OUTSTANDING CATEGORY
Doan Thi Mai Huong
General Director
On striving to meet customers’ demands, Ms. Doan Thi Mai Huong, SASCO’s CEO, humbly expressed: “Our dayto-day work is fairly ordinary. Each and every SASCO staff on position would carefully and tactfully looks out for customers and always makes the best effort to ensure that the customers would enjoy the services, every single one of their needs fulfilled and their well-being cared for. In return, something as simple as a smile, a greeting, or a complimentary look from the customers would be more than a testament to the success of our staff in their busy workday at Tan San Nhat Airport.”
Indeed, SASCO people pride themselves on their dedication to customers, believing it a must-have quality of all services, and therefore making it one of many SASCO’s goals towards sustainable development. Ms Mai Huong started her career at SASCO in 1992, the only company she has ever worked for. What keeps her working for SASCO is the variety of interesting opportunities, evidenced by Ms Mai Huong’s diverse roles in legal, human resources, marketing at SASCO for many years. “There are a lot of opportunities within SASCO and Vietnamese non-aviation industry in general, with every move there is a new culture, new thing. I have never for a single day felt like I wasn’t challenged,” she says.
Ms Mai Huong started in legal, human resources, marketing role, which is the fundamental pillar for a nonaviation service company such as SASCO, helping her to develop a sense for understanding how customers feel and solving problems, making customers happy, essential to Ms Mai Huong’s role as CEO. Customer’s satisfaction is the most important reward to any corporate, and being able to transform someone’s frustration to satisfaction, noticing their voice tone shift from irritated to pleasant and grateful, and hearing them say they will return to our company with their business is a very rewarding experience, both personally and professionally.”
Since appointed to serve as the company CEO, Ms Mai Huong helped the company to consolidate its organizational structure, and to maintain the prestige of high-class products of the company. This is a part of modernizing the corporate governance, standardizing the quality of products and services, and improving the efficiency of the company. Effectively, transforming a traditional state company to a more competitive firm which still holding the same core value.
For 25 years of operation (1993–2018), SASCO has been growing and developed with remarkable achievements, especially after its equitization in 2015. Under the executive order of the Board of Directors, chiefly the CEO, to employ creativity and product differentiation, the company has broken many of its records on growth rate and revenues, assuredly proving itself as the leading airport service provider.
For example, the 2018 revenue estimates at VND 2,626.92 billion (approximately $113 million), 5.1% higher than expected for 2018, posing a 10.6 % increase compared to 2017’s; profit registered at VND 408.8 billion (approximately $17.5 million), up 22.3 % than expected for 2018, meaning a 16.9 % increase from 2017’s; tax expenses VND 92.43 billion, 17% more than the plan for 2018. Tan Son Nhat Airport continues to welcome many positive changes, from increased investments or general overhaul of SASCO, to development of the airport service with a view to quality and top-notch customer service aiming to make each and every spent a minute of satisfaction and utmost comfort. In the meantime, expansion progress also shows positive signs. However, what SASCO is most proud of is its contributions to the betterment of socioeconomical scenes in areas where it is present.
Thanks to many of its financial achievements, as well as its significant contributions to the community, SASCO has been awarded with many prizes and certifications. To name a few: Top 10 Retailers (2017–2018); Top 500 Most Profitable Companies in Vietnam (2017–2018); Top 500 Biggest Businesses in Vietnam (Top VNR 500) for 11 consecutive years; Top 10 Sustainable Service Companies by Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development (under Vietnam Government); Vietnam Value (the National Branding Program organized by Ministry of Industry and Commerce to promote the country’s image and brand through well-branded products).
“Possessing a strong charisma, Ms. Huong however never distances herself from her colleagues, who dearly and heartily address her “Madam.” One of them comments: “She inspires us, gives us much needed guidance and the burning desire to keep working, the unyielding love for the job.” Inspiring and cooperating with more than 1,100 employees, the determined CEO has pushed further the corporate culture, all the while leads the company forward with progress after progress.”
Thanks to her innovative mindset, Ms. Mai Huong is well reputed and well-regarded by her business partners and clients alike. “Vietnam’s joining the global economy opened up many opportunities for the country’s businesses while also placing them in a fierce competition. However, SASCO, with an aim to transparency and sustainable development, is fully aware of what fair competition really means – competition that contributes to the progress of the society and is profitable not only to the businesses, but also to the community and the laborers at large,” said Ms. Huong.
Possessing a strong charisma, Ms. Huong however never distances herself from her colleagues, who dearly and heartily address her “Madam.” One of them comments: “She inspires us, gives us much needed guidance and the burning desire to keep working, the unyielding love for the job.” Inspiring and cooperating with more than 1,100 employees, the determined CEO has pushed further the corporate culture, all the while leads the company forward with progress after progress.
Ms. Mai Huong emphasizes how SASCO’s numerous accomplishments come from what she calls the “Journey of Happiness.” For 25 years, SASCO has reaped many profits from the sustainable development on its own human resource scheme. “We make sure that our employees are happy, and thus the customers would also be just as happy. We understand that the ‘Journey of Happiness’ must first begin from within ourselves, the staff on position, before spreading to the customers.” SASCO’s human resource scheme aims at developing the employees with all their intrinsic resources, encouraging them to make the best use of their potentials, their specialties, and thereby better reflecting their inner values.
Within the current development context of the country, the entrepreneur’s responsibility and spirit shall be stronger than ever. Aside from her effective administration contributing to the growth of Vietnam’s aviation industry, Ms. Mai Huong makes sure to participate in person the events organised for other altruistic goals. Social programs, such as supports to foster gifted students, aids for disadvantaged community and for alleviating the damages of natural disasters, environment protection, and environmentally conscious consumer campaign, have proved beneficial and effective. A figure of great importance, Ms. Mai Huong representing SASCO as member of Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development, the founding member of Vietnam Business Coalition for Women’s Empowerment, and a pioneering business working towards sustainable development and gender equality in Vietnam’s business culture, as well as bringing Vietnam’s trademarks to the global scale.
SASCO will continue pushing for sustainable development by focusing more on production, differentiation, maintaining its status as the leading airport service in Vietnam, all the while undergoing steady expansion, reaching out to other non-aviation markets with its own specialties.
Ms Mai Huong emphasized the relationship between sustainable developmentand and corporation’s goal. This is really about building trust not only in companies, but also in your markets, in the sectors and in the economy as a whole. It’s about adapting strategies and business models to rise above the fray of short-termism.
A sustainable development is also a socially responsible corporation. At SASCO, sustainable development is made up of three elements: responsibility for the development of the economy; responsibility for the development of people, society and community; responsibility for nature and the environment. And those contributions must be practical and effective.”
OUTSTANDING CATEGORY
Doan Thi Mai Huong
General Director
On striving to meet customers’ demands, Ms. Doan Thi Mai Huong, SASCO’s CEO, humbly expressed: “Our dayto-day work is fairly ordinary. Each and every SASCO staff on position would carefully and tactfully looks out for customers and always makes the best effort to ensure that the customers would enjoy the services, every single one of their needs fulfilled and their well-being cared for. In return, something as simple as a smile, a greeting, or a complimentary look from the customers would be more than a testament to the success of our staff in their busy workday at Tan San Nhat Airport.”
Indeed, SASCO people pride themselves on their dedication to customers, believing it a must-have quality of all services, and therefore making it one of many SASCO’s goals towards sustainable development. Ms Mai Huong started her career at SASCO in 1992, the only company she has ever worked for. What keeps her working for SASCO is the variety of interesting opportunities, evidenced by Ms Mai Huong’s diverse roles in legal, human resources, marketing at SASCO for many years. “There are a lot of opportunities within SASCO and Vietnamese non-aviation industry in general, with every move there is a new culture, new thing. I have never for a single day felt like I wasn’t challenged,” she says.
Ms Mai Huong started in legal, human resources, marketing role, which is the fundamental pillar for a nonaviation service company such as SASCO, helping her to develop a sense for understanding how customers feel and solving problems, making customers happy, essential to Ms Mai Huong’s role as CEO. Customer’s satisfaction is the most important reward to any corporate, and being able to transform someone’s frustration to satisfaction, noticing their voice tone shift from irritated to pleasant and grateful, and hearing them say they will return to our company with their business is a very rewarding experience, both personally and professionally.”
Since appointed to serve as the company CEO, Ms Mai Huong helped the company to consolidate its organizational structure, and to maintain the prestige of high-class products of the company. This is a part of modernizing the corporate governance, standardizing the quality of products and services, and improving the efficiency of the company. Effectively, transforming a traditional state company to a more competitive firm which still holding the same core value.
For 25 years of operation (1993–2018), SASCO has been growing and developed with remarkable achievements, especially after its equitization in 2015. Under the executive order of the Board of Directors, chiefly the CEO, to employ creativity and product differentiation, the company has broken many of its records on growth rate and revenues, assuredly proving itself as the leading airport service provider.
For example, the 2018 revenue estimates at VND 2,626.92 billion (approximately $113 million), 5.1% higher than expected for 2018, posing a 10.6 % increase compared to 2017’s; profit registered at VND 408.8 billion (approximately $17.5 million), up 22.3 % than expected for 2018, meaning a 16.9 % increase from 2017’s; tax expenses VND 92.43 billion, 17% more than the plan for 2018. Tan Son Nhat Airport continues to welcome many positive changes, from increased investments or general overhaul of SASCO, to development of the airport service with a view to quality and top-notch customer service aiming to make each and every spent a minute of satisfaction and utmost comfort. In the meantime, expansion progress also shows positive signs. However, what SASCO is most proud of is its contributions to the betterment of socioeconomical scenes in areas where it is present.
Thanks to many of its financial achievements, as well as its significant contributions to the community, SASCO has been awarded with many prizes and certifications. To name a few: Top 10 Retailers (2017–2018); Top 500 Most Profitable Companies in Vietnam (2017–2018); Top 500 Biggest Businesses in Vietnam (Top VNR 500) for 11 consecutive years; Top 10 Sustainable Service Companies by Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development (under Vietnam Government); Vietnam Value (the National Branding Program organized by Ministry of Industry and Commerce to promote the country’s image and brand through well-branded products).
“Possessing a strong charisma, Ms. Huong however never distances herself from her colleagues, who dearly and heartily address her “Madam.” One of them comments: “She inspires us, gives us much needed guidance and the burning desire to keep working, the unyielding love for the job.” Inspiring and cooperating with more than 1,100 employees, the determined CEO has pushed further the corporate culture, all the while leads the company forward with progress after progress.”
Thanks to her innovative mindset, Ms. Mai Huong is well reputed and well-regarded by her business partners and clients alike. “Vietnam’s joining the global economy opened up many opportunities for the country’s businesses while also placing them in a fierce competition. However, SASCO, with an aim to transparency and sustainable development, is fully aware of what fair competition really means – competition that contributes to the progress of the society and is profitable not only to the businesses, but also to the community and the laborers at large,” said Ms. Huong.
Possessing a strong charisma, Ms. Huong however never distances herself from her colleagues, who dearly and heartily address her “Madam.” One of them comments: “She inspires us, gives us much needed guidance and the burning desire to keep working, the unyielding love for the job.” Inspiring and cooperating with more than 1,100 employees, the determined CEO has pushed further the corporate culture, all the while leads the company forward with progress after progress.
Ms. Mai Huong emphasizes how SASCO’s numerous accomplishments come from what she calls the “Journey of Happiness.” For 25 years, SASCO has reaped many profits from the sustainable development on its own human resource scheme. “We make sure that our employees are happy, and thus the customers would also be just as happy. We understand that the ‘Journey of Happiness’ must first begin from within ourselves, the staff on position, before spreading to the customers.” SASCO’s human resource scheme aims at developing the employees with all their intrinsic resources, encouraging them to make the best use of their potentials, their specialties, and thereby better reflecting their inner values.
Within the current development context of the country, the entrepreneur’s responsibility and spirit shall be stronger than ever. Aside from her effective administration contributing to the growth of Vietnam’s aviation industry, Ms. Mai Huong makes sure to participate in person the events organised for other altruistic goals. Social programs, such as supports to foster gifted students, aids for disadvantaged community and for alleviating the damages of natural disasters, environment protection, and environmentally conscious consumer campaign, have proved beneficial and effective. A figure of great importance, Ms. Mai Huong representing SASCO as member of Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development, the founding member of Vietnam Business Coalition for Women’s Empowerment, and a pioneering business working towards sustainable development and gender equality in Vietnam’s business culture, as well as bringing Vietnam’s trademarks to the global scale.
SASCO will continue pushing for sustainable development by focusing more on production, differentiation, maintaining its status as the leading airport service in Vietnam, all the while undergoing steady expansion, reaching out to other non-aviation markets with its own specialties.
Ms Mai Huong emphasized the relationship between sustainable developmentand and corporation’s goal. This is really about building trust not only in companies, but also in your markets, in the sectors and in the economy as a whole. It’s about adapting strategies and business models to rise above the fray of short-termism.
A sustainable development is also a socially responsible corporation. At SASCO, sustainable development is made up of three elements: responsibility for the development of the economy; responsibility for the development of people, society and community; responsibility for nature and the environment. And those contributions must be practical and effective.”