Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo (born June 7, 1970) is a Vietnamese businesswoman, and the president and CEO of VietJet Air,[1] president of Sovico Group and vice president of HDBank.[2] After Phạm Nhật Vượng, she is the second Vietnamese person (as well as the first Southeast Asian woman) to be recognized by Forbes as a US$ billionaire.[3]
Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 7, 1970 |
| Education | Plekhanov Russian University of Economics (BA) D. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia (PhD) |
| Occupation(s) | President & CEO, VietJet Air |
| Spouse | Nguyễn Thanh Hùng |
| Children | 2 |
Biography
editNguyễn Thị Phương Thảo became a millionaire at age 21 while studying finance and economics in Moscow,[4] where she began distributing fax machines, plastic and rubber[5] from Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea in the then Soviet Union. Since then she has developed a portfolio of business interests, including VietJet and Sovico Holdings, that itself holds a 90 per cent stake in Ho Chi Minh City's Dragon City development.[6] She holds bachelor's degrees in financial credit management and labor economics at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics and a doctorate in economic management from the D. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia.[7]
She ranked 62nd in the list of Power Women 2016.[8] She was listed in Asia's 50 Power Businesswomen 2016.[9]
After she took VietJet Air public in February 2017,[10] she became Vietnam's first self-made woman billionaire, second billionaire overall (after Phạm Nhật Vượng) and Southeast Asia's only female billionaire. In early 2021, her net worth was estimated at US$2.1 billion.[5] She also has investments in HD Bank and real estate, including three beach resorts.[10][11] In 2021, she signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Oxford's Linacre College for a donation of GBP£155million. The college intends to petition the Privy Council to change its name to Thao College.[12] In June 2022, she was featured on the list of the Global 100 by the International Hospitality Institute as one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality.[13]
Personal life
editPhương Thảo has a daughter and a son, Tommy Nguyen.[5] Her son has previously studied at Oxford University's economics & management department and has founded an express delivery company with investment from VietJet.[14][15]
Awards and honors
edit
Knight of the Legion of Honour (France, 2021)[16]
References
edit- ^ "Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao takes VietJet from 'bikini flights' to IPO in 5 years". Cnbc.com (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 24 March 2016.
- ^ "Nữ tỉ phú Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo: "Hãy tin tưởng ở kinh tế tư nhân"". TUOI TRE ONLINE (in Vietnamese). 2021-03-07. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
- ^ "Forbes lý giải vì sao Trịnh Văn Quyết không được xếp hạng tỷ phú USD". ZingNews.vn (in Vietnamese). 2017-03-21. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ "Top 100 Executives 2020 – Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, CEO, Vietjet - Leaders League". www.leadersleague.com. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
- ^ a b c VCCorp.vn (19 February 2021). "Thiếu gia tuổi trẻ tài cao nhà tỷ phú Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo: Từ bộ hồ sơ cần gấp nhưng không có dịch vụ ship nhanh sang châu Âu, đến sáng lập startup logistics Swift247, vừa được Vietjet Air mua lại". cafebiz.vn (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2021-03-11.
- ^ "How Bikini Airline Helped to Create Vietnam's First Woman Billionaire". Bloomberg. 2016-03-23. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
- ^ "HDBank BOARD OF DIRECTORS". partner.hdbank.com.vn. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
- ^ "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes.com. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ^ "Asia's 50 Power Businesswomen 2016". Forbes.com. Retrieved 2016-07-30.
- ^ a b "Forbes profile: Thi Phuong Thao Nguyen". Forbes. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- ^ Nguyen Thi Phương Thảo Forbes Profile, Nguyen Thi Phương Thảo Forbes Profile. "Nguyen Thi Phương Thảo Forbes Profile". Forbes.
- ^ "Transformative Donation to College | Linacre College". www.linacre.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
- ^ Mix, Pulse (2022-08-01). "Dr Jeffrey Obomeghie and Dupe Olusola among the 100 most powerful people in global hospitality". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
- ^ "Chân dung người con trai cả kín tiếng của tỷ phú Vietjet Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo - Tạp Chí Doanh Nhân" (in Vietnamese). 2021-08-02. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
- ^ VCCorp.vn (19 February 2021). "Thiếu gia tuổi trẻ tài cao nhà tỷ phú Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo: Từ bộ hồ sơ cần gấp nhưng không có dịch vụ ship nhanh sang châu Âu, đến sáng lập startup logistics Swift247, vừa được Vietjet Air mua lại". cafebiz.vn (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2021-11-01.
- ^ Anh Kiet (2021-04-15). "First Vietnamese businesswoman awarded France's Legion of Honor". Hanoi Times. Retrieved 2024-01-26.