OING FOR GOLD
IN HER LIFE, INVESTMENT PROFESSIONAL AND HAPPY MUM CHALEEYA “CHERRY” PASAWONGSE HAS SCORED GOLD IN ALL ASPECTS – LITERALLY! parisa pichitmarn GETS TO KNOW THE HUA SENG HENG CLAN’S DAUGHTERIN-LAW, THE WOMAN WHO ALSO HELPED USHER IN THE FIRST GOLD FUTURES MARKET IN THAILAND
There is a jovial aura that surrounds our June cover girl. And after talking to her for just a short time it’s not hard for me to imagine that Chaleeya “Cherry” Pasawongse is the sort of chipper person that would make for an amusing banker, a hilarious friend, and a loving wife or mother. In all cases, a joy to be around.
“When I was young, I wanted to be a beauty queen,” she confesses in a self-deprecating manner, her bursts of laughter making it clear she’s aware of how silly it sounds. But to be honest, it doesn’t sound too far-fetched, what with her poise and radiant good looks. At this moment in time, however, she chuckles as she describes how her current lockdown situation is much less glamourous. “I’m busier than ever. If anything, I feel like I’ve morphed into something of an online teacher!” she laughs, reflecting on the predicament – and additional burden – parents around the world find themselves saddled with during this Covid-19 crisis.
Much of her time these days goes to devising activities for her threeyear-old son Yosapat (Tham) and one-year-old daughter Chermavee (Leah). Stretching beyond baking brownies or drawing solar systems, this mother of two recently made the pandemic itself a positive learning experience by getting her children to help pack relief packages to be donated to the underprivileged during this time. “I never thought that
I would be at this spot,” she says in reference to the current situation and its consequences. “I try to find some bright spots from it though. I wanted my kids to learn and understand that people are living through rough times. What can we do? Now more than ever it’s a time where we need to get up to help our fellow countrymen.”
In many respects, life is quite different these days for Cherry, who was a banking professional before she married into the Hua Seng Heng family, one of the biggest names in gold trading in Thailand. But regardless of the major changes in her life, she seems to have enough vitality and high spirits to juggle it all – be it time with the kids, fulfilling her role as senior vice president at Hua Seng Heng Gold Futures, or tending to her additional businesses of Jukkumi, a Korean restaurant, and Mind and More, a soon-to-belaunched hair care brand she and a fellow celebrity have concocted together. A life-long love for sports, that dates back to her childhood, perhaps explains how she always has the energy to keep pace with such an active lifestyle.
Hailing from a family with a background in selling medical equipment and ambulances, Cherry grew up in Bangkok and remained a Mater Dei pupil throughout all of her school years. Her mother, Srikaew Sithipand, was an avid tennis player, and it’s clear that these sporty genes are one of the things Cherry inherited from her. “I always went with her, and saw her playing all the time,” she recalls. “My mother loved to play sports, and
“NOW MORE THAN EVER IT’S A TIME WHERE WE NEED TO GET UP TO HELP OUR FELLOW COUNTRYMEN”