Phan Minh Triet

DTC Strategy — Gaming Industry

Applied AI & LLMs

LiveOps & Player Growth

Head of SEA @ Aghanim

SEA Business Development

Phan Minh Triet

DTC Strategy — Gaming Industry

Applied AI & LLMs

LiveOps & Player Growth

Head of SEA @ Aghanim

SEA Business Development

Contact Me

About

Johnny Phan works in Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) strategy for the gaming industry. As Head of SEA at Aghanim, he works with gaming companies to build direct player relationships — growing revenue without relying on platform intermediaries. He believes the gaming industry's next stage of growth will belong to companies that own their player relationships and use data and AI responsibly to earn them.

With over 15 years across digital transformation and business analytics, and ongoing academic work in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at the University of Texas at Austin and Walsh College, he writes about gaming DTC, LiveOps, player identity, Agentic AI, and how LLMs are reshaping the future of work across fast-growing industries.

  • Location: Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
  • Languages: English
  • Skills:
    Figma
    Miro
    Adobe
    Python
    HTML
    SQL
    PHP
    Presentation
    WordPress
    AI / LLMs
    VS Code
    GitHub
    Prompt Engineering
    Agent Automation
    Claude Code
Areas of Expertise
Gaming DTC Strategy

Direct-to-Consumer channel strategy for game studios — web shops, direct payment infrastructure, and player relationship management that grow revenue without platform intermediaries.

Applied AI & LLMs

AI-powered personalization, LLM-driven game operations, and intelligent LiveOps systems that adapt to player behavior at scale and reshape how studios engage their communities.

LiveOps & Player Identity

Designing LiveOps programs and player identity frameworks that drive retention, increase LTV, and build lasting direct engagement — turning transactional players into loyal community members.

SEA Go-to-Market Strategy

Business development, publisher partnerships, and market expansion strategy for gaming companies entering or scaling across Southeast Asia's diverse and fast-growing markets.

Experience

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Xsolla
Singular
Ascend Money
FE Credit
Workbook
Italian Trade Commission
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Profile
Experience
2026 – Now
Head of SEA
Aghanim

Leading Aghanim's Direct-to-Consumer platform expansion across Southeast Asia. GameHub is Aghanim's community & content-driven solution for game commerce and Direct-to-Consumer, built to optimize revenue and increase LTV & ARPU for game developers and publishers worldwide. Working with studios to build direct player channels and LiveOps operations that bypass platform intermediaries.

2022 – 2026
Operations Director, SEA
Xsolla

Led initiatives to drive Xsolla's growth in the gaming market across Vietnam and Southeast Asia, building publisher partnerships and scaling payment infrastructure for mobile and PC game studios.

Education
June 2025 – Present
University of Texas at Austin

Post Graduate Program in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Business Applications

June 2025 – Present
Walsh College

Doctor of Business Administration in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

2021 - 2022
Asian Institute of Technology

Professional Master in Business Analytics & Digital Transformation

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This program focused on leveraging business analytics for enterprise-wide digital transformation. My thesis identified how building a digital ecosystem platform is critical for driving robust growth, mitigating risks, and ensuring long-term sustainability. I gained expertise in data-driven strategies to enhance operational efficiency and build resilient, modern digital business models.

Degree
Featured:
Blog
The AI-Native Enterprise: How Agentic AI Is Rebuilding How Businesses Operate — social preview
The AI-Native Enterprise: How Agentic AI Is Rebuilding How Businesses Operate

AI-native enterprises redesign roles and decision structures around AI capabilities—not just adopt AI tools. The gap between AI adoption and AI transformation is whether the operating model follows. Read more ›
The First 90 Days of DTC: Prove a Learning System, Not a Transformation

The first 90 days should prove your learning system works—not execute a plan. Launch small, measure rigorously, and demonstrate that signals convert into improvements. Read more ›

Anyone Can Code Now: Python, VS Code, and the End of “I’m Not a Developer” — social preview
Anyone Can Code Now: Python, VS Code, and the End of “I’m Not a Developer”

Python and AI coding tools have eliminated the barrier that once required years of training. The constraint is no longer syntax—it’s knowing what to build and why. Read more ›
The Purchase Is Not Complete Until Value Reaches the Player

The purchase loop closes only when value reaches the player—not at payment. Post-purchase fulfillment and communication are the final stage of monetization, not an afterthought. Read more ›

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