BANGKOK, 7 May 2026 – Kudun and Partners (KAP) has significantly strengthened its domestic and regional capabilities with the integration of Manunya & Associates Limited, led by Manunya Thitinuntawan, bringing over 10 years of the firm’s established practice together with her 25 years of professional experience, and onboarding of Krissen Pillay as Counsel in the firm’s International Practice, focusing on both our international practice and our new Vietnam practice.
These strategic expansion reflect the firm’s continued investment in top-tier talent and its ambition to support clients on increasingly sophisticated domestic and cross-border mandates across Southeast Asia.
Manunya & Associates Limited is a well-established corporate and capital markets practice with over a decade of experience advising listed companies, financial institutions, and major corporates on IPOs, public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and complex regulatory matters under the SEC and Stock Exchange of Thailand regimes.
Manunya Thitinuntawan, a highly regarded corporate and capital markets lawyer with over 25 years of experience, joins KAP following a distinguished career at Allen & Overy (Thailand) and as founder of Manunya & Associates Limited. Her practice spans complex M&A and equity capital markets transactions, including IPOs and regulatory matters on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, as well as cross-border and multi-jurisdictional deals.
Her experience includes advising on high-profile transactions such as the IPOs of Com7 Public Company Limited and PRTR Group Public Company Limited, and advising Bangkok Dusit Medical Services Public Company Limited on its merger involving Samitivej Hospital. Her arrival, together with her team, significantly enhances KAP’s ability to deliver partner-led, responsive advice on sophisticated transactions in an increasingly competitive market.
Commenting on her appointment, Manunya said:
“I am pleased to join KAP, a leading firm in the capital markets sector. I look forward to working with the team to support clients with practical, commercially driven advice in an increasingly dynamic legal landscape.”
Kudun Sukhumananda, Managing Partner, commented:
“We are very thrilled to welcome Manunya and her team to KAP. This is a strategically important addition that reinforces our position at the forefront of the Thai legal market. Her depth of experience in capital markets and M&A aligns closely with our focus on delivering best-in-class advice on the most sophisticated mandates.”
In parallel, the firm has expanded its regional offering with the appointment of Krissen Pillay as Counsel, who will join forces alongside with Troy Schooneman to strengthen KAP’s International Practice, and will lead KAP’s Vietnam-focused practice within its International team as Head of Vietnam practice.
Krissen Pillay has joined Kudun and Partners as Counsel in the firm’s International Practice, where he will lead the firm’s Vietnam-focused offering, with a particular focus on Thai and broader Southeast Asian companies investing in Vietnam. He has over 13 years of experience across South Africa, Vietnam, and Thailand, specialising in M&A, corporate, and banking and finance. Krissen joins from YKVN LLC, where he served as Counsel in Ho Chi Minh City for 6 years, gaining an uniquely intensive experience in both international practice and Vietnam market norm. Prior to YKVN, he worked with Bowmans in Johannesburg and Werksmans in Cape Town.
Krissen brings significant on-the-ground experience in Vietnam, having advised on a wide range of inbound and outbound investments, as well as complex regulatory and transactional matters in one of Southeast Asia’s most active investment destinations. He has particular depth in financial services, logistics, healthcare, and real estate transactions, and is experienced in both inbound investment and the structuring of complex multi-jurisdictional deals in the market.
“Krissen’s addition enhances our ability to support clients navigating increasingly sophisticated cross-border investments into and out of Southeast Asia,” said Troy Schooneman, Partner and Head of International Practice. “We are seeing strong growth in Thai companies investing in Vietnam, and Krissen’s deep experience in that market makes him a valuable addition to our team as we continue to support clients expanding regionally.”
Kudun Sukhumananda, Founding Partner, added: “Vietnam is one of the most active deal markets in Southeast Asia right now, and Krissen’s appointment positions us to serve clients pursuing opportunities there with genuine on-the-ground capability. As we continue to strengthen both our International Practice and our Vietnam-focused offering, Krissen’s addition allows us to address multiple strategic priorities through a single, well-aligned move. His ability to bridge legal and regulatory systems across multiple jurisdictions reflects exactly the kind of practical, commercially focused advisory we are building at Kudun and Partners.”
With these appointments, KAP now comprises 12 partners—eight corporate and four dispute resolution partners—and over 70 fee earners, further reinforcing its position as a leading full-service firm in Thailand with growing regional reach.
About Manunya & Associates Limited
Manunya & Associates Limited is a well-established corporate and capital markets practice with over a decade of experience advising listed companies, financial institutions, and major corporates on some of Thailand’s most significant transactions. The firm has built a strong reputation for delivering commercially focused advice on IPOs, public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and complex regulatory matters under the SEC and Stock Exchange of Thailand regimes.
The firm is led by its founder, Manunya Thitinuntawan, who brings over 25 years of experience in corporate and capital markets. She began her legal career at Allen & Overy (Thailand) Co., Ltd., where she practiced from 1999 to 2014, before establishing Manunya & Associates Limited in 2015. Her experience spans a broad range of high-profile capital markets and M&A transactions, and she has worked closely with leading international law firms on cross-border and offshore matters, delivering practical and commercially driven legal solutions.
Under her leadership, the firm and its team have advised on a wide range of significant transactions across multiple sectors, supporting both listed and private companies on strategic growth, investments, and corporate structuring.
The integration of Manunya & Associates Limited into Kudun and Partners significantly enhances the firm’s capital markets platform and strengthens its ability to support clients on sophisticated domestic and cross-border mandates.
About Krissen Pillay
Krissen brings deep on-the-ground experience in Vietnam, where he has advised corporates, financial institutions, and private equity sponsors on some of the market’s most significant transactions. His work spans strategic acquisitions and disposals, control and minority investments, joint ventures, corporate restructurings, and financing transactions across a range of high-growth and developing markets in Southeast Asia and Africa.
He is particularly experienced in structuring and executing multi-jurisdictional transactions in Vietnam and other emerging markets, delivering commercially practical solutions across diverse legal and regulatory frameworks, often within tight timelines.
Krissen’s sector experience includes financial services, logistics, healthcare, and real estate, where he has supported clients on high-value and strategically significant investments.
He is an Attorney of the High Court of South Africa and holds an LL.B. from the University of Cape Town (Dean’s Merit List).
About Kudun and Partners
Founded in 2015, Kudun and Partners is an award-winning full-service law firm headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand. Led by some of Southeast Asia’s most accomplished lawyers, the firm advises domestic and international clients across a broad range of practice areas including corporate and M&A, capital markets, dispute resolution, projects and energy, foreign direct investment, restructuring and insolvency, and tax. The firm’s International Practice advises on cross-border transactions throughout Southeast Asia, with dedicated focus on inbound and outbound investment involving Thailand, Vietnam, and the wider region. Kudun and Partners has been recognised as Thailand Law Firm of the Year by The Legal 500 Southeast Asia Awards (2020/21 and 2023) and is the exclusive representative of Thailand in the World Services Group, one of the world’s most prominent networks of independent law firms.
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