Pita Limjaroenrat

Pita Limjaroenrat
พิธา ลิ้มเจริญรัตน์
Pita in 2023
Member of the House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office 24 March 2019[note 1]
Constituency	Party-list
Advisory Chairman of Move Forward Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 23 September 2023
Preceded by	Position established
Leader of the Move Forward Party
In office 14 March 2020 – 23 September 2023
Preceded by	Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit (as Leader of the Future Forward Party)
Succeeded by	Chaithawat Tulathon
Personal details
Born	(1980-09-05) 5 September 1980 (age 43) Bangkok, Thailand
Political party	Move Forward (since 2020)
Other political affiliations	Future Forward (2018–2020)
Spouse	Chutima Teepanart ​ ​ (m. 2012; div. 2019)​
Children	1
Education	Thammasat University (BBA) Harvard University (MPA) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MBA)
Website	Campaign website
Nickname	Tim (ทิม)[1]

Pita Limjaroenrat (Thai: พิธา ลิ้มเจริญรัตน์, RTGS: Phitha Limcharoenrat, pronounced [pʰí(ʔ).tʰāː lím.tɕā.rɤ̄ːn.rát] ^ⓘ; born 5 September 1980), nicknamed Tim (Thai: ทิม), is a Thai businessman and politician. A member of the House of Representatives, he previously served as Leader of the Move Forward Party, the de facto successor to the dissolved Future Forward Party, from 2020 to 2023.

Educated in New Zealand, Pita studied finance in Thailand. He further studied politics and business in the United States, having received various scholarships. Upon his return to Thailand in 2005, he took over his family’s rice bran oil company and helped it gain its foothold. After obtaining a master’s degree in the US, he continued his work in business. In 2019, Pita was approached by the pro-democracy Future Forward Party to be a party-list candidate for the 2019 general elections. He accepted and ultimately won a seat in the House of Representatives. Upon the dissolution of Future Forward in 2020, Pita was selected to lead the newly formed Move Forward Party.

Pita led Move Forward to become the largest party in the 2023 general election, winning 151 seats. Forming a coalition with fellow pro-democracy parties, he announced plans to be elected prime minister of Thailand. In the first round of parliamentary voting on 13 July 2023, he was not elected by the National Assembly, as he lacked the votes from the Senate. Later, on 19 July, he was suspended as an MP by the Constitutional Court over shares in the defunct broadcaster ITV. Pita's second nomination on the same day was blocked by the National Assembly. Move Forward ultimately joined the opposition following a dispute with their initial coalition partner, Pheu Thai. Pita resigned as leader of Move Forward in September 2023. He was succeeded by Chaithawat Tulathon, but continues to be active in the party. On 24 January, the Constitutional Court cleared him of wrongdoing, securing his status as a Member of the House of Representatives.

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