The business of being healthy

With health tourism booming, 33-year-old Nalin Vanasin is in the driver's seat as marketing director of the Bt500-million TRIA Integrative Wellness Centre.

TRIA caters to people seeking alternative medical services. It offers a mix of hi-tech and traditional healing, as well as nutrition and fitness programmes.

Located behind Bangkok's Piyavate Hospital, it's run by Nalin's father, Dr Boon Vanasin.

Nalin has been involved with the project for two years. She works 12 hours a day on business development, from marketing to sales initiatives.

"I grew up in the medical environment because it's my father's profession, so I'm very familiar with the business. But this project is challenging because it's a new concept that we've built up from zero - there's no model to follow."

Nalin got her education in the United States starting from age 14. She earned a bachelor's degree in economics at Columbia University and a master's in engineering at Stanford.

"I enjoyed being a student, and I still enjoy studying new things. As soon as I got my first degree I went for my master's straight away."

Nalin gained more than two years' work experience in New York with UBS Investment Bank and. On her return home, she spent another two and a half years at Unilever Thailand.

"After five years I wanted to sum up everything I'd attained, so I decided to go for an MBA," she says.

For her business degree she attended France's renowned INSEAD institute. Her courses were conducted in English, but part of the reason she chose that school was to revive the French she's learned previously.

TRIA Integrative Wellness is the biggest challenge so far for her business skills.

"I don't see it as the family business - we're just some of the shareholders. I see myself as one of the employees, albeit with the biggest responsibility."

Nalin believes she's up to the task and so far she's handling it with confidence.

"It suits my personal interest in alternative healthcare. Plus, we're looking at the long-term investment, because we believe in it as a growing trend. It's not something merely fashionable - it's just new, and the market takes time to develop."

Nalin has visited numerous medical establishments overseas over the past two years, especially in Germany and the US, and found something unique everywhere she went.

"In the States, doctors use their consultation skills to connect to patients, while in Europe the focus is more on advanced technology. I want to integrate both ideas," she says.

The second phase for TRIA will be completed in August, including three restaurants with healthy dining - World Health Cuisine, Raw Food and the Tea Garden.

Another major part of the new phase is a new function room for meetings of up to 50 people.

Meanwhile the firm is promoting "corporate wellness" - ideal for companies interested in team building.

"I hope this place can grow into a community for those who care about health," Nalin says, "where they can come and spend two or three hours a day taking care of themselves."

Vipasai Niyamabha

The Nation