“Women are increasingly asserting their position in the fintech world”

Despite being an "outsider" in the fintech industry, Jen Tran rose to become the CEO of Asia for a major European fintech corporation within just a few years. Beyond her talent and relentless effort, Jen believes that the belief that "women must be financially independent" has been a driving force behind her success.

Ambition to change stereotypes about women in the fintech industry.

Jen Tran

According to numerous statistics, in developed markets like London or Europe, the number of women recognized in senior management positions is very small, especially in the fintech industry – a combination of finance and technology that is always overwhelmingly dominated by male workers. Therefore, a young woman pursuing a career in fintech, holding such a high position as Jen Tran, has become a "strange" occurrence that has surprised many.

Sharing her reasons for venturing into this challenging industry, Jen Tran reminisced: "My mother passed away early, and my family immediately fell into hardship. My father, with his meager salary as a university lecturer, struggled to make ends meet by working various odd jobs to support his two children. This tragedy fueled my desire to escape poverty from a very young age. I've always thought about earning money since then, until I finally earned a scholarship and went abroad to study on my own." After graduating, Jen worked in many global technology companies to keep up with modern trends, but she quickly sought opportunities in a new field. "I wondered how I could achieve financial freedom. And I realized that to do that, I had to work in finance. So I looked for opportunities in the financial technology industry because it's challenging but also very attractive."

Stepping into a completely new industry, Jen had to start almost from scratch, relearning all the new financial knowledge, facing low pay and undervalued salaries, but she didn't give up. "Initially, I just wanted to increase my income, but attending meetings and seminars for high-profile figures where the audience was almost entirely male motivated me to work harder. I wanted to change the stereotypes about women in the fintech industry."

From "outsider" to CEO of Asia for a billion-dollar corporation.

Managing Director for Asia

When the first financial firm agreed to work with Jen, they did so with the condition that she reduce her salary offer. Despite her senior management background at several major global tech companies, Jen was very hesitant, but ultimately agreed because, "I simply thought I was getting paid to learn (laughs). You can't expect to receive valuable lessons for free, especially in the fintech industry!"

In the early days of her new career, Jen frequently faced numerous challenges, from the demanding nature of the job and the overwhelming amount of knowledge about cash flow to the complex trading methods. At times, she worked relentlessly without rest. Humbly and quietly striving every day, and persistently pursuing her goals, Jen quickly rose through the ranks of leadership at the billion-dollar fintech corporation from Europe – she was appointed as the regional CEO for Asia, managing the markets of Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and more.

At the time, many doubted Jen's abilities because the fintech industry had very few women in leadership positions. But time has proven that there is nothing women cannot do. Jen has also led the markets she manages to become some of the best-performing markets for the corporation, with outstanding sales and a large pool of potential customers. "Men have a cool head, so they are well-suited to the fintech industry. But women can have both a cool head to make decisive decisions and a warm heart to be flexible in management and customer relations – this is our advantage, and I think I have made good use of it."

Women must be financially independent.

"In a meeting with senior management from India, they were surprised to see so many women on my team, and that some women held high positions. Women face many disadvantages; their image is still associated with the role of homemaker, childcare, and family care, which is seen as a weakness. But women can absolutely reach high positions to be able to raise their children and take care of their parents," Jen reaffirmed, explaining why she believes women need a certain level of financial freedom.

"I'm not the first woman to work in fintech, and certainly not the first to succeed in it. Many talented women are increasingly making their mark in the financial technology world, and if you love making money, this is the place for you."

If you only met Jen Tran or followed her on social media, you'd think she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, never having experienced hardship, because she's cheerful, optimistic, and full of energy. However, Jen once lived in poverty after her mother passed away, went through a difficult student life, and even struggled to "sell herself to capitalists" like many others. The only thing that makes her different is perhaps her incredibly strong mindset of "overcoming adversity." "I think women have incredible resilience; they can do anything, they just need a reason and a strong enough motivation. Even if your reason for earning money is simply to eat well and dress well, start thinking seriously about financial investment now," Jen shared.

Profile of Ms. Jenny Tran:

- Head of Operations at Agoda (travel tech company - Thailand)

- Sales Manager at Infor (software solution – USA)

- Director of Asia (XTB fintech group)

Source: Self-introduction

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/giam-doc-dieu-hanh-jen-tran-phu-nu-dang-ngay-cang-khang-dinh-vi-the-trong-gioi-fintech-20241018172420164.htm