Women's model in business
As one of the key activities of Ho Chi Minh City on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South, the reunification of the country, the ceremony to honor 60 typical individuals in the cause of construction, protection and development of the city (period 1975-2025) has just taken place seriously at the city theater. According to the Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc, this list is nominated by the former city leaders and undergo a very tight selection process, in accordance with the process with the unity of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee as well as the consensus of the people of the people in the area.
"Today's honor ceremony is to acknowledge the contributions and affirm the importance of typical individuals with the sustainable development of the city. At the same time, create motivation for the younger generation to follow, continue the cause of construction and development of the city, spread the good values in society, inspire dedication, responsibility and creativity at work," he said.
Particularly, the Top 5 typical individuals are honored in the field of economy, the labor hero of Mai Kieu Lien renovation period - the only business woman is still playing the role of business operating as a member of the Board of Directors, General Director of Vinamilk. Previously, Vinamilk was also honored in the top 50 businesses and typical units with the main brand and product of Ho Chi Minh City on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the reunification of the country.
In the published list, the organizing committee assessed her as one of the outstanding and most influential leaders in the dairy industry in Vietnam.
Sensitivity in grasping and applying market trends, especially the trend of consuming clean and organic foods, has helped Vinamilk continuously increase its competitiveness and expand export markets to many countries around the world. She was honored in the list of "Top 50 Most influential women in Vietnam" in 2017. She is not only a model for women in business but also a symbol of dedication, perseverance and the desire to rise up in life, quoted from the announcement.
Sharing about her feelings when being honored with big names, Ms. Lien said that she was very touched, grateful and proud. I feel that my responsibility from now on will be even heavier to contribute more to the City and the country with the company, to bring the Vietnamese milk industry higher in the world and become a multinational company of Vietnam in the milk industry, she said.
Vision of high-quality nutritional autonomy for Vietnamese children
Joining Vinamilk in 1976 - a time when the domestic milk industry was almost non-existent and the rate of malnourished children was high after the war, Ms. Mai Kieu Lien took on the responsibility of "so that all Vietnamese children have equal access to the best quality nutritional products". From this vision, she and her colleagues have gradually laid the first bricks, building a foundation for the current Vietnamese dairy industry.
One of the decisions that showed the vision of this businessman was to initiate the "White Revolution", launched the dairy farming movement in Cu Chi, Hoc Mon and spread to other provinces and cities throughout the country. It is the success of this revolution that has eliminated the prejudice: "Vietnam cannot develop dairy herds" and become a premise to build a large and modern dairy industry today.
Under the guidance of this CEO, in 2013, Vinamilk inaugurated 2 super factories with large scale and used the most modern technology and equipment in the world. At the time of operation, the capacity of these two factories has many times the total capacity of Vinamilk existing and applying unprecedented technologies in Vietnam such as smart shipping robots, automatic warehouses ... This milestone not only helps Vinamilk to increase the competitiveness in the global market but also enhance the position of the Vietnamese dairy industry on the world map, from the country's development of the country to become a leading factory in the country.
Associated with Vinamilk from the difficult days after the war to the position of the top 6 global and 36th milk brands in the world in terms of revenue, Ms. Mai Kieu Lien also has great merit in improving the condition for generations of Vietnamese people. In addition to keeping the price of milk at an accessible level for the majority, Vinamilk has many long -term programs to help children in all regions have the opportunity to drink milk every day. The highlight is that the Vietnam's high -rise milk fund program has been implemented continuously for the past 18 years, with nearly 43 million boxes of milk has been given more than 550,000 disadvantaged children across the country.
Those things cannot be done without a global vision, great determination and the right strategy. I still say that Ms. Mai Kieu Lien and a businessman with outstanding vision and courage, not only comparing in the context of Vietnam but also in the region, economist Pham Chi Lan assessed.
Graduated with a major in milk processing in Russia, Ms. Mai Kieu Lien returned to Vietnam and joined Vinamilk at the age of 23. At the age of 29, she took on the position of Deputy Director of a large milk factory and became General Director of Vinamilk when she was not yet 40 years old. Just 10 years later, she was honored as one of the 50 Most Powerful Female Entrepreneurs in Asia.
Ms. Mai Kieu Lien was awarded the title of Labor Hero of the renovation period (2005), First and Second Class Labor Medals (2006, 2001), Third Class Independence Medals (2022). She has also been voted by prestigious international organizations such as Nikkei, Forbes Asia, Fortune as one of the most powerful businesswomen in Asia, with outstanding contributions to the economy of Vietnam and the region.
