At the end of 2017, Chadatip Chutrakul’s crowning glory Icon Siam will open on the banks of the Chao Phraya in Bangkok – a mega-project that Thailand’s queen of retail hopes will showcase her country to the world.

Icon Siam will be a 24-acre shopping haven (roughly the size of 15 football pitches) with luxury residences, museums, parks, marina facilities, and even its own privately-funded monorail.

The overall price tag is a staggering US$1.5 billion — making it the largest private-sector investment in the country to date, says Chadatip, chief executive of the Siam Piwat group, which is developing the project in a joint venture with Magnolia Quality Development and the CP Group.

The 55-year-old, who prefers to be called Pam, spoke recently about her background, retail business philosophy, and hopes for the new project on the interview programme Power List Asia.