Employee Spotlight series

Van Viet Le - Manager, BD & Operations

1. What's a valuable lesson you've learned in your career?

The world is changing so fast that the skills that got me here today aren’t going to be enough for where I want to be in 10 years. I’ve got to keep adapting. I originally studied Civil Engineering, which gave me a solid background in Physics and Math. But when I landed my first job at Shopee, I quickly realised those skills weren’t what I needed most – instead I had to get really good at Excel.

As time went on, I noticed everyone was becoming an Excel expert, and I knew that just knowing Excel won’t cut it for long. So I decided to learn Python and SQL, which really helped me move into my second job. ?But now, we’re entering the AI era, and suddenly, even those are starting to feel basic compared to what AI can do. To stay ahead, I’m diving into AI and PowerBI now. It’s like they say, the moment you stop learning, you start falling behind.

2. Who inspires you, and why?

My dad. He has always been this incredibly hardworking guy all his life. He’s been a huge influence on me, always saying that hard work really does pay off. But he’s also made it clear that it’s not just about putting in the hours. He says it’s about making smart choices too. Like, working hard in a company or industry that’s on top or on its way up is way more rewarding than grinding it out in one that’s on its way down.

And beyond just work, he’s taught me a lot about how to be a good person. He’s this wise and humble person who always treats people with respect. He's made sure to instill that in me too, telling me that if I treat others well, they’re likely to treat me the same way. It’s simple advice, but it’s stuck with me all these years.

3. Tell us about a professional success story that you're proud of.

In my previous role, I created an automation that helped the Business Development (BD) team at Shopback - they're all about affiliate marketing, connecting brands with users. Our primary focus was connecting brands with users, with Lazada standing as our largest merchant. The challenge for our BD team laid in selecting brands for upcoming campaigns, alongside gathering crucial details like creatives, commission rates and campaign periods. Unfortunately, the process involved manually scouring through numerous pages on the Lazada affiliate site, as there were no export features available.

Recognising this inefficiency, I took it upon myself to address the issue. Leveraging my Python skills, I developed a script that tapped into the Lazada API, automating the retrieval of necessary data and seamlessly integrating it into a Google Sheet. This not only streamlined the process but also empowered our BD team to access the information they needed effortlessly. Instead of tediously sifting through pages, they could now utilise filtering functions within the spreadsheet, saving significant time and effort.

This experience underscored the profound potential of automation and the realisation that we possess the capability to implement it ourselves. It highlighted the importance of a proactive mindset in identifying and resolving operational inefficiencies, ultimately driving improvements across the organisation.

4. What is one thing that you wish people knew about your job?

My job extends far beyond numbers and excel sheets, it indirectly has a profound impact on the environment by supporting the awareness about decarbonisation. Simply put, my job is not just a job; it’s a mission to create a greener, net zero world.

5. If you could have any superpower for a day, what would it be and why?

I would like to know what will happen in 50 years from now. With such foresight, I can prepare what I need to succeed in the future such as which skills to learn and which investments I need to make. It’s all about staying ahead of the game, right?