The Business School

Dr. Dong Manh Cuong is currently the Head of The Business School at British University Vietnam (BUV). He has many years of teaching experience at both domestic and international universities, delivering international programmes offered by institutions such as RMIT, San José State University, Troy University, St. Francis University, etc.
His research focuses on applied econometrics in the fields of finance and economics. He has authored numerous academic publications in prestigious international journals indexed in ISI/Scopus. He also serves as a peer reviewer for several leading international journals such as PLOS ONE, Financial Innovation, International Journal of Finance and Economics, The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, and Computational Economics, among others.
In addition to teaching and research, Dr. Dong Manh Cuong also serves as an academic advisor to several scientific organizations. He is currently the Chair of the Scientific and Training Council at the Centre for Socio-Economic Data and Analysis (CSEAD VNU-UEB) and the Vice President of the Vietnam Institute for Digital Economic Development (VIDE). He has led and participated in numerous national and international research projects, making significant contributions to academic advancement and policy development in the context of economic transformation and digitalization

Originally from Germany, Maren holds an undergraduate degree in International Hospitality Management from Stenden University in the Netherlands and an MSc in Tourism and Events from the University of Sunderland in the UK. Maren gained her PhD from Edinburgh Napier University in the UK in 2016 with a thesis exploring commemorative narratives of the anniversary events of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Since then, she has taught on tourism, hospitality and events management courses in the UK and Vietnam and has held programme leadership roles at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Maren is also a Fellow of Advance HE. Her research interests include commemoration, memory studies, semiotics, tourism education and sustainable tourism. Maren has published her research in academic journals and book chapters and presented at international conferences.

Coming from the serene coastal town of Port Dickson, Malaysia. Dr. Ash embarked on an academic journey that culminated in remarkable achievements. She secured a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master of Science in International Marketing Management from the Robert Gordon University (RGU), UK. Her thirst for knowledge led her to Postgraduate Studies in Management in 1999, further enriching her expertise.

Dr. Ash’s career voyages spanned diverse industries. She ventured into the oil and gas realm, making her mark at Halliburton in Aberdeen, UK, and later explored the dynamic retail sector. Returning to her homeland in 2001, she embraced higher education before an impactful journey in the Middle East. Contributing significantly to academic institutions in Jeddah and Dhahran, she left an indelible legacy. In 2020, the culmination of her academic pursuits arrived with the completion of her Ph.D. Her research interests are mainly in digital marketing, loyalty and customer experience.

Notably, Dr. Ash undertook a pivotal role in a Malaysian higher education institution, serving as Senior Lecturer and Head of Programme. Beyond academia, her interests encompass travel, gardening, and martial arts. In essence, Dr Ash’s enthusiasm for teaching and research is rooted in her dedication to nurturing the untapped potential of young minds.

Shashi, born and raised in Nepal, completed a Bachelor’s degree (BA) in Economics and Mathematics and a Master’s degree (MA) in Economics from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. He started his career in higher education as a Lecturer in Economics at the School of Business, Pokhara University, Nepal, where he worked for two years before moving to Nepal Rastra Bank (the central bank of Nepal) as an Assistant Director. He worked in the central bank for five years and resigned in 2014 as the Deputy Director of the Research Department.

Shashi completed his PhD in International Economics from Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (PGCLTHE) from University of London, UK. He also achieved the status of University of London Worldwide Recognised Tutor and a Senior Fellow at the Advanced HE, UK (SFHEA).

He has been working with BUV since September 2014 and teaching courses in the field of Economics, Banking and Finance. He is an active researcher and owns credits for 19 research articles published in reputable journals from Nepal, Vietnam, India and the UK.

After graduating from the University of London (Imperial College), Andrew completed a post-doctoral fellowship sponsored by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, thereafter serving as an academic – in a variety of universities in Australia, Singapore, Japan and Malaysia; where Andrew supervised post graduate students, established collaborations with industry, authored textbooks and edited journal publications; and also served in industries, as Research Development Manager in Australia; and Training Consultant to large petroleum company in Middle East – initiated participation in WorldSkills competitions, successful registrations of patents and investment in local community development.

Andrew is the co-founder of the Journey Towards Hope (JoTHe) Projects since 2002. The projects which aim to promote peace and wellbeing by engaging, educating and empowering participants through creative arts and culture; have traversed through 23 nations Australia, Malaysia, UK, USA, Cambodia, Japan for example JoTHe projects have received the National Award for Crime and Violence Prevention (Australia) at the Australian Parliament; Western Australian Multicultural Community Services Award 2008; and global commendations from International Women Judges Association; United Nations Commissions on Status of Women; Vishtar Academy Bangalore India; Another Development Cooperation Sweden.

Raised and educated in Rome, Italy, Giovanni completed a double major Bachelor degree in Statistics and Economics from the university La Sapienza in Rome. He completed his Masters and Ph.D. in Statistics at the University of Waterloo in 1994 and 1998, respectively. He was associate professor at the Polytechnic University of Catalunya in Spain, then moved to work in the area of Privacy Protection first at the National Statistics Office (ISTAT) in Rome and then at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in London, UK. He was employed for several years at a large hedge fund based in London, UK, researching systematic trading strategies for Futures. He returned to Academia in 2010, first at RMIT Vietnam and then at Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University in China and later in India.

Giovanni’s research interests span from Multivariate Analysis to Privacy Protection and Statistical Learning, with a strong interest in computation, data analysis and visualization. He authored several refereed publications. He is proficient in programming, favouring the statistical language R and C++0, among others.

Adrian joined BUV Hanoi in 2020, having previously taught at RMIT Vietnam for more than 10 years. Before teaching, he worked as a Training Manager in KPMG Malaysia, an international accounting firm headquartered in the Netherlands. Adrian also worked as a stock analyst and a real estate negotiator in Kuala Lumpur before finding his calling in teaching and training. Adrian is passionate about education and about using experiential activities to facilitate learning. This comes from his extensive background in adult learning. He makes sure that his students not only learn but they also have fun whilst learning.

Currently, Adrian teaches marketing and management subjects across a number of undergraduate programmes at BUV, including the Bachelor of Business and the Bachelor of Marketing. After receiving his Doctoral degree from Southern Cross University, in 2016, Adrian started to engage in research more actively. Currently, his research interests include the business field of leadership, culture, communication, and CSR.

Raised and educated in Chennai, INDIA, Varun completed a bachelor’s degree in Defense & Strategic studies from University of Madras. Following graduation in 2003, he completed a master’s degree in Mass communication & Journalism in 2005. He started his career as a Lecturer from Chennai. Varun completed National Eligibility Test in 2012 to become certified lecturer in the field of Mass communication, in 2016 he Moved to Malaysia and began working for INTI International university.  In 2023 He completed his PhD thesis (Vels university) titled, Effectiveness of film induced tourism to promote tourist destinations in India. He has guided students in employer projects for Malaysia airports, MBSB bank, Newswav.   

In addition, Varun passion for teaching with a motto to make learning simplified for greater good.  

William Shiue is a Lecturer at the School of Business at the British University Vietnam. He earned his Ph.D. in Strategic Marketing from King’s Business School, King’s College London (AACSB, EQUIS, and AMBA accredited), an M.Sc. in Management and Systems from New York University, and a B.Sc. in Finance from The Pennsylvania State University.
William’s research focuses on how artificial intelligence (AI) can be utilized to augment sales and services in retail banking, and how AI may cognitively enhance human performance in sales and service roles. His second research stream focuses on employing multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) to identify and assess the most influential factors in dynamic and complex business settings.
William teaches Digital Marketing, International Marketing, and Marketing Strategy at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. His teaching seamlessly combines academic rigor with practical application, offering valuable insights to both students and businesses.

Chris, originally from the UK, has built a distinguished career abroad, specializing in economics, international political economy, and education. He holds a Ph.D. focused on the Asian Currency Crisis, along with a Master’s in International Political Economy, a PGCE in Tertiary Education (Economics), and a B.A. (Hons.) in Politics and Economics.

With extensive experience in academic and leadership roles, Chris spent five years as a lecturer at RMIT University in Vietnam. His work has also taken him to Thailand, Egypt, Greece, Belgium and China, where he has engaged in cultural diplomacy and educational management for the British Council. Previously, he worked for the UK’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office as a research analyst. He has published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences, concentrating on topics such as monetary policy and economic integration in the EU.

Hailing from Kerala, South India, Aiwa completed her Bachelor’s degree in Travel and Tourism from Pazhassiraja College, Calicut University, Kerala in 2014. Following graduation, she moved to Malaysia to pursue her MSc. in Tourism by research from Taylor’s University (2014-2017) , and continued there until the completion of her Doctoral studies in 2021. During her period at Taylor’s, she engaged with various teaching, research, as well as departmental activities under the Faculty of Social Sciences and Leisure Management.  Thereafter, she worked as an Invited Faculty and Visiting Resource Person at State and Central Universities in India.

Since her Master’s, she established her expertise in qualitative research and elevated her interpretive skills. Aiwa’s research interests include exploring niche areas in tourism, tourists’ behaviour, perceptions, and preferences. Besides that, she is an independent researcher, speaker, and thinker who works towards inculcating ethical thoughts and qualitative behaviour in daily life.

Born in Hubei, China, Tingting completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration in 2008 and a Master’s Degree in Marketing Management in 2010 from Wuhan University. Then Tingting achieved her degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Marketing from City University of Hong Kong in 2015. She was also a visiting scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA in 2012. Her PhD dissertation focuses on how consumers with ambivalent reactions towards products and brands process information, make purchase and post-purchase decisions. Her research areas are social media marketing, electronic word-of-mouth, consumer ambivalence, business ethics, cross-cultural difference, and family succession. Dr. Xie currently serves as the associate editor of the Asian Journal of Business Ethics.

Bilal Aslam is an accomplished academic with a PhD in Finance from Curtin University. His doctoral research, titled “Machine Learning for Capital Market Research and Portfolio Optimization,” delved into the application of advanced computational techniques to equity portfolio construction and decision-making. Prior to his PhD, Bilal completed an MPhil in Economics and Finance at Curtin University, focusing on “Weak Euler Scheme for Stochastic Differential Equations with Applications in Finance.” His academic journey began with an MSc in Financial Mathematics (with distinction) from the University of Sussex, providing a strong foundation in mathematical finance.

Bilal has a strong multidisciplinary background in finance, mathematics and computing, and he teaches courses in quantitative and computational finance. His research interests encompass derivatives, portfolio management, and applications of machine learning in finance.

Raised in a small town in Hanoi, Mai moved to live and study in the United Kingdom from 2011. Mai completed her Msci degree in Mathematics and Statistical Science at the University College London (UCL) in 2017. She then received the UCL’s Research Excellence Scholarship to undertake doctoral research at UCL. In 2022, she was awarded the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy with the thesis titled, “Inference on Riemannian Manifolds: Regression and Stochastic Differential Equations”.  Towards the end of her PhD, she moved to the department of Applied Health Research at UCL to work in the field of Early Cancer Detection.

Mai is interested in Riemannian geometry and stochastic processes. Past work is on inference for regression on Lie groups and stochastic differential equations (SDEs) on manifolds and their applications. Mai is also interested in statistical models and simulation methodologies applied in Cancer Early Detection Research, particularly multi-state models.

Don completed his degree in business administration from Confederation and immediately began working for BC Parks. It was here he fostered a reverence for outdoor recreation, beginning the process of certification from the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. An unfortunate injury halted his career path resulting in a return to academia. Don subsequently completed an Honours degree in Sociology from Lakehead University. During this time an Internship at the Vietnam National University greatly altered his research focus, which he used to complete a Masters in Sociology at the University of Western Ontario and furthering this focus as a PhD student. In 2015 Don took formal leave from his PhD work at Western to concentrate on being a father. Don has recently reconvened his doctoral journey and is currently completing his Doctor of Business Administration at Edgewood College.

Born in Canada, raised and educated in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Mark completed a B.Sc. (Econ) at the University of Buckingham, England. Following graduation in 1984, he worked with an Economics Consultancy for a year before returning to Buckingham as a tutor. While completing his Master’s degree, he worked his way up to Lecturer before leaving academia and training with KPMG as a Chartered Accountant.

In 1994, Mark emigrated to Singapore and began teaching at the University of London, which he continued for over 20 years, before joining BUV in 2015.

Mark has also taught short-term assignments for the University of London in Bermuda, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.

Mr Neale has been CEO of two consultancies and successfully restored over 23 different businesses to profitability before entering higher education. He taught in the UK and Abu Dhabi before coming to Vietnam.

His first degree was from Dalhousie University (Canada), he later completed an MBA at Heriot-Watt University (Scotland) and a PGCE at York St. John University (England).

Joey is from Malaysia, and she has been teaching at international universities/colleges for more than 15 years. Before joining the education industry, she had worked in banking and financial services in Malaysia.

Joey came to Vietnam in 2007 and has served in BUV since 2016, leading the Accounting and Finance (AF) programme. In addition, she also teaches accounting and finance subjects for the University of London international programmes at BUV. Joey consistently demonstrates talent and commitment to the development of the AF programme.

Konstantinos holds a First-class BSc in Economics (National & Kapodistrian University of Athens) and an MSc in Operational Research (University of Birmingham, U.K). He is certified: Economist, Trainer, Lead Quality Assurance Auditor (ISO) and Fellow member of Higher Education Academy (UK)

For more than 20 years, he held senior HR-managerial positions while at the same time working as a business consultant and trainer. He has also served as an advisor of the Deputy Minister of Labor in Greece and a General Manager of the Greek National Institute of Vocational Orientation. In 2014 he joined the humanitarian organisation “MSF” (Doctors without borders) as Regional Training Officer (Tajikistan & Uzbekistan). Then, Konstantinos joined academia as a Business Lecturer. He is passionate about Education, Learning and Human Resources Development.

Raised in South Africa, Darius emigrated to the UK in 2003, working in various hospitality management roles. He completed a BTEC Level 7 Extended Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership through Brighton School of Business and Management in 2014. In 2015 he relocated to Vietnam to manage a 5* Luxury Cruise Boat in Ha Long Bay and later held the position of CSR Director for the Holding Company. He resumed his studies in 2019, completing a Master of Business Administration through the London Metropolitan University.

He has more than 20 years of hospitality industry experience across various sectors and has been a passionate contributor to supporting the protection of Vietnam’s Natural Heritage through the initiation of multiple projects.

Ajay Kumar Pillai is employed as a full-time faculty in British University Vietnam (BUV) and is the programme leader for Finance and Economics.

He has an MBA from University of Surrey, UK and holds certificates from The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK (CIMA) and The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). His main research areas are behavioural management accounting and corporate governance, and he has written several articles and conducted several workshops.

He is currently pursuing his PhD in Business Administration on the impact of contextual factors influencing strategic cost allocation adoption and its mediating role in the service industry. He has more than fifteen years of experience and has lectured in different countries.

Olivier de Chauliac is a French professional working in the hospitality, tourism and service industry for several years. Coming from a family anchored deep into the hospitality industry with a 3-stars Camping, a 200ha of Vineyard in the South of France and a hunting lodge, Olivier always had a passion for this industry and particularly for the Food & Beverage one.

After successfully spending 1 year in England as an assistant Event Manager, he went to undertake his study in Switzerland where he graduated at 24 years old with a Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management. After reaching Viet Nam in 2011 Olivier has worked for several entities around Sai Gon mainly as Food & Beverage Manager. His industry’s experience includes the opening of level 50, 51 & 52 of the Bitexco Tower, the pre-opening of the Reverie Hotel while being group assistant FB Manager of WMC and MGM Grand Ho Tram as well as.

Olivier then went to pass on his Culinary Arts Diploma in Philippines before joining back Viet Nam where he worked as a consultant for the “Hoa Tuk” Group as well as being a hospitality lecturer at the same time. He successfully graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2020 with a Master of Science in Hospitality Management and currently working on completing his Phd.

Olivier is driven by the hospitality industry and has several passions on the side from being an adrenaline junky, many sports and a passion for Formula 1 and Video Gaming as well as every nerdy subjects he could find.

Maredi was raised and educated in South Africa. He studied Accounting at the University of Johannesburg where earned a Bachelor of Commerce and Honours in Accounting in 2006. He worked at Deloitte from 2007 to 2009 in assurance as part of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) program where he successfully completed the program and joined the Institute. Maredi has worked in academia from 2010 at various universities in South Africa where he focused on teaching Management Accounting and Finance. In 2020 he moved to Vietnam and worked in various universities that teach UK-based business programs such as the University of Greenwich. Maredi is currently reading for a PhD.

Raised and educated in Stoke-on-Trent, England, Jed completed a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting & Finance from Staffordshire University. Following graduation in 2018, he was employed by British University Vietnam as an English teacher whilst subsequently completing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Staffordshire University, delivered at British University Vietnam.

During his time at BUV, Jed has also delivered pre-university level business and finance-related qualifications through the University’s UOL programme and their strategic partnership delivering A-level courses with Hanoi Amsterdam. In 2022, Jed started delivering business and finance related undergraduate programmes as a Teaching Fellow at BUV.

Sandra is Student Success Lead and a Teaching Instructor. She liaises with faculty and students to develop individualised success lessons and learning plans. Raised in New Zealand and educated in Australia, Sandra received her Bachelor of Education and Master of Education at The University of Melbourne. She also has a Post-Graduate Certificate in Gifted Education (Monash University) and Literacy and Reading (The University of Melbourne). She taught Secondary level English and History in Australia for 28 years. Between 2014-2020, she taught the International Baccalaureate at The United Nations International School (Vietnam).

Sandra has coordinated programmes in Accelerated Learning, Inter-School Debating, Student Mentoring, Pastoral Care and Model United Nations. She designs her curricula using Case Study and Active Learning methodologies and is adept in blended classroom teaching using multimedia social technologies in all formative and summative learning aspects. She currently volunteers her time supporting university students in Vietnam’s Blue Dragon Mentoring Programs.

Raised and educated in the United States, James completed a Bachelor’s degree at the University of Colorado (USA) as a double major in Political Science and Environmental Studies. Subsequently, he completed a Master of Strategic Leadership and Communication from Stephens College in Missouri (USA). James then travelled, worked and volunteered in India and Nepal before coming to live and teach in Vietnam, where he has been teaching for the past 7 years – and currently continues to do so with BUV.

In addition, James continues to work and consult with several initiatives dealing with sustainability and enterprising entrepreneurs in India and Nepal.

As Julien was studying for his BA Hons in Marketing in bonny Scotland, he discovered hospitality, its rhythm, its multicultural pool of talents, its long shifts, and the passion behind all this. Beside his studies, he worked in banqueting in St Andrews and later as a bartender. Julien quickly became team leader and got the opportunity to be the head server when serving some members of the Royal family.

Julien decided to continue his studies and enrol for an MBA in Hospitality Management in one of the most prestigious hospitality school, L’ École Supérieure de Savignac.

Julien spent the following 8 years working for renown international chains like Hilton, Marriott, Rocco Forte and Sandton hotel. He gained knowledge in leadership, supervision, and management as he worked in different hotel departments throughout the years.

He also got some experience in the wine and spirit business, which became useful when he moved to Vietnam in 2016. Julien has worked as a sales account manager in the wine distribution for three years in Hanoi before joining the team of RMIT. On the way, he got the certification in WSET 2, and CELTA diploma. His next step is to become a certified Sake sommelier.

Raised and educated in the UK, Lee holds a TEFL, PGDBJ and an MA Degree in History from the University of Glasgow.

Lee moved to Vietnam in 2015 working as an IELTS teacher, examiner and VTV4 presenter before starting her role at BUV in 2018 under part time employment as an English teacher. In 2020 she moved into Faculty teaching Events, Marketing, and Tourism Management.

Working also as BUV Academic International Partnership Advisor, Lee will draw on her experience as a Broadcast Journalist and corporate Sales & Event Manager, helping her engage international partners and corporations. She will continue to strengthen her corporate relationships here in Vietnam.