‘My career began in marketing, the profession in which many are still obsessed with being different by any means. For so long, people have chased after fancy marketing-communications ideas and awards without a sustainable vision of how their actions can affect the future, especially during the existential threat that climate change is posing to humanity. To be different: yes, you must. However, this difference should be meaningful to the world. From my perspective, sustainability is an important meaningful difference all marketers and business practitioners should strive towards. It is my meaningful difference to strive for a way to promote sustainability in my marketing work.

Participating in this scholarship competition gave me a chance to show my current and future fellow marketers that it is possible to achieve sustainability in our work and get valuable social recognition for that effort. Furthermore, this scholarship helped me to pursue an MBA. The scholarship will mentally and professionally hold me accountable for promoting sustainability during my entire career. 

My main contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is the successful integration and promotion of 3R (Reduce-Reuse-Recycle) initiatives in FMCG brands and projects, of which I was in charge. I made a meaningful difference by finding a way to harmonise the interests of corporate, society and the environment and to make these initiatives longstanding instead of short-term marketing gimmicks. FMCG is known to not go along with sustainability because of the excessive waste it creates, especially the product packaging. During my work, I have led many projects mitigating the downsides of fast-consuming lifestyles and helped consumers to tackle sustainability issues.

My most notable reuse and reduce project is a circular business of selling durably reusable canvas bags to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic bags. From this business, the profit was donated to IUCN's environmental project in Vietnam, creating a win-win situation for all parties involved. First, consumers not only reduce their material footprint by using reusable bags but also contributed to bigger sustainability efforts. Second, for our business, fewer free plastic bags meant fewer operation costs. And most importantly, for the conservation of the environment, it provided sustainable financial resources. Furthermore, I also co-led a project of collecting and recycling used packaging to create a sustainable habit for Vietnamese consumers.  

From the beginning of my career onwards, I have always been aware that I had to fill the knowledge gap in business functions like finance, operation and HR to make a meaningful and comprehensive difference through business. Moreover, after some years of working in a local business environment, I found the need to challenge my assumptions about the world with more international perspectives. That is why the MBA programme at Amsterdam Business School resonates a lot with me.

There are no better and faster ways to achieve my desire than embarking on an MBA journey in which I learn from talented international peers. As a birthplace of modern capitalism and a liberal society which values sustainability, the Netherlands has caught my attention for this journey for a long time. Hence, I started the MBA at the Amsterdam Business School to advance my career in one of the top-ranking schools in Europe. 

During this MBA programme, I want to gain a comprehensive academic and professional understanding of businesses, a vast experience of working in internationally diverse teams, and a valuable network of purpose-driven fellows. This MBA journey will be the launching pad for my ambition to be a meaningfully different leader in business and society.’