This story was originally published in the fall/winter issue of Shidler Business.
For alumna Qynn Nguyen, VEMBA ’12, the journey from earning her master’s in business administration to now leading strategic initiatives at YouTube has been a story of adaptability, innovation and resilience. As manager of Video on Demand for YouTube TV, Primetime Channels, FAST and NFL Sunday Ticket, Nguyen’s career showcases how core business skills and a passion for learning can propel success in dynamic industries.
Nguyen says that obtaining her graduate degree with Shidler’s Vietnam Executive MBA program was helpful in advancing her career. After she graduated in 2012, she took her first steps into the tech world by joining Google in Silicon Valley. She then moved to Singapore and then back to California. She began by leading a team of account managers for small and medium business AdWords advertisers. Two years into her time at Google, she transitioned to the Google Play Movies & TV team. The division was eventually rebranded to Google TV, to include 3rd party content services and providers like Amazon Prime, Netflix and Hulu. “We successfully transitioned from a mobile first to a living room centric viewing experience as a product and I am very proud of these achievements,” she said.
Nguyen spent a total of 10 years at Google and during her time, she spearheaded the global expansion of transactional video services, growing the reach from 16 to an impressive 117 territories, all while the team was reduced from 30 to four. In 2023, Nguyen took on a new challenge at YouTube, leading operations for subscription and ad-supported video services acrossYouTube, YouTube TV and NFL Sunday Ticket. She says that joining YouTube has allowed her to bring her expertise in digital video distribution to tackle operational and technical challenges within the ecosystem. “I am looking forward to growing our video on demand products across YouTube and leveraging the inbuilt reach of our user base,” she shared.
Nguyen’s career is built on adaptability and curiosity. Entering both the digital advertising and video distribution industries required her to immerse herself in new domains, which requires her to think critically and a willingness to deeply understand the problems. Since joining YouTube and taking on a new role, she’s leaned on the core business and operational skills acquired throughout her career, many of which were honed during her time at Shidler College.
Despite the demanding pace of her work, Nguyen finds fulfillment in YouTube’s culture. Nguyen defines success as a balance between personal and professional fulfillment. On the professional side, she feels success is making an impact within her company and team, as well as across the industry. She says the opportunity to help solve industry wide problems has been greatly rewarding. In her life, she defines success as keeping herself and her family healthy and happy.
Reflecting on her journey from Shidler to YouTube, Nguyen holds that time of her life and friendships developed close to her heart. “I always look back at my time in business school very fondly and admire the successes of my fellow classmates and alumni,” she said. “We still stay in contact and visit each other across the globe, including our professors.”
"I love working with people who want to continually learn, have a really high work ethic, are ambitious and committed to keeping the bar high. We focus on mission first across our many products that touch billions of users." - Qynn Nguyen
