Advisor to TGGS Dean

Born in Chachoengsao, Thailand, in 1941, Assoc. Prof. Dr. h. c. Banleng Sornil received his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering in 1969 from Fachhochschule Cologne, Germany, and his Master of Technical Education in Mechanical Engineering in 1977 from King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok. He started his career as a technical teacher in 1963 at North Bangkok Technical College, which later developed and is now known as King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB). Assoc. Prof. Dr. h. c. Banleng Sornil worked at KMUTNB in the field of technical education in mechanical engineering until his retirement in 2001. During his academic career at KMUTNB, he authored numerous technical textbooks, which have been considered the foundation of technical education in mechanical engineering in Thailand. For the management career, he was appointed to numerous management positions, e.g., Head of Technical Education in the Mechanical Engineering Department, Dean of the Technical Education Faculty. He was also appointed as the president of KMUTNB during 1995-2001. Assoc. Prof. Dr. h. c. Banleng Sornil was one of the major contributors in establishing The Sirindhorn Thai-German Graduate School of Engineering, founded in 2005, and he served as the Director of this institute during 2005-2011. In 2007, he received an honorary doctorate degree of engineering technology in design and manufacturing of machinery from KMUTNB. Currently, he has been appointed as TGGS Dean Advisor.

Born in London, England, in 1944, Michael C. Usher served a five-year apprenticeship as a Design Draughtsman with parallel studies as a mechanical engineer at Kingston Technical College (now Surrey University).

Michael moved to Germany in 1970 to work as a design Engineer in the construction machinery industry, where he went on to become Director (with full power of attorney), for a large international manufacturer, responsible for Export and Technical Product Development. During this time, he also successfully completed an MBA course. In his Management career, he facilitated numerous Management and Technical training courses for both German and International staff.

In the mid-1990s, Michael moved to Thailand, providing Management and Training services for both Thai and International companies. He later joined the Thai-German Institute (TGI), a German-sponsored State-of-the-art equipped Engineering Vocational Educational Institute, as MD.

In 2007, Michael was engaged by RWTH Aachen University as Deputy German Director at TGGS, deputising for the German Professor in Aachen responsible for the TGGS project in KMUTNB.

After retiring from TGGS/ KMUTNB, Michael continued providing some management training courses in Thailand and also became a Director of the Singapore-Thai Chamber of Commerce. As such, he joined the “Education and Skills Committee” of the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce Thailand (JFCCT), of which he is still an active member. Currently, Michael C. Usher has been appointed as “Advisor to the TGGS Dean”.

Apinunt Thanachayanont is a project director at Silicon Craft Technology. His research interests include complementary metal-oxide semiconductor RF bandpass filters, active-inductor circuits, translinear phase-locked loops, and direct digital synthesizers. He received his PhD in electrical and electronics engineering from the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine.

Tomasz Mazur is a senior executive with extensive international experience in the railway and transportation industry. He has spent more than three decades working with Siemens, particularly in the field of rail systems and mobility solutions across Europe and Asia.

He built his professional career within Siemens, holding various senior management and executive positions in the railway and mobility sector. His expertise covers rail infrastructure, rolling stock, signaling systems, and large-scale transportation projects. Throughout his career, he has been actively involved in strategic planning, project implementation, and business development for major rail projects.

Tomasz Mazur later served as President and CEO of Siemens Mobility Thailand, where he played a key role in advancing rail transportation in Thailand. Under his leadership, Siemens Mobility contributed significantly to landmark urban rail projects, including Bangkok’s mass transit systems, supporting sustainable urban development and modern transportation infrastructure.

After retiring from his executive role at Siemens Mobility Thailand, he continued his professional engagement as a university lecturer and industry advisor. In this capacity, he has shared his extensive industrial experience with students and professionals, contributing to knowledge transfer and the development of future engineers and transportation specialists.