From the ground, up: Nguyen Minh’s unconventional path to CEO

What began as a part-time job washing dishes in Melbourne eventually set Minh on a journey that would span industries, countries and roles, from the kitchen, to sales, to the boardroom. Along the way, one thing has stayed constant: his belief in learning, adapting, and making the most of every opportunity.

Today, Minh is the CEO of Metal Solutions Co. Ltd., where he oversees everything from engineering and production to finance and digital systems. But back when he was studying business as an undergraduate, he had no idea he’d one day be managing robotic production lines.

“I didn’t really plan my career, I just tried to make the most of whatever came my way,” he says. “What’s driven me forward is the mindset of taking on challenges and learning from them.”

Minh’s early career took a turn when he took a sales job in Vietnam, a move that opened new doors, especially when the company faced a series of crises and senior staff began leaving. Instead of backing away, he stepped up. Over time, Minh has gone from Sales Executive to Head of Technology, Branch Manager, General Manager and now CEO. Each step of the way, he relied on his problem-solving skills, work ethic and willingness to learn things on the fly. He says keeping an open mind made way for him to gain knowledge far beyond his original background in marketing, from accounting and finance to sales, production and logistics. 

“Had I closed myself off and focused only on one discipline, I would never have progressed this far. Challenges are inevitable, but with an open mind and willingness to learn, every challenge becomes an opportunity.”

One of his proudest achievements at Metal Solutions has been setting up an automated production line, something he built from scratch without a background in engineering. “I had to teach myself everything,” he says. “It wasn’t easy, but we ended up increasing our production capacity by six times since 2019.”

He also led the company’s transition to digital systems. Minh spent months researching, testing and building out cloud-based workflows using platforms like Slack and Dropbox, replacing outdated paper-based processes with more efficient tools.

But even with all this experience, Minh knew he needed something more.

 “After Covid, I realised I wasn’t as well-equipped as I thought,” he says. “My background lacked formal training in areas like accounting and the use of new digital tools, things that only became essential after I graduated. For an SME, you can sometimes get away with those gaps. But if you want to grow a company beyond that, you need the kind of tools, frameworks and processes that only formal study can provide. That’s when I decided to enrol in the MBA at RMIT.” 

RMIT’s reputation for practical learning and flexible delivery made it the right fit. The program didn’t just fill knowledge gaps ,it gave Minh new tools and fresh perspectives.

“Design Thinking was one of the most useful courses,” he says. “It helped me look at problems in a completely different way. The whole program made me realise that the world is moving fast, and if you stop learning and fail to adapt, you fall behind.”

Minh also valued the experience of learning from RMIT’s faculty. Unlike his bachelor’s studies, where teaching often felt one-directional, the MBA allowed for genuine back-and-forth between students and lecturers. Among them, he particularly enjoyed studying with Dr Manjit Sandhu, whose realistic approach to the business world left a lasting impression.

Going into the MBA, Minh expected the content might not add much to what he had already learned through reading and management experience. “In reality, however, it turned out that the program proved to be quite fruitful,” he says. Beyond new frameworks and models, the MBA expanded his network and his ability to connect with people from many different industries, from banking and IT to food processing and gaming. “It grew my self-awareness and ability to socialise far beyond what I had before,” Minh reflects. 

The MBA also helped Minh rethink his business. Since graduating, he’s rebranded the company, streamlined operations, and expanded his professional network.

For Minh, the MBA was more than a qualification, it was a reminder to stay humble and keep growing, even at the top. “Most importantly, it developed for me a mentality to not become arrogant and to always maintain my learning behaviour,” he says. “Without that, I would be left behind by the newer generations much faster than I could anticipate.

Looking back, Minh sees his unconventional path to the boardroom as proof that success isn’t about having a perfect plan, it’s about staying open, taking on challenges, never stopping the learning journey and keep moving forward no matter where you start.