Dat Nguyen Phuc
What is your current role at Creative Force?
I am one of three Software Architects on our Development team. Software Architects at Creative Force are responsible for creating and maintaining the system architecture, monitoring and forecasting any risk regarding the product’s functionality, defining requirements with Product Managers, and aligning development teams. My team, in particular, focuses on our e-commerce workflow engine and our integrations with other platforms.
Software Architects are among the more senior members of our team. In addition to our other responsibilities, we also invest time in helping mentor and develop our team members and provide them with the support they need to grow in their roles and careers.
Speaking of growing your career, you’ve worked with Thomas Kragelund (CEO) and Tejs Rassmussen (CTO) for a long time, right?
Yes, I have worked with Thomas, Tejs, and Khanh Dao (Senior Director of Software Development) for 12 years.
I started my career as a Junior Developer at Thomas and Tejs' previous company and came over with them when they founded Creative Force.
What has made you want to work with Thomas, Tejs, and Khanh for so long?
Developing my skills and knowledge is very important to me. I have learned so much from watching how they manage their companies and teams, their work ethic, and how they approach developing a great enterprise software product. They’ve also provided me with opportunities to grow in my career and move into more senior roles. Even after 12 years, I am still learning new things every day.
Because I have worked with our team for so long, my role at Creative Force has become more than just a job. I have experienced some major life milestones while working here. I met my wife while working at Thomas and Tejs' previous company. I bought my first house while working at Creative Force. I had my children while working for their companies. My colleagues are some of my closest friends.
Creative Force and the team have greatly influenced my life, and I am thankful for that.
When you speak with people interested in working at Creative Force, what do you highlight about the work experience?
One thing I always make sure to mention is our strong culture of learning. People are not punished for making mistakes. Of course, we strive not to repeat mistakes, but our leadership encourages us to try new things, experiment, and learn. We offer a lot of freedom and have many different areas of development—Mobile, AI, Front-end, Back-end. We welcome people to explore whatever interests them. You're never stuck working on one part of our product just because you were originally hired for a particular role. We prefer to give people the freedom to try new things if it means they stay with Creative Force rather than looking for a new job elsewhere.
Our leadership is also very strong. Communication between staff and the leadership teams in both Vietnam and Denmark is very open. We always have the opportunity to discuss any issues we are having and I’ve always found them willing to listen and to provide me the support I need.
We also have a unique work environment for a company in Vietnam because it is influenced by Danish work culture. For example, as a father with a wife who also works, I love our work-from-home policy when I need to take care of my children in urgent situations. There is also a lot of investment in making the daily work experience comfortable and fun for everyone, like the yearly trips organized by our Human Resources team that allow us to all spend time together away from the office.
You work closely with colleagues from around the world on a daily basis. Do you enjoy the global aspect of your role?
Yes, it is fun to work with people from different cultures! I enjoy learning about my colleagues' diverse backgrounds, and it is also great for me to practice my English. We often approach solving problems in different ways, and it is a valuable learning experience to see how people from different parts of the world manage their work, solve problems, resolve issues, and communicate with one another.
Outside of work, what is your life like?
I have a small family, one wife and two sons who are four and nine years old. I love talking with my youngest child because he always has many questions for me. I also started biking every day during Covid-19 for exercise. When we returned to the office we created a small group of colleagues who all own bikes and sometimes bike together which has been fun.