Nga’s story

Nga joined our Mentoring Women in Business programme as a mentee in 2016, matched with mentor Ayman. They reflect on their journey together.

Date

2016

Location

Vietnam and the Middle East

Working with Ayman has grown my confidence. He helped me to see the value of my work from a business perspective and to believe in myself and my expertise in the sector.

Nga, Founder, Ngan Ha Media, and mentee

For 25 years, Nga worked as a journalist for the Vietnamese government, but it wasn’t until she attended an international conference on climate change that she became acutely aware of the potentially disastrous impacts on Vietnam. As one of the country’s most vulnerable to and affected by rising sea levels, Nga was moved to speak up and decided to start her own media consultancy.

In 2010, she launched Ngan Ha Media to raise awareness about climate change and increase public engagement through educational documentaries and television shows. Although Nga produced a number of successful films, she struggled to obtain new contracts and grow her business. In November 2016, through a partnership between the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women and Qualcomm® Wireless Reach™, Nga was matched with Ayman on the Mentoring Women in Business programme. Ayman is a content business developer and visiting media professor across universities in the Middle East whose expertise in digital marketing and sales aligned perfectly with Nga’s objectives.

Relationship focus

Using online tools to facilitate their weekly meetings, Ayman supported Nga to review her business model and strategy. The pair began by conducting research to understand Nga’s current partners and customers, identify peak viewing times for her programmes and determine any gaps in the market. They also discussed new marketing strategies and effective pitching techniques to media outlets.

Having laid the groundwork for a stronger business profile, the pair then turned their attention to exploring ideas to diversify Nga’s services and Ayman encouraged her to apply for new contracts. With Ayman’s guidance, Nga submitted a variety of proposals and strengthened her brand on social media.

Nga, Founder, Ngan Ha Media, and mentee

Nga’s reflections

As a result of their work together, Nga implemented a new five-year strategy and successfully gained two new large contracts; one as the media consultant for an energy efficient and sustainable building project with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with Vietnam’s Ministry of Construction, and one with the World Wildlife Fund where Nga’s company is spearheading the media campaign against rhino horn trade in Vietnam. Nga also diversified her services and began offering training workshops for professionals in the media industry. Through these projects, she has increased her profile and spoken at a number of events in Hanoi, including the recent public launch of DevelopHer, which was hosted by Qualcomm Wireless Reach in collaboration with the Foundation.

On a personal level, Nga says: “Working with Ayman has grown my confidence. He helped me to see the value of my work from a business perspective and to believe in myself and my expertise in the sector.” Nga has been sharing her experiences and helping empower others through mentoring, including by leading a women’s media group through the Hanoi Association for Women Entrepreneurs (HNEW).

Ayman’s reflections

Ayman is proud of Nga’s achievements and said: “She has inspired me to learn more about the media gaps in South Asia. I look forward to staying in touch over a virtual cup of coffee.”

Looking to the future, Nga is excited to seek out new projects, increase her company’s impact and continue advocating for an environmentally-friendly world.

Find out more about our global Mentoring programme

Mentoring Women in Business is one of the Foundation's three flagship programmes. We pair businesspeople everywhere as mentors with women entrepreneurs in low and middle income countries as mentees for an incredibly rich, personalised, cross-border, online experience. This is transformative for mentees and mentors alike—and their companies.

Find out more!
Emily Quinn works with her mentee in a video call.