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Tran Thu Ha
Acting CFO, Vinpearl
In today’s rapidly evolving business environment, the role of Chief Financial Officers has expanded far beyond traditional financial management. Modern CFOs are now strategic leaders responsible for driving business transformation, managing risk, ensuring governance, and supporting sustainable long-term growth. As organizations navigate economic uncertainty, digital disruption, and global market complexities, finance leaders are expected to balance operational efficiency with innovation and strategic decision-making.
One such accomplished leader is Tran Thu Ha, CFO of Vinpearl, the leading integrated hospitality and entertainment ecosystem in Vietnam, whose professional journey spans more than 20 years across audit and advisory, financial services, technology-driven mobility businesses, and hospitality industries. She began her career with global Big Four firms KPMG and Deloitte, where she built a strong foundation in governance, financial discipline, and risk management.
Over the years, she expanded into leadership roles covering strategy, capital management, operating finance, business transformation, and organizational governance across multinational and high-growth business environments. Her diverse experience has shaped her belief that finance leadership today is not just about managing numbers, but about helping organizations navigate complexity and transformation with resilience and adaptability.
As a finance leader from Vietnam, Tran Thu Ha also represents the growing influence of Asian professionals in global business transformation and sustainable value creation. Let’s get to know more about her from this interaction.
What inspired you to pursue strategic finance leadership, and how has your outlook as a CFO transformed over the years?
What drew me to finance was the opportunity to understand how businesses create value and convert strategy into measurable outcomes. Over the years, my perspective as a CFO has evolved beyond traditional reporting and control functions. Today, I see finance leaders as strategic partners who guide organizations through growth, transformation, and uncertainty. I believe modern finance leadership requires balancing governance, agility, and innovation while staying focused on long-term goals. My professional qualifications, including ACCA and CIMA, have strengthened both my technical expertise and strategic thinking, enabling me to contribute more effectively to business transformation and organizational resilience.
What drew me to finance was the opportunity to understand how businesses create value and convert strategy into measurable outcomes
How do you maintain a balance between operational efficiency, strategic decision-making, and sustainable long-term growth in today’s evolving business environment?
I believe strong financial leadership comes from balancing immediate operational priorities with long-term strategic direction. Finance leaders must stay connected to business realities while maintaining governance standards and financial discipline. Operational efficiency is essential because it builds resilience and creates the capacity for future investments. At the same time, organizations need the flexibility to adapt to changing market conditions, technological advancements, and economic uncertainty. I rely heavily on strong data visibility, disciplined execution, and cross-functional collaboration to maintain this balance. In today’s environment, agility and strategic clarity are equally important in driving sustainable organizational growth.
What is your approach to managing organizational change and financial planning during periods of growth or transformation?
In transformation-driven environments, maintaining alignment between strategy, operations, and financial discipline is critical. I believe successful change management requires both clarity and adaptability. Organizations need a clear direction while remaining flexible enough to respond to evolving business conditions. From a finance perspective, I focus strongly on scenario planning, governance, resource prioritization, and cross-functional collaboration rather than depending only on static budgeting models. In high-growth organizations, finance teams must build structures that support scalability without losing agility. For me, effective financial planning during periods of expansion is about balancing discipline with flexibility to support sustainable and efficient growth.
How do you see digital transformation reshaping the future role of CFOs and finance teams?
Digital transformation is redefining finance functions by shifting focus from transactional work to analytics, strategic planning, and business partnership. Modern CFOs must combine financial expertise with technology leadership while prioritizing governance, cybersecurity, and data quality. Future finance teams will become increasingly data-driven, agile, and closely integrated with broader business transformation initiatives.
How can financial leaders contribute to sustainability, governance, and long-term stakeholder value creation?
Finance leaders play a vital role in balancing business growth with sustainability and strong governance. Beyond delivering financial performance, organizations are expected to demonstrate resilience, transparency, and responsible decision-making. Strong governance becomes even more critical during periods of transformation and rapid growth. Long-term value creation depends on building financially resilient and adaptable organizations. Finance leaders must embed sustainability into strategic decision-making while maintaining governance frameworks that support responsible growth and strengthen stakeholder confidence over time.
What is your long-term vision as a finance leader, and how would you like to contribute to global business transformation?
My long-term vision is to continue contributing to organizations that drive meaningful transformation and sustainable growth across dynamic global markets. I believe future finance leadership will require not only technical expertise but also adaptability, strategic thinking, and the ability to navigate complexity responsibly. Finance leaders will increasingly need to connect strategic planning, governance, operational execution, and organizational transformation. Personally, I hope to help build agile, data-driven, and well-governed finance organizations that can adapt effectively to changing economic and business environments. As a finance leader from Vietnam, I also hope to contribute to the growing influence of Asian professionals in global business transformation and innovation.
Tran Thu Ha, Acting CFO, Vinpearl
Tran Thu Ha is an accomplished finance leader with over 20 years of experience across audit, financial services, mobility technology, and hospitality industries. As the Acting CFO of Vinpearl, a leading integrated hospitality and entertainment ecosystem in Vietnam, she specializes in strategic finance, governance, business transformation, and sustainable growth. She is recognized for building agile, data-driven organizations in dynamic global business environments.