Chris originally came to Vietnam in 1998 when the Furama Resort Danang was just opening, the first five-star resort in the entire country. Since leaving the Furama, he moved on to Property Management in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, working both as a consultant and later becoming the Head of Property Management in Hanoi for Chesterton Petty (later merged and rebranded as Savills).

He built up a portfolio of projects for Chesterton, from high-end luxury apartment buildings to mixed- use commercial properties. He also worked heavily in the area of development advisory, reviewing land usage plans as well as collaborating with project owners to assist in design layout and functionality of several buildings in the Hanoi skyline today.

Chris stepped away from property development for awhile to develop his marketing skills as he took on the role of Director of Northern Operations for Destination Asia,.  In this role, he oversaw the daily operations of this high-end luxury travel and incentive business, and spent a great deal of time travelling to Europe, the United States, and Canada to promote Vietnam as a destination for foreign travellers.

From there it was back to property, helping to start a company called New Peaks JSC, where he was Managing Director overseeing the establishment of the company and its direction in areas of property development and advisory. At the same time, Chris helped found the property services company Viethomecare in Da Nang.

Ultimately though, his heart has always been in Da Nang, having witnessed the development of that great city over 20 years.  When he was offered the job of General Director for Indochina Riverside Towers and Riverside Tower Commercial Center, it was the perfect way for Chris to resettle permanently in Da Nang.

With a background in Management and Marketing from Boston College after serving in the United States Navy, Chris’ diverse background in Vietnam and passion to develop Da Nang allow him to contribute unique strengths to AmCham Vietnam and its members.

Since September 2020, Michael Kelly has served as the CEO of BRG Hospitality. BRG is the premier hospitality company in Vietnam operating and developing numerous local and International brand hotels, resorts, restaurants, and golf courses thru out Vietnam; including Sheraton Grand in Da Nang, Sheraton Nha Trang, Hilton Opera Hanoi, Hilton Garden in both Hanoi and Vung Tau, InterContinental Hanoi West Lake, and Four Seasons Hanoi.

Prior to joining BRG Hospitality, Michael for the past five years served as the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, CEO and General Director of the Ho Tram Project Company. The Ho Tram Project Company wholly owns and operates The Grand Ho Tram Strip (the most awarded integrated resort in Vietnam) and the Bluffs Golf Course (ranked in the top 100 course in the World) in Ba Ria – Vung Tau.

Michael has over 30 years of experience in the hospitality/casino industry in both the private and public sectors and has served as the CEO, COO, President, CFO, and CMO of some of the largest hospitality companies in the United States. Prior to relocating fulltime to Vietnam in September 2015, Michael also owned and operated two integrated resorts in North America.

He earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Villanova University (USA).

Michael currently leads the newly launched law firm of EY Indochina, a fast growing team of 15 corporate lawyers based in Ho Chi Minh City.  EY Law Global has over 4,000 lawyers in 85 offices around the world, and now intends to expand quickly throughout ASEAN.  Michael will head this expansion process in Indochina.

Michael has over 20 years’ experience in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and corporate law.  Prior to joining EY, Michael worked as a corporate attorney at Sullivan & Cromwell in New York, London and Los Angeles, as well as Debevoise & Plimpton in New York, focusing on international corporate bankruptcy, securities and M&A work.    He is a member of the bar of New York and California and is a licensed foreign lawyer in Vietnam.

Outside of law, Michael worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company in their pharmaceutical practice group and managed his own hedge funds for a decade.

Michael graduated magna cum laude from Cornell University, received his M.A. from Princeton University and his J.D. from Yale Law School.  He also studied at both Cambridge University in the UK and Georg-August University in Germany.

Liviu, a Romanian national, is General Manager of Universal Alloy Corporation Vietnam (UACV), a subsidiary of Montana Tech Components AG. UACV had the groundbreaking ceremony for its Da Nang facility in March 2019 and has been in operation since January 2020. UACV provides the aviation & aerospace industry with aluminum alloy components.

Under Liviu’s leadership, UACV already has achieved several important milestones. The project has been highly valued by the Da Nang authorities for its completion commitments and being ahead of the scheduled targets. Da Nang authorities have highlighted the success of UACV’s project in order to attract more international high-technology manufacturing investment into Danang.

With a background in engineering, Liviu started his career in Electrolux as a mechanical engineer and later began working for UAC company from 2013. In 7 years, he gradually gained experience, skills, and knowledge in leadership, program management, operation management, and quality management in the aviation and aerospace industry.

Luke is Managing Director of Strategy for Vietnam and Cambodia, and has over 10 years of experience in management consulting and financial services across Asia.

Relevant Industry Experience

• Led a strategy engagement in visioning Vietnam as a regional Life Science hub for a Foreign Research-based Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association in Vietnam
• Led a market study on medical devices, laundry and central sterile supply services in Cambodia for a Thailand investor
• Led a research on Vietnam’s self-care industry for a leading American drug manufacturer
• Led a market study on Vietnam’s healthcare market with focus on primary care, ambulatory care, tertiary care and diagnostic centers
• Led a pricing strategy project for one of the largest private healthcare service providers in Vietnam
• Led a social and economic impact assessment service on Vietnam’s innovative pharmaceutical industry to quantify the social and economic impact, as well as articulate value propositions
• Hospital expansion strategy for one of Hanoi’s premiere foreign hospital brands;
• Assisted one of the largest Korean beauty retail chains in designing market entry retail strategy to support its future expansion in Vietnamese market
• JCI rollout strategy for one of China’s largest foreign-invested private hospitals;
• Hospital investment strategy assistance for America hospital operator seeing to expand in to China market;
• Government customer journey and market sounding for America’s largest computer hardware manufacturer operating in China;
• Vertical integration strategy for Fortune 100 American semiconductor company that was exploring near-patient monitoring space. Project focused on a buy-vs-build China-market medical device strategy assessment;