The pageant world was shaken after hearing the news that Asia’s richest transwoman Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip just bought Miss Universe for $20 million. Miss Universe has been the most prestigious and glamorous beauty competition for 70 years. Over 70 countries compete for the Miss Universe title and being one of the owners of this pageant will surely be one of the greatest honors not just in the whole world, but rather in the whole universe.
Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip has always been known as an entertainment empire with a multi-million net worth. Her move in purchasing Miss Universe is surely a remarkable decision in both her personal and career life as an LGBTQA+ active advocate, a CEO and the richest woman in Asia. In this article, we will get to know more about the new woman behind the Miss Universe pageant and how she became who she is today.
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The Inspiring Success Story Of Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip
During her younger years, Anne attended an all-male high school when she was younger. Being in an all-male school, she was targeted by bullies and sexual predators. She told the story on how a teacher harassed her sexually and how her schoolmates make fun of him because of her sexual identity. As he is having a hard time at school, the pressure at home does not help at all; she took on the role of the eldest male sibling with a lot of responsibilities lying in his hands. She was so done with the Thai school system that she dropped out and moved to Australia, where she first worked at a petrol station to support her education.
She returned to her family’s video-rental company after finishing her studies abroad. After seeing a decline in profits as customers shied away from videos because of shifting technological preferences, she resolved to make her family’s firm a major distributor of legally produced video content including movies and TV shows.
She started by releasing documentaries from South Korea, Japan, and Hollywood, and her ambitious efforts quickly grew to cover all three. Anne has been dubbed the “Queen of Indian Content“ since JKN is one of the firms that first popularized Indian television programs in Thailand. She also thinks the corporation is onto something by licensing Philippine TV shows, which have proven to be quite successful in the Philippines.
JKN Global Group was the source of her $200,000 in earnings, and it quickly rose to the position of preeminent content dealer in Thailand and the rest of ASEAN. While in Sydney, Anne worked as a service station attendant while attending university, and this experience sparked an interest in her to open a similar business of her own. After 3-5 years, she soon launched a 7-Eleven, an Amazon café, and a service station.
Aside from acquiring drink factories and other digital premium channels, Jakrajutatip grew JKN to include the sale of more than 50 health and beauty goods. She has expanded her company to include the distribution of content, the manufacturing of drinks and dietary supplements, the sale of cosmetics and other consumer goods, the licensing of news material, and the sponsorship of various advertising campaigns.
With all of her amazing business ideas and successful ventures, her hard work pay offs and is now declared by Forbes as the third richest person in Asia, Asia’s richest transwoman, and the first Thai transwoman billionaire with a net worth of $210 million.
The Beginning Of Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip’s Entertainment Empire
Anne is a transwoman who created an entertainment empire and is a well-known figure in Thailand. Anne is a proud member of the transgender community and was honored as the “Asia Media Woman of the Year” at 2021’s Content Asia Summit in Singapore. She is the first transgender woman from Thailand to be awarded with this title. Anne, at 41 years old, is the head of content distribution at the JKN Global Media empire and Thailand’s first billionaire despite being persuaded from a young age that LGBTQ people could never have a good future. JKN was founded in 2014, it is a major player in the administration and distribution of material in her nation, working in tandem with major studios such as Walt Disney, CBS, and Sony.
Anne was dubbed the “Queen of Indian Content“ since her empire was responsible for introducing films and TV shows from India, China, and Korea to Thai audiences.
The CEO of JKN has been honored with several awards for her work, including Singapore’s Asian Media Woman of the Year award in 2019, and her $210 million net worth landed her on Forbes’ list of the world’s wealthiest transgender people for 2020.
Aside from being a Thai billionaire, Anne is also a mother to two loving kids– Andrew and Angelica. Both children are biologically related to her, but were born to separate foster moms and are only eight months apart in age. She may not be one of the highest paid transgender celebrity but she’s earned her millions. From a billionaire to being a loving mother, she also founded the Life Inspired For Transsexuals (LIFT) Foundation, which fights for trans people’s right to dignity and equal opportunity, as a side project to her multibillion dollar business empire.
Holding The Universe In Her Hands
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Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, CEO of the Thai media conglomerate JKN Global Group, is a well-known reality TV personality in her home country. She has starred on Thai adaptations of “Project Runway” and “Shark Tank.” In addition, she was instrumental in the formation of the transgender rights organization Life Inspired for Transsexual Foundation, and is now the owner of the most prestigious beauty pageant in the universe- Miss Universe.
Jakrajutatip has called the Miss Universe trademark a “solid, strategic addition to our portfolio.” Anne will be a significant addition to the list of owners of the pageant as Amy Emmerich, the current chief executive officer, and Paula Shugart, the current president, will remain in their existing roles.
Since 1952, the world has been captivated by the winners of the Miss Universe competition. In the last decade, it has had to face public demand for more diversity, inclusion, and inclusivity alongside other big pageants.
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Sources: Today, News Daily, The Guardian
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