New P&G initiatives help SMEs and startups access global business opportunities

The workshop highlighted one of the top priorities of the Vietnamese government from now until 2020, which is to position SMEs as the engine of economic growth. This is one of the key mutual goals discussed among ministers responsible for the SME sector in the APEC. Improving the capabilities of Vietnamese enterprises will bolster Vietnam’s ties with other APEC economies.

P&G Leadership College for SMEs in the ASEAN was first launched in Singapore in 2014, aiming to boost cooperation for mutual benefits among large multinationals and SMEs in the region via transferring knowledge and experiences as well as enhancing management competency and competitiveness, and promoting innovation initiatives.

Today’s seminar enabled more than 100 SMEs in Vietnam to access useful knowledge and relevant skills in business innovation shared by Satyajit Sengupta from Singapore-based P&G Innovation Center.

At the workshop, P&G also introduced P&G Signal Accelerator to Vietnam. A global programme working as part of P&G’s innovation strategy, P&G Signal Accelerator seeks out breakthrough innovations and business solutions to address P&G’s business challenges and opportunities.

By launching Signal Accelerator in Vietnam, P&G invites Vietnamese SMEs and startups to a global innovation playground where they can submit their ideas and solutions that can facilitate P&G to resolve challenges and seize business opportunities, by for instance improving the product quality and consumer experience.

Nguyen Hoa Cuong, deputy head of MPI’s Enterprise Development Agency, said, “P&G is one of thefew multinational enterprises providing Vietnamese SMEs with realistic support thanks to their rich experience and knowledge. Through P&G’s help, SMEs’ competitive capacity has seen significant enhancement. I hope that P&G will become a pioneer in holding such events, so that SMEs in Vietnam will be provided with timely support.”

With the local launch of Signal Accelerator, Vietnamese SMEs and startups can now compete with their peers around the globe through innovative ideas and embrace the opportunity of becoming P&G’s innovation partners and gaining access to pilot funding by P&G. This way, P&G’s Signal Accelerator can paves the way for any Vietnamese startup that has the curiosity to learn, the mastery to create, and the passion to win, to join the global players in game-changing innovation.

“Vietnam is one of P&G’s important markets. We are proud to continue our unwavering commitment to support and grow with local enterprises in a sustainable way. Vietnam is among the first nations in Asia where P&G introduces both P&G SME Leadership College and Signal Accelerator. We hope that these two programmes not only help to build capabilities for SMEs in Vietnam, but also connect them with great business opportunities that will help position Vietnam on the global innovation map,” said Omar Channawi, vice president of P&G Asia-Pacific.

P&G has been operating in Vietnam for over 20 years and was one of the first US firms to make an investment after the two countries announced the normalisation of diplomatic relations.

Since then, P&G has invested in three production plants in Vietnam, notably the world-class Gillette plant in the southern province of Binh Duong, one of three Gillette factories in Asia with the most advanced technology run by Vietnamese technicians and engineers who were professionally trained in Europe and America.

P&G’s commitment to Vietnam’s development also extends to investments in nurturing the local talent pool. Specifically, P&G has run long-term programmes in partnership with Vietnam’s top universities, including P&G Leadership Talks, P&G CEO Challenge, and P&G Dream Internship.