Mai’s Story
I grew up in Vietnam, and at 21, I had my first opportunity to travel to Europe for a summer school in Lithuania.
It was only a short trip, but something changed in me.
For the first time, I saw a world that felt much bigger than the one I had known. I wanted to see more of it. I wanted to challenge myself, experience different cultures and find out what I was capable of.
That desire eventually took me to Italy, where I moved for my Master’s degree.
A year later, I made another move - this time to the Czech Republic through the Erasmus+ Exchange programme.
I was supposed to be a student.
Instead, during the first half of my exchange, I randomly came across an international IT company while researching something for my university work. One thing led to another, and I found an internship.
Rather than simply enjoying student life, I started my corporate life.
And somehow, I never left.
I didn’t always know where I was going.
I just kept moving.
But getting here was far from easy.
I can't remember how many times I doubted myself.
How many jobs I applied for and was rejected from simply because I didn't have the right to work.
How many times I sat in a Foreigners' Immigration Office, waiting for my visa application and wondering what would happen next.
How many times I sat at my desk and felt tears coming because I couldn't express myself in English the way I could in my native language.
How many times I asked what I thought were genuine questions, only to have someone laugh because, to them, the question seemed ridiculous.
And how many times I felt the weight of discrimination pressing against my chest - wondering whether I was struggling because I wasn't good enough, or simply because I was different.
There were moments when I genuinely questioned whether I belonged.
But somehow, I kept going.
I learned.
I adapted.
I became more confident.
I built a career in international finance. I became an ACCA prizewinner, a manager and a people leader. I learned how to communicate with senior leaders, manage difficult situations, lead teams and - perhaps most importantly - believe in myself a little more.
I didn't become a different person.
I simply became a better version of myself than I was yesterday.
And that's the part of my story I want you to remember.
You don't have to have everything figured out. You just have to keep moving.
“Sometimes, one person believing in you can change the direction of your entire career.”
Why mentoring?
Mentoring has played a deeply meaningful role in my professional life.
I was fortunate to be mentored by inspiring women in the industry who didn't simply give me answers. They taught me how to think.
They helped me develop a systematic way of approaching problems, make decisions with more confidence and see possibilities that I couldn't always see for myself.
That experience changed how I approached my career.
And it made me realise something:
Sometimes, one person believing in you can change the direction of your entire career.
Inspire one woman, and she can inspire another ten.
My motto is simple.
That's the reason I created this space.
I want to share the things I have learned - from building a career in a foreign country and passing professional exams, to managing money, communicating with senior leaders, building a personal brand and navigating the moments when you simply don't know what to do next.
Not because I have everything figured out.
But because I've been there.
And I know how powerful it can be to have someone beside you who says:
“I've been through something similar. Let's figure this out together.”
Who am I today?
I’m Mai - a finance professional, ACCA prizewinner, manager, mentor and lifelong learner.
But before any of those titles, I was a 21-year-old girl from Vietnam who simply wanted to see the world.
I took one opportunity.
Then another.
Then another.
And that journey brought me here.
Now, I want to help you take your next step.
The one’s behind it all
Mai ACCA
Head of Reporting UK - Commerzbank AG