Sweef Capital Interns Story Series - Ly (Hailey) Pham

Sweef Capital Intern Story Series 

At Sweef Capital, our internships reflect our commitment to building inclusive and resilient economies through impact investing. Our interns are typically students or recent graduates who bring diverse perspectives and skillsets to advancing gender equity, climate action, and sustainable growth across Southeast Asia. 

Through these internships, we support young talent at the start of their careers, equipping them with the tools, exposure, and mindset to become thoughtful leaders in the impact ecosystem. 

In this series, we spotlight our interns and their journeys. 

Tell us a bit about your background and interests.

My background spans accounting and finance training in Vietnam and the UK, followed by 6 years in deal advisory and management consulting with PwC and EY in Southeast Asia, as well as in-house buyout work in the pharmaceutical space. Right now, I’m pursuing my MBA in the US, focusing on private equity and sustainability in Tech space. When I’m away from spreadsheets and slide decks, I enjoy trekking, hiking, cycling, hunting down street food spots, and unwinding in nature.

What made you join the Sweef Capital internship program, and how did your background and interests connect to its mission?

I spent years sitting on the advisory side, evaluating deals, and handling post-merger integrations. Eventually, I wanted to move over to the principal side and learn how to invest from an investor’s lens toward systemic change. Southeast Asia is where my roots are, so it’s a natural fit for my long-term goals. When I saw what Sweef Capital was doing, backing women-led businesses, pushing for gender equity, and driving climate resilience, it just clicked with everything I care about. It gave me a chance to take all those deal-making skills from my advisory days and use them in private equity to support companies where making money and making an impact actually support each other.

Can you describe a project or initiative you’ve worked on that relates to impact investing, gender equality, or climate action?

One deal I looked at was a food-manufacturing and catering platform in the Philippines delivering affordable, preservative-free meals to schools, hospitals, and factories. What grabbed me was how the investment thesis sat right at the intersection of sustainable systems, food security, and women’s economic empowerment, given its predominantly female frontline workforce and structured empowerment programs. Aside from checking the usual growth numbers, Sweef team showed me how to use Sweef’s Gender Gender ROI™ to see how gender equity actually played out on the ground. That meant digging into metrics like women in management versus frontline roles, safety, retention, and how diversity drives operational stability. It really made the impact side concrete, turning a nice line in a memo into something measurable that directly affects how the business runs.

How do your contributions support Sweef Capital’s broader goals around building inclusive and sustainable businesses?

Working on that food deal, I had to evaluate everything through both an investor and an impact lens. Affordable nutrition and a heavily female workforce looked great on paper, but good intentions can’t save a fragile balance sheet. That diligence uncovered some major red flags, like parallel accounting books, messy financial records, and serious cash flow pressure. It completely shifted how I view sustainable investing. Building an inclusive business isn’t just about funding a good cause; you need strict governance, financial transparency, and operational discipline. At the end of the day, if the business cannot survive, neither can the impact.

What hands-on experiences or mentorship at Sweef Capital have been most influential for your professional growth?

Getting direct access to all seasoned professionals during live deal talks was a total masterclass. I worked closely with Analysts and Associates across regional offices every day, joining check-ins to track the deal pipeline and sitting in on founder conversations. Watching the VPs navigate negotiations, push back on founder assumptions, and fix operational bottlenecks gave me an insider look at active ownership. Seeing how the Partners managed risks in an emerging market while staying totally transparent with LPs showed me what it really takes to run a solid fund.

Could you share an example of a challenge you faced during your internship, and how guidance from mentors or peers shaped your approach?

The most defining challenge was prepping for the Investment Committee on an affordable eye-hospital chain in Vietnam. Management pitched aggressive growth and great margins, but digging into the model showed that payback periods were way longer than they claimed. Coming from sell-side advisory, where I’m used to spinning a good narrative to get a deal done, shifting to a buyer’s mindset focused on downside protection was a huge shift. The analyst and associate spent days and nights guided me through transaction sizing, and the VPs and Partners pushed us to stress-test every single cost line. Their guidance taught me how to rebuild a thesis from scratch, set strict governance conditions, and protect capital instead of just taking management’s word for it.

In what ways has this internship shaped your perspective on impact investing, entrepreneurship, or your future career path?

The internship quickly dispelled the idea that impact investing means compromising on financial discipline. At Sweef, I realized that evaluating things like gender equity, fair labor, and strong governance is just practice risk management and smart business. Digging into a company’s workforce dynamics, for example, tells you a lot about employee turnover, productivity, and how stable operations actually are on the ground. It proved to me that making money and making an impact do not have to compete, they can actively reinforce each other.

How do you plan to apply the skills and knowledge gained at Sweef Capital in your next steps?

As I wrap up my 2nd year of business school and look ahead to future investment roles, this multidimensional lens will stay front and center in my work. Whether underwriting deals, building in downside protections, or looking at strategic partnerships, I want to bake governance and sustainability right into the everday investment playbook. I want to look past the headline numbers to see what truly drives long-term value: shop-floor realities, leadership culture, and how a company interacts with the communities it touches. Ultimately, my goal is to bring this perspective back to Southeast Asia, backing resilient businesses that generate both durable financial returns and meaningful, lasting impact.

Fun question! If your internship at Sweef Capital were a cơm tấm order, what would it be and why?

It would definitely be a Cơm Tấm Sườn Bì Chả Trứng Đặc Biệt with extra scallion oil and pickled vegetables. The marinated grilled pork chop (sườn) represents the solid, foundational finance and M&A discipline. The steamed egg meatloaf (chả) and shredded pork skin (bì) add depth, substance, and structure, beyond the advisory work. The sunny-side-up egg (trứng ốp la) brings high energy, while the vibrant scallion oil and pickled daikon tie everything together for balance, fresh perspective, and purpose! I told the associate who hired me that the internship totally blew past my expectations since I got to see every side of the fund manager and work from the buyer’s lense. I couldn’t have asked for more, like it was a totally complete, well-balanced meal where I left nothing on the plate!