Building a sustainable business in Southeast Asia
Born and raised in Canada, Brenda has extensive experience in international environments. She joined the Jardine Matheson Group (“Jardines”) in 2018 and has assumed roles across the region, including as an M&A Analyst at Dairy Farm Group in Hong Kong, and then as a Management Executive at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s property in Doha, Qatar. Today, she is the Head of Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) and Sustainable Development in Jardine Cycle & Carriage (“JC&C”), based in Singapore.
Brenda shares her experiences in Jardines and talks about how Jardines and JC&C are building a sustainable business.
JC&C: Tell us about yourself and the work you do at Jardines.
Brenda Nguyen: Hi, my name is Brenda and I am a Canadian-Vietnamese. I joined Jardines in 2018 starting off in Hong Kong in the Dairy Farm Group and then transferred to Mandarin Oriental in Doha. I have been based in Singapore since 2021, working for JC&C and am currently the Head of ESG and Sustainable Development.
Given my heritage as a child of two Vietnamese refugees who relocated to Canada in 1979, I am very excited to be working in Southeast Asia. I was first exposed to the different investment opportunities in the region after graduating from university in Canada and working for the Canadian government. While in their trade team, I realised the many opportunities Southeast Asia presented and the exciting growth prospects of Vietnam, which made me want to see what it was like for myself.
My current company, JC&C, holds Jardines’ significant investments in Vietnam. My role has meant that I am now closer to Vietnam and can value add to the Vietnamese assets while helping to build a sustainable business. We are investing a lot in Vietnam and I am able to be at the forefront of those investments, helping to create a greener future. Specifically for Vietnam, moving forward, they have an aggressive plan to transition from fossil fuels towards renewable energy, and JC&C is a company that is supporting the energy transition.
JC&C: As the Head of ESG and Sustainable Development at JC&C, how are you enabling Jardines to embed ESG into its strategy?
Brenda Nguyen: Primarily, I am helping to formulate and implement the ESG strategy to help our business become more sustainable and resilient. I have always taken a keen interest in strategy development and was very excited when presented with the opportunity to shape and implement the sustainability strategy for JC&C. At Jardines, and likewise JC&C, sustainability is a core part of our business strategy, and initiatives are being implemented at all levels. We are learning new things every day and collectively, working to build resilience within our businesses while striving to positively impact society.
Sustainability or ESG is an extremely exciting place to be. It’s fast-paced. You always need to be on your toes and keep abreast of all the different changes in the world. And this is what I like because, for me, I enjoy absorbing a lot of information, digesting it, and coming up with a strategy or a vision for the future. I feel like this is where my value add is, and I can help make an impact.
One of my biggest projects to-date was when JC&C embarked on getting ourselves TCFD*-aligned through scientifically-based scenario analyses on our physical and transitional risks across our portfolio. It is apparent that urgent action is needed to limit human influences on global warming. JC&C wants to be a part of the solution and as such, we are aligning ourselves to TCFD through adopting mitigation and adaptation measures, as well as making sustainable and resilient investment decisions.
Specific to Vietnam, I am excited that JC&C supports the country and the Vietnamese government’s energy transition plans through our investments in renewables. Vietnam has previously been reliant on thermal coal for power, but the country wants to change this and has substantive subsidies and policies to support hydro and solar power investments. I am lucky to be in my position today at Jardines; we believe in building a more sustainable future, and thus are actively supporting Vietnam’s transition towards a low carbon economy.
*Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures
JC&C: What were some of the key highlights throughout your career journey at Jardines?
Brenda Nguyen: Prior to Jardines, I worked at a consulting firm in Vietnam in 2017. While consulting gave me good exposure and experience in the region, I wanted to be involved in more hands-on implementation projects. That was when I decided to join Jardines. Being a diversified Asian-based conglomerate, Jardines allowed me to work in Asia and be exposed to the different economies and businesses.
In my first role as an M&A analyst for the Dairy Farm Group, I had the privilege to work with amazing leaders and to be part of the team looking at M&A opportunities. One of the highlights of my experience was helping to close a deal in the Philippines.
After a rewarding year in Hong Kong, I was posted to Mandarin Oriental in Doha. Even though I could have worked in a back-office role, I decided to start from the ground up as I wanted the complete hospitality experience and be front of house, engaging directly with customers. After gaining a better understanding of the hotel’s operations, I supported many transformation projects to help strengthen the customer experience for the hotel.
I think Jardine is great because they give you so many different opportunities to grow and develop yourself. I have had a lot of opportunities to help grow the business. At Dairy Farm Group in 2018, they were going through a massive transformation and experiencing social unrest in Hong Kong. I was at the forefront, helping the CEO and CFO to navigate and manage through that crisis. When I moved to Mandarin Oriental in Doha, COVID-19 hit. The luxury hospitality industry was affected. There, I helped find new opportunities for the business to grow, supported the team with its e-commerce development, and helped code the website myself, which was quite exciting.
Throughout my time, I have learned that being a part of Jardines means that you are a part of a family. The company cares about your development and tries hard to provide you with exposure and opportunities to move around Jardines as it suits your career ambitions and as business opportunities allow.