Vinh-Long Nguyen
Vinh-Long Nguyen
Why did you decide that an Executive MBA was relevant at this stage of your career?
More and more what I was doing in Unilever Asia became closer to business rather than technical, hence I felt I needed more business overall knowledge on top of my technical knowledge to help me with better decisions or contributions in my work.
How did you apply what you learned to your job?
It was more for a better and well-rounded understanding of the business discussions/decisions than application. However, in various occasions, especially when reviewing the plans for new product innovations, I was able to apply a few things I learnt such as decision making techniques, financial calculations, etc. Also, more and more we try to learn how to think like start-ups to be faster and more flexible in the market, then a good mix of corporate and business strategy knowledge is a great help.
How did your company benefit from your involvement in the program?
As my current work is very much linked to new product innovations, I think, I am more pro-active and engaged in discussions and decisions about business performance and financials of the new products as well as investment decisions. Faster and fact-based decision making then before. It is what I believe I am now contributing to the company beyond my usual technical work.
Is this program relevant for those seeking to further their career in your industry? If so, why?
I think this program is relevant to many people in and also outside my industry. In my industry, as product life cycles have become shorter, being faster with new products in the market and improving cost base is very important. Therefore, EMBA programs would give managers more knowledge to support a faster and better decision making in both these areas.
Supply Chain Program Director – Global Home Care Category
Unilever UK
Rutgers Executive MBA Program, Class of 2016
