MYANMAR IO 2014 FEATURED SPEAKERS
U SOE THANE Coordinating Minister for Economic Development

BIOGRAPHY

A retired admiral and former commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Navy, U Soe Thane has overall responsibility for economic affairs, reporting directly to President Thein Sein. His portfolio is one of those composing a nucleus of “super ministers,” and he oversees and coordinates the activities of 11 ministries that handle several areas related to economic development.

Mr. Soe Thane graduated from Myanmar’s Defense Services Academy and joined the navy as a sub-lieutenant. His naval career included several fleet and shore-based appointments as well as spells of specialized training with the navies of Denmark, the United Kingdom, China, and Japan. He was closely involved in promoting Myanmar’s international naval relations—in particular, helping strengthen ties with India—and he worked on advanced procurement, including the construction and launch of Myanmar’s first guided-missile frigate.

In 1998, Mr. Soe Thane was awarded a master’s degree in defense studies, and in 2004,he was named vice-admiral and commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Navy.

He retired from active service in 2008 to become industry minister. In that position, he was instrumental in promoting several new manufacturing sectors for the country, including light and heavy trucks, automobiles, heavy diesel engines, solar panels, and LED lamps.
For many years, when he was an army general, Mr. Soe Thane was a close advisor to President Sein. He was appointed minister of the president’s office in 2012, in which he oversees committees for developing Yangon and planning special economic zones. He also sits on the president’s anti-corruption committee.

Mr. Soe Thane has been a leading figure in the drive to transform Myanmar into an open, market-based democracy.He has been one of the main faces of the new government for both foreign investors and the international media, and he has frequently represented the president abroad. He played a key role in drafting the country’s new foreign investment law, passed in 2012, that significantly reduces constraints on incoming investment.

Fluent in English, Mr. Soe Thane participated in the 2013 World Economic Forum, where he shared the stage with Myanmar’s high-profile opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.