Since July 2015, Mondelez Kinh Do Viet Nam has been part of a global snacking powerhouse, Mondelēz International (MDLZ). A rapidly growing business can be a great place to work, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuong Van, HR lead of Mondelez Kinh Do VN shares with VietNamNet about the importance of human resource strategy and building corporate culture in the development of Mondelez in Vietnam.

What approach did MDLZ take for integration in terms of human resources? 

Since July 2015, Mondelez Kinh Do Viet Nam has been part of a global snacking powerhouse, Mondelēz International (MDLZ). Our combined portfolio includes leading snack brands from Vietnam and around the world.

From the beginning, our HR priority has been to integrate the Kinh Do business into MDLZ smoothly, which has now been completed. We bought a successful business, and took the “best of both” approach to integrate and harmonize the two companies. We recognized the difference in the operating models of multinational companies and local companies. And therefore we put a lot of effort and energy into managing the change and creating a new culture. MDLZ-Kinh Do has an amazing combined portfolio of local and international brands, which is why we have aspired to keep an entrepreneurial culture while embracing MDLZ’s international way of working. We recently measured our engagement levels through a global company survey with good results. 

What human resources programs is MDLZ working on? How does your program differentiate from other corporations in Vietnam?  

HR programs are at the service of our business growth ambition.

We develop people through various coaching programs delivered by functional experts, we introduced contemporary skills on change management and resourcefulness. We serve the need of every-day-learning through Mondelez International University, providing more than 100,000 on-line training programs and sharing forums.

At Mondelez, we are offering a unique mix of a start-up and a well-established international working environment. New employees can enjoy a fast pace of decision making, the leading local innovation if they are working on local products line such as fresh bread and Mooncake. Others can enjoy mobilizing a professional matrix network with global stakeholders if they are working on global power brands (such as Oreo, LU, Ritz….). This unique mix give diverse opportunity for life-long employability skills which not many other companies can offer.

Other corporations are mainly focused on localizing executive positions. What do you think about this and what is MDLZ’s strategy in developing these human resources?

We do believe local talent is our key success factor, to serve and grow in Viet Nam. Our leadership team has maintained majority of local talents since day 1 post acquisition. We brought foreign experts to transfer key know-how but most of the function leads are our local talents. We continue implementing such strategy.

We operate now with very few foreigners and most of the key management positions are occupied by Vietnamese talents. We put also high importance about diversity and we have more than 40% female in leadership and management positions.

What activities to grow young talent for Viet Nam market?

Beyond all the development programs I mentioned above, we also started our internship program last year where young talents are recruited and cultivated. The first batch was focused on sales and manufacturing interns, and we will be expanding to all functions next year. We have also rolled out internal coaching programs to prepare young talents for promotion or international assignments.

What are the key factors for young people who want to develop their career in MDLZ? What do they need to do to develop themselves?

Young talents today possess strong passion and energy to win. They just need to quickly acquire business acumen and demonstrate the ability to make the right decisions. Emotional intelligence and influencing skills are also important when they enter the workforce as they will have to interact with a diverse range of people.

We help our young people to plan their career journey in 3 stages – firstly as an individual contributor, then as a manager and finally as a leader. In this way, they can prepare themselves and identify their self-development areas with the support of their line managers, be it on functional skills, management skills or leadership skills. The role of our managers is to provide coaching and development as we strongly believe our leaders are here to serve, not to be served. 

How do you think MDLZ employees will respond if we ask them about their corporate culture? 

Then you should ask my employees rather me (smile).

We have seven values that are important to us and also serve as a guideline for our people’s behavior. One of our values is “Tell it like it is”, which means we encourage our people to be authentic and honest. This placesthe fundamental for trust building and it is essential in our collaborative organization. Our other values also guide our collaboration with other functions and across countries such as “keeping it simple” and “discuss, decide, deliver”. 

We encourage our people to identify their personal purposes in life and fulfill their dreams. To this end, we offer career development both in Vietnam and abroad. 

As an employee, I personally think that Mondelez is very strong in delivering result and offering freedom. I experience the demanding environment where I constantly have to challenge myself for the best. In a meanwhile, I enjoy the sincere environment where I can work across functions or across levels without hierarchy. That is important to me as it allows me to be myself and explore my full potential. Kinh Do also gave us a legacy of a supportive, friendly culture where I personally feel safe and feel being cared at work.

In the next 3-5 years, what is the focus of and strategy for HR?  

Now that we have the right talents, structure, processes and tools in place, our key focus for the next 5 years will be to develop the skill-sets for growth and to continue engaging our people by creating a great place to grow long-term careers. 

Nguyen Dat