Academic and Professional Qualifications
Ms. Cao holds advanced degrees from universities in Switzerland, Australia, and Vietnam, specializing in International Management Consulting and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).
- MBA in International Management Consulting – Completed 2010–2012 at North Western University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland. Coursework covered areas such as Consulting process, Change & Knowledge Management, HR Management, Leadership, and Business Process Re-Engineering.
- Master of Education, TESOL – Completed 2002–2004 at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Coursework included TESOL Methodology and Curriculum Design, Assessment in the Language Classroom, and Teaching English in the International Context.
- Bachelor of Pedagogy – English major, completed 1998–2001 at the University of Pedagogy, HCMC, Vietnam.
- Languages – English (Proficiency) and French (Intermediate level).
Teaching Experience and Quality Management
Ms. Cao has extensive experience as a lecturer at multiple international and domestic universities, coupled with significant leadership roles in corporate training, curriculum development, and quality management systems.
University Lecturing and Mentorship
Since 2012, she has been a Visiting Business Lecturer at Universities for English-medium courses.
- Institutions: Taught at Chisholm Institute of TAFE (Australia), FTMS Institute (Singapore) & Edexcel (UK) affiliated with Nguyen Tat Thanh University (Vietnam). Also taught at Hoa Sen University and Paris-Est Créteil University (France) affiliated with Hoa Sen University.
- Courses: Delivered courses in Human Resources Management, Business Management Programs, Advanced HR Management, Change Management, Leadership, Business, Organisation Behaviour, Strategic Management, Negotiation skills, and Business English Communication.
- Mentorship: Served as a Mentor for MBA-MCI program executive students at North-Western University of Applied Sciences, focusing on Business Strategy and Managing Consulting courses.
Corporate Training and Curriculum Design
She works as a Freelance Corporate Trainer and Master Trainer, with extensive experience designing custom programs:
- Certified Trainer Roles: Certified corporate trainer for SEAC Thailand (2018–2019) in executive leadership development, covering topics like Growth Mindset, Outward Mindset, DISC personality, and Leadership for Supervisors in Manufacturing Industry. She was also undergoing internal training for Design Thinking. Served as Master Trainer for Asia College of Teachers (2016–2017) for Certificate of TESOL and Train the Trainer courses.
- Training Content Development: Designed and delivered courses for corporate clients including Business Communications in English, Team Management, Critical Thinking, Leadership, and Train-the-Trainer (Asia Training Network, 2015–2018). Specific in-house courses were delivered to companies such as SPS Swiss Post Solutions (Conflict Negotiation, Coaching skills for Trainer), GHP Far East (Language for Critical Thinking, Facilitation Questions for Coaching process), and Abbott (Business English Communications for mid-managers).
Quality Management and Academic Directorship
As CEO-Academic Director of IVY Language School (2005–2018), she managed 15 full-time staff and 35 part-time staff and implemented comprehensive quality systems:
- Staff Development: Periodically designed and conducted induction training, professional development, and workshops for teaching and translation staff.
- Assessment and Performance: Successfully developed a full cycle of assessment criteria and relevant training index system that covered pre-hiring screening tests, on-the-job coaching, and performance management.
- Process Improvement: Streamlined documentation to effectively link teacher management functions with student supports and program management functions.
Research and Achievements
Ms. Cao’s achievements are demonstrated through high-level consulting projects focused on organizational knowledge management and competency frameworks, as well as significant involvement in major professional events as an expert host and interpreter. While formal academic research publications are not listed, her professional platforms are extensive.
Consulting and Organizational Development Projects
- Competency Framework Design (3FORCOM, 2015-to date): Consulted on developing a taxonomy of Competency frameworks and competency assessment for recruitment and tracking designer team growth. These frameworks were built on overlapping areas of Visual literacy, Colour theory, Brand archetypes, Customer Persona, and Behaviour-based Personality (Applied Psychology). This project also included developing standardized lexicons for client meetings to improve communication and collaboration.
- Knowledge Management System (3FORCOM): Developed an in-house structured knowledge management system by indexing client-case insight, analytics, best-practices, and operational processes. This involved formalizing real cases into graded, industry-specific case studies designed for stand-alone training or self-paced learning.
- Instructional Development (Zero Gravity Ltd, 2020): Consulted on formalizing instructional materials, course structure, and syllabi for a design consulting company. She tailored specialized courses for creative professionals, such as Presentation Skills for Graphic Designer Geeks and Defining Brand Archetypes.
Professional Event Moderation and Interpreting
Ms. Cao has served as an English-speaking host, moderator, or facilitator for major business and law seminars, often featuring globally recognized thought leaders:
- Keynote Speaker Events: Hosted seminars featuring Prof. Paul Krugman (2008 Nobel Laureate of Economics, 2009), Prof. Michael Porter (Founder of Competitiveness Strategy, 2008 & 2010), and Dave Ulrich (HR thinker, 2011).
- Sports Commentary/Interpreting: Acted as an official interpreter and moderator for World Chess Championship tournaments (2009) and various IBF-International Badminton Federation events. She was also the match commentator for live TV broadcast at the 2008 Thomas & Uber Cup.
Lifelong Learning and Research Interests
She expresses interest in interdisciplinary concept transfers, having recently taken courses in Movie Scriptwriting (Basic and Advanced), Design Thinking, and Interaction Design (ongoing), which provide sources of inspiration to apply Instructional designs across various organizational settings.
