Nguyet Do Stands Out as an Emerging Leader in International Business
Working in an agriculture-related field was never something that a tricenarian like Nguyet Do (pronounced New Yet Doh), a business manager at olam food ingredients (ofi), considered as a student. Growing up in the 8-million-person metropolis of Hanoi, Vietnam, Nguyet was surrounded by firms specializing in electronics, telecom, auto parts and other consumer goods. She knew that she wanted to be a part of a thriving global business team and focused her studies on International Trade at Vietnam Foreign Trade University. Following completion of that program, she then moved to the U.K. to earn her Master of Logistics & Global Operations at the University of Lincoln.
Back home in Hanoi, Nguyet was eagerly looking to start her professional career. After about six months of applying for jobs, she found a position as an operations management trainee at her current employer. While working in agriculture wasn’t what she envisioned, ofi has been a place where she has taken off. The management trainee position led to another in new business development for foodservice and private label retail. After almost six years, she has moved from a management trainee to a business manager working on business development/commercials in private label spices. “Agriculture was an unforeseen path for me, a world I hadn't considered while in the U.K. Yet I have found it a truly inspiring source driving me every day. The past two years have been a thrilling, startup-like journey of rapid scaling, not just within the U.S., but with ambitious global expansion plans. I love new challenges; they fuel my drive to innovate and explore uncharted territories”
In her current role, Nguyet works closely with the U.S. team ensuring that products sourced in Vietnam are delivered as promised, on time, to one of the company’s largest consumer markets. Yet, opportunity also comes along with hidden challenges with time zone difference between US and Vietnam, culture and way of working differences also requires Nguyet to balance and manage expectations across teams. “Working with the U.S. team was a journey beyond language; it was a journey of “decoding” multiple layers of communication. Initially, I tackled the technical terms, a necessary first step; however, true understanding required navigating cultural context, where even familiar words carried unfamiliar weight. The challenge lay in translating not just words, but also the unspoken assumptions and cultural idioms embedded within them.”
She feels the working cultures between the two countries are actually fairly similar in terms of the level of structure and detail. Two of the biggest factors in creating collaboration across the continents are consistent communication and flexibility with schedules. There are weekly sales meetings with flexibility on the timing of those to accommodate both time zones, and email keeps projects flowing between those meeting times.
According to the Vietnam News Agency, Vietnam has been in the world’s top 10 countries having the highest share of senior female managers in recent years. International Business Reports from Grant Thornton, a leading independent assurance, tax and advisory firm, show that Vietnamese women held 37% of senior management positions in 2019, and the figures in 2021, 2022, and 2023 were 39%, 33%, and 34%, respectively, much higher than the world and the Asia-Pacific’s levels. Women own approximately one-quarter of the businesses in the country. “It’s obvious that in my workplace, the women employees rate stays quite balanced, eating 52 % in the total workforces in 2024 ,” Nguyet confirms. “You know, women have many inherent advantages which I enjoy working with. I've greatly appreciated working with several women on our team. I find that their direct communication and commitment to following through on their promises are particularly valuable. Their innovative ideas and energetic approach to projects consistently motivate me. It's their drive and innovative spirit that energizes me every single day”
With a number of examples of women in leadership in her country, Nguyet is quick to identify the woman who has inspired her the most in her career. “My mom,” she quickly says. “My mom is very independent and she’s the one who gets everything done. She’s a very quick decision maker when she needs to be. She’s taught me that at times if you spend too much time over analyzing something you might lose an opportunity.”
Nguyet’s work earned her the 2024 Top Women in Store Brands Emerging Leader award. Her team nominated her for her passion and adaptability in running her division. “I was so surprised and felt humble receiving this recognition, definitely could not hold back the tears of joy on that day,” she confesses. She’s still emotional when talking about receiving the award. “It’s my job. It’s my responsibility to get my job done and do my best. I didn’t realize that I was making that kind of contribution.” Receiving the award also made Nguyet view her position in a different light. “I need to do something for women in my industry. There are a lot of young ladies that are passionate & hard working. They are in the background supporting me. It’s my chance to do something to pay back to my team who have been by my side. I also want to take this opportunity to thank and share this pride to all my team members”
For those women on her team and any looking for career advice, Nguyet believes that working hard and being resilient are key. “There are some good days and there are bad days, just don’t give up,” she says. “Everyone has a failed project, but these are the times that I learned a lot.” It’s clear that this combination has worked for Nguyet with the momentum of her division. And it’s also clear that we’ll be hearing more about this emerging leader in industry.