Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo | |
---|---|
Born | |
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 |
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 USD billionaire. [3]
Nguyễn 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 two bachelor's degrees in financial credit management and labor economics at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics and a doctoral degree in economic management at the D. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia. [7]
She ranked 62nd in the list of Power Women 2016. [8] She is 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]
Phương Thảo has a daughter and a son, Tommy Nguyen. [5] Her son has previously studied at Oxford University's economic management department and has founded an express delivery company with investment from VietJet. [14] [15]