COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD
A Champion for Para Athletes Chutinant “Nick” Bhirombhakdi ’76, P’09 Named 2022 Community Service Award Recipient B Y W E N DY C A R L S O N
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HUTINANT “NICK” BHIROMBHAKDI ’76, P’09 is this year’s Community Service Award recipient, selected by the Hotchkiss Alumni Association. A lifelong athlete who holds a black belt in karate, Bhirombhakdi has dedicated much of his spare time to various sports and athletic associations and federations. In particular, he has been a strong supporter of para athletes, advocating for their rights in the world of competitive sports. Bhirombhakdi is also president and CEO of Boon Rawd Brewery Co., Ltd., and chair of Singha Estate PCL, both based in Thailand. For more than 17 years, he has been involved with sport activities for athletes with impairments, and he has been a fourtime president of the Paralympic Committee of Thailand. Along with working with the Paralympic Committee, Bhirombhakdi also serves on committees for the Sports Authority of Thailand and the National Sports Development Fund, and he is the former vice
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chairman of the country’s Sports Reform Committee. He was the charter president of the Thailand Karate Association and advisor to Thailand Lacrosse Association. In 2019, he was nominated to serve as a member of the board of trustees of Agitos Foundation, the leading global organization developing sport activities for people with impairments. “I am tremendously honored to be selected for Hotchkiss’s Community Service Award,” says Bhirombhakdi, crediting Hotchkiss and his family for igniting his passion to help others. His grandfather, who founded Boon Rawd Brewery 88 years ago, impressed upon him the importance of helping others in whatever way he could. “So, as a family we have always helped those in need,” he says. Of all his volunteer efforts, he has found his work with the para athletes the most rewarding.
