Mr. Tuan Pham, currently Marketing Manager at Nestlé Vietnam, entered the MBA Talent program at a “mid-career” stage of his professional life. For him, the program was never just about acquiring knowledge, it was a journey of building resilience and reshaping his mindset to grow into the kind of leader he aspires to become.
Below, Mr. Tuan reflects on his two-year MBA Talent journey, a challenging experience filled with both demanding moments and rewarding milestones.
At a stage when your career was already thriving, what motivated you to return to the classroom with MBA Talent?
My biggest motivation was the need for personal and professional growth. At that point, I realized that work experience alone wasn’t enough. I needed to deepen my knowledge and develop new perspectives to continue moving forward rather than becoming too comfortable with what I already knew.
I saw MBA Talent as a valuable opportunity to strengthen my skills and take a step closer to my goal of becoming a future leader. For me, learning is never “enough.” The more I learn, the more passionate I become, and the more goals I want to achieve.
You mention the phrase “future leader” often. What does that ideal leader look like to you, and where does your vision come from?
My ideal image of a leader has been inspired by the CEOs of multinational corporations whom I have observed throughout my career. To me, a leader needs two qualities: vision and purpose. Vision means the ability to look beyond the present and develop a long-term strategy that leads the organization toward shared success. At the same time, a leader must have genuine care for people and know how to develop their team in the best possible way, so everyone can work toward the same goal while having opportunities to grow.
The MBA program helped me broaden my perspective from a functional Marketing role to a holistic view of the entire business. It brought me closer to the mindset and perspective required at the C-level.
Resilience is often considered an essential part of the MBA journey.How did you experience it in practice?
There is a funny story behind this. My classmates often called me “Tuan 2AM.” The nickname means that if you joined Tuan’s group, you can expect to be working until 2 in the morning. It sounds exhausting, but that’s exactly where we pushed beyond our own limits.
Typically, after finishing work at the office from 8am to 8pm, I’d start group meetings and independent study. Those experiences forced me to completely reorganize my life and build a new capacity to adapt in order to manage a tremendous workload within the same 24 hours. That, to me, is what resilience truly means.
Personal growth is often described through three pillars: Toolset, Skillset, and Mindset. Which transformation has been the most valuable for you?
The program brought all three together, but mindset was what changed me most profoundly. If I had to sum it up in one word, it would be transformation. In terms of Toolset, the program helped me structure and systematize the practical experience I had gained throughout my career through established frameworks. This allowed me to approach problems in a more systematic and professional way.
For Skillset, I developed important soft skills such as time management, teamwork, and the ability to push beyond my perceived limits both mentally and physically. One memorable example was Final Challenge 2, which included the Mindfulness Leadership Bootcamp in Lâm Hà.
Most importantly, my mindset changed significantly. Previously, I tended to focus heavily on short-term wins. MBA Talent encouraged me to develop a much more long-term perspective. Today, whenever I face a business challenge, I consider not only the immediate outcome but also the long-term value and impact before deciding on the best solution for the business.
From the perspective of a Marketing professional, which courses or experiences have brought the most valuable new perspectives to your current work?
Beyond Marketing, I found Finance particularly valuable. Earlier in my career, I had actually considered choosing between Marketing and Finance, and now I understand that marketing is not just about creating great advertising. We’re running a business, and we have to care about the brand’s P&L (profit and loss).
Another particularly valuable experience was the Business Project. That course helped me pull together everything I’d learned over nearly two years. At that point, I no longer viewed Marketing simply as a set of promotional activities. Instead, I began to think more deeply about the role Marketing plays in driving the overall success of the business. The Case Challenges built around real business problems (like the Biti’s case) were genuinely exciting too. I still remember the moment we hit a wall with no ideas in sight, then suddenly had a “eureka” moment that sent the whole team working day and night to turn that idea into a solution.
Looking back on the two-year journey, what have you achieved, and what three keywords would you like to leave with others?
I’m proud to say I achieved my goal of becoming a better version of myself. The MBA didn’t just open doors to promotion or deeper conversations with my boss about a path to C-level, but it also brought me the opportunity to teach, something I want to pursue so I can pass on what I’ve learned to younger people. If I had to choose three keywords for anyone walking this path now or in the future, I would pick: Transformation, Resilience, and Mindset. These are the qualities that will help you go the distance.
MBA Talent is a leadership development program designed to nurture Vietnam’s next generation of talented leaders. The program combines the academic foundation of Western Sydney University and the International School of Business (ISB) with practical Business Cases developed by the PSO Institute, enabling high-potential professionals to apply modern leadership knowledge and frameworks to real-world business contexts.
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