NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

In continuing its successful track record of collaborating with universities in emerging market countries to provide world-class executive education programs, William Davidson Institute (WDI) is partnering with the FPT School of Business & Technology (FSB) to provide management training in Vietnam.

With over 20 years of experience in training in management and leadership, FSB is ranked among the top two best business schools in Vietnam and in the top 24 best Executive MBA programs in East Asia, according to university ranking firm Eduniversal.

WDI has offered its Strategic Management Program, also known as its Mini-MBA, for more than 25 years. WDI partners with universities and training organizations in low- and middle-income countries to offer open and custom programs on a full range of managerial topics, including strategy, sales management, marketing, finance, operations, entrepreneurship, leadership, negotiations, human resources, and the Institute’s flagship mini-MBA program.

The WDI/FSB partnership adds a new twist with a first-ever joint executive education program, called the Advanced Mini-MBA Program. The certificate program will run from May through July 2022 and will combine in-person instruction in Vietnam with online modules. Three WDI Faculty Affiliates and two FSB professors will provide instruction and guidance for the students, who must have more than five years of management experience, such as boards of directors and C-Suite executives.

The program targets participants who have an interest in applying technology, digital transformation and other global trends toward business administration topics in the fields of insurance, banking, real estate, technology, automation, media, business consulting, and aviation, among others.

“The partnership between the world-class William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan and FPT School of Business and Technology is a highlight in our journey in creating a high quality education which responds to the needs of innovation, allowing students access to global training methods and knowledge,” said FSB Dean Nguyen Viet Thang. “The principles and objectives of WDI are in line with the vision of FSB and FPT Education. The joint program will provide the quintessence in executive management to potential leader generation in Vietnam, helping them to seize the opportunities to share the same management perspective with organizations and businesses in the US and around the world.”

Participants completing the course will:

• Gain in-depth understanding of core business concepts and knowledge of contemporary business challenges
• Learn a systematic approach to address business problems and challenges
• Apply strategies into real-world decision-making
• Develop an understanding beyond functional areas, toward organization-level thinking
• Have mindset on technology and digital transformation trends in the context of the global market
• Expand leadership skills a great leader needs to inspire and lead an organization forward

Participants of the WDI/FSB program will receive a co-branded certificate upon successful completion.

“We at WDI are very excited to partner with the prestigious FPT School of Business & Technology FSB to offer joint executive education programs, starting with our Advanced MiniMBA program,” said Amy Gillett, WDI Vice President for Education. “This program brings together world-class professors from both institutions to bring the latest management knowledge to rising leaders in Vietnam and to enable them to build their global perspectives and strengthen their professional networks.”

The partnership with FSB isn’t WDI’s first training program in Vietnam. In 2004, WDI ran a six-week executive education program for executives from Vinacomin, Vietnam’s national mining company. WDI has extensive experience in cross-cultural business education, a subject explored in March by former U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius, whom the Institute recently hosted. (Watch a replay of the discussion here.)