(Sponsored Content) Stewards of Compassion: The Origins of B.Grimm
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Thailand

A vibrant economy, the second largest in Southeast Asia with a GDP exceeding 500 billion dollars. A global tourism magnet welcoming over 35 million travelers each year and a land of rich cultural heritage stretching back more than 800 years. But beyond the bustling markets and the golden temples lies a lesser known story.

the rise of a company that began in 1878 as a modest pharmacy in Bangkok, introducing Western medicine to the city. That company, Bighrim, as the oldest company in Thailand, is a global powerhouse today. From energy to real estate and transport to healthcare, it has become one of Thailand's most remarkable success stories.

In this two-part special podcast, Dr. Harold Link, Chairman of BGRIM, takes us on a journey through the company's extraordinary history. How did it survive the turmoil of two world wars? What does it take to thrive in Thai society for nearly 150 years? And what's next for this pioneering conglomerate? That and more in this series.

At the heart of it all lies a question. What keeps a company alive for nearly 150 years? For B. Grimm, the answer is simple yet profound. Companies too have a soul. Companies also have a soul. How can companies go on over hundreds of years even though the paper change all the time? You can call it corporate culture and I think there's more to it. There's something like a soul.

The Bighrim story starts in 1878. With a population of roughly 5 million people, Thailand was already a well-established trading hub.

It had exports like rice, tea, sugar, all of which helped to keep the economy alive. The country was also navigating the challenges of turn-of-the-century modernization. It was in these conditions that the Siam dispensary was established and later taken on by a young German pharmacist, Adolf Linck, who had quickly gained the respect of the dispensary.

We figured out that what could contribute best to Thai society was make the health better. And so we brought these medicines. It's difficult to mention nowadays when health is all pervasive, especially in Thailand.

Thailand is such a great place for foreigners to come and improve their health. But at that time, there were no modern medicines available. And there are some illnesses that you cannot heal with herbs. And so that was a great contribution to Thai society. And that actually has been the guiding principle for Bikrim for the last 146 years. How can we do something good for society?

The modest dispensary didn't take long to make a name for itself, earning recognition not just in the local community, but even among society's elite. We got the coat of arms from King Rama V already in the very beginning of our company, which is given for outstanding service to the crown. At that time, it was an absolute monarchy, so we did it to the government. And we are the only company in Thailand that got the coat of arms from King Rama V.

Back then, Thailand was modernizing quickly and receiving the royal coat of arms put Bikram right at the center of this exciting transformation. By the early 1900s, Bikram was taking on major infrastructure projects

So we sometimes do things that are different. Like we have the first telegraph in Thailand and King Rama V even wrote about it. We were the first to import radio systems to Thailand. We were among the first to support this now very important hospital, which was built by King Rama V. So you can see that our family always tried to do something good for society and always helpful whenever it happened.

So they built the biggest infrastructure project in Southeast Asia: 1,500 kilometers of irrigation canals. Despite challenges, BGRIM continued to operate through both world wars under the leadership of Herbert Link, Harald's uncle. After the war, BGRIM successfully regained its distributorships and expanded its business under Herbert Link's leadership.

You have to have perseverance and I think that's very strong in our family. We always persevere and no matter what happens, we have a goal and we keep on going. This perseverance became the cornerstone of Bighrim's post-war recovery. After rebuilding, Bighrim began diversifying its operations. Thailand went through a period of rapid industrialization after the war. GDP per capita doubled. Road and rail networks increased, as did life expectancy.

Foreign businesses continue to play an important role in the economy. From medicines to building the largest infrastructure project, sometimes it's just people looking at opportunities and they have the courage to do it. Dr. Link brought that same courage and perseverance when he took over as chairman and CEO in 1987.

He led the company as it expanded, especially in power generation. In Thailand, there was no space for being an energy producer until the government opened the opportunity in the early 1990s. When the opportunity showed itself to us for an industrial park from one of our friends, Amata, then we joined and made it happen. So now we are Thailand's largest industrial electricity producer outside the government.

and we also have the wider distribution network. Now we are active in 15 different countries. We became active in the Philippines and Vietnam. We built the largest solar plant in Southeast Asia. In Thailand, we built the largest hybrid solar on water farm in the world. I made an agreement in Australia with an operational group who doesn't want to talk to lawyers.

And we got an area the same size as Singapore to build wind farms and solar farms. In Italy, we became very active. We have already over 550 megawatts there under development. We're very fortunate that we could find this most beautiful hydropower plant in the north of California. And now we're actually talking to buy into many more of these hydropower plants. Wherever we go, we try to become part of the society there.

and support their causes. While energy became one of Bikram's core businesses, the company never forgot its roots in healthcare. As Thailand's pharmaceutical landscape evolved, so did Bikram's ambitions in this space.

We have been in the pharmaceutical business now for 147 years. Only the last about 20 over years, we have that pharmaceutical business mainly in a joint venture with a pharmaceutical company from Germany, Merck, which happens to be the oldest in the world. And we just want to go back to that one. So we wanted to add to the medicines we make with Merck and become a producer again. And that is also a business that we can bring to the world.

So that company is already exporting to 20 countries because it has an excellent factory and manufacturing capability. Bigram's journey from a small dispensary to a global enterprise is a testament to the company's resilience and its commitment to doing good for society. Whether in energy, infrastructure or pharmaceuticals, the company's guiding principle remains the same.

Sometimes people ask you to do your business, but at the same time you do a lot of what they call philanthropic work. For Bikrim, this is just one and the same thing, because our businesses should be good for society. We explore the incredible journey of Bikrim, from its humble beginnings as a pharmacy in 19th century Bangkok, to becoming a global conglomerate.

Along the way, we saw how resilience, adaptability and a commitment to doing good helped the company to navigate world wars, economic upheavals and the ever-changing tides of history. But the story doesn't end here. In the next episode, we'll go beyond BGRIM's history to uncover its soul, the philosophy that drives its decisions, inspires its people and shapes its future.

From protecting tigers to nurturing talent and from the four Ps to the power of compassion, we'll dive into the heart of what makes BeGrim more than just a business. Join us as Chairman Dr. Link shares how purpose and compassion fuel a company that continues to thrive after nearly 150 years. BeGrim, empowering the world compassionately.