Ly Thi Tuan Dinh (Ashley)

The Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University

“A minimalist who adores original people, concepts and ideas.”

Hometown: Hue, VietNam

Fun Fact About Yourself: I enjoy playing guitar and often feel touched when I see street musicians diving into their sound on street corners, especially during my travels. Recently, during a trip to Malaysia, I joined a guitarist performing “Tian mi mi”, a classic Chinese song. Surprisingly, some Chinese tourists started to sing along, and my friends captured a video of them forming a circle around us, clapping and smiling. At the end, some of them complimented me on my Mandarin, which humbled me, since I was replicating the sounds without knowing the actual meaning of the words. It’s amazing to experience connection among people regardless of language differences.

Undergraduate School and Major: College of Medicine and Pharmacy, Pharmacy major

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Brand Manager, Eli Lilly & Company

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: While working at Eli Lilly, I was promoted to Brand Manager for the Diabetes unit with limited prior experience in Marketing and no knowledge about Diabetes. However, this was not even the most challenging part. I had to switch from “direct supervisor” mode, in which I was comfortable after two years as a sales manager with seven subordinates, to “leading without authority” mode with 30 colleagues in cross functional team, most of whom were older and had more experience with Diabetes products. Under my management, we successfully launched the HumalogÒ portfolio of analog insulins, achieving 27% market share within two years and reaching more than 3,000 patients suffering with Diabetes. With this launch, our team provided healthcare providers an alternative and affordable solution to managing Diabetes.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Friendly and eager to help. When applying to school, I received amazing support from alumni. Once admitted, I found myself in the most interactive Whatsapp group I’ve ever experienced. We discussed everything, from the study permit to class registration. Last but not least, my MBA buddy was very thoughtful, offering me comfort and advice even before class started.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? What truly touched me is Desautels’ core concept of focusing on personal responsibility. At Desautels, I am treated not as a customer, but as a family member. Desautels’ program, through the admissions team, genuinely cares for my goal of making an impact in the healthcare field and helping more people gain access to innovative medicines. I believe the alignment between my mission and the school’s values finalized my decision.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I can’t wait to participate in the International Study Trip, in which I can gain international perspective through a practical lens by immersing in a specific country’s business environment. I also hope to form a McGill MBA music band and perform in local music clubs. That would be exceptional!

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? Although I have seven years in sales and marketing and more than four years at a management level in multinational Fortune 500 companies, I want to strengthen my perspective by exploring the full business spectrum. My eventual goal is to become a specialized consultant. Moreover, I knew that studying an MBA in a new geography will help me develop as an international business leader, since my working experience has been mostly local. I believe I should be consistently challenged in order to meet my appetite for learning and personal development. An MBA is a great step forward, at the right time, for my career.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? Coming from a scientific background, I knew what I lacked was a systematic understanding of business. I might know how it runs, but the “why” part is still intuitive. Observing the performance of my former supervisors, who were my referees and who also obtained MBAs from well-known institutions, I realized that an MBA was my path forward.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Rotman & Schulich

How did you determine your fit at various schools? Canada has been a rising star for its cultural and economic status. When researching top business schools in Canada, McGill caught my eye because of its small class size, suggesting a close network among alumni and personal advice from career services. The admissions team was wonderful in providing all of the information I needed, including introducing me with relevant alumni. In fact, those discussions with alumni helped me a great deal in the application and decision-making process.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? When I was a second year student in pharmaceutical school, my father was diagnosed with leukemia. He passed away after one struggling year. He didn’t receive proper treatment with innovative drugs because of their unavailability in Vietnam. The incident was an important milestone in my life, transforming me into my family’s primary supporter, both financially and emotionally. It struck me that while many resources have been spent on discovering new medicines, accessibility (which is crucial) remains limited. As a result, I chose to work in sales and marketing after graduation to gain practical perspectives, with a desire to help physicians, patients and caregivers achieve their treatment goals. There’s an old saying in Latin: “Carpe diem”, meaning “seize the day.” After my father’s funeral, I found myself understanding this expression more than ever. Since then, I have tried to keep a simple lifestyle, enjoying the moment and finding ways to make impacts on people’s lives.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? Post-MBA, I plan to leverage my working experience in Fortune 500 pharmaceutical companies to provide strategic advice to pharmaceutical, biotech and healthcare organizations.

Where do you see yourself in five years? In the long run, I want to help bring innovative products closer to the people who need them, especially in developing countries, by working as a strategy consultant specialized in the pharmaceutical, biotech and healthcare industries.

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