Mike Reid

Based in Ho Chi Minh City, Mike Reid leads supply chain for Central Retail in Vietnam (CRV), part of Thailand’s Central Retail Corporation. His role is key to bridging the gap between theory and practice in one of Asia’s fastest-growing retail markets, ensuring suppliers, systems and people align to deliver modern, resilient operations.

“First and foremost, I’m passionate about my team, people, building teams and developing teams – and just as passionate about retail supply chain,” Mike says.

Mike’s journey to CRV includes senior roles in the UK and across 12 Asian markets, including in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand, before arriving in Vietnam.

“You never know when you set out where you’re going to end up,” he adds. “I embrace a mindset to go and gather new experiences, meet new people and sometimes find new environments to apply what I love doing, with fresh challenges and teams."

Exposure to different cultures and ways of working has shaped Mike’s leadership philosophy. Today, CRV operates more than 330 stores and welcomes over half a million visitors daily. 

“We put the customer first, and we put service before cash, and cash before cost,” he continues. “If you take care of customers, you win their loyalty, then you win the volume and, ultimately, the efficiency game follows.”

Inside CRV, this ethos is mirrored by a CEO-led drive for collaboration and breaking down silos. Vietnam’s people-first culture plays a key role, says Mike: “It’s probably the easiest place I’ve been to build teams. People are genuinely engaged to listen, learn and apply new skills and new ways of operating.”

Yet, challenges remain. Across Vietnam, modern supply chain principles are well known but inconsistently applied. Suppliers are eager to discuss forecasting or automation, but many still overlook basics. 

“I want to talk to them about delivering their goods on time, on pallets and in proper packaging with the correct bar code,” he says. “The robots won’t work if we don’t have barcodes in the system, if the suppliers trucks don’t turn up on time or they don’t deliver what we order.”

For younger supply chain professionals, a lack of training adds to the difficulty, but CRV’s Supply Chain Academy is closing that gap. Through a mix of classroom and practical work – from warehouse operations to store checks – staff learn by solving real-world challenges together.

Trust and collaboration with suppliers is another critical step.

“We’re prepared to commit for the longer term and build partnerships that truly deliver win-win,” Mike says, pointing to investments in roll cages and plastic crates to replace Vietnam’s traditional, less efficient baskets.

Evidence of this transformation is clear in CRV’s partnership with P&G. Starting with deliveries to mini GO! stores, the two companies shifted from direct-to-store distribution to centralised fulfilment. 

“Almost immediately on-shelf availability started to improve and stores saw sales going up,” Mike explains. 

Looking ahead, Vietnam’s challenges require coalition and collaboration. 

“Most people wouldn’t be able to imagine running a chain of hypermarkets without a centralised supply chain,” Mike says. However, in Vietnam the logistics inefficiency is clear: “Compared to Thailand, Vietnam has twice as many trucks registered… yet hauls half the payload.”

His vision stretches beyond CRV’s walls to the entire country’s retail sector: “We’re trying to change an industry and build up supply chain as a real modern profession in Vietnam.” 

For Mike, success is measured in industry-wide impact. 

“Success breeds success,” he concludes. “The more people see it working, the more willing people will be to get on board.”

As the company continues its transformation, Mike’s leadership ensures progress is practical, people-led and built to last.