HCM CITY—Mai Kiều Liên, general director of Việt Nam’s largest dairy firm Vinamilk, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award by Forbes Vietnam as part of the Women’ Summit 2018 taking place in HCM City on Thursday.

This is the first time Forbes Vietnam has announced this award.

Liên is the only Vietnamese women granted this award for her contributions and great influence on the sector and society.

She has been leading Vinamilk for over 40 years, making the company one of the most successful examples of State-owned enterprise equitisation.

Born in France in 1953, she graduated with an economic management degree in Russia. She returned to Việt Nam in 1984 and became vice director of Vinamilk. She has held key positions in the company for many years, especially the president and CEO until 2015. She now serves as Vinamilk’s general director.

Up to now, she is the only Vietnamese manager in Forbes’s “Asia’s 50 Powerful Businesswomen” list throughout 2012-15 and the only Vietnamese business woman awarded the Nikkei Asia Prize by Nikkei Inc in 2015.

Vinamilk is one of the most profitable brands in Việt Nam and a major blue chip on the local stock exchange with impressive growth since it was listed in 2006. Its current market value of US$10 billion, is 100 times higher than its debut value.

In 2017, Vinamilk recorded total revenue of over VNĐ51 trillion and paid VNĐ4.2 trillion to the State budget. Its brand is valued at $2.2 billion.

According to the research firm Nielsen, Vinamilk captures more than 50 per cent of the liquid milk market, more than 80 per cent of yogurt market share, 80 per cent of condensed milk market share and 40 per cent of formula market share.

It exports to more than 43 countries and territories with about 15 billion products being sold each year. — VNS