PRESENTATION BY MS. PHAM THI VIET NGA, Vietnam
Distinguished Participants,
With international integration, enhancing the competitiveness of women-owned enterprises such as mine presents a great challenge, even greater than of women-managed enterprises.
During 24 years of managing the business, I have gained a thorough understanding about the ups and downs faced by a female director in running an enterprise. As a director of Hau Giang Pharmacy Shareholding Company, managing more than 1,200 employees, I have led my company through different development steps to have its brand as well-known as it is today. Successful lessons drawn from my own experience in managing the business follow the principle of the three “T”’s.
The first “T” is “Tam” (kind): “kind” from a producer of goods/services that have a direct impact on customers’ lives means provider taking the interests of the community as a guiding principle for his/her company’s direction. I and all of the employees of Hau Giang Pharmacy Company are committed to providing customers with products of good quality, reasonable prices, and good services. We have wholeheartedly implemented this commitment, which we call the “
The second “T” I want to discuss here is “Tai” (talent): “talent” in doing business is something that is not natural or from birth. To have business skills, spirit and determination, I had equipped myself with economic management knowledge, and cultural-social understanding. This has helped me to map out a business strategy for the Companythat is adaptable to changes in domestic and international markets andiseffective in doing business.
As a female director, I have faced many of difficulties in arranging time for my studies, taking care of my children and being a “director”. I studied hard to obtain the B.A, Master and Doctor Degrees in economics. The progress of self- training has helped me to draw the lesson, ”if you do not want to lag behind, to be competitive with other players in the business world and to do away with the inferiority complex felt by many women, you’d better prove yourself with your own knowledge and capacity”. This is not a time for female entrepreneurs to prove themselves for gender equality, but do whatever they want to do to have the capability to. This capacity has helped a woman like me to succeed in the areas that people traditionally think only men can do and to be more confident in the business world.
The third integral “T” is “Tin” (trustworthiness). It is said that 90% of business success is from maintaining trustworthiness in the reputation of a company and its brand. Hau Giang Pharmacy Company appreciates trustworthiness as a working principle of our company. We maintain “trustworthiness” in the quality of our products. It is the “trustworthiness” that has created further opportunity for the Company to constantly grow and develop.
In addition to my commitment and responsibility for this professional “entrepreneurship”, I am also responsible for a big family. As a daughter and a wife, a mother and a grandmother, I am proud of being a good example for my children to follow and to be proud of what their mother has achieved.
To have success today, I am always optimistic and create for my self a trust in my colleagues/employees and in the Company’ success. With knowledge gained from managing and running the Company, I am fully confident in my own capacity. At work, I always listen to my staff and employees. Togetherwe develop new ideas and realize them in business planning for each development stage of the Company. Thanks to that, I have built trust among my colleagues and other women. This has helped me to have more energy to better myself.
The steady growth of Hau Giang Pharmacy Company, together with other enterprises, has contributed to building a business culture, which deeply reflects the Vietnamese national character.
I would like to wish all of our distinguished participants and sisters good health, happiness, and success.
Thank you!
