From Tech Innovator to Global Leader: An Interview with Tuyen Pham, CEO of THX and EDHEC EMBA Alumnus

Tuyen Pham’s journey from engineering student to CEO of THX, a globally recognised audiovisual company founded by George Lucas, is a remarkable story of ambition, resilience, and transformation. With decades of experience in 3D audio technology and entrepreneurship, Tuyen reached a pivotal point in his career where refining his leadership approach and strategic mindset became essential. Seeking a programme that could provide both personal and professional growth, he chose EDHEC’s Executive MBA.

Delivered part-time in Paris, EDHEC Business School’s EMBA programme is renowned for its human-centred design, blending leadership development, global perspectives, and hands-on business challenges. The Transform360 leadership programme, global business trips, and a tailored curriculum helped Tuyen sharpen his decision-making skills while exploring complex business issues. “Every lesson from the EMBA has proved useful,” Tuyen reflects, citing its immediate impact on his ability to assess and lead a Californian company within months of graduation.

In this interview, Tuyen shares how EDHEC’s EMBA enabled him to align his technical expertise with broader business acumen, develop a strategic vision, and confidently take on leadership roles in an increasingly complex business world.  

His story offers a compelling glimpse into how EDHEC’s EMBA empowers leaders to thrive in dynamic global markets.

How do you define success as a technology leader?

Tuyen Pham: Making an impact means that our developments have helped as many people as possible and that these people recognise the value of our work. The number of people impacted by our tech and the percentage of people knowing the brand and its recognition are my KPIs of success.

What can entrepreneurship teach you about failure and resilience?

TP: When you develop a start-up, you are obliged to fail many times. Nearly running out of cash, losing a key customer, firing people... With strong skills in strategy and connection, and with a certain dose of unconsciousness, I never spend time on failure but on how to continue the adventure or pivot the business. Being also a very optimistic person, I tend not to see the danger of failing, which sometimes makes my team members very worried.

What advice would you give to an EMBA candidate? 

TP: The knowledge of myself was the most eye-opening thing during the EMBA. The hard subjects like finance or strategies are, of course, relevant. But the real step up happens when you search deep inside yourself to understand why you do certain things and how you can improve. The advice I will give is to remove your armour and look at yourself without any artifices.

Why did you choose to pursue the EDHEC EMBA programme? 

TP: A-Volute was about 50 people when I sold it. I developed advanced skills in tech, people management, business development, and sales leadership... But what I was always missing was the B2C marketing to make the Nahimic brand well-known. Also, while I worked hard for two decades, I wasn’t sure that the choices I made were the right ones. This EMBA helped me to put some theories on the choices I made.

How has the EMBA programme at EDHEC Business School benefited you? Has it contributed to your growth? 

TP: I got a new job thanks partly to the EMBA as CEO of THX, a well-renowned company created 40 years ago by George Lucas. Having an MBA was required to get that job. Now two months into my new role, I can say that every lesson from the EMBA has proved useful for handling this Californian company. For instance, building a diagnostic of the company to propose a new strategy to the board in less than a month was challenging, and the methods learned during the EMBA were efficient for that. I put in practice the newly learned lessons in all subjects like Marketing, Finance, Leadership, Strategies, and Business Canvas, just to name a few.