Female Entrepreneurs with Responsible Production and Business
The imprint of Vietnamese female entrepreneurs in the past years has made great contribution to socio-economic development goals. That achievement has required many years of hard work, effort, forgetting themselves, and willingness to undergo hardship and accept community responsibility to develop together.
Vietnam Business Forum had an interview with Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh, Chairwoman of Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council (VWEC), Founder of ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network (AWEN) and Chair of the Global Summit of Women in Vietnam (GSW Vietnam), about the role and position of businesswomen in the new business age.
Due to the serious environment pollution, Vietnamese female entrepreneurs together signed the "Commitment to act for a world without waste", demonstrating the determination to join hands to protect the environment. According to you, what does this commitment bring?
This is a practical activity of businesswomen on the occasion of the "Initiative to act for a world without waste" Forum, which is hosted by VWEC under the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), in collaboration with Coca-cola Beverages Vietnam Limited.
According to the report of Ocean Conservancy and McKinsey & Company, the world's oceans are suffering about 8 million tons of plastic waste each year. More than half of this waste comes from five Asian countries and Vietnam is one of them. This is a concern of the whole society and is the responsibility of the business community in general and the female entrepreneur team in particular. The introduction of action initiatives to reduce waste, reuse and recycle waste in enterprises' production and business activities is very important. Good waste management not only creates a healthy living and working environment, but also saves resources, costs and promotes unlimited human creativity in designing new, useful products from garbage, looking towards building a circular economy and sustainable development for businesses and communities.
In recent years, VWEC and VCCI have worked together with Coca-cola Beverages Vietnam Limited to implement many programs to support the community, implement corporate social responsibility, and promote women's participation in the economic sector through training and mentoring services for women, support equipment for training and improving public health through the establishment and operation of EkoCenters in provinces. These activities have contributed to improving the position and image of the organization, as well as creating a push for a responsible production and business trend.
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The responsible business platform has been taken care of by the Vietnamese business community. This is also one of the practical and outstanding activities of the VWEC in the past time. Can you tell us about this activity?
On March 2, 2019, VWEC cooperated with Coca-cola Beverages Vietnam Limited to organize the "Responsible Business - Platform for Breakthrough" Forum.
The forum was held on the occasion of the 109th anniversary of the International Women's Day, March 8 and the 1979th anniversary of the Hai Ba Trung Uprising, at the same time, responding to and implementing the Government's guideline of 2019 in Resolution 01/NQ-CP dated January1, 2019: "Discipline, integrity, action, creativity, breakthrough and efficiency". The forum is also the message that VCCI wants to deliver to Vietnamese enterprises in the new Spring "Business production in a sustainable and responsible manner - It is a launch pad to breakthrough, a platform to succeed".
Responsible business will be a "guideline" for female entrepreneurs, because responsible business will show professionalism, express the words "mind" and "trust", business not only for simple profit but also for the common good of society. This will build the brand of entrepreneur, brand of business and brand of product - important factors to determine success or failure of each enterprise.
VWEC is an active unit in building a network and supporting start-up for women. Can you tell us about this activity as well as trade promotion and investment programs for the female entrepreneur community?
Over the past years, VWEC has collaborated with branches, representative offices of VCCI, domestic and international partners to implement a variety of activities to support improving capacity for enterprises owned and led by women, support women in starting a business.
VWEC selected and nominated female entrepreneurs and start-up women to join the Cherie Blair Foundation For Women's Global Advisory Network, founded by the wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair; establishing a startup mentor network and a lecturer club to support businesses owned by women.
As the founder and the source of implementing the activities of ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network in Vietnam, VWEC annually introduces and supports Vietnamese female entrepreneurs to participate in trade connection programs, build a common ASEAN brand, join in the ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs conference and a program to honor "Outstanding ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs".
VWEC was also assigned by VCCI to coordinate to evaluate the title of "Outstanding Vietnamese Women Entrepreneurs" - Golden Rose Cup in order to honor female entrepreneurs who have made positive contributions to the socio-economic development as well as building images that inspire future female entrepreneurs.
For programs of trade promotion, investment, improving capacity and support women, every year, VWEC organizes business delegations to promote trade in potential markets, organize training courses to improve capacity and knowledge, especially digital technology and online business. VWEC also supports female entrepreneurs to access information from mainstream sources, access to capital, markets and networks.
However, the efforts of VWEC are modest compared to the needs of women in general and female entrepreneurs in particular. It is necessary to have a breakthrough in policy reform and support from many sides, especially more specific and more accessible support policies and programs for female entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses.
In order to support the female entrepreneur team to participate and develop their businesses, what should the Government and women entrepreneurs do?
In order to support the female entrepreneur community, the Government needs to build a legal framework to create a favorable and transparent business environment, while ensuring the development of businesses in general and women-owned businesses in particular, as well as ensuring State management. Strongly promoting the development of e-Government, digital nation, and digital economy in Vietnam will create transparency and equality for women to participate in economic activities.
At the same time, it is necessary to have practical and specific policies and solutions, focusing on solving difficulties and barriers, especially difficulties bearing gender characteristics; facilitating the connection between businesses and scientists for the application of science and technology, application of high technology in production and business, promoting the development of enterprises owned by women.
For businesswomen who want to succeed in the marketplace, they need to be proactive, confident, overcome their own fears for solutions to cope with new challenges, especially in the Industry 4.0, which requires constant creativity and innovation. Women entrepreneurs also need to spend time learning, joining in business networks, learning from other businesses, have appropriate business strategies and professional management systems, improve competitiveness, product quality and focus on brand building to succeed step by step and reach out to regional and international markets.
Thank you very much!
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