After being purchased for $20 million by a Thai entrepreneur, Miss Universe’s prestigious international competition undergoes another management shift.
As the CEO of JKKN Global Group PCL and a transgender person, Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip is a champion of the LGBTQ+ community. The Thai mogul’s media distribution business, which leads Thailand’s entertainment industry, helped her gain traction. Jakrajutatip is well recognized for her work on several TV programs, including “Project Runway.”
The Thai businesswoman promotes the community in which she exists in addition to being in front of the camera. She constantly campaigns for their rights and shares her personal transgender woman experiences with the public. Jakrajutatip often found herself in the spotlight because she defied industry conventions. Male-dominated sectors frequently mistreat women and other gendered people. She pushed limits, nevertheless, and is currently in the prime of her business and entertainment careers.
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Owning Miss Universe
JKN Global Group assumed control of the Miss Universe Organization after the agreement. The firm plans to broaden its services and geographic reach by reaching out to new Asian locations, according to a press release from JKN. JKN wants to sell goods, including beverages, personal care items, cosmetics, and dietary supplements. According to the corporation, the product launch will bring in a sizable sum of money for the Miss Universe Organization. Thai business magnate Jakkaphong, the company’s newest owner, expressed her pleasure at the purchase.
“We seek not only to continue its legacy of providing a platform to passionate individuals from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and traditions but also to evolve the brand for the next generation,” said Jakkaphong.
The Miss Universe Organization’s CEO and the president expressed his continued faith that the pageant could preserve its goals and principles despite a change in ownership. The company’s president expressed his joy at the prospect of the new owner taking the business to new heights.
“Our progressive approach continues to position us at the forefront of our industry,” the organization said.
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A Thai starting a shift
A woman owns he Miss Universe brand for the first time. Ironically, males have controlled a company that hosts a pageant for women since it was founded in 1952. Many people expect a better perspective this time since a woman now owns it. Supporters have specifically singled out big international pageants. They demand for more inclusion, diversity, and representation. And finally, the dream could actually come true with a Thai transgender person in charge of the Miss Universe Organization.
Miss Universe scrapped the ban excluding transgender women from competing in the contest in 2012. Due to this, transgender Spanish contestant Angela Ponce, 27, decided to participate in the 67th Miss Universe competition in 2018. She was the first transgender person to enter the Miss Universe stage.
“I never imagined (I would make it to Miss Universe) because I lived in a society where everyone said I couldn’t do that. And I didn’t have the information to realize that my dream to be a woman could ever actually be realized,” she said at the time.
While many decry the change, proponents applaud the groups that allow more members of the LGBTQ+ community to participate in activities like that. Her entry into the pageantry industry marks a fundamental change in the scene for Thai billionaire and advocate Jakkaphong.
Photo Credit: PEP
Source: CNN
