Diversity is not just in the range of gender, perspectives, or ideas; it can be ways of doing things and how you shape your career. Chat with Ms. Katie Vo - Head of Business Transformation, to explore how she embraces diversity in her experiences and how resilience and a strong leadership mindset lead her to success.
💬 Hi Katie, can you tell us about your journey?
✨ I started my career in financial planning and investment operations in the US, where I was fortunate to have worked closely with very inspiring and visionary venture capitalists. I always found it fascinating to learn about their journeys in working businesses around the world. That was when I began shaping my career to give me diversification, new challenges, and constant learning. So upon homecoming, I have worked in management consulting, strategy & planning at a tech startup, and most recently marketing and now business transformation at Home Credit. Home gives me what I value in my career development: diverse experience.
Currently, my team has three functions including strategy & market insights, project management, and business process management. We collect and synthesize market intel in order to form the company’s strategic project portfolio. Our team handles project implementation and manages all business processes behind the scenes. And we’re always searching for talents to join the team, so feel free to get in touch with our Talent Acquisition team ;)
💬 What are some of the most significant challenges you've faced in your career, and how did you overcome them?
✨ I had a difficult time understanding cultural differences and finding balance in the workplace. On one hand, I went through a bit of a cultural shock myself when I moved to the US as a shy kid. On the other hand, and out of my expectation, I went through even a larger one when I moved back to Vietnam 12 years later. There were instances I did not understand well how certain behaviors happened at work, so my communication was not working. Over time, I learned to take a step back and do more listening and observing. I also researched tactics and listened to TED Talks or whatever I could find on YouTube to practice wording, tone, and body language when I spoke. Now I guess I’m not doing too bad at communication and presenting. But still, I watch colleagues at Home all the time to pick out good tips. I like to find inspiration in the little things every day.
Another challenge that I’ve had is a transition to a bigger leadership role. I’ve transitioned a lot of times, but it’s easy to self-manage when it’s only just yourself, so you just concentrate on the skills needed for the job. Transitioning to Head of Business Transformation is one of the most challenging ones, although most rewarding. It’s a big job title with a big expectation from more layers of audience. So, to tackle this, I spent a lot of time learning about leadership and business. And to do that fast, you have to be able to customize your learning method and choose your “teachers” and I don’t mean professors or experts or going for a new degree. I am very lucky to be surrounded by supportive and talented people at Home to support me through this journey.
💬 Can you share a specific example of a time when you demonstrated resilience and strong leadership skills in your role at Home Credit Vietnam?
✨ The early days of GMA were fun but challenging. We were a smaller team with less involvement from other departments like now. And we were working with a lot of uncertainty and ambiguity. I was only involved with go-to-market strategy as a marketing project. And we had to deliver value proposition research and organize a 40 people workshop within a month and a half. So, what happened was a bunch of us started forming an organizing team together to work in crunch time, divide and conquer. Along the way, we faced many challenges and hit dead ends in research execution, planning for the workshop’s agenda, alignment on logistics, and gaining participation, among many other things. Many times, we considered canceling or delaying. I started introducing structure to our discussions to reach better alignment. With that, we started to rebuild the team spirit and continued pushing relentlessly. Finally, we delivered both on time, ready for a workshop at Home Coffee when it was just finished with renovation. So, on Valentine’s Day last year, we successfully conducted the workshop, although ironically half of the organizing team had to stay home because we were all almost exposed to Covid :D
💬 What do you believe are the key qualities of a successful leader, particularly for women in your industry?
✨ Our industry is always changing, and customers’ needs are always changing. Although Home runs a very sustainable business, there are still plenty to explore. Therefore, being curious and non-complacent keeps me always on my feet. I find excitement when I discover something new even when it’s a small thing to help me do my daily work faster.
On the flip side, sometimes things come unexpectedly and the ability to adapt and stay resilient through hard time is extremely important to stay in the game, which is the only way to win. In fact, things will definitely change, so I’d advise you to learn to embrace change.
I also think authenticity and self-awareness are the qualities you need to shape your mental model before you can influence others. One of my favorite saying about leadership is that it isn’t a title, it’s an action. To act right, you need to know where you’re at.
As for qualities for women particularly, I don’t think I have any advice because in my mind there should not be any difference. Good leadership can come from anyone :D
💬 What advice would you give to other women who aspire to leadership positions in their careers?
✨ I’d say the three things on top of my mind are:
- Stay humble. Continue learning with an open mind.
- Go confidently after your goals. And don’t be apologetic for your determination and efforts. There are always going to be opinions from others. Stay true to yourself.
- Don’t wait for someone to notice your work. Learn to show your work and create visibility for yourself and your team. It’s wrong to assume it’s someone else’s responsibility.
💬 Looking ahead, what are your goals for the future, and how do you plan to continue building on your own successes?
✨ For now, Business Transformation is giving me great chances to experience different aspects of executing things beyond strategic planning. Building success here to me means enriching a deeper understanding of the consumer finance business, building a sustainable team, and driving transformation agenda to better serve our customers.
In a longer run, I am often intrigued by new experiences and new cultures. I plan to continue my journey in building a global career and extend my exposure to wider horizons in business areas, skill sets, and possibly locations.