Srettha Thavisin, a former property tycoon turned prime minister, has spent the two months he¡¯s been in office focused on turning around Thailand¡¯s below-par economic performance.

To get the nation ¡ª crawling at an average growth rate of 1.87% for the last 10 years ¡ª running as fast as its peers, he¡¯s chosen to break conventional norms.

Srettha became the first leader in some four decades to take on the dual role of finance minister. Not so formally, he¡¯s also acting as the nation¡¯s chief salesman, enticing tourists, investors and anything or anyone that can support Thailand¡¯s growth.