Thai Lee | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1958 (age 66–67) Bangkok, Thailand |
| Alma mater | Amherst College (BA) Harvard Business School (MBA) |
| Known for | CEO and co-founder, SHI International |
| Term | 1989–present |
| Spouse | Leo Koguan (m. 1989–2002) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent | Daniel Kie-Hong Lee |
| Relatives | Margaret Lee (older sister) |
Thai Lee (born 1958) is a Thai-born Korean-American billionaire businesswoman, the co-owner, CEO and president of SHI International, reported by Forbes to be the largest woman-owned business in the US in 2012. [1] In May 2025, she was worth US$5.8 billion. [2] She also serves as member of the board of directors of The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. [3]
Thai Lee was born in 1958 in Bangkok, Thailand, but spent most of her childhood in South Korea. [4] [5] Her family moved frequently due to her father's job as a Korean economist promoting South Korea's postwar development plan. [5] Lee moved to the United States in her teens and attended high school in Amherst. [5] [3] She attended Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts for college earning a double major BA in biology and economics in 1980. [4] By graduating from Amherst Lee followed in the footsteps of her father who was the first Korean student to graduate from Amherst College in 1950. [6] Lee went on to earn an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1985. [4] She was the first Korean woman to graduate from the business school. [1] [7] Lee then served as the first female president of the Amherst College Alumni Society from 2004 to 2005. [4] [3]
In 1989, Thai Lee married Leo Koguan, a Columbia University graduate, New York Law School-educated lawyer and the co-founder and chairman of SHI [9] . They divorced in 2002 [9] . She has two teenage children [9] . She lives in Austin, Texas. [8]