In my Jan. 5 column, I exalted the women of Asean (led by Malaysian Chief Justice Maimun) who are transforming and empowering gender parity. Today, let me focus on seven ladies whom I have met and who, in my humble opinion, are exemplars of the empowered women of the Philippine private sector.
DR. CHARO SANTOS-CONCIO’s keynote address during the inaugural meeting of the Management Association of the Philippines held last week at the Shangri-La at the Fort stressed that leadership and integrity are intertwined. Without integrity, leadership becomes self-serving and will not, by itself, upbuild an organization. And integrity without leadership, though not bad per se, does not result in firm decision-making.
She was a campus scholar, beauty queen, multi-awarded actress and acclaimed corporate executive as the first female president and CEO of ABS-CBN Corp. from 2008 to 2015. She propelled the network to its height in both revenue and reach.
DR. LYDIA ECHAUZ is an independent director (ID) of Meralco – where, as her fellow ID, I have marveled at her wit and wisdom. She also sits as an ID of MGEN Renewable Energy, Shell Philippines, D&L Industries, and other major corporations and serves as the executive director of the Henry Sy Foundation.
A towering figure in Philippine education, Lydia was president of Far Eastern University and former dean of the De La Salle University Graduate School of Business. She is widely respected for bridging academia and industry, promoting collaboration between educators and business leaders to advance national development.
BERNADINE SIY was elected in 2008 as the first and thus far the only lady president and queen of the Manila Golf Club. Since 1901, the club had been a bastion of masculine pride till 1987 when women were admitted as members. Bern is also the only woman to chair the board of trustees of Ateneo de Manila. Under her guidance, Ateneo will establish a new campus in Riverpark, Cavite, which will expand access to world-class Jesuit education.
In the boardrooms of PLDT and JG Summit (among many other top corporates), Bern, as my fellow ID, is listened to with respect and awe because she studies the agenda and speaks with distinct eloquence.
MONETTE ITURRALDE HAMLIN graduated summa cum laude from the College of the Holy Spirit, obtained – as a full scholar and with distinction – her master’s in business management from AIM, and became an executive at World Executive Digest while teaching part time at AIM.
In 1992, in Hongkong, and in 1994, in the Philippines, she founded and headed (and still heads) TeamAsia – an award-winning integrated marketing group. An active trustee of the Institute of Corporate Directors, Monette is a gem waiting to be discovered as a capable and trustworthy ID. She is a much sought-after public speaker and an advocate of women empowerment and sustainability through podcasts and social media.
CHAYE CABAL REVILLA – executive director, executive vice president, chief finance, risk, and sustainability officer of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) – is the driving force behind MPIC’s meteoric rise. She serves as a director in the major MPIC subs like Meralco, Maynilad, Metro Pacific Tollways, and Metro Pacific Health (that runs 29 hospitals). She is the only female and only Filipino founding member of the A4S CFO Leadership Network established by King Charles III.
Under her stewardship, MPIC partnered with the FLP in sponsoring an annual P500,000 fellowship program for five MBA (or equivalent degree) students specializing in entrepreneurship, sustainability, management, economics, and business law or “ESMEL.”
TESSIE SY COSON is the eldest of the six Sy siblings who together own the country’s largest conglomerate in market cap. She chairs our nation’s largest bank, BDO, acclaimed by the London-based “Brand Finance,” as the most valuable Philippine brand. Despite her storied achievements and being the nation’s wealthiest woman, she remains simple, modest, unaffected and unassuming.
While she readily concurs with FLP’s annual search for outstanding law students, she believes we should also look for lawyers who are ethical. FLP heartily agrees and is now formulating the guidelines for this difficult and sensitive quest, with her or her companies as FLP’s partners.
LASTLY AND MOSTLY, FIRST LADY LOUISE ARANETA MARCOS is a distinguished lawyer of integrity and competence. When her husband was elected President, she voluntarily dissolved her formidable “MOST” law office but remained an active law professor. She is especially proud of the West Visayas State University (where she teaches) that obtained 100 percent passing in the last bar exam. An alumna of the Ateneo de Manila, she honed her postgraduate studies in criminal procedure at the New York University. She was recently awarded the “Governance Excellence Award” by BizNews Asia.
She shares my philosophy of safeguarding liberty and nurturing prosperity under the rule of law. Happily, she is also an active supporter of FLP’s proposed interactive, immersive, AI-powered and tech-driven futuristic Museum for Liberty and Prosperity.
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