Women to Watch 2020: Le Tran Do Quynh, The Purpose Group

Le Tran Do Quynh

Account director
The Purpose Group
Vietnam

Last year, Le Tran Do Quynh led her team at Vietnamese independent agency The Purpose Group to achieve close to three quarters of total agency revenue. That alone is worthy of many medals. She was responsible for bringing in business wins from 100 Plus, Sedure, Vinasoy, Fristi, and Uniqlo while simultaneously retaining top-tier clients Kimberly-Clark and P&G. Numbers showing YOY revenue as well as Tran’s pitch win ratio—which were accessed by Campaign but asked to be made confidential—were proof of stunning revenue growth attributed to one person’s leadership.

Representing an indie network means that clients are sometimes concerned about the agency being ‘too small’ to handle multiple projects the way an international agency does. But that didn’t stop Tran. She continued to push her team to achieve ‘international standards’ and has smashed campaign KPIs time and time again.

But Tran’s journey begins with a tale of struggle. She was born in a fishing village called La Gi where her parents took odd jobs to support the family; these included selling lottery tickets on the street, farming pigs and chickens to sell, mending clothes, and electrical work.

Her career began as a humble intern at a local advertising agency.  She then moved on to an international advertising agency where senior executives told her she was not suited to be in account management because of her perceived naivete and lack of ‘aggression’. At The Purpose Group, she struck gold as her management style was celebrated and there was no need to adhere to male-skewed or Western-centric rulebooks.

Perhaps inadvertently, Tran is a shining role model for aspiring industry professionals who aren’t equipped with fancy degrees or a steely exterior. We simply can’t wait to witness Tran’s well-deserved ascend.