2025 Board of Governors in HCMC – Biographic Information

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2025 Board of Governors in HCMC

Mark Gillin

CHAIR, Founder, Chairman, Managing Director, America Indochina Management Ltd. (AIM)

Mark Gillin has been identifying, developing and investing in business opportunities in Vietnam since 1993.

He is a founder and chairman of America Indochina Management Ltd. (AIM). Founded in 1993, AIM is one of the oldest American-owned companies in Vietnam. It has built and invested in market-leading businesses in a variety of sectors covering construction, furniture, healthcare, education, ecommerce, and hospitality.

Mark is a founding member of AmCham Vietnam. He has served 12 years as Governor, including one year as Chairman, three as Vice Chairman and one as Secretary. He provided input for the US-VN Bi-lateral Trade Agreement; the WTO agreement and the Transpacific Partnership (TPP). Committee and was Co-Chair of the VBF Tax and Customs Working Group.

He served as non-executive board member of Navigos/Vietnamworks, AA Corporation, Japan Medical Corporation, and Indochina Assets Limited.

He graduated with honors from Duke University with a BA in Policy Studies.

James Meffen

VICE CHAIR, CFO, AES Vietnam

James is a seasoned finance professional with extensive experience in the power and infrastructure sector spanning four continents and more than $3 billion in financings. Currently, he is the CFO of AES Vietnam. He is well-versed in the opportunities and challenges of the energy sector in Vietnam and the region and has a keen interest in promoting sustainable and innovative solutions.

James currently serves on the board of governors of AmCham and serves as Treasurer and board sponsor of the AmCham Energy Committee, where he contributes his insights and expertise to the policy dialogue and advocacy efforts.

James has lived in Vietnam since 2021 with his wife and four children. Prior to Vietnam, James lead the treasury for AES businesses in Europe and Asia.

Philip Ziter

VICE CHAIR, Senior Associate, Russin & Vecchi

With 12 years experience in Vietnam, I primarily advise on corporate and transactional matters, and on financing arrangements for Russin & Vecchi. My experience also includes acting as legal advisor to a handful of startup companies. My experience extends to the fintech, blockchain, and e-commerce industries, and I routinely advise tech companies entering and operating in the market. I advise manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, and many entities involved in cross-border transactions, on inbound investments that center on corporate finance, real estate, manufacturing, energy, intellectual property, and mergers and acquisitions.

I have been active with AmCham Vietnam, particularly with its Healthcare Committee, serving as its Legal Advisor since 2019. In this capacity, I’ve played an active role supporting the committee’s leadership team to advance its strategic plan: to serve as a key facilitator for both U.S. mission and stakeholders including people, government, and businesses to strengthen healthcare systems and expand access to healthcare and wellness in Vietnam.

Jesse Boone

TREASURER, Director of Campus Development, Fulbright University Vietnam

Jesse Boone has lived and worked in Vietnam since 2010. He has served as Director of Facilities and Campus Development at Fulbright University Vietnam since 2018, where his primary focus is developing the university’s 15ha flagship campus. Prior to that, he oversaw the development of the first phase of British University Vietnam’s campus in Hanoi, and has worked with Indochina Capital, where he managed the Indochina Plaza Hanoi (IPH) complex. This combination of professional experience has resulted in a passion for developing world-class campuses in Vietnam. He has served on the boards of AmCham Hanoi (2 terms), and of Operation Smile Vietnam. Jesse was raised in Kinshasa, Zaire, but is originally from New Jersey. Jesse holds a BA from George Washington University in Washington, DC, and an MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France. In his free time Jesse enjoys playing guitar, running, playing tennis, and cooking.

Le Thi Thanh

SECRETARY, Special Counsel, Baker & McKenzie

Thanh is a Special Counsel based in the Ho Chi Minh City office of Baker & McKenzie Vietnam. She is a core member of the corporate / M&A practice group, and is focused on mergers and acquisitions, and foreign direct investment, into Vietnam. She has extensive experience advising multinational companies from a wide range of industries, private equity houses, on cross-border investments and divestments, joint venture and fund raise, and the establishment of business and operations in Vietnam. Being a transactional lawyer, she is particularly strong in dealing with market entry advice, deal structuring, legal due diligence, and negotiations over transaction documents.

Before joining Baker & McKenzie, Thanh spent four years working at the Department of Planning and Investment of Ho Chi Minh City (the “DPI”), being the government authority that is in charge of foreign investment in Ho Chi Minh City. At the DPI, Thanh worked as a consultant/ governmental expert and had consulted, advised on and examined more than 300 investment projects from foreign individuals/organizations in Ho Chi Minh City.

She was also a member of the team at the DPI that contributed opinions to Project 30 launched by the then Prime Minister for the purpose of reducing administrative procedures by 30%. This was part of the regulatory reforms to modernize public service and simplify the regulatory environment for businesses from 2009 to 2010 in Vietnam.

Robert Connolly

General Director, Crossroads Vietnam Co, Ltd.

Robert (Bob) Connolly’s credentials include a Doctorate in Leadership (Creighton), an MBA in International Business and Finance (University of South Carolina), and a Master’s Degree in International Affairs (George Washington).

Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Dr. Connolly moved to Vietnam in 2004. As General Director of Crossroads Vietnam, he offers consulting, workshops, and coaching to help companies develop the Leadership, Skills, and Culture needed to grow their business. He is also an adjunct lecturer teaching MBA Leadership courses.

He has worked in several industries including Mortgage Banking, Electronics Manufacturing, and Education. At various times, he has been responsible for project management, financial modelling, business unit reviews and budgeting, consulting, international business and market development.

While completing his Doctorate in Leadership, the basis of his research was the study of innovation barriers. He continues to pursue activities to better understand how Vietnamese business leaders overcome barriers to changes required to compete internationally.

Thao Griffiths

Head of Public Policy, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Meta Platforms Inc.

Thao Griffiths joined Meta in December 2021, as Public Policy Head for Vietnam. From May 2023, she is additionally in charge of Public Policy in Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar.

Thao became a Commissioner of the International Commission on Missing Persons, a treaty- based intergovernmental organization with Headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands from 2022. She has also served as an inaugural member of the Advisory Committee of the Australian Government in Vietnam since March 2016. She has 19 years’ experience in management, public health, development, climate change, security policy, and IT related business.

Prior to Meta, Thao worked at the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry as Policy Advisor to the Chairman, where she played a key role bridging VCCI with both the private sector and key international partners. Government. In 2016, she spent a year in Switzerland at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy.

Thao worked across many fields in her professional life, with a particular focus on U.S.-Vietnam relations, including reconciliation and healing after the war. She served for nine years as Country Director for Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation in her 16-year tenure with the organization both in its Hanoi and Washington offices.

Thao has been a GCSP Security Leadership Fellow (Switzerland), an Endeavour Fellow (Australia), a Fulbright scholar (US), and an inaugural Eisenhower Fellow (US) from Vietnam in 2013. She has a master’s degree in systems engineering from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in international relations from the American University. Thao loves to row, cycle, race dragon boats and play table tennis competitively.

Van Ly

Partner, Raise Partners

Van is a partner at Raise Partners, an ESG and sustainability consulting practice in Vietnam. She thrives in brokering partnerships, mobilizing people behind social impact programs and initiatives, and helping others communicate about the impact they are making in their communities and around the world. She has extensive experience working in the private sector in corporate citizenship, branding, and communications and in the NGO sector in stakeholder engagement, fundraising, communications, and program management.

In 2020, she co-founded Raise Partners, a collaborative women-led consulting practice sharing expertise with organizations that contribute to the betterment of humanity. She serves as Co-Chair for AmCham’s ESG Committee and is also a member of the Steering Committee for Vietnam Business Forum’s Environment Working Group.

Michael Nguyen

Country Director, Boeing Vietnam

Michael Vu Nguyen is the Country Director of Boeing Vietnam, appointed to the role in September 2021. Based in Hanoi, Michael is responsible for strengthening Boeing’s presence in Vietnam and supporting the company’s growth opportunities in the country.

Prior to Boeing, Michael spent more than 30 years across a myriad of industries, including aviation, healthcare, education and manufacturing. Besides the U.S., Michael lived and worked in many countries in Europe, Latin America and Asia. Some highlights of his past U.S.-Vietnam experience included Vietnam Country Representative for ADC/HAS of Houston Airport System, and U.S. Chief Representative for Vinmec Healthcare System, a part of Vingroup.

Michael earned an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He speaks English, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Brad Segal

Co-Founder, Eddies Company Limited

Brad Segal brings over 30 years of diverse business experience in Vietnam, encompassing sourcing, manufacturing, retail, and food & beverage industries. His journey in Asia began in 1988 with Inchcape, a British conglomerate, where he eventually became a Regional GM overseeing hard lines sourcing across nine countries. In 1991, he established Inchcape’s Vietnam sourcing office.

In 1994, Brad ventured into entrepreneurship by establishing his own export, trading, and manufacturing business in Vietnam. Starting with IKEA as his first customer, he transformed his factory into a prominent home furnishings company, exporting to over 40 countries and collaborating with renowned retailers and importers globally.

Following his successful exit from manufacturing, Brad dedicated the past decade to building multiple retail and F&B brands in Saigon. Prior to relocating to Vietnam in 1995, he lived and worked in San Francisco, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Shanghai, gaining valuable experience in corporate and entrepreneurial roles in retail, manufacturing, and trading.

Born and raised in Minnesota, Brad holds a BA Degree in Business-Economics from The Colorado College and studied at City University Business School in London.

Tan Lin Sheng

Strategy & Operation Director, Intel Vietnam

Tan Lin Sheng (LS) is a seasoned professional with over 27 years extensive experience in business development, strategic planning, manufacturing operation, engineering management and technical maintenance. Currently serving as a Strategy and Operation Director at Intel Vietnam, LS has been instrumental in driving key initiatives that have significantly enhanced the Site Strategy presence and operational efficiency. With a robust Semiconductor assembly and test packaging (ATP) background in collaborating with cross-functional teams, LS excels in developing and implementing strategies that align with organizational goals.

LS started his career at Intel Malaysia and relocated to Intel Vietnam 12 years ago to start up the greenfield factory. He had successfully established a strong engineering talent Team for Product transfer. In addition, he had successfully established robust manufacturing team for production ramp for Intel Vietnam.

LS holds a bachelor’s degree in Bachelor of Electrical & Electronics Engineering from University Of Lincoln.

Marwane Tahri

Vice President, General Manager, P&G Vietnam

Marwane Tahri is the Vice President and General Manager of P&G Vietnam, where he is responsible for driving the strategic direction and overall growth of the company’s operations in the country. With 20 years of extensive experience at P&G, Marwane leverages his vast expertise to enhance market presence and strengthen the leading brand portfolio Vietnam.

Marwane began his P&G career in 2004 as a Sales Representative in Morocco. He has substantial experience working across multiple categories and geographies such as North-West Africa, and Arabian Peninsula; as well as in general management, commercial operations, distributor/advanced customer management, and go-to-market reinvention. Between 2018-23, Marwane has held multiple leadership roles in the North-West Africa Market Operations, where he has a proven track record of achieving top and bottom-line results while growing categories and improving brand equity.

Regarding his passion for business and organizational development, Marwane is committed to a transformative yet sustainable impact on both businesses and organizations. He emphasizes influential leadership, collaboration, and excellence in execution. Additionally, he is a dedicated advocate for advancing equality and inclusion, promoting sustainability, and creating a strong community impact.

Hao Tran

CEO, Vietcetera Media

Hao currently serves as the CEO of Vietcetera Media, a digital media network that he co-founded in 2016.

Vietcetera’s mission from day one has been to bring Vietnam to the world, and the world to Vietnam.

Hao has shared on trends in Vietnam and greater Southeast Asia including and not limited to venture capital, technology startups, food and beverage, tourism, retail and trade. His insights and projects have been featured on media outlets such as Monocle, CNBC, CNN, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the LA Times, and Bloomberg.

Aside from Vietcetera, he advises a number of SMEs, family offices, and Fortune 500 companies seeking expertise in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, helping strategize key decisions including long-term growth, delivery models and business expansion.

He is also a moderator and speaker at global conferences, as well as a host to visiting international dignitaries and business leaders to Vietnam.

A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Hao’s career has led him to both coasts of the US, the UK, India and now Vietnam.

Hao is also an angel investor in technology startups in the US and Vietnam and F&B ventures in Vietnam.

Thanh Tran

Director, Policy & Public Affairs, Pfizer APAC Emerging Markets

Thanh is a valued member of the Pfizer Global Corporate Affairs team, focused on APAC Emerging Markets. Since 2014, he has played a pivotal role in Pfizer’s leadership in Vietnam, bringing a wealth of expertise in policy and legal frameworks to the Vietnamese pharmaceutical industry. His substantial contributions have been crucial in advancing Pfizer’s operations and nurturing the growth of the nation’s pharmaceutical sector over the past decade.

Before his tenure at Pfizer, Thanh gained over ten years of valuable experience in government affairs and legal counsel, working with renowned corporations such as KPMG, Ford, Dow Chemical, and British-American Tobacco in Vietnam. In addition, he served as the Head of Information Technology at a Vietnam state-owned bank in Vietnam for eight years.

Thanh is an alum of Hanoi University of Law. He furthered his education with an MBA from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) center in Vietnam, obtained in 2004. Moreover, Thanh enhanced his financial acumen with a Diploma in Banking Management from the Swiss Finance Institute, achieved in 2012.

Luke Treloar

Partner, National Head of Strategy Group and National Head of Healthcare and Life Science, KPMG Vietnam

Luke is a career KPMG strategy consultant with extensive Emerging and Frontier Market experience. Throughout his consulting career, he has been responsible for designing, developing, and implementing high-profile, profitable, and mission-critical solutions for global Fortune 500 clients. This has included market entry and expansion strategies, acquisition target analysis, operational turnarounds, regulatory and risk management, restructurings, and market exits. Luke is the co-chair of the Healthcare Committee, the Partner in Charge of Strategy Consulting for KPMG Vietnam and Cambodia, and runs the firm’s Healthcare and Life Sciences practice.

Anil Viswanathan

Vice President & Managing Director, Mondelez Kinh Do Vietnam

Anil Viswanathan is Vice President and Managing Director of Mondelez Kinh Do Vietnam. Anil is responsible for driving the Vietnam business while also being part of the SEA Leadership team. He has assumed this position from Sep 1, 2022. In the past 2 years, Anil has taken forward the Mondelez 2030 strategy in the country with Mondelez receiving external recognition in multiple forums for excellence in Growth, Marketing, Operations, Sustainability and Culture. Anil has been an active member representing Mondelez in AmCham, PRO, USABC VN, MMA and other executive networks.

Prior to this, Anil was the CMO at Mondelez India Foods Private Ltd. Anil was a part of the India BU Leadership Team and was responsible to drive a consolidated Snacking strategy with holistic management of all marketing levers, that included Insights, Analytics, Equity, Innovation and Activation, in line with Mondelez International’s “Local first, but not Local only”; approach to business. Anil also led the Consumer Digital practice for the business where he worked closely with the BU & Global technology teams in driving the digital transformation agenda for the business. In these years, Anil drove marketing and creative excellence with his teams & partner networks to create some of the most popular brand campaigns that won at multiple platforms like Effies India, Effies APAC, D&AD, One Show, MMA Smarties, IBLA etc. Most prominently at Cannes 2022 where the work on Cadbury Celebrations won India’s first ever Titanium Cannes Lion along with multiple other Cannes Lions. For his work, Anil has received the CMO of the year award in India at several ad forums.

Anil joined Mondelez India in May 2000 as a management trainee and has spent more than two decades in the company, across a variety of roles including Sales, Brand & Category marketing, Strategy and New Business Development. Over the last 20+ years, he has acquired several functional and shaping experiences across categories (Chocolates, Biscuits), functions (Sales, Marketing & Strategy) and geographies before returning to India in 2017. Anil was also a part of the Global Chocolate Team driving chocolate innovation based out of Zurich, Switzerland.

Anil holds an MBA in Marketing & Finance from IIM, Calcutta and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from IIT, Madras. He is married to Sangeetha, who works in the Non-Profit sector and they have a 15-year-old daughter, Suhasini.

Honorary Mem‌bers

Gregory Harris

Principal Commercial Officer, U.S. Commercial Service

Gregory Harris began his tour as PCO in Ho Chi Minh City in August 2023. PCO Harris will be responsible for commercial operations in southern Vietnam, one of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant commercial areas.

Before undertaking Vietnamese studies, PCO Harris finished his tour as PCO in Beijing China, our largest office which covers a territory with a GDP of $6 trillion dollars. In Beijing, his team helped client close more than a record $50 billion dollars in sales and investment contracts for U.S. entities. He was known for developing staff to numerous promotions and awards, including several Gold Medal Awards, the Commerce Department’s highest honor. He was also intimately involved in helping provide life-saving materials for the American people during the pandemic.

Previously, Mr. Harris was the Senior Commercial Officer and Director of the Commercial Service’s Liaison Office to the Asian Development Bank. In this regional leadership role, he helped U.S. firms bid on ADB projects in forty countries across Asia. He was also a pioneer in recognizing the strategic and commercial importance of the Pacific. Mr. Harris also led commercial operations in southern Taiwan as PCO in Kaohsiung.

Mr. Harris also served as team leader at two of our busiest commercial posts, Shanghai, and Taipei, where he was a global leader in helping clients achieve their export goals. Before entering international operations, he served clients from the US Export Assistance Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Mr. Harris earned a BA from the University of New Mexico and a MA from the Jackson School at the University of Washington. He is professionally qualified in Chinese and Vietnamese. A veteran, Mr. Harris served as a cryptologic linguist for the U.S. Air Force with tours in Japan and Korea. He is married with two children.

Matt Kustel

Economic Chief, U.S. Consulate Ho Chi Minh City

Matt is the Economic Chief at the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City. Matt’s prior tours include South Korea, the Office of Arabian Peninsula Affairs, India, and Laos. Matt grew up outside San Francisco and enjoys hiking, reading, and basketball. He is joined by his wife and three children.

2025 Board of Governors in HCMC – Biographic Information