Nguyen Quoc Toan
- Co-founder
- Chairman and CEO
Dr. Toan Nguyen is co-founder, Chairman cum CEO of EQuest. He is a serial entrepreneur in the finance and education sectors who co-founded several successful businesses in investment banking, education, and EdTech.
Dr. Toan Nguyen is very committed to transforming the education sector in Vietnam. He believes that massive education reform is the only way Vietnam can move forward and be globally competitive. Besides running EQuest, Dr. Toan Nguyen also writes extensively about various education policies, political economy, and business strategies.
Dr. Toan Nguyen holds a Ph.D. degree in Economics from New York University, USA, a Master’s degree in Economics from National Economics University, Vietnam, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Edith Cowan University, Australia.
Annabelle Vultee
- Board Member
Annabelle Vultee is an Education Executive, most recently serving as Chief Operating Officer of EF Education First’s local adult training businesses across EMEA markets. Over her seven years on the ground in China, she led all functions and thousands of worldwide employees to a more innovative, customer-oriented and sustainable business model. Prior to her role in China, Ms. Vultee served as President of EF’s Explore America division; a leader in US domestic educational travel for middle and high school students. She has also served as Chief Operating Officer of AirShares Elite, a shared aircraft ownership company.
Ms. Vultee holds a B.A in Native American Studies from Colgate University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Nguyen Thi Tuyet Lan
- Co-founder
- Board Member
- CEO of ESL & EdTech Division
With over 20 years of experience in the education sector, Ms. Lan Nguyen is instrumental for EQuest’s aggressive expansion to EdTech businesses and its success with hundreds of thousands of users. Ms. Lan Nguyen’s vision is to transform Vietnam into a bilingual country where English is a second language and Vietnamese students can learn internationally accredited programs at a disruptive cost.
Ms. Lan Nguyen speaks fluent Vietnamese, Mandarin and English. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education at Vietnam National University, Hanoi. She got her Master’s degree in Economics at City University of New York, USA.
George Aitken
- Board Member
George Aitken joined KKR in 2014 and led the firm’s Global Impact strategy in the Asia Pacific region. He is actively involved in KKR’s investments in MYOB, GreenCollar, Education Perfect, EQuest and BBP.
Prior to KKR, he was at a family office managing principal investments across a broad range of sectors including agriculture, carbon, technology, natural resources and infrastructure.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business and a Bachelor’s degree in Law (Honors) from the University of Technology, Sydney and a Master of Applied Finance from Kaplan Professional.
Ivan Kwong
- Board Member
Mr. Ivan Kwong joined KKR in 2017 and is a Principal in its Global Impact team based in Singapore. He is a director of Education Perfect and an alternative director of GreenCollar and has also been involved in the firm’s investments in BBP, PropertyGuru, First Gen Corporation, and 800 Super. Prior to joining KKR, he worked in the investment banking division of UBS in Sydney and Bain & Company in Sydney and Singapore.
He received a Bachelor of Engineering (Aeronautical) (Space) and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney (with the University Medal) and a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (Palmer Scholar).
Tran Quoc Khanh
- Independent Board Member
Mr. Tran Quoc Khanh has dedicated over 36 years to the field of Industry and Trade, including nearly 13 years as Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade. During this time, he also served as the Chief Negotiator for the Government on economic and international trade affairs.
He is recognized as a knowledgeable and experienced individual in the field of commerce and has made significant contributions to Vietnam’s process of economic integration into the international community in recent years.
As a Member of the Board of Directors, leveraging his profound understanding of international economics and trade, Mr. Quoc Khanh can contribute valuable knowledge and experience to expanding the international cooperation of EQuest Group. Additionally, he will participate in the development of the Group’s long-term strategy, ensuring sustainable, comprehensive, and continuous innovation for the Group’s future.
Dam Bich Thuy
- Independent Board Member
Ms. Dam Bich Thuy has approximately 40 years of professional experience and has held numerous senior management positions in finance, banking, and education.
Ms. Bich Thuy is the founding President of Fulbright University Vietnam; used to be the first Vietnamese CEO of ANZ Bank in Vietnam, Representative of the National Australia Bank (NAB) in Vietnam, and General Director of Vietnam International Bank (VIB).
Ms. Bich Thuy holds a Bachelor’s degree from Hanoi University and a Master of Business Administration from Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, USA on a Fulbright scholarship.
J. David Armstrong, Jr.
- Vice President
J. David Armstrong, Jr. has more than 35 years of experience as a national and state leader in higher education, economic development, community service and leadership development. David Armstrong is a former president emeritus of Broward College in Florida with over 10 years of successful leadership, and previously Chancellor for the Florida College System. He is an executive search consultant for college boards; past chairman for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Economic Development Alliance; and past chairman of Leadership Florida.
He earned his B.A. degree from the University of Montevallo in social sciences; M.S. in Management from Troy University.
Dam Quang Minh
- Chief Operating Officer
Since July 2016, Dr. Minh Dam has served as President of Phu Xuan University, a member of EQuest’s College & University System. Before that, he was the President of Thanh Tay University and FPT University. Dr. Minh Dam is an expert in restructuring and innovation in higher education, evidenced by his successful transformation of Thanh Tay University and Phu Xuan University.
At present, Dr. Minh Dam is the Chief Operating Officer of EQuest, responsible for managing & controlling the business performance of EQuest Group and managing new projects.
Dr. Minh Dam holds a Ph.D. degree in Earth Science from The University of Greifswald, Germany, and a Bachelor’s degree in Science (Honors Program) from the University of Science, Vietnam National University.
Truong Hoang Nam
- Associate Vice President, in charge of Investment and Restructuring
Mr. Truong Hoang Nam is a well-seasoned and dedicated investment banking, restructuring, and corporate finance expert. The total value of transactions and projects delivered by the Investment and Restructuring office for EQuest, under the management of Mr. Truong Hoang Nam, exceeds 400 million USD in aggregate considerations.
Prior to joining EQuest, he worked as a restructuring, valuation, and mergers & acquisitions manager at EY Vietnam – one of the leading international advisory and auditing organizations. Mr. Hoang Nam has extensive experience in the fields of education, information technology…
Mr. Hoang Nam graduated from Florida International University (Florida, U.S.A) with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Bachelor of Science in Finance, both with the highest distinction.
Nguyen Thanh Son
- Co-founder
- Executive Chairman of College & University System
Mr. Son Nguyen is co-founder of EQuest, iSMART and Executive Chairman of College & University System of EQuest. He has more than 20 years of experience in management across various sectors such as IT, finance and education.
At present, he is in charge of EQuest’s College & University System. Son Nguyen’s priorities lie in internationally accredited programs, innovative training models, data science and new techs to advance the competitiveness of EQuest’s ecosystem. Mr. Son Nguyen is a visionary leader who is very successful in recruiting talents and coaching them to reach their full potential.
Mr. Son Nguyen holds a Bachelor of Engineering, Computer Science at University of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam and a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the State University of New York, USA under the Vietnam Education Foundation scholarship program.