In today’s modern world, the most important quality for effective leadership is versatility. In order to cope with the ever-evolving corporate environment of today, leaders must possess the ability to swiftly and adeptly adapt to new roles, responsibilities, or circumstances.
(By: Naeem UI Hassan)
It has been demonstrated that organizations with versatile leaders have a stronger advantage over competitors because they know how to disrupt before being disrupted. This is best shown by Dr. Pham Minh Phuong, also known as Dr.Felicia Pham globally, whose versatility has enabled her to become one of the most influential female leaders. Recently, she was named one of the Global 200 Women Power Leaders for 2024.
Dr. Phuong’s success story is truly inspiring. Success comes to those who embrace challenges. Dr. Phuong exemplifies this brilliantly. She started her career in 2012, put in a lot of effort, and overcame several obstacles to become the lady she is today.
In the fields of education, trade, and entrepreneurship, Dr. Phuong is regarded as a trailblazer. She is a key figure in tying Sunwah Group—a prominent Asian conglomerate with a broad portfolio that includes financial services, real estate, seafood, and more—and the University of Oxford together as the Managing Partner and Founding Shareholder of Sunwah English Education, an Educational Segment of Sunwah Group in Vietnam. Her dedication to improving educational environments and English test assessment is demonstrated by her leadership in Sunwah English Education.
Dr. Phuong has made a name for herself as a prominent figure in the corporate world. She is the Vice Chair of the VinatipcSouth—Vietnam Trade & Investment Promotion Club. This prestigious position focuses on fostering commercial ties between Vietnam and international partners, especially those in Europe. Foreign direct investment into Vietnam has been enabled and international business ties have been reinforced by her astute planning of international trade conferences.
Dr. Phuong possesses outstanding academic qualifications. In addition to lecturing MBA courses, she is a doctoral candidate at the Swiss School of Business and Management. Among the two contenders to win this accolade, she was the only Vietnamese one to complete the “Oxford Advanced Management Leadership Programme” at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, with financial support from scholarships.
In recognition of Dr. Phuong’s contributions to the community and her outstanding influence, Cetacea University has awarded the title of “Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration”, as an acknowledgement of Dr. Phuong’s tireless contributions to the community and society, and at the same time, honoring the role of young female leaders in connecting and developing the community.
Dr. Phuong has also played a pivotal role in cultivating the Vietnamese community at Oxford and advocating for the school in Vietnam as the only Vietnamese person serving as the Regional Ambassador for Said Business School, University of Oxford.
Her position as a member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council further demonstrates her knowledge and thought leadership.
Dr. Phuong has established a reputation for herself as a keynote speaker, coach, and mentor in addition to being a well-known leader in the fields of education, commerce, and entrepreneurship worldwide. She was honored with awards from the Conference Series and Journal of Theoretical & Computational Science for her contributions to international conferences in Amsterdam and Paris. She also spoke as a distinguished speaker at the “22nd Conference on Big Data and Data Analytics” in the Netherlands.
She has empowered many women entrepreneurs as a coach and mentor. She has been instrumental in bringing key tools and networks for commercial success to female-led enterprises in Southeast Asia through programs like EMpower and the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) 2023.
Dr. Phuong’s accomplishments are too much to list here. Acting as an ambassador for upscale fashion and jewelry firms is another example of her versatility. She has contributed to more than 100 international conferences and seminars throughout the last ten years, earning her reputation as a top simultaneous interpreter and translator.
Even in today’s highly competitive work environment, being versatile may help women become more powerful and financially independent. It has been shown that women benefit greatly from having same-gender role models since they show that success is attainable. Because of her versatile leadership style, Dr. Phuong has undoubtedly emerged as a guiding star for the next generation of women leaders who aspire to be versatile.