«Family and technology are my life force»

«I want to achieve a quality for our software solutions that rivals the standards of a Swiss watchmaker.» Dao Vo laughs as he draws this comparison of precision engineering that only «made in Switzerland» can boast. And yet: he really does mean it – his purpose and dedication are plain to see.

Vo has been CTO at bbv Vietnam for a year and is responsible for promoting technological advances at the bbv subsidiary in Ho Chi Minh City in line with the business aims of the Swiss company.

His remit is huge: Vo talks about identifying new and innovative technologies; using them to grow the business; providing expertise and instruction to guarantee the successful implementation of software solutions; and constantly improving both internal project workflows as well as the customer experience with the end product.

Taking stock thus far, Dao Vo says: «In short, as CTO I will work tirelessly to promote the next generation of managers, use innovation to drive forward the technology leadership of bbv and establish corresponding best practices.»

Collaborating across 10,000 kilometres

This requires a close working relationship with bbv Switzerland and regular joint meetings are held to discuss the technical vision, training initiatives and the quality of software development. This has been an established practice at bbv for many years and ensures that knowledge, experience and best practices are shared throughout the entire organisation.

This does not however mean that things always run smoothly: there are language barriers to overcome and different time zones present scheduling challenges.

Nonetheless, Dao Vo, whose previous role was as Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft in Asia Pacific, takes a positive view of his first year at the Swiss company: «The entire CTO Board has been extremely and unwaveringly supportive, which has enabled me to settle in very quickly, share my thoughts and take part in discussions.»

Outsourcing: Vietnam in the spotlight

Vietnam has been an offshoring location for bbv since 2013. The 50-strong team concentrates primarily on web and mobile applications based on Java, .NET and PHP. It is no surprise that bbv chose Vietnam for offshoring: low costs and highly skilled IT specialists have made Vietnam an attractive outsourcing location for some time – for Swiss companies too.

Consequently: «Vietnam is not a secret any more», says Duong Luu, Managing Director of bbv Vietnam. «As an employer, competition on the market is hotting up and it is has become more difficult to find the right people.»

bbv is taking matters into its own hands by making Dao Vo responsible for training professionals up to Senior or Core Member level at bbv Vietnam and he has a clear mission: «I believe and hope that Vietnam will become the leading tech hub in Asia Pacific», declares Vo.

His burning ambition sees Vo make an active contribution himself, something that doesn’t go unnoticed by Managing Director Duong Luu: «He is very conscientious, reliable and unbelievably dedicated. It is obvious how much Vietnam as a tech hub means to him. He is keen to help young specialist staff and pass on his knowledge, he offers training on a private basis and gives talks at universities. He really is helping us to move bbv forward. I am delighted to have him on board.»

Dao Vo’s analytical and strategic skills in particular come to the fore repeatedly in customer project work, says Luu. And these skills are also evident in his private life: Dao Vo is an avid chess player and is teaching his two children the game.

The Vo family are physically active too: «We often go cycling, swimming or walking», says Vo. «This time is precious for me. I love spending time with my family. And I love technology. They are my life force.»