CHRO Series VIETNAM

The Augmented Workforce:

Maximizing Progress Through FDI, Tech Integration & Strategic Upskilling

9 – 11 September 2026

Rex Hotel Saigon, 141 Nguyen Hue , Sai Gon Ward, Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam

Brought to you by:

#CHROSeriesVietnam

CHRO INSIGHTS: NAVIGATING THE FUTURE OF HR IN VIETNAM

The era of structural trial-and-error is over. In 2026, the Vietnamese HR landscape has reached a definitive tipping point. Driven by massive Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows, a booming industrial sector, and an extraordinarily young, tech-fluent workforce, we are no longer just discussing digital transformation—we are executing it at an unprecedented scale. However, rapid growth brings massive talent challenges. Vietnamese CHROs are facing a highly aggressive talent market, a critical gap in native technical leadership, and international pressures to implement strict ESG labour standards. Through solo presentations, collaborative panels, and hands-on workshops, we will build a unified roadmap for a workforce that is localized, agile, and robustly future-ready.

Key themes for 2026 include:

✔ The Localization Mandate: Securing and fast-tracking local C-suite leaders
✔ Mass Upskilling for the AI Era: Bridging academia and practical industrial tech
✔ The Modern Gen Z Employee Experience (EX): Engaging a young, mobile-first demographic
✔ ESG & Labor Compliance: Protecting global trade readiness through ethical practices

This year, the event structure has been updated to:

✔ Workshop 1: September 9, 2026
✔ Main Conference: September 10, 2026
✔ Workshop 2: September 11, 2026

Join 150+ CHROs for high-level networking, best practice sharing, and insights from top HR thought leaders to drive business success.

Key Benefits of Joining CHRO Vietnam 2025

  • Tailored Advanced Learning Tracks
HRM Asia places significant emphasis on digital transformation in HR, especially with advanced data analytics, AI, and automation in HR practices that slowly changing the spectrum of HR transformation in Vietnam. This offers deeper knowledge of digital trends, which will equip the businesses for the transition in the future.
  • Customised for Top Executives
The conference is meticulously tailored to meet the specific needs for HR leaders across diverse industries, catering to a wider audience from mid-level heads to C-suite executives. The content offers in-depth insights which helps organisations in Vietnam to expand and optimise their HR strategies to align with broader and latest trends.
  • Exploring Next-Generation Solutions
Engage with top-tier sponsors and leading global brands that bring advanced HR tools and services to the table, offering innovative solutions that may not yet be available in Vietnam. This allows attendees to gain early access to transformative technologies that enhance talent management, performance tracking, and workforce planning, providing a competitive edge in today’s fast-evolving HR landscape.

CHRO Vietnam

CHRO Series Vietnam

*The Event agenda below is subject to change.
9 SEPTEMBER: WORKSHOP 1

Date: 9th September 2026
Time: 9.00am-5.00pm
Trainer: Reserved for SMU

10 SEPTEMBER: CHRO CONFERENCE

8:00am
Registration & Networking
8:50am
Organiser’s Welcome Address
8:55am
Chairperson’s Opening Remarks
9:00am
OPENING KEYNOTE
The AI-Powered C-Suite: Future-Proofing Vietnamese Enterprises in 90 Days
  • Days 1–30: The C-Suite AI Alignment & Trust Reset: Establish a unified leadership vision across the executive suite while building psychological safety on the ground. By enforcing radical transparency on AI integration timelines and automation goals, leaders neutralize the "fear of displacement" that stalls productivity, stabilizing the workforce for incoming tech shifts.
  • Days 31–60: Scalable Micro-Agility & Cross-Border Sprints: Bridge the gap between executive strategy and factory floor execution. Deploy sprint-style, mobile-first learning blocks designed to upskill middle management, break down complex AI tools, and eliminate cross-cultural and regional bottlenecks without burning out teams.
  • Days 61–90: The Skills-First AI Resilience Loop: Anchor technological maturity into your organization’s core DNA. Reset corporate performance metrics to reward learning velocity, adaptability, and practical AI tool application over rigid academic credentials, unlocking long-term agility for the enterprise.
09:30am
PANEL DISCUSSION
The High-Tech Factory: Managing Blue-Collar Retention in Vietnam’s Industrial Hubs
  • Smart Shift Engineering: Implementing algorithmic scheduling and flexible shift swapping to match the work-life preferences of a younger migrant workforce.
  • Beyond the Minimum Wage: Designing holistic non-cash packages, including heavily subsidized safe housing, transport, and family healthcare assistance.
  • Gamified Retention: Creating clear, milestone-based performance bonuses on the factory floor that reward long-term tenure over short-term output.
10:15am
Reserved for COURSERA

10:45am
Morning Tea Break
11:15am
Reserved for SPONSOR


11:45am
CASE STUDY
FPT Software’s (Vietnam) Skills-First Talent Engine

Boosting Day-to-Day Workforce Efficiency by 55% Faced with an aggressive regional talent squeeze and an urgent demand for specialized cloud and AI engineering teams, FPT Software moved away from traditional, degree-centric hiring. By engineering a unified, data-driven "Skills Intelligence" framework, they transformed how they identify, upskill, and deploy talent at scale.
  • Scrapping Degree Bias: Replaced conventional resume screening with automated, project-based skill challenges, allowing recruiters to evaluate practical technical capabilities and unlock hidden talent pools.
  • The Automated Skill Layer: Standardized and mapped over 13,000 distinct capabilities across a single data layer, leveraging AI to seamlessly match the right employee profiles to incoming complex global projects.
  • Data-Driven Micro-Learning: Integrated localized "Nanodegree" paths and peer-mentoring networks directly into the corporate infrastructure, successfully upskilling 11,000+ internal learners to cut expensive external recruitment costs.





12:15pm
FIRESIDE CHAT
Navigating the Multi-MNC Landscape: When Western Corporate Culture Meets Vietnamese Work Ethic
  • Deconstructing Hierarchy: Strategies to encourage open upward feedback and independent decision-making in teams traditionally accustomed to top-down authority.
  • Localizing Policy, Not Values: Adapting rigid global HR policies to align naturally with Vietnamese social customs, collective celebrations, and family dynamics.
  • The Feedback Pivot: Shifting performance reviews from blunt, individual critiques to collaborative, team-centric growth conversations.
12:45pm
LUNCH & NETWORKING
02:00pm
INTERACTIVE ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION GROUPS [60MINS]

Ask the experts and have your say! Structured to maximise interaction and in-depth focus on a topical subject matter, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a roundtable of their choice, which has close relevance to their area of expertise and/or scope of responsibility. We will conclude with a 15mins sharing session, where each Roundtable Leader will present key highlights and takeaways from the group discussion.


ROUNDTABLE A

Re-Engineering Gen Z Loyalty: Micro-Progressions over Multi-Year Paths
ROUNDTABLE B

Executive Localization: Accelerating the Expat-to-Local C-Suite Transition
ROUNDTABLE C

The Productivity Dividend: Recalibrating Pay When Automation Enhances Output

Reserved for Industry Partner
ROUNDTABLE D

Breaking the Communication Bottleneck: Elevating Middle Managers to the Regional Stage
ROUNDTABLE E

Auditing the Supply Chain: Protecting Export Readiness Through Fair Labor Standards

Reserved for Industry Partner
ROUNDTABLE F

Deconstructing the Degree: Transitioning to Skills-First Technical Recruitmen
3:00pm
Reserved for Industry Partner
3:30pm
AFTERNOON TEA BREAK
4:00pm
PANEL DISCUSSION
Driving the Delta: Redefining Workforce Productivity in Vietnam’s Digital Era
  • Measuring Skills Over Hours: Shifting the productivity metric from "hours logged" to "learning velocity." Successfully retraining millions of Vietnamese workers currently facing AI-driven role transformations.
  • Beating the Crunch with Flexible Work: Leaders will discuss why rigid on-site models are slowing down hiring and how flexible, project-based setups keep operations moving.
  • Upgrading the EVP to Stop the Bleed: Winning over Millennial and Gen Z talent who demand more than a paycheck. The discussion will focus on how clear career growth, strong workplace culture, and modern employee value propositions (EVP) directly cut down turnover.

An Nguyen Hieu Truong, Executive VP, Head of People & Culture – Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage

Hieu Tran, Head of People & Culture – Opella

Ton That Anh Vu, Chief People Officer – Manulife Vietnam

4:30pm
PANEL DISCUSSION
The Green Talent Shortage: Sourcing and Upskilling for Sustainable Operations
  • The Sustainable Employer Brand: Leveraging genuine corporate ESG milestones to attract purpose-driven millennial and Gen Z specialists who refuse to work for high-polluting brands.
  • Cross-Training the Core: Creating fast-tracked internal certifications to transform traditional logistics and operations managers into qualified green-supply-chain auditors.
  • Global ESG Knowledge Transfer: Building structured frameworks to seamlessly import niche environmental expertise from global offices while rapidly training local Vietnamese counterparts.

Nhung Dinh Kim, Head of Human Resources – Pernod Ricard

5:15pm
Closing Remarks & End of Conference

11 SEPTEMBER : WORKSHOP 2

ACCELERATED CAPABILITY: Building AI-Augmented Leaders at the Speed of Growth



Date: 11th September 2026
Time: 9:00am-5:00pm
Facilitator: Joanne Flinn
Thinkers50 Radar 2026 | Former PwC Country Head | Author, Greensight | Chairperson, ESG Institute (B Corp)

$36.6 billion in FDI last year, a 32% jump. Your workforce is young, ambitious, and 78% plan to upskill this year, the highest intent in APAC. The investment is here. The ambition is here. The leadership capacity is not.

80% of Vietnamese businesses report difficulty finding qualified candidates. Mid-senior talent is scarce, and AI is widening the gap, not closing it. The workers who pair with AI are surging ahead; those who do not are stalling. FDI investors are no longer paying for cheap labour. They are paying for leaders who can orchestrate human and AI capability together.

This is not a training problem. It is an acceleration problem. And acceleration is what we do.

In this workshop, Joanne Flinn will work with you to build accelerated capability: the architecture that develops AI-augmented local leaders at the speed your growth demands, not the pace your current systems allow.

WORKSHOP AGENDA

08.30am
Registration & Coffee
09.00am
Session 1: The Speed Gap

FDI moves at investment speed. Leadership develops at human speed. AI is widening that gap. This session names it, and why traditional approaches cannot close it. And leads towards what you can do to integrate AI and people swifter.

  • Why 80% of businesses cannot find qualified candidates, and why hiring alone will not solve it
  • The K-shaped workforce: how AI is splitting your people into those who surge and those who stall
  • What FDI investors are actually measuring when they assess workforce and leadership readiness

Working exercise: Map your leadership pipeline against your growth trajectory. Where does the gap hit first? What breaks when it does?

10.30am
Morning Coffee Break & Networking
11.00am
Session 2: Building AI-Augmented Leaders at Speed

The localization mandate is real. Expat-dependent leadership is not sustainable. You have youth. You have talent. This session builds the architecture for developing local leaders who orchestrate human and AI capability together.

  • From hiring for replacement to hiring for transformation: the mindset shift that changes pipeline velocity
  • What an AI-augmented leader actually does differently, and the capabilities that now matter most
  • The 70% question applied to leadership: which capabilities are genuinely critical, which are legacy expectations?
  • Acceleration mechanisms: what compresses leadership development from three quarters to three days without losing quality

Working exercise: Identify one leadership role you need filled in 18 months. Design the acceleration path. What does developing an AI-augmented leader require that the old model did not?

12.30pm
Lunch Break & Networking
1.30pm
Session 3: The Capability Infrastructure

78% of your workforce wants to upskill. The intent is there. The infrastructure to channel it is not. This session builds capability systems that compound, and addresses the governance that now governs them.

  • Why training programmes fail at scale, and what replaces them
  • Using AI to accelerate human capability: data literacy, systems thinking, and the skills that compound
  • The governance reality: Vietnam's Personal Data Protection Law, live since 1 January 2026, now regulates AI in hiring and employee monitoring. Local law, local logic, not a copy of international practice. This is present risk, not future risk.

Working exercise: Design your capability infrastructure for one critical skill. How does it reach your workforce? How does it compound? Where does the new data law touch it?

03:00pm
Afternoon Tea Break & Networking
03:30pm
Session 4: Your Acceleration Plan

Vietnam's growth will not slow down to let your leadership catch up. Neither will AI. This session converts insight into your 100-day acceleration plan.

  • Five acceleration indicators for you to leverage
  • Where Vietnam's workforce ambition is an advantage, and where it creates retention risk if not channelled, and what you can do about this
  • Your 100-day plan: one leader to accelerate, one capability to scale, one governance gap to close

You leave with: an acceleration scorecard, an AI-augmented leadership pipeline design, and a 100-day plan that builds capability at the speed your growth demands.

5.00pm
Closing Remarks & End

DAY 2: CHRO WORKSHOP AGENDA

From Talent to Triumph: Empowerment Through Coaching

Date: 20th March 2025
Time: 8.30am to 3pm
Facilitator: Nguyễn Hoàng Nam, Peak Performance Coach & International Facilitator - S-PEAK & MDT Training

WORKSHOP DELIVERABLES

Key Deliverables of the Workshop
  • Practical tools and techniques: Participants will gain actionable coaching frameworks and high quality questioning techniques for immediate implementation.
  • Enhanced skills: Improved ability to foster trust, build psychological safety, and drive talent growth through advanced listening skills.
  • Coaching in action: Making coaching a natural part of daily interactions to foster continuous talent development and organisational success.

Key Facilitation Methods
  • Activity-based learning (ABL): Engaging participants through practical exercises and hands-on activities to reinforce key concepts.
  • Coaching in the moment: Real-time coaching demonstrations to showcase practical applications and impact.

WORKSHOP AGENDA

08.30am
Registration & Networking
09.00am
Pillar One: Coaching as a Catalyst for Talent Development
  • Unlocking potential: The strategic role of coaching – Developing high potential employees into impactful leaders
  • Maximising talent potential: Using coaching as a catalyst for leadership growth and skill development
  • Aligning with organisational goals: How coaching outcomes can directly contribute to business success and sustainability
  • Interactive discussion: Applying coaching in daily processes to boost talent development and drive growth
10.30am
Morning Tea Break
11.00am
Pillar Two: High Quality Questioning Skills for Talent Development
  • The mindset for excellence: Adopting a curiosity-driven and growth-focused approach to elevating coaching conversations
  • Talent development coaching model: A structured framework for delivering impactful coaching through high quality questioning
  • Practical application: Role playing scenarios to master advanced questioning techniques and effectively address talent development challenges
12.30pm
Lunch & Networking
1.30pm
Pillar Three: Cultivating Trust and Safety to Enhance Coaching Applications
  • Building foundations for success: Establishing trust and psychological safety as essential components of effective coaching relationships
  • Behavioural transformation model: Applying trust-based strategies to unlock and sustain internal talent growth
  • Interactive engagement: Hands-on exercises to refine advanced listening skills and strengthen trust-building practices
3.00pm
End of Workshop

2026 CHRO SPEAKERS & MODERATORS

An Nguyen Hieu Truong

Executive VP, Head of People & Culture
Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage

Ton That Anh Vu

Chief People Officer
Manulife Vietnam

Hieu Tran

Head of People & Culture
Opella

Nhung Dinh Kim

Head of Human Resources
Pernod Ricard

Joanne Flinn

Chairperson
The ESG Institute

Winnie Ho

Head of Culture & People
Stada Vietnam

Pham Lan Anh

CHRO
Generali Vietnam Life Insurance

Dr. Phan Thi Hong Xuan

Director – Centre for ASEAN Human Resources Research & Training
Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences & Humanities

Krista Pederson

Managing Director – Asia Pacific
Hogan Assessment Systems

An Vo

Managing Partner & Regional Director – Asia Pacific
Janus Executive Search & Talent Advisory

Ton That Anh Vu

CHRO
Manulife Vietnam

Nguyen Hoang Phuong Anh

Vice President, HR
Marico South East Asia

Nguyen Tam Thanh

CHRO
Masan Group

Alexis Pham

Chief People Officer
Masterise Group

Le Thanh Khang

Head of HR
Nestlé Vietnam

Le Bui Thi Mai Uyen

Business Executive Officer, Director of Dairy Business Unit
Nestlé Vietnam

Tran Thi Thu

HR Director
Nutreco International Vietnam

Tong Thi Nhi Ha

Consultant & Facilitator
PACE Institute of Management

Lieu Thi Bich Lam

HR Director
Schindler Vietnam

Tran Minh Huong

Country Head of HR, Vietnam
Standard Chartered Bank

Phung Minh An

Group Head of Talent Management & Organisational Development
Techcombank

Joanne Flinn

Chairwoman
The ESG Institute

Denise Truong

Founder, Certified Trainer & Coach
TYDE Consulting

Le Thi Kim Anh

Vice President, Managing Director
Vietnam Human Resources Association (VNHR), Dynamic Consulting

Le Thanh Nguyen An

CHRO
VinaCapital

Ngo Thanh Phong

Country Sales Manager
Workforce Optimizer

ESG MASTERCLASS

Sustainability in Action
for CHROs

In conjunction with the CHRO series, HRM Asia will be launching a Masterclass series which offers HR leaders a chance to learn and hone their skills in special interest topics from experienced industry practitioners. Kicking off the masterclass series, the inaugural masterclass session entitled, "Sustainability in Action for CHROs" will be focusing on ESG to equip HR leaders with a solid perspective on the current ESG standards, pressures and future directions of Sustainability so that they can effectively guide the business and its people to attain the organisational ESG goals.

1 day workshop
14th June 2024

Vietnam

Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

14th June 2024
9am - 9.15am

CHROs and the Sustainability Challenge

  • Sustainability and the role of the profession plays in transition to Carbon Neutral
Instructor

Joanne Flinn, Chair of the ESG Institute

9.15am - 10.45am

ESG Masterclass #1: ESG Trends, Issues and Challenges

  • What is ESG
  • ESG trends and challenges in business
  • Implications to Leadership Responsibility
  • Understanding the additional duties of your company directors
  • Demystify Net Zero, Regenerative and Circularity
  • Understand ESG-123™ and how to guide your fellow business leader in sustainability
  • What is Sustainability Leadership today?
Instructor

Joanne Flinn, Chair of the ESG Institute

Morning tea
15 mins
11am - 12.30 noon

ESG Masterclass #2: The Environment. Risk, Opportunities and Value

  • Science based origin of 'E'
  • Understand the 5 principles of ‘E’ related financial disclosure
  • Implications of Double Materiality
  • Evaluate implications to your Value Chain and what it means to people and culture
  • What people can do to reduce sustainability driven business risks
  • Principles for KPIs, metrics and measuring E from the HR perspective
Lunch
1 hour
1.30pm - 3pm

ESG Masterclass #3: Social and Governance

  • Understand 7 elements of Social in the unique context of the HR profession
  • Sustainability updates to the 8 elements of good Governance
  • Four challenges faced by retail businesses
  • Identifying the impact of your business on social
  • The value HR brings to staying on customer procurement lists and avoiding greenwashing
Afternoon tea
15 mins
3.15pm-4.45pm

ESG Masterclass #4: Comply or Transform. Ready for the Future

  • Introduction to ESG linked reporting standards
  • What banks, insurers and investors are increasingly looking for
  • Creating an HR strategy for transformation using the ESG-123 Maturity Model™
  • How to select priorities to accelerate business results, your impact and show progress
Instructor

Joanne Flinn, Chair of the ESG Institute

4.45pm-5.30pm

Participants of the full day are eligible to take the ESG-123 foundations Assessment

Successful candidates receive a certificate of achievement, a badge for use on their resume and LinkedIn Profile, and a year’s membership to the ESG Institute as an Associate Member

Online assessment

CHRO VIETNAM PARTNERS

PREMIUM SPONSORS

EXHIBITOR

ASSOCIATE SPONSORS

ticket prices and information for CHRO Vietnam

Delegate Pass
*For in-house HR professionals and end-user organisations		 Early Bird
*Register by 31-Jul-2026		 Advance Saver
*Register by 21-Aug-2026		 Regular
*Register by 9-Sept-2026
9 September 2026: Workshop 1 US$ 249 per delegate US$ 349 per delegate US$ 449 per delegate
10 September 2026: CHRO Conference US$ 99 per delegate US$ 149 per delegate US$ 199 per delegate
11 September 2026: Workshop 2 US$ 249 per delegate US$ 349 per delegate US$ 449 per delegate
[Bundle A] 2-Day Event (CHRO Conference and Workshop 1) US$ 299 per delegate US$ 399 per delegate US$ 499 per delegate
[Bundle B] 2-Day Event (CHRO Conference and Workshop 2) US$ 299 per delegate US$ 399 per delegate US$ 499 per delegate
[Bundle C] 3-Day Event (CHRO Conference and Two Workshops) US$ 499 per delegate US$ 649 per delegate US$ 799 per delegate
Vendor Pass
*For HR technology, solutions, and service providers		 Early Bird
*Register by 31-Jul-2026		 Advance Saver
*Register by 21-Aug-2026		 Regular
*Register by 9-Sept-2026
9 September 2026: Workshop 1 US$ 249 per delegate US$ 349 per delegate US$ 449 per delegate
10 September 2026: CHRO Conference US$ 799 per delegate US$ 899 per delegate US$ 999 per delegate
11 September 2026: Workshop 2 US$ 249 per delegate US$ 349 per delegate US$ 449 per delegate
[Bundle A] 2-Day Event (CHRO Conference and Workshop 1) US$ 999 per delegate US$ 1,149 per delegate US$ 1,299 per delegate
[Bundle B] 2-Day Event (CHRO Conference and Workshop 2) US$ 999 per delegate US$ 1,149 per delegate US$ 1,299 per delegate
[Bundle C] 3-Day Event (CHRO Conference and Two Workshops) US$ 1,249 per delegate US$ 1,399 per delegate US$ 1,449 per delegate

Take advantage of our Early Bird pricing up to July 31, 2026.
Note: Prices will increase after this period.

CHRO Philippines 21 Feb 20241 ticket4-10 tickets (per ticket) (SGD)
Early Bird (1 Nov to 31 Dec 2023)S$299S$279
Advanced Saver (1 Jan to 31 Jan 2024)S$399S$379
Regular Price (1 Feb to 21 Feb 2024)S$499S$439

Register now

Reserve your
tickets now.

The CHRO series promises to be exciting this year.
But it'll be even better with you with us.

introduction

Specially designed for CHROs and human resource leaders, this programme will equip you with the most current ESG landscape, identify where your organisation is strong and where critical capacities are needed while getting you up to speed with Sustainability so that you can inspire your organisation, speak powerfully to your CFO on the business value for investing in your people and creating impact.

About The Workshop

4 key points.
All in 1 day.

With the pressure for Sustainability and ESG disclosure coming from stakeholders ranging from employees, customers, regulators and investors, this one day workshop drills into 4 challenges leaders in Asia face.

Based on the book Greensight ~ The Sustainability Guide for Company Directors.

ESG landscape

Explore and have a clear understanding of the ESG landscape, and how to adequately approach it.

Pressure for change

Identify where and how the pressure for change is coming from, and the urgent need for transformation.

Gain clarity on key capabilities

Gain clarity on key capabilities required in the next 12-18 months

Articulate implications

With these insights, better articulate the implications of these in terms of business opportunities, risks and roles.

Key Topics Covered

Lots to take home.
Much to takeaway.

This workshop is designed to give you a solid grounding in the current standards, pressures and future directions of Sustainability so that you can guide your business colleagues effectively.

On completion, you will be able to answer 5 important HR questions:

What is Sustainability in the work environment?

What’s happening to stakeholder expectations? And how does this impact HR?

What can you do to become a Sustainability Partner to the business?

How can you use Sustainability driven competency models?

How can you track and measure results?

At a personal level, you will enhance your leadership position by:

Simplifying the alphabet soup of acronyms that surround ESG

Helping your C-suite answer 3 critical questions

Demystifying Net Zero, Regenerative and Circularity

Integrating Sustainability into management and leadership

Outlining what to say to the CFO if and when you get pushback

How to avoid greenwashing and the resulting damage to your employer’s brand and employee value proposition

An Nguyen Hieu Truong

Executive VP, Head of People & Culture – Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage
Bio

Mr. An Nguyen is a senior People & Culture leader and transformation executive with over 20 years of experience across leading multinational corporations, including Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive, and Suntory PepsiCo.
His career spans Vietnam, Malaysia, and Japan, covering diverse HR roles across Business Partnering, Centers of Excellence, and local to regional leadership. This breadth of experience enables him to bring balanced, globally informed and business-focused perspectives to leadership decisions, organizational design, and people strategy.
With an early foundation in Sales, An combines strong commercial acumen with people leadership, allowing him to align talent and culture strategies closely with business priorities. He is recognized for translating complexity into clear direction, align diverse stakeholders, and lead transformation with both discipline and empathy.
At Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage (SPVB), he has been instrumental in driving enterprise-wide transformation and culture evolution, supporting the company’s sustained growth journey.
Under his leadership, SPVB has achieved consistently high employee engagement levels, while fostering a culture where diversity, equity, inclusion, and employee wellbeing are embedded as core organizational priorities.
His contributions have also been recognized externally, with SPVB receiving multiple prestigious accolades, including HR Asia Awards, Vietnam HR Awards by Talentnet, and consistent recognition among Vietnam’s Best Places to Work.

Ton That Anh Vu

Chief People Officer – Manulife Vietnam
Bio

Ton That Anh Vu is currently Chief People Officer of Manulife Vietnam and Asia Risk Function.
In his role, Vu leads the people strategy and champions the company’s culture across Manulife’s Vietnam entities as well as the broader Risk organization in the region.
Vu has built a diverse and international career spanning banking and insurance in both Vietnam and Canada. His professional experience covers retail banking, trade finance, risk management, compliance, corporate communications, and human resources. From 2011 to early 2018, he served as CHRO for HSBC and Prudential Vietnam. Prior to joining Manulife Vietnam in August 2022, he held the position of Director, Global Trade & Banking at CIBC in Toronto.
Vu holds an MBA from the Maastricht School of Management.

Hieu Tran

Head of People & Culture – Opella
Bio

Hieu Tran is a senior HR executive with over 18 years of experience helping multinational organizations transform their workforce and accelerate business growth. Recognized as one of Asia’s 40 Under 40 HR Leaders, he has led large-scale business transformations across healthcare, FMCG, manufacturing, retail and hospitality, including global spin-offs, post-merger integration, regional HR leadership across Southeast Asia, and workforce transformation during COVID-19.

Throughout his career, Hieu has partnered with executive leadership teams to redesign organizations, build future-ready talent, improve employee engagement, and strengthen business performance. His experience spans workforce transformation, skills development, executive hiring, organizational effectiveness, and employee value proposition strategies.

Nhung Dinh Kim

Head of Human Resources – Pernod Ricard
Bio

Ms. Dinh Kim Nhung is a seasoned HR expert with over 30 years of experience in strategic human resources leadership across fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), insurance, agriculture, and corporate services. Ms. Nhung began her career in HR operations and progressively assumed various senior leadership roles, driving large-scale transformation initiatives in talent strategy, organizational design, and performance management. Her career spans from local enterprises to multinational corporations—such as Unilever, Prudential, BAT, Philip Morris, Masan Group, VNG, and Pernod Ricard—affording her a unique combination of Vietnamese business insights and global HR best practices.
Currently, she serves as the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) of Nafoods Group, one of the leading enterprises in the agribusiness and food sector in Vietnam. In this role, she plays a pivotal part in aligning HR strategy with business growth objectives, ESG development, and international expansion.

Joanne Flinn

Chairperson – The ESG Institute
Bio

Thinkers50 Radar 2026. Affiliate Faculty, SMU Academy. Chairperson, ESG Institute (B Corp).

Most AI-and-workforce conversations are led by people who’ve never sat at an executive committee table nor on the board of directors. Joanne has. As Country Head of Financial Services Consulting at PwC Thailand, as Head of Change on the IT ExCo at DBS and now as a Senior Accredited Director, she’s spent 35 years in the room where transformation budgets get approved, talent strategies get challenged, and boards ask “what’s this actually going to cost us?” and “what will we get for this investment?”

Her ClearSight research across 20 Asian exchanges tracks the gap between what organisations report and what they’re actually ready to deliver. And the human dimension — discretionary effort, adaptability, institutional judgment — is the piece no dashboard captures and no AI replaces.

Her sense of humor spices up her masterclasses… A day with Joanne connects what your board, your CFO, and your people strategy need — together, not in silos.

Author of Greensight. Currently writing ClearSight: The Director’s Guide to Long-Term Value.

Winnie Ho

Head of Culture & People – Stada Vietnam
Bio

Winnie brings over 18 years of experience in HR across the FMCG, retail and pharmaceutical industries. She has held diverse roles, including HR Head / Centre Of Expertise Head positions, both locally, as well as regionally across Asian markets. Her experience spans various business models in multinational companies and large-scale local corporations with private equity funding.

Winnie graduated with an Executive MBA from University of Hawaii, Shidler College with Distinction Graduation. She was honoured to join Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS), an elite group of top 20% of Masters students at the world’s most prestigious AACSB-accredited business schools.

As a great believer in paying it forward, Winnie has been Interview Lead for AMCHAM Scholarship for more than ten years. She is also an active member of AMCHAM (American Chamber of Commerce) Scholarship Alumni.

Pham Lan Anh

CHRO – Generali Vietnam Life Insurance
Bio

Lan Anh graduated from RMIT University, majoring in banking and finance. She has 10 years of experience working overseas in America and New Zealand. She returned to Vietnam in 2009 and started her career in HR with Prudential Vietnam – The leading life insurance company in Vietnam. She has been the business partner to work alongside and find solutions for business growth in terms of the people agenda. After that, Lan Anh moved to Friesland Campina Vietnam in 2013 – A leading dairy company in Vietnam. This is a different industry for Lan Anh to adapt with the new skills and knowledge to support the business in people strategy.

As part of her career development, Lan Anh moved to Head of HR in Generali Vietnam in 2018. In this position, she covered all aspects of people development, including talent development, data analytics, productivity management, employee engagement and talent acquisition. Given the strong infrastructure, Generali Vietnam has achieved best place to work in Vietnam, HR excellence in talent development and a happy workforce.

Dr. Phan Thi Hong Xuan

Director – Centre for ASEAN Human Resources Research & Training – Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences & Humanities
Bio

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phan Thi Hong Xuan has received a PhD degree on Cultural Anthropology at HCMUSSH-VNU-HCM in 2008. She has extensive experience in research and teaching at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City. She said has been the Chair of 5 scientific research projects at the level of the Ministry of Education & Training of Vietnam, Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City.

Besides being Director of CVSEAS (Center for Vietnam & Southeast Asian studies), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phan is a Head of the Department of Economic Social and Cultural Urban, Faculty of Urban studies, HCMUSSH, VNU; Chairwoman of Vietnam – ASEAN Friendship Association in Ho Chi Minh City. From the period of 2016 – 2021, she was a member of People Committee of HCMC.

Krista Pederson

Managing Director, Asia Pacific – Hogan Assessment Systems
Bio

Krista Pederson is the Managing Director – Asia Pacific for Hogan Assessment Systems, based in China. With over 15 years of international business experience and advanced fluency in Mandarin Chinese, she focuses on expanding Hogan’s brand and accelerating business growth in the Asia region. Krista frequently speaks at major industry conferences and events, sharing insights about Hogan’s perspective on cross-cultural leadership and talent development. She also manages the Hogan WeChat channel and collaborates with the Data Science team on culturally adapting Hogan’s assessments.

Krista holds a Master’s degree and is a PhD candidate in Organisational Development & Change at Fielding University. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Baylor University and studied at Tsinghua University.

An Vo

Managing Partner & Regional Director – Asia Pacific
Janus Executive Search & Talent Advisory
Bio

Under An’s leadership, Janus Executive Search has become a strategic talent partner with leading organisations in Vietnam, fulfilling key C-level and high impact positions across banking, financial services, retail, real estate, manufacturing and technology industries. Janus’s approach has set it apart from competitors in which clients are provided with high-touch and customised talent acquisition services, served by high quality consultants with solid track record in dealing with top international talents.

Before Janus, she was the Vice President of HR, Head of Talent Acquisition for Techcombank, leading a team of 50 people to deliver 3,500 recruitment volume annually. Prior to Techcombank, she was the Head of HR at Hong Leong Bank Vietnam.

Before joining the banking industry, An was working at BAT in different roles in HR. She was the HR Business Partner and Talent Brand Lead, Talent Acquisition Head for East Asia Area, responsible for devising and implementing talent acquisition and talent brand strategy for Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines. In her role as Talent Acquisition Director, An has impressively transformed BAT’s recruitment model in Vietnam within two years. She has led the organisations she’s been through to win several reputed awards, including Anphabe Top 2 Employers in Banking industry, the Top 10 LinkedIn Social Recruiters in Asia in 2015, Top 3 Employer Brands in Asia Pacific in 2016, and many more.

An holds a Double Bachelor Degree in International Relations and French from Mount Holyoke College (USA) and Master of Science Degree in Media & Communications Management from University of Stirling (Scotland).

Ton That Anh Vu

CHRO – Manulife Vietnam
Bio

Ton That Anh Vu has joined Manulife Vietnam since August 2022 and is currently CHRO. He is responsible for driving the people agenda and human resources priorities for Manulife’s entities in Vietnam.

Vu has built his professional career in the banking and finance sector in Vietnam and Canada. He has held various management roles in the areas of retail banking, trade finance, risk management, compliance, communications, government relations and human resources. He was the Country Head of Human Resources for HSBC and Prudential in Vietnam from 2011 to early 2018. His recent appointment was Director, Global Trade & Banking with CIBC in Toronto.

Vu has obtained his MBA from Maastricht School of Management and graduated from Law University in Ho Chi Minh City.

Nguyen Huong Phuong Anh

Vice President, HR – Marico South East Asia
Bio

Phuong Anh has 27 years of working experience, in which she is a HR practitioner in more than 22 years in life insurance, HR consulting, pharmaceutical and FMCG industries. Prior to Marico, she worked for Pfizer Vietnam.

Phuong Anh has a wealth of experience in HR, with more than 14 years as a member of boards in different companies. In her HR career, she has been leading many critical HR projects. Her remarkable contribution was to build culture, employer branding, and transformation together with business leaders. Phuong Anh is also recognised as a solid people leader who is very passionate about driving success with people and for people.

Nguyen Tam Thanh

CHRO
Masan Group
Bio

Nguyen Tam Thanh holds the position of CHRO at Masan Group, and is a HR business leader with more than 25 years of international HR leadership experience across industries, such as financial, business services, healthcare, supply chain, manufacturing, retail, FMCG and F&B. She has broad knowledge and market insights achieved through regional and global roles that turn into fruitful business partnerships, and is committed to bringing people and business together to create excellent and sustainable performance, today and tomorrow.

Prior to Masan Group, Thanh worked at Cargill as the Regional Business HR Director for Thailand / Vietnam. Before joining Cargill, she worked at IKEA Group as the Regional HR Manager for Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia).

Thanh holds a Bachelor degree in Business Management from The Ho Chi Minh University, and an Executive Education in Strategic HR from the University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business.

Alexis Pham

Chief People Officer – Home Credit Vietnam
Bio

With a wide range of experience in human resources management spanning ~ 20 years in both end-market and regional HR leadership roles, Alexis specialises in talent management and development, organisational development and HR business partnering. She is currently Chief People Officer at Home Credit Vietnam. Prior to this, she was CHRO at Techcombank for 5 years and then CHRO at One Mount Group for 2 years, and together with the HR team, had built both Techcombank and One Mount Group to stand among Vietnam’s Best Places to Work in banking, financial services and technology and digital industries.

Before joining Techcombank in 2015, Alexis was Regional Head of Talent & Organisational Development for British American Tobacco (BAT) Asia Pacific. Before that, she was Head of HR, Vietnam Cluster, leading HR for BAT Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines and Myanmar. With experiences working in both MNCs and local organisations alike and industry exposure ranging from FMCG to banking and financial services to high-tech and digital, Alexis is well-versed with the opportunities and challenges in different types of organisations and is known for her abilities to design and execute practical and relevant solutions that add value to these organisations.

Alexis graduated from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore in 2003 with a Bachelor of Business Management. She was consistently on the Dean’s List, and as the top student of her cohort, earned First Class Honours upon graduation.

Le Thanh Khang

Head of HR – Nestlé Vietnam
Bio

Having more than 16 years of experience in human resources and business intelligence, with diverse perspectives and working experience in the Nestlé Indochina region (Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia), Khang has previously held a regional HR role in Switzerland (Nestlé headquarters) and has led multiple organisational development projects across various countries in Asia.

Khang’s passion lies in people development, youth development, building capabilities, and driving organisational transformation that aligns with the strategic objectives and growth of the business.

Le Bui Thi Mai Uyen

Business Executive Officer, Director of Dairy Business Unit – Nestlé Vietnam
Bio

With 17 years of experience in FMCG across various categories, Uyen is a passionate brand builder and business owner driven by a deep curiosity and a desire to understand consumer insights. She firmly believes in driving sustainable business results through consistent and long-term brand building strategies.

As a Gallup Strength Finder coach, Uyen is constantly fascinated by exploring new business opportunities and innovative business models, approaching them with an agile working mindset. One of her core values is the development of teams based on the principles of Strength Finder and empowerment. She believes in harnessing the unique strengths of individuals to create high-performing teams that drive exceptional results.

Tran Thi Thu

HR Director Nutreco International Vietnam
Bio

Tran Thi Thu is a seasoned HR professional with more than 18 years of experience in Manufacturing, Building & Construction, Renewable Energy, Trading, Real Estate and Aquaculture industries for global and Vietnamese organisations, including American Standard, Holcim and REE Corporation.  She is currently HR Director of Nutreco International Vietnam.

Possessing a HR generalist background with great exposure to talent development and HR business partnering skills, Thu has proven experience in developing and executing a wide range of compensation and benefits, succession planning, performance management, young talent, leadership development programs, talent management and initiatives for strategic HR projects.  She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

Tong Thi Nhi Ha

Consultant & Facilitator – PACE Institute of Management
Bio

Tong Thi Nhi Ha (Ha Tong) is an independent facilitator and consultant in human resource management, talent development, and leadership development. She has more than 25 years of experience working with corporate clients including multinational companies and local corporations from a wide array of industries. Before that, she had served an HR Director for more than 15 years at leading corporations of hospitality and retail, including Rex Hotel Saigon, InterContinental Asiana Saigon, Sofitel Saigon Plaza, New World Saigon Hotel, and Central Group Vietnam. Most recent she was in charge as Cluster Director of Learning and Development for some brands of Marriott International in Vietnam.

Ha is a certified facilitator of Hogan Assessment. She is also a consultant and facilitator at PACE Institute of Management and Talent Assessments Vietnam.

Ha earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration, majoring in human resource management from Columbia Southern University (U.S). She also holds the SHRM Certification of Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).

Lieu Thi Bich Lam

HR Director – Schindler Vietnam
Bio

Lieu is currently the HR Director of Schindler Vietnam, a Swiss elevator and escalator company. Schindler is a leading provider of sustainable and smart urban mobility. Prior to joining Schindler, she has more than 25 years of diverse working experience in multinational companies like Novartis, Sandoz, Dutch Lady, Akzo Nobel, Dairy Farm International and Group Société Générale.

As a seasoned HR Director committed to driving organisational success through effective people management strategies, Lieu’s career journey has been defined by a relentless pursuit of excellence in talent acquisition, employee development, and fostering a positive workplace culture. Throughout her tenure, Lieu has developed a deep understanding of HR best practices and compliance requirements, ensuring that the organisation remains at the forefront of industry standards.

As a strategic partner to senior leadership, Lieu leverages her expertise to provide insights and recommendations that drive business growth and enhance employee engagement. Her approach is characterised by a focus on collaboration, transparency, and a genuine commitment to supporting the professional growth and well-being of the workforce.

Lieu is passionate about creating inclusive environments where every employee feels valued and empowered to reach their full potential. With a track record of success in optimising HR processes and driving positive change, she is dedicated to leading our organisation towards continued excellence in people management and organisational effectiveness.

Tran Minh Huong

Country Head of HR, Vietnam
Standard Chartered Bank
Bio

Minh Huong is currently the Country Head of HR at Standard Chartered Bank (SC), Vietnam.  She has 28 years of working experience for SC and held various senior leadership roles, such as Head of Credit Risk Control, Head of Wholesales Banking Operations, CIO responsible for Technology & Operations of SC, before moving to Country Head of HR role in 2014.  She was the first female and localised CIO within SC Group in 2009.

Under Minh Huong’s HR leadership, SC Vietnam has been recognised as the Best Companies to Work for in Asia by HR Asia for 5 consecutive years (2018 – 2022), Great Place to Work 2023 certified by GPTW and being the first entity in Vietnam and the third organisation worldwide certified for EDGE (Equity, Diversity and Gender Equality) at the highest LEAD level. Minh Huong always strikes a balance between her personal life and work by practicing mindfulness.

Phung Minh An

Group Head of Talent Management & Organisational Development – Techcombank
Bio

Ms. Phung Minh An is currently Head of Talent Management & Organisational Development, Human Resources Management Division, Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint Stock Bank – One of the leading banks in Vietnam.

Ms. An’s diversified background in leading risk management and strategy brings a very interesting approach to HR management at Techcombank, where she is able to combine a comprehensive and far-sighted vision with realistic execution programs. In addition, with more than 20 years at Techcombank, it is unarguable that Ms. An has a deep connection with the organisation and the people in it, demonstrated by her aspiration to make the life of Techcomers greater everyday.

Joanne Flinn

Chairwoman of the ESG Institute
Bio

Thought leader, award-winning author and respected international keynote speaker, Joanne Flinn has brought inspiration, insight, and action to audiences across countries and industries. Her deep experience enables her to share true insights about digital disruption, change and leadership. Her empathy and realism help people succeed in business and life. As the Chair of the Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Institute, Joanne works with Chairman and CEOs of global entities to develop, scale and deploy sustainability strategies.

Denise Truong

Founder, Certified Trainer & Coach – TYDE Consulting
Bio

Denise has acquired the fundamentals of change management with a strong focus on human development in an international context. Certified by IDEO U, HarvardX and in the Process Communication Model®, she has trained teams across various industries from media to industrial factories in Vietnam. She conducts training programs of leadership, communication and management skills. Learner-centric, her training aims at solving conflicts and smoothening intercultural communication while keeping the internal harmony and ecology of her customers.

Denise was also invited as a special guest in TEDx Talk (Why Emotional Awareness to Solve Conflicts), Vietsuccess (NASA’s best skills to manage stress in your team), etc.

Le Thi Kim Anh

Vice President, Managing Director – Vietnam Human Resources Association (VNHR), Dynamic Consulting
Bio

Kim-Anh Le has a total of more than 30 years’ working experience, 15 years in senior management and exposure to human resources, production and sales. She has experience in both strategy and implementation of HR management, particularly in organisation restructure, developing performance management system, living up company culture, refining remuneration structures, implementing talent management and career development plans for high-potential employees.

Kim-Anh Le has delivered various consulting projects for foreign invested and local companies: Refining performance management system, developing competency framework, setting up assessment and development centre, outplacement of consulting services. She also conducted various workshops and talks related to change management. As a respected local HR practitioner, she has also been invited as guest speaker at several local and regional HR conferences / seminars (VNHR, Belux, HR Singapore, Samsung, AIA, JLT, etc).

Kim-Anh Le holds a Master of HR Management from USA and BS (Pharmacist) from the Medical & Pharmaceutical University of Ho Chi Minh City. Besides, she also possesses various certificates related to Sales Management, Safety Management, as well as certified in human theories (DISC, Insight Discovery, Master Performance Consultant, NLP Practitioner, ODCP).

Le Thanh Nguyen An

CHRO – VinaCapital
Bio

Ms. An Le joined VinaCapital in 2008 after working for Li & Fung Group for six years and has been an integral part of the team for over 15 years. With 23 years of extensive experience in HR management, she holds a Master’s degree in Human Resources Management from Massey University, New Zealand, a Bachelor of Banking, and a Bachelor of English from Open University.

Ms. Le is a Certified Professional Coach who received a certificate from the Vietnam Coaching Institute. Ms. Le currently oversees both HR and administrative functions within the organisation. Her expertise lies in strategic HR planning, performance management, total rewards, and organisational and employee development. She is dedicated to delivering talent acquisition, retention and motivation solutions that contribute to the growth and development of our company’s most valuable asset – Our people. Ms. Le is committed to helping individuals reach their full potential.

Ngo Thanh Phong

Country Sales Manager Workforce Optimizer
Bio

A pioneer in the AI-powered workforce optimisation management solution space, Phong is the country sales manager at Workforce Optimizer in Vietnam.  He started his career as the quality controller at Bayer, logistics transformer at Zuellig Pharma and Schneider Electric, SAP project management at Friesland Campina before moving on to Country Manager at Honeywell Logistics Solutions for 4 years (a Fortune 100 software-industrial company).

With the passion in digital business transformation journey, Phong commits to delivering a high standard level of customer service, advanced and accessible solutions to help maximise the workforce productivity in enterprises.