Mai Kieu Lien

CEO and Board Member — Vinamilk

About Mai Kieu Lien

Key facts Role: Chief executive and executive board member Organisation: Vinamilk (Vietnam Dairy Products JSC) Country: Vietnam Sector: Dairy Headline figures: 2025 consolidated revenue of VND63.724 trillion; herd of more than 130,000 dairy cows On 23 July 2026, at Vinamilk's 50th-anniversary celebration in Hanoi, Vice-President Vo Thi Anh Xuan presented Mai Kieu Lien with the Third-Class Independence Order, her second award of the honour after 2022, the Voice of Vietnam reported. The award recognised her pioneering role in Vietnam's dairy industry. The company was named a Labour Hero for the second time at the same event. Lien has run Vinamilk for more than three decades, and she now faces two tasks at once: pushing the company into higher-value products and preparing for a change at the top. The role Lien is chief executive and an executive board member of Vietnam Dairy Products JSC (Vinamilk), the country's dairy leader, which is listed in Ho Chi Minh City. In 2025 the group reported consolidated revenue of VND63.724 trillion, up 3.1 per cent, and pre-tax profit of VND9.414 trillion, roughly flat. Domestic revenue was more than VND50.9 trillion and exports VND6.546 trillion, up 16.5 per cent, according to figures presented at its April 2026 shareholder meeting. The company says its herd exceeds 130,000 dairy cows, producing about 410,000 tonnes of raw milk a year. As chief executive she directs product, supply-chain, distribution and export strategy, under the supervision of a board with international members. Background She has spent almost her whole career in the industry. After studying meat and milk processing in Moscow, she joined in 1976 as an engineer at the Truong Tho dairy plant, a forerunner of Vinamilk. She rose through technical posts and studied economic management in Leningrad before becoming deputy general director in 1984. She has been general director since December 1992, and she also chaired the board from 2003 to 2015. She was a member of the Communist Party Central Committee from 1996 to 2001 and was named a Labour Hero in 2005. A testing year The past year tested the company. Speaking at the 2026 annual meeting, she called 2025 a "trial by fire", with domestic purchasing power down 2.4 per cent, rising input costs and fiercer competition, trade outlet TCTD reported. Her answer has been restructuring. Vinamilk completed a rebrand covering more than 300 products in 15 categories and pushed premium lines such as A2 milk, Green Farm, kombucha and gelato. It also expanded its own shops to about 800, with a target of 1,000 in 2026, and rebuilt traditional distribution alongside direct-to-consumer and e-commerce channels. It launched more than 100 new products in 2025. Domestic revenue rose 24.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, a sign that demand was returning. Her international footprint rests on exports and brand. VOV reported that Vinamilk is the only Vietnamese dairy company among the world's 36 largest by revenue. Brand Finance values its brand at US$2.6 billion. Exports now account for roughly a tenth of revenue. Succession The biggest question is succession. Vinamilk's governance report for the first half of 2026 shows that on 31 March the board chose an external consultant to find a successor for the chief executive position. A search committee drawn from the nomination committee and other directors is running the succession programme. The board is also reviewing successor candidates for three executive director posts proposed by Lien. What to watch next: the outcome of the chief executive search and the timing of any handover, whether the premium strategy lifts margins, and progress towards 1,000 shops. She ranks 26th for more than three decades running one of Vietnam's best-known consumer companies. Her ranking also reflects that a succession process is now under way. Sources VOV1 (Voice of Vietnam), 50 năm phụng sự khát vọng Việt: Vinamilk hai lần nhận danh hiệu Anh hùng Lao động , 24 Jul 2026 TCTD, CEO Mai Kiều Liên: Vinamilk vượt 'năm thử lửa', chuẩn bị 'bứt tốc' ở phân khúc cao cấp , 22 Apr 2026 Vinamilk, Báo cáo tình hình quản trị công ty / Report on Corporate Governance (Kỳ 30/06/2026) , No. 997/CV-CTS.HĐQT/2026, 30 Jul 2026 Chinhphu.vn, Tổng Giám đốc Vinamilk Mai Kiều Liên vinh dự nhận Huân chương Độc lập hạng Ba Wikipedia tiếng Việt, Mai Kiều Liên

Why this entry is on the list

She ranks 26th for more than three decades running one of Vietnam's best-known consumer companies. Her ranking also reflects that a succession process is now under way. Vinamilk reported 2025 consolidated revenue of VND63.724 trillion, and she has been general director since December 1992.