British Council
The judging panel for the Alumni Awards 2026 in Viet Nam brings together a wealth of expertise infour given Awards Category: Business and Innovation; Culture, Creativity and Sport; Science and Sustainability; Social Action.
Find out more about them and their work below.
Prior to his current role as Director of the British Council Viet Nam, he has held a number of senior management roles in the British Council’s Global Network over the last 30 years, including Global Head of IELTS, Director Examinations China and Hong Kong, Country Director Argentina, CEO of British Council Education, India, and Regional Director for Examination Services for Middle East and North Africa.
Throughout the course of this career, James has developed a wide experience as an educator and manager in International Education and Assessment working in Latin America, South and East Asia, Europe and the Middle East. James has a particular professional interest in ‘Cultures of Learning’ which combines this wide international experience with his MA in Social Anthropology from Edinburgh University.
Alex started at the embassy in Hanoi in August 2025. Previous to this role, he served as Chief of Staff to the Directors for Southeast Asia and the Pacific and Northeast Asia and China in London. He was 1st Secretary Political at the British High Commission in Singapore from 2019–2022 where he covered the bilateral relationship, regional security and ASEAN. He has held various geographic roles in Southeast Asia Department.
Earlier in his career, he managed a programme funding conflict prevention and peacebuilding projects at the UN, NATO, EU and the Commonwealth. Previous to joining the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, he spent four years at the UK Home Office working on the Prevent strand of the UK’s Counter Terrorism Strategy. Earlier in his career, he managed a programme funding conflict prevention and peacebuilding projects at the UN, NATO, EU and the Commonwealth. Previous to joining the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, he spent four years at the UK Home Office working on the Prevent strand of the UK’s Counter Terrorism Strategy.
Hoang Van Anh is the Head of Education at the British Council Vietnam, overseeing science and research, higher education, youth leadership, student mobility, alumni engagement, and StudyUK.
With over 25 years of experience, she has built trusted partnerships with education stakeholders across government, academia, and international organisations.
She led strategic collaborations with the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Science and Technology to support Viet Nam’s priorities in higher education reform, including university autonomy, quality assurance, digital transformation, Transnational Education (TNE), and gender equality. Her policy advocacy includes contributions to the Viet Nam National Qualifications Framework, a bespoke Research Excellence Framework, and quality assurance standards aligned with AUN-QA and ESG.
Hoang Van Anh holds an MBA from LaTrobe University (Australia). Prior to joining the British Council, she worked with Australian Education International, the Department of Employment, Education and Workplace Relations, and the University of Queensland.
Le Quoc Vinh is the Chairman and CEO of Le Group of Companies and a strategic consultant in communications, marketing, branding, and crisis management. He is a seasoned PR practitioner and the author of Crisis doesn’t start with communication. He also founded several prominent media publications, including Dep Magazine, The thao Van hoa & Dan ong, Nha Dep, Doanh Nhan, and FansipanTV (now Giai tri TV | VTVcab1).
With over 20 years leading Le Bros, he has provided strategic consulting to major corporations such as Vietnam Airlines, Viettel, PetroVietnam, and Vietcombank... He also served as Asia-Pacific Regional Director of the global independent agency network Worldwide Partners Inc.
He actively participates in professional and social organizations such as CSMO and VNABC, and lectures at universities including RMIT, VinUni, USSH, and AJC. He is also the co-founder of Elite PR School, a practical PR training company. With over 20 years leading Le Bros, he has provided strategic consulting to major corporations such as Vietnam Airlines, Viettel, PetroVietnam, and Vietcombank... He also served as Asia-Pacific Regional Director of the global independent agency network Worldwide Partners Inc.
He actively participates in professional and social organisations such as CSMO and VNABC, and lectures at universities including RMIT, VinUni, USSH, and AJC. He is also the co-founder of Elite PR School, a practical PR training company.
Nguyen The Son is a visual artist, independent curator, and lecturer at School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
With over 20 years of teaching experience, he currently leads the Art Photography department in the Visual Arts program. His work spans contemporary art practice and curating public and modern art projects, particularly in Hanoi. Son has recently curated major events such as the Hanoi Creative Design Festival and the Hanoi Photo Biennale.
Assoc Prof Hoang Thi Thu Huong has more than 25 years’ experience in higher education and research in the field of environmental protection, the impact of climate change and sustainable development. Her research interests and activities focus on environmental issues in aquatic ecosystems, especially freshwater bodies, and their impacts on human health.
Her research line can be described as follows: biological and human lives are directly affected by environmental pollution.
She graduated from the University of Adelaide in 2001 with a Master of Applied Science in Soil and Water and received her PhD in Biological Science at Ghent University, Belgium, in 2009.
Assoc Prof Dr Truong Thi Nam Thang is the Founder and Director of the Center for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CSIE) at National Economics University (NEU) for seven years.
Currently, in addition to her role as Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Business Administration at NEU, she is Lead Researcher at the Research Institute for Innovation and Development (IID)
Throughout her career, she has led and implemented numerous social entrepreneurship initiatives in Vietnam, working with organisations such as the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the British Council, the Embassy of Ireland, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, and UNESCAP.
She co-founded and leader of several key networks, including the Vietnam Social Enterprise Scholars Network (VSES), the Vietnam Youth for Social Innovation Network (VYSIN), the Vietnam National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Network for Universities and Colleges (VNEI), and the Catalyst Now Vietnam Chapter.
Khong Loan is a seasoned journalist with over 23 years of experience in media and communications in Vietnam. She is the founder and principal of Spokesperson Training Vietnam, a pioneering platform that provides strategic communication coaching and advisory programs for senior leaders. Previously, she served as Deputy Managing Editor at Forbes Vietnam, where she led programmes for women in leadership (Forbes Vietnam’s Women).
Loan also hosts thought-provoking dialogue series with business leaders, including Thuc Thoi and TIME: Bloom Synergy.
She holds a Master’s degree in International Journalism from City University London (UK) and is an alumna of the Programme on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law at the Freeman Spogli Institute, Stanford University (USA). Loan is also the Vietnamese translator of Stay Smart in the Smart World (2024) and The Art of Buying Art (2022).