Foreign female CEOs in Dong Nai

Female CEO Lee Shu Li exchanges product information with workers at Kien Dat Industrial Company (Bien Hoa city). Photo: Thuy Moc

Dong Nai is a leading province in the country in the industrial sector with tens of thousands of domestic and foreign enterprises. Among them, a number of enterprises and corporations with foreign direct investment (FDI) are run by female CEOs. To achieve success, these female CEOs have overcome difficulties from language and cultural barriers to successfully run their enterprises.

Overcoming barriers

According to the comments of some female leaders and managers of FDI companies in Dong Nai, the working environment in Vietnam in general and Dong Nai in particular has left them with good impressions. Workers are treated equally between men and women. In particular, the regimes for women such as sick leave and maternity leave are always at the highest preferential level. This helps to raise the value of women, at the same time, motivate and encourage women to overcome difficulties and family burdens, and actively participate in career development.

Female CEO Somhatai Panichewa speaks at the 30th Anniversary Ceremony of Amata VN.

As an economic group from Taiwan, having invested in Dong Nai for more than 30 years, up to now, Vietnam Precision Industry Corporation (VPIC) has marked a long journey of attachment to Dong Nai. Notably, VPIC is currently being run by a Taiwanese female CEO. Ms. Lee Wei Chun, Chairwoman of VPIC's Board of Directors, said that after more than 20 years of living and working in Vietnam, she found that Vietnam is very equal, with equal development opportunities for women and men. This is the factor that makes Ms. Lee Wei Chun very happy to work in Vietnam, opening up many opportunities for self-development.

Ms. Lee Wei Chun shared: “In Vietnam, men respect women very much. The welfare regimes that the state provides for women are also very good. Specifically, women in Vietnam are allowed 6 months of maternity leave, while in Taiwan it is only 8 weeks. The welfare regimes for female workers in Vietnam are even superior to many other countries. In addition, women in Vietnam always receive support from colleagues, especially male colleagues. This shows the beauty of civilization, progress as well as the spirit of solidarity of Vietnamese people in labor and production.”

Also one of the foreign female CEOs who started a business and succeeded in Vietnam, General Director of Kien Dat Industrial Company Limited Lin Shu Li shared that at first in the new working environment, Ms. Li encountered many difficulties due to differences in language, culture as well as Vietnamese legal regulations. In particular, Ms. Li had a small child at this time. Taking care of both work and family, Ms. Li herself had to make a lot of effort to achieve the success she has today.

However, from the beginning, Ms. Li always determined to make efforts to overcome difficulties. In addition to overcoming herself, Ms. Li always considered employees as family members. She regularly trained and supported employees in their work, thereby creating a connection between the business owner and employees. With the motto of building a company culture like a family, with a spirit of solidarity and sharing, after 30 years of existence, Kien Dat has grown stronger and stronger.

Required skills

As a female CEO operating in the industrial real estate sector - an environment that is traditionally dominated by men in Vietnam, Ms. Somhatai Panichewa, CEO of Amata VN Public Joint Stock Company, part of Amata Group (Thailand), is one of the female CEOs with a difference in the " world " of industrial real estate.

CEO Lin Shu Li said: “When a woman takes control of everything in the family, she will take control of society. At work, you must always put your trust in the people you have chosen.” Photo: Thuy Moc

Sharing her views on a female CEO, Ms. Somhatai Panichewa said that her gentle yet patient approach during negotiations or when working with authorities helps build trust and foster long-term, sustainable partnerships. This is extremely important in promoting development projects. Moreover, meticulousness, attention to detail and the ability to organize work scientifically - qualities often considered to be the strengths of women, are also key factors in effectively managing large-scale, complex industrial park projects. In addition, women's connecting and caring leadership style contributes significantly to building a cohesive and inclusive corporate culture, thereby improving the effectiveness of talent retention.

Despite the advantages, Ms. Somhatai Panichewa also admitted that as a woman, she cannot avoid certain prejudices. This requires her to make many times more efforts to prove her ability and build her reputation with actual results. In addition, the "double" pressure from the role of CEO with a busy travel schedule and long working hours is always a constant challenge in balancing career and family life. This requires extremely skillful arrangement and understanding and sympathy from relatives.

To become a successful female CEO, Ms. Somhatai Panichewa believes that women need to be steadfast in their long-term vision and the ability to materialize the vision into reality. This requires the CEO not only to have big ideas about potential, but also to "draw" a picture of a complete integrated ecosystem from technical infrastructure to living amenities and steadfastly lead the team to gradually turn it into reality, not being swayed by temporary fluctuations of the market. In addition, acumen and flexibility in handling problems are essential for a female CEO. Skills such as: building and maintaining strategic relationships, managing people and building a strong staff... are essential factors for female CEOs if they want to develop a sustainable business.

Ms. Somhatai Panichewa affirmed: “The combination of courage, vision, flexibility and especially sincerity and understanding can make a positive difference for a CEO. The most important thing for a CEO is to constantly learn, not be afraid to face difficulties and always maintain faith in the path he has chosen.”

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Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/dong-nai-cuoi-tuan/202505/nhung-nu-ceo-ngoai-tren-dat-dong-nai-db53887/