre in The Philippines.
Upgrading of Subic Bay International Airport
Creation of regional economic corridors pushed.
In Singapore, MPG works with the Economic Development Board (EDB) and Singapore Business Federation (SBF) to assist Singapore businesses with their internationalisation projects.
Furthermore, MPG is the ASEAN partner company of The European House – Ambrosetti, Italy’s top ‘think tank’ and amongst the world’s top 20. Each year, Ambrosetti organise the international summit High Level Dialogue on ASEAN-Italy Economic Relations, which was held in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2019. On that occasion, Luca Bernardinetti was asked and honoured to moderate the panel discussion ‘Tools for Economic Cooperation: PPPs, Free Trade Agreements and Financial Innovation to Support Growth in ASEAN Countries’, with distinguished speakers such as the President of the Italian Trade Agency and Ministers from Myanmar and the Philippines. He presented the position paper ‘ASEAN Public-Private Partnerships: Models, Legal and Financial Structures to Boost FDI’, in the presence of the Prime Minister of Italy, Mr. Giuseppe Conte, and the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The paper presents a taxonomy of PPPs in ASEAN, dissecting PPP investments by type, country, and sector, with a broad analysis of their legislative frameworks and undergirding financial structures.
MPG is also the main organiser of the annual ASEAN PPP Summit, which was broadcasted live by CNN Indonesia in 2019.
In 2020, MPG co-organised an in-person seminar with the World Bank on doing business in Thailand.
The Managing Partners
Mr. Luca Bernardinetti
A third generation Italian lawyer, Luca Bernardinetti is Chairman and Managing Partner of the Mahanakorn Partners Group. He leads the Banking and Finance division at MPG, which provides trade, corporate and project finance advice, as well as legal advice for cross-border financing. Over the past 20 years, Luca has led his team in structuring equity and debt financing for infrastructure and public-private partnership projects, working with highly rated banks and insurance providers.
Under his expertise and leadership, MPG has successfully undertaken several complex financing transactions, assisting private multinationals, state owned enterprises, and government agencies, to secure multi billion dollar lines of credit for infrastructure development projects.
Apart from his roles at MPG, he is the former President of the European Chamber of Commerce (EABC), member of the ICC Banking Commission, and Chairman of the Business Economics Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) in Thailand, and is a member of the Board of the Thai-Italian Chamber of Commerce. He frequently lectures at ASEAN universities, including the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Chulalongkorn University in Thailand (at the business and law schools). Over the past decade or so, he has been interviewed by several prominent global news outlets, such as BBC World Business Report, CNN and The New York Times, and several other respected forums, on matters of business, economics, and finance, and is seen as a competent and talented international legal advisor and commentator.
Ms. Vilasinee Thephasadin Na Ayuthaya
Khun Vilasinee Thephasadin Na Ayuthaya is Managing Partner at the Mahanakorn Partners Group and is one of the original founders of Vimami Consulting, the business consulting firm that laid the foundations for, and is now a member company of, MPG. Khun Vilasinee has led Vimami since 1999, and the business consulting firm has subsequently grown to offer professional services in financial and tax planning, investments, accounting, and legal services. She oversaw the company’s rapid expansion in its first two decades, which led to the opening of new strategic business units and branches, and finally, a major restructure and reorganisation in 2016, when Vimami reformed and rebranded as MPG, now a leading international professional services firm boasting five business divisions.
Khun Vilasinee is well respected for her competence and expertise, as well as her warm and engaging personality. This formidable combination has earned the loyalty of her staff, clients, and even her adversaries, many of whom have been with her from the beginning. Throughout her career, she has been commended by numerous embassies in Thailand, for her ability to deliver outstanding results. Khun Vilasinee enjoys a working command of four languages, which allows her to put clients at ease and assist them efficiently with their needs.
How Covid has affected the firm
Covid-19 made business difficult for most companies looking at Thailand for investment. Their corporate services were negatively impacted, as fewer clients had a budget for market expansion. Conversely, some business areas grew – for instance: litigation and alternative dispute resolution, debt collection services, M&A, cross-border trade advisory (particularly to prevent frauds), escrow services (see here), feasibility studies, etc.
Despite the pandemic, the firm continues to grow in stature and the services that it offers its client base. Recently, MPG hired veteran lawyer Khun Chatchai Inthasuwan (see here) in Bangkok as a Senior Partner and head of its dispute resolution practice (previously with DLA Piper and Chandler MHM, where he held similar roles). Khun Chatchai has nearly 30 years of experience in cross-border litigation and regulatory matters across sectors such as banking and finance, insurance, telecommunications, and construction. His clients have included both Thai and international companies, including Thai state owned enterprises.
The firm boasts a team of seasoned legal professionals with an unrivalled reputation for reliability. Currently, MPG offers services in a wide range of areas of practice, such as: advice on corporate related matters, tax advisory and restructuring, commercial contracts and litigation, mergers and acquisitions, real estate and construction, company formation, immigration and work permit’s, accounting and bookkeeping, market entry and foreign business licensing, notarial services, intellectual property, commercial disputes, arbitration, and bankruptcy.
MPG can be reached at [email protected]
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