In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented crisis in the global economy and financial market.

Le Thanh Thuan, CEO of Sao Mai Group, which has overcome difficulties caused by the pandemic to be listed as one of Vietnam’s 500 largest firms, said all people are encouraged to be brave in encountering challenges. It is lucky to have a safe life, but excessive safety may be boring, inhibit the creativity, hinder the development and make everything insipid. Life is a struggle to exist, which can be understood in many ways and from many aspects. “Once overcoming difficulties, you will see that you are strong. Failures in the past will help you respect the success at present,” he added. With big strides over the past period and response plans for the upcoming periods, he expected his firm would create a breakthrough in the business community when the new year is approaching.

Overcoming challenges

Landmarks during the group’s development journey have proved its vision and energy. In 1997, when the equitized company model was launched amid the global economic crisis, the group made its first steps in the market. However, it was not affected significantly by the crisis. In contrary, such experiences helped strengthen its resistance. In the 2007-2008 period, when the firm entered its development phase, the global financial and monetary market faced a more severe crisis. The global market witnessed the hardship of large financial groups and the shutdown of multiple others. Large countries had to issue a red warning about a gloomy outlook. At the time, the group had to adapt itself to the market’s fluctuations for survival.

Recently, the Covid-19 pandemic has created another crisis in healthcare and finance. Hundreds of thousands of enterprises have suspended their operations, resulting in a high number of laborers unemployed. In addition, some 50 million people have been reported to be infected with Covid-19, including hundreds of thousands of fatalities. At present, the pandemic is still posing a high risk of breaking out again if the community neglects prevention and control measures. A German savant said economic crises would cause no losses. Only bad bosses will be replaced with better ones. Crises have taught us many lessons about governance.

Reaching aspirations

“If you do not give up, you will always have chances”. Life will daily offer us opportunities and teach us lessons. Therefore, owners of many firms have tried to go head. After the pandemic, Sao Mai Group has boosted its real estate, solar power, tourism and seafood export sectors as well as provided laborers to foreign markets. Creating a breakthrough at the right time as a springboard for a leap can be considered a strategy of brave CEOs. The large-scale restructuring of the firm has demonstrated its determination to promote the roles of leaders and change the governance method to remove shortcomings during the Covid-19 season. The group has launched many large projects which were set up in a scientific manner. While many other enterprises have borrowed large loans, the firm is still cautious.

During the journey to keep pace with the development trends of the world, Thuan said Sao Mai has put in stronger efforts to develop and in the coming periods, the group would annually invest heavily in technology and the training of human resources. His affirmation demonstrates the group’s determination to overcome challenges, which is the foundation for it to become a strategic supplier of solar power under the solar farm model applied with ecotechnology by 2021 and reach its target to conquer the Asian market and the global market as a whole.