– A question many people may have: What led you to resign from leadership at a thriving company where you had spent so many years?

I worked at PNJ for around 5 years, from 2007 to 2012. I resigned as PNJ's Deputy General Director because I knew I was not suited to the jewelry business. I had been involved in petroleum and gas since 1994, after graduating from the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City.

At PNJ, I was also put in charge of investment and the gas business. By 2008, I was Chairman of SFC. So I felt my 5-year journey at PNJ had been relatively sufficient.

I still want to work in a field where I have knowledge and relationships, namely petroleum. Besides, although I resigned, I have not left PNJ entirely. I am still a member of PNJ's Board of Directors.

– Leaving a senior position would ordinarily make many people think something was wrong, perhaps leaving less-than-positive impressions of the place you left. Is that the case?

I can affirm that PNJ is an excellent environment. Before joining PNJ, I worked at a state-owned enterprise and a small joint-stock company. Only at PNJ did I truly work in a large, professional company with a strong corporate culture. My experiences at PNJ are important preparation that gives me confidence for the next stage of my journey, especially in business management and operations.

– Is that why you accepted the General Director role at SFC, where you have also been Chairman of the Board for many years?

SFC is also a business established in 1975 and once supplied fuel to the city in the years after liberation. SFC’s revenue in 2012 exceeded 2,100 billion. PNJ is SFC’s largest shareholder, so it is natural for me to take part in managing SFC. Of course, the roles of Chair of the Board and General Director are very different. Fortunately, I had been involved with SFC for 5 years, so I was not too unfamiliar with the work when I took on the General Director role.

– Returning to your true inclination and passion, the petroleum business, did you feel ‘like a fish in water’?…

Honestly, I enjoy it and feel confident. I have worked in petroleum for nearly 20 years. However, taking on the roles of Chairman and General Director still brings enormous pressure, because the petroleum business is very difficult at present.

Most major petroleum retailers are now listed, and their business results can be checked easily. These show that petroleum retailers’ profits are fairly low. The reason is that the current petroleum management system still has many shortcomings and retail remuneration is kept low. This forces businesses to become more focused and professional, cut costs, manage personnel well and respond quickly to the market.

Therefore, I must strive to learn from books, guidance from those who came before me, and my own experiences to improve my management ability and better myself.

I am keenly aware that the CEO’s management greatly affects the company’s production and business results. I also understand that I am responsible not only to SFC’s 300 employees, but also to their families, shareholders, partners…

CEO – The best job for personal development

– This seems quite contrary to your earlier intention, when you said you wanted to ‘retire’…

When I share my intention to “retire,” meaning to leave the work I directly manage, it does not mean cutting all ties with the companies I am involved in. By “retiring” in that sense, I want to devote more time to social activities, training and sharing. But when asked, I am still ready and eager to take on new work.

I realized that I had never been CEO of a large company, so this was a good opportunity to challenge myself and gain experience. The role would also give me more knowledge and experience to share with young people and the next generation. However, my term as General Director would last only 3 years!

– Does that mean you do not want a long-term responsibility to SFC?

In fact, under the company's new charter, my term is 3 years. At the end of that period, the board may reconsider, and so may I. As I said, right now I am concentrating all my efforts on performing my executive duties as well as possible. In life, staying together also takes a measure of fate!

– I understand that you currently teach at Doanh Chủ School and also serve as its Chairman of the Board?

I am the largest shareholder there. Doanh Chủ School was established in 2007 and is now a reputable training institution in personal investment, business management, business ownership and entrepreneurship… I enjoy sharing and teaching because I consider it work of great social significance. I want the next generation to become more capable and successful through their own efforts and the experiences shared by those before them.

– You are also Vice Chairman of Phương Nam Cultural Company and Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Young Business Association, YBA… Do so many management positions distract you from your work at SFC?

I still devote considerable time and effort to SFC. At the other companies, I only serve on their Boards of Directors, so they do not take too much time. These are all large companies with professional executive teams.

At this time, business is very difficult. I think the difference lies in the degree of focus: full-time focus and complete mental focus. Moreover, serving on other companies’ boards has helped me build relationships and gain additional management knowledge and experience.

– Although your 3-year term has just begun, what do you think about ‘the CEO profession’?

It is quite an interesting profession. It demands much, but also offers great value to a CEO. One of its greatest benefits is that it requires the person holding the role to learn independently, improve carefully, think thoroughly and take responsibility for their own and the team's results. A CEO also shapes company culture and strongly influences its brand, so must be exemplary and professional.

– In your view, is being both CEO and Chairman of the Board an advantage or a source of pressure?

That depends on each company. I research corporate management and advocate separating those two positions. However, choices can still be made according to each company's actual circumstances. Serving as SFC's board chairman for the past 5 years has also helped me understand the business thoroughly.

Therefore, when I also took on the role of CEO, I did not feel pressured. If anything, the greatest pressure was that previously, when the company performed poorly, I could still blame the executive team (laughs…). Now I cannot blame anyone else. That makes it even more necessary to think and weigh things from both roles: representative of a major shareholder and executive. Success = Passion + a good teacher + rigorous practice

– You are over 40 and hold many different roles. Throughout your entrepreneurial career, which teacher has guided you, or which bedside book has served as your compass at work?

At university, I was close to and respected teacher Trần Hoàng Ngân, Vice Rector of the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City. Outside university, I have two mentors who have shared with and taught me like older siblings: Cao Thị Ngọc Dung, General Director of PNJ, and Lê Văn Hòa, former General Director of Saigon Petro.

As for books, I read a great deal, but perhaps the one that resonates most is “The Power of Focus,” because it addresses a weakness I recognize in myself. Recently, alongside my strengths and gains from experiencing and sharing with many businesses, my weakness has also been a lack of focus. I have distilled a formula for success: passion, a good teacher, and rigorous practice. Rigorous practice means focus!

– Besides the advantage of experience across various businesses, where do you believe you stand out?

Perhaps it is a positive attitude toward life and a willingness to help those around me. Thanks to this, I have many friends who are always ready to share and help. I also have many good partners who cooperate and support me when needed.

– And what about your personal goals?

I am planning to write two books about entrepreneurship and business management, and compile the essays I have written over the past 20 years. If I can arrange the time, I will also… put on my backpack and hit the road again.

– Thank you, and I hope your experiences as CEO are truly interesting!

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