Mai Kieu Lien

Mai Kiều Liên (born 1. September 1953 in Paris, France) is a Vietnamese manager and currently CEO of Vinamilk. She studied in the Soviet Union and has been working for Vinamilk since returning to Vietnam in 1976, holding leadership positions during much of the company's modernisation. She is the only Vietnamese manager in Forbes' "Asia's 50 Power Businesswomen" list and was described by the magazine to be dynamic and having played a key role in transforming Vinamilk not only "into one of Vietnam's most profitable brands but also a respected name across Asia".

She is the 60th wealthiest individual in Vietnam in terms of stock wealth as of late 2012, holding stocks worth almost 200 billion VND (almost $10 million).

Career

Mai Kieu Lien graduated from university in Moscow with a degree in meat and milk processing in 1976. She returned to Vietnam the same year and started working as an engineer responsible for condensed milk and yoghurt in Truong Tho factory of Vinamilk's predecessor. She was promoted in 1980 and again in 1982 to become an assistant to the director of Thong Nhat factory. In September 1983 she started a one-year management degree in Leningrad. She returned in June 1984 and became Vice Director in July. She became director in 1992, a position she is still holding. She was in the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam from 1996 to 2001. After the equitisation of Vinamilk she became chairman.

Personal information

Mai Kieu Lien's ancestral home town is Vi Thanh city, Hau Giang Province in the Mekong River Delta. She is married to Nguyễn Hiệp.