Predee did not respond to a request for comment after media reports linking him to the post. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said a cabinet reshuffle would take place by next month.

Here are some facts and background on Predee.

** HE'S FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR. Predee Daochai is a co-president of Kasikorn Bank and chairman of the Thai Bankers' Association

** HE'S A TRAINED LAWYER. Predee graduated with law degrees from Thammasat University and a master's degree in law from the University of Illinois

** HE'S BEEN WITH THE SAME BANK FOR 38 YEARS. Predee joined Kasikorn Bank in 1982, working mainly in the legal and risk management field for the lender.

** HE SERVED AS A MILTARY-APPOINTED LAWMAKER. In October 2016 Predee was appointed as a member of the National Legislative Assembly, an appointed lawmaking body created by the military government under junta leader Prayuth.

** HE HAS ADVISED ON GOVERNMENT PROJECTS. In 2018, Predee served as an advisor to the policy committee on the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), an ambitious connectivity and development project launched by the then military government to boost growth and investment in Thailand's industrial east.

** HE IS DESCRIBED AS "CONSERVATIVE AND SHARP", according to a Kasikorn executive who has worked with Predee. "Although his background is in risk and law, he adapted quite well when he was promoted," said the person who declined to be named because they were not authorized to speak to media.

(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um and Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Ed Davies)