Adolf Antoni Klemens Knees was born on 14 July 1946 in Kiel, Germany, to Adolf August Christian Knees and Hedwig Vinzentina Knees née Köller. After finishing his master’s degree studies, he started his career in Aalen, Germany in 1969, as a management trainee at Triumph International, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of lingerie and underwear.
He successfully climbed up the corporate ladder at Triumph International and had postings around the world in Athens, Brisbane and Hong Kong. Some 50 years ago he was sent to Thailand to establish a foothold here in the Kingdom.
A year later, Mr Knees was made Operations Manager of Triumph International (Thailand) Ltd. In 1978 and he continuously rose to become a board member and Managing Director in 1986. During his tenure he also set up the company’s subsidiaries in Vietnam and Myanmar. After almost 30 exciting years with Triumph, he retired to join his old friend David Lyman in the latter’s leading Southeast Asian’s law firm as a business consultant.
Mr Knees was most active in Thailand’s business community. In 1999 he was awarded an Honorary Membership of the GTCC, the German-Thai Chamber of Commerce (GTCC) for his contributions and active development of German-Thai bilateral relations. He had also served as the chamber’s Vice President for four years and its President for six years respectively.
The Fifth Asia-Pacific Conference of German Industry and Trade, organized by the German Foreign Chambers of Commerce and Delegations of German Industry in Bangkok in 1994, was co-chaired by him and more than 200 decision making representatives of Germany’s industry from both the public and private sector, crowned this endeavour with a success.
He also served, for many years, as GTCC’s representative to the very powerful Board of Trade of Thailand. Working alongside David Lyman in 1976, had been instrumental in setting up the Foreign Investors Advisory Council which evolved into today’s Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand (JFCCT) promoting trade and foreign investment in Thailand.
Some years ago Mr Knees was diagnosed with mixed dementia, became bed-ridden due to epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease. He had been well cared for by his partner Suree Yodsing and his domestic helpers while David Lyman acted as his legal guardian as so appointed by the Royal Thai court.
As a delightful and outgoing individual, his friends admired him for his excellent sense of humour and his honest and down-to-Earth opinions. He loved luxury, fine wines and extensive traveling around the world. His most favourite destination was French-Polynesian Tahiti in the South Pacific and on 20 February he sailed off on a new trip to a paradise somewhere.
As per his wish, his funeral was a private affair at the Mae Phra Nitcha Nukhro Church in Rayong.
