VANGUARD EXECUTIVE ACADEMY

What Vietnam's next generation of leaders are missing, and where to learn it.

Vanguard Executive Academy curates programs for the founders, CEOs, and operators building Vietnam's most consequential enterprises.

Vietnam doesn't have a talent shortage. It has a leadership density gap.

The country produces ambitious operators. What's missing is the formation that turns capable executives into enterprise architects — leaders who can scale teams, allocate capital, navigate governance, and build institutions that outlast their founders.

That's what Vanguard Executive Academy is built for.

We don't run conferences. We don't import generic leadership content. We curate programs taught by the world's leading business school faculty — selected for what Vietnam's enterprise leaders actually need to learn next.


How the Academy works

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Curated by Vanguard

Every program is selected based on what we hear from Vietnam's top operators — the gaps, the inflection points, the questions that don't have answers in standard MBA content.

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Taught by global faculty

We partner with top-ranked international business schools. Our founding partner, Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) — Olin Business School, holds the #1 EMBA partnership ranking globally (Financial Times, 2025).

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A diverse group of people attending a conference or seminar, sitting at a table, listening attentively, with water bottles and electronic devices in front of them.

Built for Vietnamese enterprise reality

Global frameworks, contextualized for the institutional, regulatory, and market dynamics our leaders actually operate in. Not imported theory — applied formation.

NOW ENROLLING: Founding Class of 2026

WashU Olin — Vietnam Executive Leadership Program

A four-month formation journey designed to upgrade leaders into enterprise architects.

Power → Teams → Strategy → Institutional Design

May – August 2026 · 4 modules, 2 days each · Cohort of 20–25 leaders

In partnership with Washington University in St. LouisOlin Business School

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View Program Details →

Our Founding Faculty Partner

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Washington University in St. Louis — Olin Business School

We chose Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) — Olin as our founding partner because their faculty teach leaders at scale — across Fortune 500 companies, Fudan EMBA-Shanghai (ranked #1 globally by Financial Times in 2025), and executive programs across North America, Europe, and Asia.

For the Founding Class of 2026, Olin's faculty bring case-based pedagogy honed across decades of executive education — adapted, with us, for Vietnam.

  • Ranked #1 EMBA partnership globallyFinancial Times, 2025

  • AACSB-accredited

  • Faculty published in Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan, and Forbes

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Forbes logo in black text.
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A cartoon-style image of a colorful helicopter with a red, yellow, and blue body, a white rotor, and a small red helicopter hovering above it, against a black background.
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The Financial Times logo with a peach-colored square background, featuring large black letters 'FT' and the words 'Financial Times' below in black.

What senior leaders are saying


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“In high-growth environments, ambition is rarely the constraint. Discipline and decision quality are. Markus Baer’s session addressed the deeper leadership challenge — how to align teams and sharpen judgment under uncertainty.

For leaders navigating scale and institutional complexity, this kind of program brings rigor that is often missing in fast-moving markets.”

— Doan Viet Dai Tu · Chairman, OpenAsia


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“I deeply appreciated Prof. Markus Baer’s session on "Leading Teams Through Uncertainties” in both the form and content. A very well structure intervention with a mix of essential teams rules reminder (related to set-up and management), thoughtful examples to illustrate the key points, and practical frameworks to apply when leading a team.

The session helped me reflect upon the evolution and status of my team, and of each team members, and to take concrete actions to reinforce the team dynamics.”

Bertrand Sauvageon · CEO, Vietnam Australia International School


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“In regulated and fast-changing environments, uncertainty is constant. What differentiates strong organizations is how leadership teams respond to it.

Markus’ session offered practical frameworks for leading under pressure and maintaining alignment at scale. This is highly relevant for senior leaders operating in complex institutions.”

Hao Nguyen · Group CFO, KIDO Corporation

Vietnam's next era will be defined by enterprises that institutionalize leadership.

The Founding Class of 2026 is open for application.
Cohort size is limited to 25.