It was the summer of 2011 when Hien joined IDP Connect. That year Game of Thrones had just hit our screens, Novak Djokovic won his first Wimbledon title and News of the World printed its last paper. A decade is significant, a good span of time to reflect on the highs and lows of a career as well as personal growth. With ten years working at IDP Connect Hien has steadily risen through the ranks, starting out as an inquisitive fresh-faced intern to become Regional Digital Marketing Director today.
Living the dream and intern life
Armed with a master’s degree in communications from the University of Westminster, Hien started looking for her first job. It was exciting but nerve-wracking to finally make the leap into big city life pursuing the dream of working in London. Like many international students, Hien had chosen to study in the UK, travelling from the other side of the world in Vietnam to start a new life. The emotional upheavals and challenges often tied up with studying abroad like homesickness, otherness, isolation and simply keeping on top of a spiraling load of university work are sometimes overlooked. “It was a completely new experience for me from an environment in Vietnam, the way of working, the methodologies. It took me a while to get used to the culture, the environment and the way of studying,” Hien recalls.
Determined and optimistic, Hien eventually landed herself a six-month internship at Hotcourses within a brand-new team and department. She vividly remembers it being “like a startup” and, eager to take on responsibilities, she immersed herself in the new role and the company fortuitously rewarded her with the perfect training ground. “We had to teach ourselves how to do everything from HTML, ads, creating social media pages, design, just everything so we learned so much... and because you did it yourself, you took responsibility in everything you did, so this celebration of learning was amazing.”
Learn, grow and inspire
Fast-forward to 2012, Hien had made such excellent progress within the company, she was awarded employee of the month and describes feeling “over the moon” when discovering she had won. Make no mistake, there is a wealth of tech savvy, resilience, and conscientiousness behind Hien’s unassuming and soft-spoken demeanor. And she would later go on to win the Innovative Employee Award in 2015 after taking time off for maternity leave a year earlier, only fueled by what she calls “the determination of the working mum”.
In my late 2021 as a new starter, I was pleasantly surprised when Hien reached out via email, inviting me for a chat over MS Teams about the B2C side of the business, and later equipping me with an invaluable glossary of higher education jargon. If anything, it is clear Hien is enthusiastic about sharing knowledge but more importantly takes an active role in personal development. Lifelong learning is something she champions and has even implemented within her wider team. “Never stop learning and never stop sharing, that’s my team’s motto. We share ideas and best practices every digital weekly meeting and I’m very proud of this culture because I initiated it when I became team lead in 2013 and we’ve maintained it – learning from each other. It’s a great experience”.
Hien explains that ten years in the company has helped her “grow personally and professionally” but if she could turn back time, she would listen more as she sometimes “lacked consideration for others” and focused entirely on the work outcomes when starting out as a fresh graduate. She understands there will always be challenges at work, such as during the first lockdown in early 2020, which she describes as “a crazy time” of juggling leading a team at work and childcare. Nonetheless, Hien is hugely inspired by the people around her and open to feedback, she credits her manager and colleagues for creating a positive working environment as well as helping her grow into her role, “I have an amazingly supportive team and it showed through my maternity leave and lockdowns.”
Diversity is key
Today a solid diversity and inclusion strategy is essential for any good business (ask anyone in Gen Z). And diversity is extremely important to Hien. The emphasis IDP Connect places on it is undoubtedly one of the reasons she has thrived within this organisation. It also relates to her family and first hand experiences outside of work. “Diversity is part of my life. I married a French man, so my children have three different cultures – Vietnamese, French and English. So home is very diverse.”
At work Hien has always been part of “a very diverse team, [made up of] people with different nationalities and cultures” and having a special kinship with her colleagues whilst being part of a company that puts people over profit resonates. She notes the company has worked extremely hard to be inclusive but believes there's still room for improvement, “there’s still a way to go but we are so much better than we were before,” in terms of inclusion.
“I want to be part of a responsible and caring organisation, not only for the employees but for the environment and for society. I’m glad to see that IDP is such a big organisation and puts so much effort into these areas...”
With a decade at IDP Connect, Hien has moved between a variety of roles, experienced ups and downs, and seen the company take shape to form the organisation it is today. When she joined in 2011 the company was known as Hotcourses, later to be acquired by IDP Education in 2017. She believes this offered an even greater opportunity to help students who were following the same path as her to fulfil their dreams.
“I was so excited when IDP bought us because before we were only able to provide advice and search on the platform. I received so many questions from users that I was not able to respond to, but now we have a dedicated team to consult such as in Vietnam or in other countries that can support the students all the way...”
Hien’s passion for people, products and technology makes her the ultimate IDP ambassador. She is incredibly energised by her colleagues, how they work, how they think differently from others and how they contribute to the community and hopes she can “somehow inspire others” in turn. The innovative spirit that runs through the company may be enough to keep her here for another ten years. She’s particularly proud of being part of devising IDP’s latest tech innovation, IDP Live which she sees as the future for international students but also providers. And for students and new graduates seeking wisdom to navigate the working world she recommends a blend of humility and more open-mindedness. There is no right and wrong in most cases, be open to others and feedback. It will help you to grow personally and professionally.”