This was the key message of leaders who spoke at the Vietnamese Women Entrepreneurs' Forum: Leadership for Sustainable Growth held here yesterday. — Photo dddn

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Female Vietnamese entrepreneurs should adopt new ways of thinking and provide innovative leadership to ensure the sustainable development of their businesses.

This was the key message of leaders who spoke at the Vietnamese Women Entrepreneurs' Forum: Leadership for Sustainable Growth held here yesterday.

More than 200 female entrepreneurs from all over the country took part in the forum that the US Agency for International Development and Hanoi Association for Women Entrepreneurs (HNEW) organised.

The forum aimed to improve female entrepreneurs' ability to respond to opportunities in Viet Nam's economic transition, including foreign investment, the Trans-Pacific Partnership and engagement with the One ASEAN Economic Community.

It also provided practical information to improve talent management, change management, and meeting demand to comply effectively with international business standards, particularly in accounting and auditing.

Ha Thi Thu Thanh, HNEW president and concurrent general director of Deloitte Vietnam, stressed that in the context of globalisation and international integration, the business community in general and female entrepreneurs in particular should actively participate in the world market while following international laws to minimise differences with other countries and ensure sustainable development.

"The important and core pre-factor for enterprise leaders is modern leadership thinking, together with factors of human resources and the environment," Thanh said.

She added that leadership thinking with the will and desire for innovation would have a direct impact on businesses' development.

In recent years, the percentage of female Vietnamese entrepreneurs has significantly increased to 25 per cent a year. The country is aiming for an annual rate of 35 per cent by 2020.

Female Vietnamese entrepreneurs have affirmed their bravery and talent in business. However, in addition to common challenges due to the global economic crisis, female entrepreneurs are limited in business ability, management experience, legal knowledge of domestic and international regulations and competitiveness.

Most businesses owned by women are small and medium enterprises that lack long-term strategies as well as risk and human resource management, brand development and strategic relationship building.

The HNEW president also shared the successful experiences of Deloitte's leaders, who prioritised the nurturing of talented and open-minded leaders while improving their professional skills. — VNS