Honouring Traditions, Embracing Growth
Honouring Traditions
Embracing Growth
I have had a leadership role at BUV since it obtained its licence in 2010, supporting its growth and advancement of Higher Education in Vietnam as well as educational and business linksPrior to arriving in Vietnam I worked at Bayes Business School, City UniversityLondon where I was Executive MBA Director.
I have been playing an active role within BritCham/BBGV since 2011 supporting the Chamber in its links with VBF/Government Embassy and wider community, including education groups, as well as working closely with the Vietnamese Ambassador to UK and his embassy.
Outside of the chamber and work, I play a supportive/advisory role with charities and organisations within Hanoi and Vietnam.
I have a passion for the development and success of BritCham as we enter a new period of relationships as a country and a Chamber.
I am the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Pioneer International Consulting, an advisory firm focused on clean energy policy and power project development in Vietnam. Based in Hanoi I was elected to the BritCham board in 2020. I have been Vice Chairman between 2022 to 2023 and coordinator of the Sustainability Working Group since 2021. My priorities as a board member are to assist the chamber in advocating for British business in Vietnam, supporting engagement with the governments of both the UK and Vietnam and fostering development of the British business community through social, business and trade events. If elected in the forthcoming year I hope to continue to progress those priorities in Hanoi and nationally. I will also aim to enhance engagement and connectedness with current members, further develop the activities of the Sustainability Working Group and focus on increasing the size of the chamber’s membership.
I have worked as a lawyer for the global elite law firm, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, in HCMC since 2017. I am an advisor to many significant international investors and have worked on many of the most recent significant foreign investment transactions. I have a deep knowledge of how to do business in Vietnam and have relations with some of the most senior governmental and business people in the country. I have been a member of BritCham since I moved to Vietnam and have been on the Board for two terms, latterly also serving as one of the Vice-Chairs of the Board. Our organisation is not just member run but, importantly, run for the benefit of members. I believe I have the ability to help drive BritCham to achieve its objectives and remain one of Vietnam’s most visible and effective chambers of commerce.
I have been in the banking industry over 20 years with Standard Chartered Bank and have been in China and now Vietnam for most of that time and so I have a lot of Asia market and industry experience. Being a British Citizen I am very keen to help develop British business and culture here in Vietnam and consider myself to be very enthusiastic, energetic and creative and I believe I am now in a better position to bring passion and ideation to the BritCham Board and I look forward to making a difference. I am also a big advocate of sustainability and in addition to being a BankerI have a very keen interest in health and physical, mental and spiritual wellness. I hope to bring some of this knowledge to help BritCham not only promote BritCham member’s business interests in Vietnam but also improve the wellbeing of our BritCham members, I am looking for ways to give back to the community and what better way than to serve the British Community here in Vietnam by being engaged in BritCham.
The Board serves the membership. The reason I would like to serve the membership on the BritCham Board is to work to further enrich the scope and reach of the business-related activities for its members. I have 40 industry years experience including 25 years of experience in the Vietnam energy sector for British and other companies. I served on the BrithCham (BBGV as was) Board for several years until 2016 (when my work moved to Thailand) with a focus on business events.
I am a Vietnamese national and a Business Development professional who has been working for over two decades with two very renowned UK educational organisations i.e. ACCA and ICAEW and based out of Vietnam, I bring in extensive experience and a good blend of cultures of both Vietnam and the United Kingdom. Given my track record of accomplishment and a credible market reputation, I have had the opportunity to connect both UK and Vietnamese Businesses at various levels. I have led the market development initiatives for UK businesses in Vietnam and utilised UK’s expertise/experiences to develop Vietnam’s professionals, economic improvement and create opportunities for Vietnamese nationalsBritCham Vietnam’s main objective is to promote its members’ business interests through various business and social events. If given an opportunity as a Board Member of the British Chamber of Commerce Vietnam for 2023/2024, will give me a platform to further the interests of BritCham and give me the appropriate leverage to converge both the interests of UK and Vietnam. I do look forward to being part of this esteemed body and I am confident of bringing in good value to the objective of BritCham Vietnam.
Ken Atkinson started his career in international banking and after 14 years, including assignments in Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia, he set up his own consultancy business, which became Grant Thornton Vietnam. With over 40 years emerging market experience and 38 years Asian experience, Ken has undertaken corporate finance transactions in many emerging markets worldwide (Eastern Europe, the People’s Republic of China and several other countries in South East Asia). Ken has been working almost exclusively in Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao PDR during the last 27 years. His work has included financial advisory, transaction support, appraisal of large projects, and capacity building projects funded by multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors. He has broad experience in advising Clients including commercial banks on project appraisal, debt finance, loan restructuring and equity funding.
Colin Terry has been living and working in Asia for almost 30 years and joined the Jardine Matheson Group in 1992. He has held a number of different financial and executive board level leadership roles within Jardines across a range of industries, including insurance, technology and manufacturing, and he is currently the Finance Director of Siam City Cement (Vietnam) Ltd. He has also previously served for several years as an advisor to a charitable organization. Colin is originally from England, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He is based in Ho Chi Minh city.
I have lived and worked in Vietnam since 1995 in various capacities but always working with small organisations and enterprises. As such I feel I understand and can represent the interests of small businesses and entrepreneurs on the board of the Britcham Vietnam. As an importer and exporter I am very much in favour of an early UK-Vietnam FTA and in the post Brexit world we occupy the role of the Britcham Vietnam in trade matters will be more important than it has ever been before. In my former period of service on the Board I served on the Social committee and on the Charity committee. I sense that many Britcham Vietnam members would like to see the social side of the Britcham Vietnam reinvigorated and I shall be pleased to contribute my time to that or whatever needs of the Britcham Vietnam I can serve best.
I believe I can greatly contribute to enhance BritCham’s standing as well as its role in strengthening UK-Vietnam relations. During my five years leading AstraZeneca in Vietnam, the Company has grown into one of the top biopharmaceutical multinational companies in Vietnam while championing partnerships with the Government and healthcare partners. We are investing into Vietnam $310 million from 2020 to 2030 to help Vietnam fight COVID-19, reduce the burden of diseases and promote sustainability. Our efforts were recognised with a Friendship Medal from the President of Vietnam, various certificates of merit from the Prime Minister and Minister of Health, as well as BritCham Awards for Great Contribution to Healthcare and Great Leadership. In addition to being a BritCham Board member since 2019 and a BCAC member since 2020, this year, I am also humbled to serve as Co-Chairman of the Vietnam Business Forum. Thank you for your trust. With this responsibility, I am committed to advancing the cooperation between the Vietnamese Government and the foreign business community, and especially BritCham, to foster green growth and enable sustainable economic development. I believe that my extensive network with both the UK and Vietnamese governments, coupled with my strong commitment to promoting the interests of British businesses in Vietnam, will allow me to contribute meaningfully to BritCham’s ambitious plans this coming year as we celebrate many milestones together.
I am an experienced individual having a background in both professional services and industry (the Infrastructure/Construction sector) over nearly 40 years have been involved in significant projects and travelled and lived in ASEAN through that time. I have an accounting and tax background with a heavy slant to the commercial and business aspects of the roles I have undertaken.
I have been on the Board for the last two years participating in the CharityEvents and Membership and Sponsorship subcommittees. I identified opportunities to support for critical healthcare at the height of the early Covid crisis. also bring my experience and guidance to the Secretariat as a mentor believe that have shown that I bring to the Board not only experience but diversity of thinking, insight, provoking debate and ideas to ensure the Chamber brings true value to its members and supports the goals and ambitions of the UK Mission here in Vietnam.
I also represent the Board on the VBF HR WG sub committeeThrough the VBF HR WG and other forums I contribute actively to the representations to Government, MOLISA and and DOLISA’s in respect of the concems and solutions to address restrictions that have arisen in getting foreign workers into Vietnam to work and the ability to obtain work permits for the current expat community under the current regulations.
I have a passion to promote diversity to enhance business and society and continue to contribute to forums on these matters. I bring my diverse experience and a different lens to view the challenges facing the British business community in Vietnam and to bring British values embracing the concepts of Inclusion and Diversity to my role on the Board.
Britcham plays a vital role in helping to foster a conducive the business landscape in Vietnam and Britcham members benefit from having an active, energetic and engaged Board. I am standing for re-election to the board to continue contributing ideas, energy and time to helping support members and grow this chamber.
I would like to highlight the following:
I hope to continue to be an active and positive member of the board and would greatly appreciate your support.
I would like to stand for re election as a BritCham Board Member for 2023/24 to become further involved in the continued positive developments at BritCham. As the Director of Marketing, Admissions and Communications at the British International School HCMC, I’m a very much established member within the school, Senior Leadership Team and wider BIS HCMC community. This position brings great benefits to the BritCham Board in terms of working with the education sector and wider British community Alongside this my experience, skills and knowledge in marketing and communications are areas that could be utilised further across all areas of BritCham in terms of strategic planning and development I have now lived and worked in Ho Chi Minh City for over 12 years and have two daughters and very much embedded into life in HCMC through work, children’s people across the city and wider Vietnam
A proud British citizen, I have been residing and working in Vietnam since 2013. I have extensive knowledge of Vietnam’s business sector, and high-level relations with executives of listed and unlisted businesses, government officials, regulators, venture capital and private equity founders. Professionally. I am a respected adviser to multiple UK enterprises investing in Vietnam, and I personally service many of the largest UK asset managers, pension funds and banks investing in Vietnamese listed equities together with those engaging in foreign direct investment am also a Member of the Vietnam Independent Directors Association (VNIDA) and a long-standing participant of the Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) Capital Markets Working Group. I am confident through my professional Vietnamese-based and global networks I add an effective and reasoned voice to the benefit of BritCham Members. I am business-focused, culturally aware, and very supportive of efforts to lift living standards, education levels and business ethics in Vietnam. I focus on what’s best for our entire Membership and UK stakeholders
