Vinamilk CEO and impressive shares about the spirit of innovation towards the young generation

Youth mission originates from a special letter

“You should study dairy. After the war, the most urgent problem is to overcome child malnutrition and improve people's health. Only dairy can solve this problem” - that is the letter that Mai Kieu Lien's father wrote to his daughter. His father's advice became ideal for the young student Mai Kieu Lien, who at that time, was facing the decision to choose to study dairy…

That ideal not only followed her during her 6 years of studying in the distant land of Russia, but also fueled her journey 50 years later, with the aspiration to build a quality source of nutrition by the Vietnamese and for the Vietnamese, for the mission of caring for people . "It can be said that it was a turning point in my life. Looking back now, I see that the decision to study dairy was the right one because it contributed to building the Vietnamese dairy industry, which is self-sufficient by the Vietnamese and known to the world," she said.

After nearly half a century, the young student's strong belief that "the dairy industry will be respected" has now come true. Under her leadership, Vinamilk has become one of the 10 most valuable dairy brands in the world, standing proudly in the Top 36 largest dairy companies in the world, along with many countries with developed dairy industries that have been hundreds of years ahead.

Building and developing Vinamilk from the first bricks, Ms. Mai Kieu Lien is the embodiment of resilience and innovation, bringing Vietnam far on the world dairy industry map. She was honored by Fortune Magazine (USA) as one of the 100 most powerful women in Asia in 2024 and is the only female entrepreneur honored by Forbes Vietnam with the "Lifetime Achievement" award. With her contributions to the development of the country, she is also a rare entrepreneur to be awarded the Third Class Independence Medal, the First Class Labor Medal and the title of Labor Hero in the renovation period by the Party and State.

Renew yourself - the brand that inspires the young generation

At 23, she started her career in an industry that "Vietnam has never had before", at 29, she took on the position of Deputy Director of a large dairy factory, amidst many difficulties. She became the General Director of Vinamilk when she was not yet 40 years old and was honored as one of the 50 most powerful businesswomen in Asia just 10 years later. On that journey that was not only filled with roses, Ms. Mai Kieu Lien is truly an inspirational story of courageous youth, with ideals and more than that, a spirit of constant innovation and creativity.

When asked about the bold innovation of the billion-dollar brand Vinamilk in the past 2 years, Ms. Mai Kieu Lien said: “2023 can be considered a comprehensive innovation, not only in terms of brand, products, packaging, but also in terms of management, operation, digital transformation and approach to consumers, which in this case is the young generation. Vinamilk is nearly 50 years old, so it has created a sense of familiarity and tradition. Without innovation, the brand cannot last.”

The result of that transformation is a colorful, youthful and vibrant “new world” of a nearly 50-year-old brand, impressively introduced to young people. But that is not all. The real “inspirational story” of Vinamilk is that the brand dared to innovate itself to be “better and better”, even when it was already a solid symbol of the Vietnamese dairy industry.

Vinamilk successfully innovated more than 125 products in just one year. Not only did they “change their appearance”, but there were also completely new products, appearing for the first time in Vietnam. Vinamilk brought back advanced technologies from around the world such as “vacuum milk” or “super microfiltration technology” to create new standards for the dairy industry…

Vinamilk is truly innovating in a meaningful way to not only rejuvenate the brand but also convince customers with its quality. As in the conversation, Vinamilk CEO emphasized: “For Vinamilk, if we do something, we will do it the best. There is no trade-off with quality because once food is in the body, there is no chance to correct the mistake!”

Determined to rejuvenate the brand so that Vinamilk can accompany the young generation on the new journeys of the country, in the conversation, Ms. Mai Kieu Lien shared her enthusiasm: “ Today's young people have much more conditions and opportunities than the previous generation, but they also face many pressures and increasing competition... Therefore, if you want to truly innovate, you need to start with yourself. No one can change you, it must be because you have the desire to change!”.

Speaking more about this message, Vinamilk's General Director emphasized: "For young people who are choosing a career path, it is important to find the meaning of the work they are doing, for themselves, the community and the country. Because during the process of studying and working, there will be many challenges. If you do not determine your passion and ideal to pursue to the end, you will never reach your destination."

Vietnam is at a milestone of rising from the country's young talents, not only good at knowledge but also with the ambition to contribute. Ms. Mai Kieu Lien's message is not only the sharing of the previous generation to the future, but it is a strong commitment to the spirit of innovation of the billion-dollar brand, when inspiring and gathering the young generation with ideals and aspirations to develop together and continue the mission.