AIM Leader Magazine, Double Issue 2011-2012 by AIM Alumni Publication

T he A lumni Maga zine of t he Asian Institute of Management

DOUBL E I S SU E 2 011-2 012 Vol. 5 Issue 5

Ricardo Lim, PhD AIM’s New Dean Engaging the Alumni Accelerating National Security and Development Through Blue Ocean Strategy

AIMLeader Features AIM Leaders

NAPOLEON NAZARENO, MBM’73

CHAIRMAN Among Us The

Leader P R E S I D E N T ’ S

M E S S A G E

THERE HAVE BEEN RECENT REMARKABLE DEVELOPMENTS AT THE Institute which exemplify the commitment of the alumni to lead in shaping the future of the Asian Institute of Management. For one, the appointment of Mr. Napoleon Nazareno, MBM 1973 as chairman of AIM is a significant development which marks the period of alumni leadership of the Institute. Mr. Nazareno, President and CEO of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. and Smart Communications, Inc., has led the company to gain 58% market share in terms of subscriber base, and to become the most profitable telecommunications firm in the country today. He was also voted Corporate Executive Officer of the Year (Philippines) for three consecutive years at the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Best-Managed Companies and Corporate Governance Polls conducted by Asia Money. In AIM’s 43 year history, Mr. Nazareno is the first alumnus to hold the highest position in AIM’s governing body. We are sure that his leadership will enable AIM to continue as a leader in management education in the region today. We also have a new dean in the person of Dr. Ricardo A. Lim, who was chosen by the AIM Board of Trustees after a rigorous international search process that took almost a year. Dr. Lim has served in senior positions at the AIM, including as Associate Dean of the W. SyCip Graduate School of Business (WSGSB). He received his Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California (2002), his MBA from the University of Virginia (1989), and his Bachelor of Commerce in Information Systems (Magna Cum Laude) from McGill University, Montreal (1982). The Institute looks forward We are also happy to witness noteworthy to exciting and fulfilling times ahead, as the alumni moves by the alumni, with the establishment have expressed their of the Council of AAAIM Chairmen, the staunch commitment in reinvigoration of the Bangladesh Chapter, leading AIM into the future. and the active involvement of leaders in the Federation of AIM Alumni (FAIM) with MP Singh, MBM 1976 as president. And most notable is the counsel provided by alumni members of the AIM Board of Trustess led by Roberto Garcia, MBM 1973, Ricardo Pascua, MBM 1971, and Jesli Lapus, MBM 1973. The Philippine chapter of alumni associations, the Alumni Association of AIM (AAAIM), most ably led by Eustacio Orobia, Jr., MBM 1971 has also come forward to assist the Institute through the active participation of Eduardo Sison, MBM 1973 as vice chairman and head of the Membership Committee, and Augusto Serafica, Jr., MBM 1991 as head of the Development Committee. With the functions of the Development Office now under the Alumni Relations Office, we look forward to the much-needed support of alumni for the Alumni Fund for Scholarships, Research and Development and Learning Space. With the new leadership of our alumni and with a new dean partnering with our graduates on many projects for teaching, mentoring, recruitment, placement and fundraising, we are sure that the quality that AIM is known for will be further improved and sustained. Thus, the Institute looks forward to exciting and fulfilling times ahead, as the alumni have expressed their staunch commitment in leading AIM into the future. Thank you very much.

Edilberto de Jesús PRESIDENT, ASIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

EDITORIAL TEAM

DOUBLE ISSUE 2011-2012

VOLUME 5 ISSUE 5

Greg Atienza EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Susan Africa-Manikan ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Sherbet Katigbak-Manalili MANAGING EDITOR

Haji Zulkifly Baharom SENIOR OVERSEAS CORRESPONDENT

Melissa de Sagun

EDITORIAL STAFF

Maritess Aniago-Espiritu Voltaire Masangkay Amy Nerona Jun Javellana Jennifer Jalandoni

ALUMNI RELATIONS OFFICE STAFF

Nolan Adarve Thomas Alexander Gerard Ian De Sagun Dato Syed Ahmad Idid Meghann Lee Isagani Eliezer Manikan Rose Cheryl Orbigo Kim Patrocinio Jerry Quibilan Mae Lorraine Rafols Jennee Rubrico Henry Tenedero Gen. Datuk Hj. Zulkifli

NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 IN MEMORIAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Rizalino Navarro

CONTRIBUTORS

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Chili Dogs

INSIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Six Ways to Bring Out Your Best It is Your Business to Know Your Banker’s Bank

DESIGN, ART DIRECTION & ILLUSTRATION

Jovel Lorenzo Angelo Ongchua PHOTOGRAPHERS

Lexmedia Digital

Entrepreneur Goes to Graduate School (EGGS) Accelerating National Security and Development Through Blue Ocean Strategy A Higher Level of Excellence

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COVER STORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 The Chairman Among Us AIM’s New Dean: Ricardo Lim Leading By Example: Horacio Borromeo Leading EXCELLence: Grace Ugut Leading Development and Change: Juan Miguel Luz

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Edilberto de Jesús PRESIDENT OF THE INSTITUTE

Ricardo Lim DEAN OF THE INSTITUTE

MP Singh

SPECIAL FEATURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

FAIM: A History of AIM Alumni Solidarity Celebrating 30 Years of Leadership and Service

CHAIRMAN, FEDERATION OF AIM ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, INC.

Eustacio Orobia, Jr. CHAIRMAN, AIM ALUMNI ASSOCIATION – PHILIPPINE CHAPTER

Marvee Celi-Bonoan EXECUTIVE MANAGING DIRECTOR, SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Greg Atienza

EXECUTIVE MANAGING DIRECTOR, ALUMNI RELATIONS OFFICE

The AIM Alumni Leadership Magazine (AIM Leader) is a quarterly publication of the Asian Institute of Management with editorial office at the Alumni Relations Office, Asian Institute of Management, 123 Paseo de Roxas, Makati City, 1260 Philippines Telephone No.: 892.4011 locals 331, 540 and 533 Telefax: 893.7410 | Email: aimalumni@aim.edu Copyright 2007, AIM Alumni Leadership Magazine. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner, in whole or in print, in English or other languages, without written permission is prohibited. ISSN 1908-1081

SPOTLIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Turning Loss to Profitability: The Magic of Dennis Firmansjah, MM 1994 The Consummate Leader: General Datuk Hj Zulkifli Bin Hj Zainal Abidin, MM1998 Engaging the Alumni: Eustacio Orobia, Jr., MBM 1971 Cultivating Alumni in Kunming, Huabin Hu, MDM 1998 SHOWCASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Bookshelf: Chief Justice of Malaysia Launches Writing Judgments Bookshelf: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Ghosts (but were afraid to ask) Food: Motivated by Passion, Built by Determination, Continuously Growing by Love Travel: Kellie’s Castle Travel: Philippine Independence Day Parade in New York City CLASS NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 COVER ILLUSTRATION: FRAN NG

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AIMLeader features AIM Leaders LEADERSHIP IS AN oft inspiring and lofty subject, inviting erudite definitions, role models and quotes from individuals who have inspired followers to aspire for and to acquire their traits in themselves. With a constant study of their unique virtues, it is but inevitable that the AIM Leader dedicates this issue to the AIM leaders, as a plethora of outstanding graduates and members of the community have proven their measure of positive influence over groups, companies and governments around the world, encouraging both sustainable growth and individual accomplishments in people beneath their wings. This uniqueness of AIM in producing world-class leaders has recently been validated by the Aspen Institute’s 2011-2012 edition of Beyond Grey Pinstripes, a ranking survey of B-schools which has recently ranked AIM as the number one among Asian business schools. And yet, in spite of this wonderful news, AIM leaders are not wont to rest on their laurels. We feature the outstanding leaders in the campus who continuously push for quality—our new AIM dean, Ricardo Lim, who stresses on the value of constant improvement and changing with the times, and our associate deans, Horacio “Junbo” Borromeo, MM 1977 (Washington SyCip Graduate Sschool of Business), Gracia “Grace” Ugut (Executive Education and Lifelong Learning Center) and Juan Miguel “Mike” Luz (Center for Development Management). By continuously evolving and developing its programs to higher levels of excellence, AIM, now approaching its 44th year, continues to produce alumni leaders who respond to global changes and establish foundations for a dynamic future. Now members of the AIM Board of Trustees, the alumni have also extended their influence in the school’s management and governance, with the mission of sustaining AIM’s position as THE business school in our region. The Alumni Relations Office is extremely fortunate to be in personal touch with these exceptional leaders who generously share their expertise and resources with the school. We feature in this issue the soft spoken but strong willed chairman of the Alumni Association of AIM, Eustacio “Jun” Orobia, MBM 1971, the hardworking

and generous vice chairman of the Federation of AIM Alumni (FAIM), Dennis Firmansjah, MM 1994, and the extremely helpful and accommodating president of the newly formed AIM Alumni Association in Kunming, Hua Huabin, MDM 1998. We are also honored to feature the new chief of army, Malaysia, General Datuk Hj Zulkifli Bin Hj Zainal Abidin, MM 1998 who shares his insights on “Accelerating National Security and Development Through Blue Ocean Strategy”, a move to shift away from the traditional boundaries of competition based on the book by Professor W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne.

Now members of the AIM Board of Trustees, the alumni have also extended their influence in the school’s management and governance, with the mission of sustaining AIM’s position as THE business school in our region. And of course, we are elated to feature the first alumnus chairman on board in the person of Napoleon “Polly” Nazareno, MBM 1973. Quiet, extremely modest and self-effacing, nonchalant about his accomplishments, Polly is our reluctant cover story subject, as we explore the man behind the personality and his dreams for himself and for AIM. ****** Resource challenges dictate that we produce only two issues of the AIMLeader per year, versus the quarterly issues that you have been receiving in the past. Thus, you may be wondering why the magazine has been reaching you few and far between. Though the team is exerting effort in garnering sponsorships, our new priorities include fund raising for the AIM Alumni Fund since the Development Office functions have been transferred to ARO in August 2011. We appeal for your continuous support as we strive to continue to bring the alumni publication to your doorstep. Should you wish to make a gift to the AIM Leader and the AIM Alumni Fund, please send us an email at aimalumni@ aim.edu. Any amount, no matter how small, will go a long way in helping us sustain our magazine and our scholars. Thank you and God bless!

Greg Atienza EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, AIM ALUMNI LEADERSHIP MAGAZINE EXECUTIVE MANAGING DIRECTOR, ALUMNI RELATIONS OFFICE SECRETARY GENERAL, FEDERATION OF AIM ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONS, INC.

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Eustacio Orobia, Augusto Serafica, and Napoleon Nazareno

ALUMNI LEADERS JOIN FORCES FOR AIM MORE THAN A HUNDRED distinguished members of the AIM alumni community showed support to AIM Chairman Napoleon Nazareno, who invited them to participate in the 1st AIM Alumni Assembly held last November 22, 2011 at the AIM Conference Center Manila. Mr. Nazareno appealed to alumni leaders to heed their responsibility as major stakeholders to be driving forces in their Alma Materâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s affairs. AIM Dean Ricky Lim, Washington SyCip Graduate School of Business Asociate Dean Junbo Borromeo, MM 1977 and Prof. Mario Antonio Lopez, MBM 1970 were also present. Those in attendance made for a 51% representation of the total number of the degree classes (MBM, MBA, MDM and MM) that graduated in AIM since 1970. The Council of AIM Alumni Leaders, a major consultative alumni body made up of all the alumni in attendance, was formally organized to engage their

classmates and friends in accurate information dissemination on developments with the school. The Assembly also served as an avenue to introduce the forthcoming AIM Alumni Leadership Foundation, a platform deemed to enable and sustain the alumni leadersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; involvement with AIM. The Assembly started with Ms. Ofelia Odilao-Bisnar, MBM 1988, vice chairperson of the Council of Former AAAIM Chairmen, and Mr. Virgilio Espeleta, MBM 1991, chairman of the AAAIM Cebu Chapter, sharing how AIM helped shape their careers and transform their lives. Mr. Ramon de Vera, chairman of the Council of Former AAAIM Chairmen, updated the alumni leaders on the current developments in AIM. Mr. de Vera disclosed the financial status of AIM to dispel rumors that were circulating about AIM and set the record straight. AAAIM Philippine Chapter Chairman Eustacio Orobia,

Jr. informed the leaders that through the painstaking efforts of the AIM Alumni Associations, the goal of having a more engaged alumni base will be achieved. Mr. Orobia also encouraged the audience to take part in alumni activities, most especially the forthcoming AIM Alumni Homecoming in February 2012. Ms. Rowena PalmieryBayoneta MBM 1992, chair of the 2012 Homecoming Committee,

shared with the audience the activities and events of the Host Class in preparation for the AIM Alumni Homecoming Night. The inception of the AIM Alumni Leadership Foundation (AALF) was formally announced during the Assembly. Mr. Augusto Antonio Serafica, Jr., AAAIM Development Committee chairman, related how some major alumni groups, namely the AAAIM Philippine Chapter, AAAIM Council

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of Chairmen, Triple A Club, and Federation of AIM Alumni (FAIM) initiated the development of a Foundation that would provide the platform for the alumni to have a continuing active participation in the management of AIM. The alumni, through the AAALF, are seen as the main driving force that would assist AIM in regaining its preeminence as one of Asia’s premiere business schools by 2015. Mr. Nazareno disclosed that since AIM has been established in 1968, it is only now, nearly 45 years later, that AIM alumni are actively shaping the future of the school. It is the first time in AIM’s history that an AIM alumnus has been appointed as chairman, and the first time that there are majority seats (nine out of 15) taken by AIM graduates in the Board of Trustees of AIM. On that morning of November 22, AIM alumni leaders showed solidarity and firm support to the AIM chairman and to the AALF. The Classes of MBM 1973, MBM 1971, MBM 1991 and

Total pledges on that morning alone amounted to around PhP13.6M the AIM Alumni Association— Indian Chapter all pledged their support to the AALF by way of a PhP3M cumulative donation. Mr. Nazareno, for his part, pledged PhP10M from his own personal account in the endeavor. Mr. Virgilio Espeleta, Mr. Ricardo Pascua, MBM 1971 and Mr. Teodoro Villanueva, MBM 1973 also pledged individually to show their support. Total pledges on that morning alone amounted to around PhP13.6M. Should you wish to know more information about the Council of AIM Alumni Leaders, AALFI or how you may participate, you may contact the Alumni Relations Office through calling (+632) 892-4011 loc. 122 or emailing aimalumni@aim.edu.

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World War II. Ultimately, his firm would take over his competitors and would accomplish a merger in 1946 that would result in his famed empire SyCip, Gorres, Velayo and Company (SGV & Co.). Going global with affiliates in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Vietnam allowed him to give back to his Pan-Asian community by erecting the Asian Institute of Management in the Philippines, creating the SGV Foundation and the SGV Professional/Social Involvement Program. After he relinquished his job as managing partner of SGV and became the chairman, SGV continued to expand the company to Hong Kong, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Brunei, Sri Lanka, and Washington. As an acclaimed member of the international business community, Mr. SyCip was appointed to many boards and advisory committees. Mr. SyCip served as founder at the Asian Institute of Management, senior adviser of Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co, member of the International Advisory Board of the American International Group, and is the chairman of more than a dozen boards including the Asia Pacific Advisory Committee of the New York Stock Exchange. Mr. SyCip was also a member of the Intering an American education while national Advisory Board of Chase nationally recognized Pan-Asian SCEND, still overseas. He graduated high Manhattan and independent business leader, accepted the orthe Photography by Levi Lacandula, MBM 1999ganization’s first-ever President’s director of Philippine National school at 15 and received his premier, non-profit, Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr. Bachelor of Science in two and a Bank and Highlands Prime Inc. 8@D 8CLDE@ C<8;<IJ?@G D8>8Q@E< Alcp kf J\gk\dY\i )''/ Ascend President Jeffrey half years summa cum laude*0at SyCip is a sought-after authority profeson business matters ranging from the Catholic University of Santo Chin presented the award at sional Tomas, before pursuing a career the Leadership Luncheon at the association best practices, to mentoring and Ascend National Convention in finance. Mr. SyCip attended leadership in finance, business dedicated to the leadership 2011. Arthur Chin was excited potential of Pan-Asians in global management, philanthropic to have Mr. SyCip accepting endeavors, and promoting educacorporations, honored interna“Mr. SyCip came from award. “We are incredtional programs. tional business leader Washhumble beginnings to build Ascend’s ibly honored to present Mr. SyCip “Mr. SyCip came from humble ington SyCip with the first ever a strong and powerful with a token of our appreciation,” beginnings to build a strong President’s Lifetime Achievenetwork. He has won the and powerful network. He has ment Award at the 2011 Leaderrespect and trust of others said Mr. Chin. “His visionary efforts continue to give back to the won the respect and trust of ship Lunch in New York City at in Asian leadership.” Pan-Asian community.” the Ascend National Convention others in Asian leadership,” says “Competing in a Borderless Columbia University for his 2011. “Competing in a Borderless Arthur Chin, executive director of Ascend. “His accomplishments Master of Science in Commerce World,” the 2011 Ascend National World,” Ascend’s fourth annual and then began his career in the Convention, is presented in partconvention, was held last August underscore the Ascend mission, nership with Platinum and Pearl and it is our privilege to honor his financial world. 27-29, 2011 at the Hilton in New Sponsors KPMG, PwC, Deloitte, Establishing himself as an contributions to our community.” York City. Ernst & Young, Bank of America, accountant with his brothers, Mr. SyCip, 90, is Chinese Washington SyCip, founder Boeing, GE Capital, State Farm, born and grew up in both Shang- they grew their community of Philippine-based financial and many others. business in Manila following services firm SGV & Co. and inter- hai and the Philippines, receiv-

Washington SyCip to Receive Presidential Honor at Ascend’s National Convention in New York

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From top left: Atienza, Lapid, Rañosa, Orobia, Nazareno, Sison, Jardin, Nicdao, and Yabut From bottom left: Manding, Gomez, Serafica, de Jesus, Grey, Lapid and Espino

AAAIM Inducts New Board Members

THE INDUCTION OF THE members of the 2011-2012 AAAIM Board of the Alumni Association of AIM-Philippine Chapter (AAAIM) was an auspicious event where AIM Chairman Napoleon Nazareno, MBM 1973, the first alumnus chairman of the AIM Board of Trustees and Governors, inducted them into office on June 10, 2011 at the SGV Room at the AIM campus. Mr. Nazareno, in his keynote speech, urged alumni to be the sounding board to their classmates to show the unified strength and vigor of the AIM alumni community and to support the fundraising efforts of the Institute. “At the leading business schools abroad, 60% of the annual fund comes from alumni donations...The Asian Institute of Management’s percentage of alumni donations comes at a mere 5% at this point. We also need support to bolster our scholarship fund to attract the best and brightest at AIM, to further improve the quality of discussion and learning in the

case rooms,” he said. Outgoing AAAIM Chairman Joselito Yabut, MBM 1979, in his welcome remarks, appealed to his fellow alumni to “treasure and help the institute that has molded us to become captains of industry that AIM alumni have become around the world. Let us preserve the reputation of our school as the leader in management education in the region, and to ensure its growth and progress into its 50th year.” Inducted to the new board are: Eustacio Orobia, MBM 1971, chairman, Eduardo Sison, MBM 1973, vice chairman, Gina Barte, PPDM 2004, Rogelio Damasco, TMP 1988, Cesar Espino, ME 2001, Josephine Gomez, MBM 1988, secretary, Gary Grey, MBM 1974, Samuel Jardin, MBM 1991, Francisco Lapid, ME 2003, treasurer, Sr. Maria Consolata Manding, MDM 1994, Ruperto Nicdao, JR., MBM 1977, Jose Ma. Parroco, MM 1987, Venie Rañosa, BMP 1981, Aloysius Santos, MBM 1991, Augusto Antonio Serafica Jr.,

MBM 1991, Joselito Yabut, MBM 1979 as ex-officio, and Gregorio Atienza, MBM 1983, as AIM representative. In gratitude to the AAAIM 2010-2011 directors, the AAAIM honored Cesar Espino, Corazon Jimenez, Francisco Lapid, Mario Antonio Lopez and Joselito Yabut with tokens of appreciation for their precious time, wise counsel, and generous presence in the activities of

“At the leading business schools abroad, 60% of the annual fund comes from alumni donations... The Asian Institute of Management’s percentage of alumni donations comes at a mere 5% at this point.” AIM and the alumni association. Augusto Serafica, as chairman of the Homecoming Committee, was also given recognition for organizing this year’s Homecoming at the AIM campus, “May Bago Sa AIM, Tayo Na”, and for setting a historic benchmark by

being the first homecoming to raise PhP5M in pledges to the Alumni Fund. Incoming Chairman Eustacio Orobia, in his closing remarks, stressed the need for stronger support from his fellow alumni. He shared that the AAAIM has started on two main projects involving the Development Committee and the Membership Committee. The Development Committee will help raise funds for AIM while the Membership Committee will identify, invite and organize alumni leaders towards establishing a sustainable, consultative “Alumni Assembly”. Former AAAIM chairmen namely, Ramon de Vera, MBM 1973, Teodoro Villanueva, MBM 1973, Philip Juico, MBM 1973, Jesli Lapus, MBM 1973, Alex Gaston, MBM 1980, Ricardo Pascua, MBM 1971, Ross Sibal, MBM 1977, Rene Martinez, MM 1996, and Eduardo Banaga, MBM 1979, and AIM President Edilberto de Jesús graced the event.

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Fifth from left: Greg Atienza with his wife, Maria Cristina Atienza, MBM 1983, and their children From left: Joselito Yabut and Eustacio Orobia. From right: Ramon de Vera and Jesli Lapus

Alumni Leaders Confer Awards to ARO EMD DURING THE INDUCTION ceremonies of the AIM Alumni Association-Philippine Chapter (AAAIM) on June 10, 2011 at the AIM campus, the community of AIM alumni leaders showed their deepest appreciation for the silent and heroic efforts of AIM Alumni Relations Office Executive Managing Director Mr. Gregorio “Greg” Atienza, MBA 1983, for having been the moving force behind the tremendous advancement of AIM alumni relations around the world. AAAIM Outgoing Chairman Mr. Joselito Yabut, MBM 1979, representing the Federation of AIM Alumni (FAIM), recognized

Mr. Atienza’s meaningful and dedicated service in building, strengthening and uniting the AIM alumni community around the world. The Council of AAAIM Chairmen through its chairman,

The community of AIM alumni leaders showed their deepest appreciation for the silent and heroic efforts of AIM Alumni Relations Office Executive Managing Director Mr. Gregorio “Greg” Atienza, MBA 1983, for having been the moving force behind the tremendous advancement of AIM alumni relations around the world.

Mr. Ramon de Vera, MBM 1973, conferred the Trophy of Excellence to Mr. Atienza for his “vision, insight and leadership abilities” and for his “exceptional performance and dedication to the Asian Institute of Management.” The trophy awarded by the AAAIM represented by Mr. Eustacio Orobia, MBM 1971, incoming chairman of the AAAIM, reads: “In deep appreciation for the inspiration, motivation and commitment to the AIM alumni community, the Alumni Association of AIM (AAAIM) acknowledges and recognizes the tremendous and successful

efforts of Greg Atienza, MBM 1983, as executive managing director of the Alumni Relations Office and as editor-in-chief of the AIM Leader Magazine.” Triple A Awardee and Triple A Club Chairman Mr. Jesli Lapus conferred an Honorary Leadership Achievement Award to Mr. Atienza for his “outstanding leadership and dedication to the Asian Institute of Management”. Mr. Atienza joined the Institute in 2004. He is currently the executive managing director of the AIM Alumni Relations Office, the editor-in-chief of the AIM Leader Magazine and the secretary general of FAIM.

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AIM Featured Among Asia’s Green MBA Programs AIM’S WASHINGTON SYCIP Graduate School of Business (WSGSB) was cited in an article by the QS Top MBA Website (www.topmba.com) as being one of two Asian schools who made it to the list of the 2009 Beyond Grey Pinstripes green MBA ranking by the Aspen Institute. As an alternative ranking of full-time MBA programs which sets a global standard for business education that focuses on social and environmental issues, the ranking features mostly schools in the US, Canada and Europe with the South Korean based Seoul School of Integrated Sciences and Technologies (aSSIST) as the other Asian business school that made it to the list. “The power of Asia to create

sustainable infrastructure and business models alongside rapid growth in GDP lies in the hands of its business leaders as much as its politicians. Asian business schools can be hugely influential in how the next generation of business leaders think about the integration of financial, social and environmental issues,” says Nicole Buckley of the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program. The article mentions that while the historical trend in many Asian business schools has been to adopt the historical ‘Western model’ of business education and largely ignore the social and environmental topics, this new cohort of Asian schools is gaining significant ground in the integration of ethics and the

environment into courses their students take. “Finding solutions that have as much financial as ethical motivations will create competitive advantages for globalized Asian corporations in years to come. With increasing numbers of Asian business schools bringing ethics and sustainability into their curricula, we can expect

to see a new generation of Asian business leaders that will be a sustainable force to reckon with,” adds Buckley. WSGSB wishes to acknowledge the AIM Green Team, specifically Siddharth Chaturvedi, Sneha Shah, Arjun Thirukonda, and Nitu Mohanty of MBA 2011 for their efforts in greening the AIM MBA program.

Oscar Lopez Receives RVR Award for Nation Building THE RAMON V. DEL Rosario (RVR) Award for Nation Building was conferred to Mr. Oscar M. Lopez. The distinguished Board of Judges evaluated the nominees for the award against a set of criteria that looked into entrepreneurial leadership, corporate social responsibility, and service to the nation. The hurdles were high, but the announcement that the Award had been conferred on Oscar Lopez came as no surprise. Through the turbulent years of the authoritarian regime, Oscar Lopez remained in Manila to hold the family businesses together until the restoration of democratic rule. Over the last several decades, he has led the resurgent Lopez Group of Companies to venture into such new areas as cable television, internet services, and clean, renewable energy, which are crucial for nation building. Equally familiar to the

business sector—and to the beneficiaries—are the projects the Lopez Group has supported under its programs for corpo-

We hope that the contributions of Oscar Lopez to nation building will be better known to the national community and inspire other corporate leaders to emulate his example. rate social responsibility and corporate governance. With the RVR Award, we hope that the contributions of Oscar Lopez to nation building will be better known to the national community and inspire other corporate leaders to emulate his example. AIM, from its creation, has maintained a long partnership between the Lopez Group of Companies and with Oscar Lopez. We take pride in the award conferred upon him and thank him for his work for AIM and for the country.

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FVR IS THE HONORARY LIFE MEMBER OF KELAB AIM MALAYSIA THE 12TH PRESIDENT OF the Republic of the Philippines, H.E. Fidel Valdez Ramos (FVR), has graciously accepted Kelab AIM Malaysia’s invitation to be an Honorary Life Member of Kelab. FVR is now among Kelab’s six most eminent persons in the Malaysian Hall of Fame. Former President Ramos received the invitation from Mr. Haji Zulkifly Baharom, MM 1989, Kelab President, on July 29, 2011 at the Ramos Peace and Development Foundation, Inc. (RPDEV)

Headquarters in Makati City, Philippines. Present during the event were Mr. Greg Atienza, executive managing director of the AIM Alumni Relations Office and Federation of Alumni Associations of AIM (FAIM) secretary general; Atty. Frumencio Lagustan, executive director of RPDEV, Ms. Mae Gaffud, deputy executive director of RPDEV; Sherbet Manalili, managing editor of the AIM Leader Magazine; Ms. Karen Ong, director for Talent and

Events Operations of the SMR HR Group; and Jelly Jalasco, special assistant to and granddaughter of President Ramos. “We were blessed to meet His Excellency on the eve of his Japan travel for speaking engagement at the ADB Forum on ‘Asia 2050’. The two-hour meeting with President FVR was never enough. We enjoyed learning the engineering precision of President FVR’s classic methodical battle orders to a sapper team storming an enemy bunker,” Mr.

Baharom shares. Mr. Greg Atienza congratulated the decision of Kelab for timely conferring President Ramos as Honorary Life Member. “In fact, it is a step in the right path and also in line with the Second Article of the FAIM Constitution whereby Clause 4 stated that the purpose for which FAIM is organized as to instil in the alumni an awareness of social responsibilities towards their respective firms and subordinates in particular and towards their countries and the Asian region in general,” says Mr. Baharom. On that historic day, President Ramos has also accepted the invitation to be the Chairman of the Selection Panel for the Asia Human Resource Development (HRD) Congress 2012 Awards to review, assess and endorse the final selection of awardees from the shortlisted list of the world’s finest HRD scholars and practitioners. The Awards presentation organized by SMR HR Group will be held in conjunction with the 11th Asia HRD Congress at Royal Gardenia Hotel, Bangalore, India on July 9 to 11, 2012.

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Aidilfitri Hi-Tea flavours New Agenda for AIMers

Haji Ali, Universiti Malaysia Sabah Prof. Roselina Saufi, Asia e University Prof. Khaeruddin Sudharmin, UniRazak Prof. Ahmad Zaki Ismail, Haji Sharuddin by Haji Zulkifly Baharom, MM 1989 Tegoh and many more. President, KELAB AIM Malaysia AIM Dean Ricardo Lim shared a powerpoint month of Ramadan). This event presentation on the new faculty’s TUN DATO’ SERI DR. organized by the Kelab basked in mission-business objectivesAhmad Sarji Abdul Hamid, the excitement of a wholesome strategies and what FAIM could senior member of AIM Board networking time! do to bring out the best in of Governors graced the AIM Almost 50 AIMers and AIMers as resource persons as Alumni Hari Raya Adilfitri Hiadjunct professors, case writers Tea on September 13, 2011 at the friends enjoyed the truly amazing fellowship and glorious and professionals marketers Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur. spread of stylish Malay cuisine. of AIM degree and executive For the first time, the new AIM Among those present were Tan development programs. The dean Dean Dr. Ricardo Lim, WSGSB Sri Lodin Wok Kamaruddin, Tan has realized that most AIMers Associate Dean Jun Borromeo, are equipped with the expertise FAIM Chairman MP Singh, FAIM Sri Dr. Hadenan Abdul Jalil, Dato’ Haji Sarip Hamid, Datuk and skills to run activity-based Vice Chairman Dennis Firmanworkshops to help young biz sjah and FAIM Secretary General Pahamin Rajab, Mejar Gen (R) Datuk Abdul Rahman Daud, graduate students learn about Greg Atienza joined AIMers in Dato’ Azaman Abu Bakar, Univer- effective management in funMalaysia celebrating Aidilfitri siti Utara Malaysia Dean Noor filled and creative ways. AIMers (success for Muslims fasting Azizi Ismail and Prof. Juhary would be able to serve as “change and prayers during the one AIM Dean Ricardo Lim, FAIM Chairman MP Singh, AIM Governor Tun Ahmad Sarji, FAIM Vice Chairman Dennis Firmansjah and Kelab AIM Malaysia President Haji Zulkifly Baharom

agents” to create a multiplier effect in reaching out future managers of diversed Asia and to pursue AIM education. In his closing address at the Aidilfitri Hi-Tea, Tun Ahmad Sarji said that AIM should need to focus more ton he potentials and power of alumni in rebranding AIM as one of the top graduate school of businees in Asia. Citing the success stories of AIMers who were his former staff namely Tan Sri Nik Mohamad Nik Yaacob, MBM 1980, former CEO of Sime Darby and Datuk Alias bin Ali, MBM 1975, who served brilliantly as undersecretary of the Federal Cabinet of Malaysia for seven solid years. Tun said there were huge opportunities for AIM in terms of branding, especially tapping its alumni proven track record.

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AIM Alumni Networking Night KL, Malaysia KELAB AIM MALAYSIA once again rallied support to the annual Asian Immersion Program which was held this year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on September 13, 2011. Through the admirable leadership of Kelab President Haji Zulfikly Baharom, MM 1989, Malaysian alumni namely, Joe Fernandes, MBM 1976, Effie Goh, MBM 1978, Ching Lai Huat, MM 1984, Richard Yeoh, FBMP 1984, Sasitharan Vasso, MM 1997, Kol. Mohd Ariffin, MM 1997, George Chen, and Li Dong, MM 1997 shared their knowledge and wisdom with MBA students during the AIM Alumni Networking Night at the Bronx Function Room 6 of the Berjaya Times The AIP delegation with the alumni

Square Hotel. FAIM Chairman Mahendra Pratap (MP) Singh, MBM 1976 shared his experiences during his study at AIM and how the AIM education has immensely contributed to his career. FAIM Vice Chairman Dennis Firmansjah, MM 1994 amused, yet warned students not to fall into “MONA (meeting only, no action), DONA (discuss only, no action), and FIONA (fantastic ideas only, no action).” He also shared the importance of intuition, the quiet voice of inner wisdom, in business. Alumni Relations Office Executive Managing Director Greg Atienza talked about relationships. “You are the

object of my affection,” he said to the alumni and students. “I hope our office will be the object of your affection as well, and we will have the output—relations. I put a stress on this because in a world that is so complex and volatile, you need to fall back on your relationships...The ultimate goal of networking is not for networking sake but to build a relationship...The greater the relationship among alumni, the greater the brand is.” He encouraged the students to put great effort in connecting. Triple A Awardee Effie Goh appealed to students to “carry the good name” of AIM. “It is part of your duty. I have been out of AIM for 30 years but I

feel I still have a responsibility to give support so alumni can carry on and enhance the image of the school. Let people see the difference of AIM graduates.” Haji Zulkifly Baharom shared about the AIM Alumni Hari Raya Hi-Tea which happened in the morning of the networking night. He also invited the delegation to the upcoming FAIM Challenge Golf 2011 and the 35th Kelab Anniversary Dinner. In closing, Prof. Maurino Bolante thanked the alumni for their valuable time and unwavering support. The student delegation presented certificates and tokens of appreciation to the alumni.

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Kelab AIM Triple A Awardee Malaysia Effie Goh President Haji Zulkifly Baharom

General Zul with his MM 1998 classmates

FAIM Chairman MP Singh

GENERAL DATUK HAJI ZULKIFLI BIN HAJI ZAINAL ABIDIN, MM 1998

Chief of Army of Malaysia Visits AIM OUTSTANDING ALUMNUS, General Datuk Haji Zulkifli Bin Haji Zainal Abidin, MM 1998, visited the Asian Institute of Management last September 29, 2011 as part of his official visit to the Philippines. General Zulkifli was appointed to one of the most eminent posts in the Malaysian Armed Forces as the chief of army, Malaysia on June 14, 2011. Addressing MM students and professors at the Lopez caseroom, Gen. Zulkifli gave a presentation on “Accelerating National Security and Development through Blue Ocean Strategy.” Reminiscing his student days, Gen. Zulkifli remarked, “It is indeed breathtaking to once again be on familiar grounds—a place that holds a very special place in my heart. My entire tenure of study at AIM was indeed a very resourceful and beneficial

experience that ultimately transformed and elevated me to become the person that I am today.” Due to his renowned leadership, vast knowledge and exceptional abilities, Gen. Datuk Haji Zulkifli was selected to hold several important command and staff appointments throughout his career. Among the appointments he held were commanding officer of the 24th as well as the 6th Battalion of Royal Malay Regiment, principal staff officer to the Chief of Defence Force, head of Management and Policy at the Army Headquarters and Armed Forces Headquarters, commandant of the Army Recruit Training Centre, Commander of the 7th Infantry Brigade, vice chancellor of the National Defence University of Malaysia and deputy chief

of Army. He is the 23rd army chief. Gen. Zulkifli was treated to a reception with his MM 1998 classmates, led by Class President Nieves Lim and the Alumni Relations Office after his session with the students.

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ALUMNI NETWORKING NIGHT SINGAPORE 2011

HE AIM Alumni Networking Night in Singapore saw an overwhelming turnout on September 14, 2011. Attendees overflowed to the hall of The Guild Function Room, Suntec City where over 80 alumni, alumni-in-residence and guests gathered for a night of fellowship and networking. The event was hosted by the AIM Alumni Association of Singapore (AIMAS), the Federation of AIM Alumni Associations (FAIM) and the AIM Alumni Relations Office. AIMAS President Dr. Gan Cheong Eng, MBM 1982 warmly welcomed everyone to the auspicious gathering. During the programme, FAIM Chairman Mahendra Pratap Singh, MBM 1976 called on his fellow alumni to stay connected and actively support AIM’s initiatives. AIM Dean Dr. Ricardo Lim updated

the alumni on the developments in the Institute and shared how alumni can help their alma mater. AIMAS officers namely, John Yap, SMBI 1987, Derek Liew, MBM 1973, Francis Goh, TMP 1991, Claire Yeo, MDP 1994, and Kerry Lau, MBA 2009, FAIM

FAIM Chairman MP Singh

Vice Chairman Dennis Firmansjah and AIM Washington SyCip Graduate School of Business Associate Dean Horacio Borromeo graced the occasion. Among the alumni based in Singapore who attended were Manolet Salak, MBM 1983, Rajeev Kulkarni, MBM 1983, Ajit Singh, MM 1986, Suzette Cody, MDM 1990, Mia Lorenzo, MBM 1995, Soy Molina, MBM 1995, Sanjiv Noronha, MBM 1995, Brian Tan, MBM 1995, Dino Nilo, MBM 1995, Atul Sharma, MBM 1995, Vincent Olandesca, PDM 1996, Ena Rivera, Singaravelan Thirugnanasambandan, MBA 1997, HCM 2004, PM Jyothish, MBA 2004, Jasper Consulta, MM 2005, Saurabh Anand, MBA 2006, Vinit Lakhani, MBA 2006, Amit Gupta, MBA 2009, Himanshu Droila, MBA 2009, Rohan Khera, MBA 2009, Sandeep Kaul, MBA 2009, Sheila Abalajen, MBA 2009, and Vaidas Sukys, MBA 2009. AIM students who participated in the AIM Career Fair held at

the Mandarin Orchard Hotel on the same day took part in the celebration. In response to energize and strengthen alumni relations, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between AIM and AIMAS was executed to deepen the ties between AIM and AIMAS and to enhance the AIM brand in Singapore. The MOU was signed by Dr. Ricardo Lim and Dr. Gan Cheong Eng, and witnessed by Mahendra Pratap Singh and Greg Atienza, MBM 1983, Alumni Relations executive managing director. AIM and AIMAS mutually agreed to advance AIM’s initiatives on placement and recruitment through the AIM Career Management Service (CMS), to strengthen alumni coordination through the Alumni Relations Office (ARO) towards a sustainable engagement of AIM Alumni working or based in Singapore, and to for AIMAS to represent AIM in other pursuits and projects.

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Alumni Association of Bangladesh Hosts Alumni Networking by Haji Zulkifly Baharom, MM 1989

THE AIM ALUMNI ASSOciation Bangladesh (AAAB) hosted a successful Federation of Asian Institute of Management Alumni Associations, Incorporated (FAIM) networking event at Dhaka, Bangladesh last April 24, 2011. The gathering was presided jointly by FAIM Chairman and AIM Alumni Association India (AAI) President MP Singh, MBM 1976 and AAAB Protem Chair Ranjaneswar Halder, MDM 1990. It was well attended by 20 Bangladeshi and five Malaysian alumni (Richard Azlan, MDP 1995, Haji Khaeruddin, Deb Mazumdar, MM 2002, Ching Lai Huat, MM 1984, and Haji Zulkifly Baharom, MM 1989, President of KELAB AIM Malaysia and FAIM Board Member). As a result of the meeting, the Bangladesh alumni

reaffirmed their commitment to expedite the re-institution of AAAB and reiterated their fullest support for Md. Anwar H. Chowdhury, MM 1998 as AAAB Convener to obtain formal registration. Upon the registration of AAAB, the elected Board would formalize the offer to confer an Honorary Membership to Deb Mazumdar, Managing Consultant of Optimax Group Pte Ltd Singapore, Asif Mahmood, Chairman Advance Technology Computers Limited Bangladesh, and Haji Khaeruddin Sudharmin, Managing Director/CEO, Motordata Research Consortium Malaysia. It was also discussed that the Kelab AIM Malaysia President Haji Zul and concurred by Treasurer Ching Lai Huat would nominate one or two distinguished alumni from Bangladesh for the

AIM and AIMAS Sign MOU

Greg Atienza, Gan Cheong Eng, Ricardo Lim and MP Singh

FAIM Triple A Award. FAIM President MP Singh agreed to recommend the said nomination. Haji Zul also extended an invitation to all AIM alumni in Bangladesh to attend Kelab AIM’s 35th Anniversary Dinner. Convener Anwar Chowdhury was applauded and recognized for successfully organizing the bilateral networking ties with Malaysian alumni last April 23-27, 2011, and for arranging the alumni excursion down south to visit Cox’s Bazar, the National Park and ‘0’ Point Teknaf. FAIM Chairman MP Singh congratulated AAAB and remarked that this initiative should be emulated by other FAIM chapters world-wide in order to create greater regional visibility and presence. MP said that the FAIM Board of Trustees would support all bilateral/mul-

ti-lateral ties among FAIM Chapters, as FAIM needed rebranding and its activities should leap frog beyond the scope of merely a social network. MP concluded that “the real engine of creativity and organizational success is to be found in internal networks of friendship and collaboration.” In summing up, AAAB Protem Chair Ranjaneswar Halder echoed MP’s valued statement that “collaborative relationship with smart and creative alumni enrich the knowledge and strengthen the cognitive abilities of individuals. The facilitating of informality and friendship across organizational barriers and borders helps make the best use of FAIM multilateral ties- the collaboration between creative people who like and trust one another!”

IN RESPONSE TO ENERGIZE and strengthen alumni relations, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between AIM and AIMAS was executed to deepen the ties between AIM and AIMAS and to enhance the AIM brand in Singapore. The MOU was signed by Dr. Ricardo Lim, AIM Dean, and Dr. Gan Cheong Eng, MBM 1982, AIMAS President, and witnessed by Mr. Mahendra Pratap Singh, MBM 1976, FAIM Chairman and Mr. Greg Atienza, MBM 1983, Alumni Relations Executive Managing Director. AIM and AIMAS mutually agreed to advance AIM’s initiatives on placement and recruitment through the AIM Career

Management Service (CMS), to strengthen alumni coordination through the Alumni Relations Office (ARO) towards a sustainable engagement of AIM Alumni working or based in Singapore, and for AIMAS to represent AIM in other pursuits and projects. The MOU was signed during the Alumni Networking Night in Singapore on September 13, 2011. Hosted by the AIM Alumni Association of Singapore (AIMAS), the Federation of AIM Alumni Associations (FAIM) and the AIM Alumni Relations Office, more than 80 alumni, guests and students attended the event.

In Memoriam

RIZALINO NAVARRO 1938 - 2011 The AIM Board of Governors (BOG) and Board of Trustees mourn the passing of Mr. Rizalino “Roy” Navarro in Manila on July 7, 2011. Mr. Navarro had been serving AIM as a member of the BOG since 1999. He had also led the Steering Committee for the establishment of the AIM-W. SyCip Graduate School of Business Fund. Mr. Navarro was the chairman of EEI Corp., the Philippines’ biggest industrial construction firm, and of National Steel Corp., Great Pacific Life Assurance Corp., and Philippine Fuji Xerox. He was also the vice chairman and CEO of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. In addition, he headed Bankard Corp. and oil exploration firm Petroenergy Corp. He was the Secretary of Trade and Industry and Presidential Adviser on APEC during the

administration of Pres. Fidel V. Ramos. After this, he became the chairman and CEO of House of Investments, which is engaged mainly in consumer finance and construction. Mr. Navarro spent 34 years at SGV & Co., where he rose through the ranks to become chairmanmanaging partner. A certified public accountant, he graduated cum laude from the University of the East in Manila and obtained his MBA at Harvard Business School. AIM has lost a truly remarkable leader. His kindness, humility, dedication, and contributions will be remembered, and his spirit will continue to inspire us to make a difference. We extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Navarro’s wife, Sally, his family, and loved ones.

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A L U M N I

N E W S M A K E R S

Bernardo with Shriver-Schwarzenegger

Bernardo Selected as 2011 Young Global Leader Rex Bernardo, MDM 2002 has been honored as a Young Global Leader (YGL) 2011. This honorr is bestowed by the World Economic Forum each year to recognize the most distinguished young leaders nominated below the age of 40 from around the world. The Selection Committee, chaired by H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, carefully screened the profiles of almost 5,000 young leaders from every region of the world and from a myriad of disciplines and sectors. Bernardo’s selection is in recognition of his record of professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world through inspired leadership. Rex Bernardo, a multi-awarded person with disability and an advocate on the rights of persons with disabilities sector has this to say: “It is a great opportunity to advance my advocacy of inclusivity in all the sphere of society. I expect my inclusion to the YGL as a springboard to make the said advocacy more pronounced and widespread. My experience at AIM fully equipped me to make these ideas come into fruition. It would be an honour to engage my fellow leaders in a dynamic discussion to gain their support and create a network that is critical to the

success of any advocacy movement.” The 2011 honourees will become part of the broader Forum of Young Global Leaders community that currently comprises 668 outstanding individuals. Bernardo attended the Young Global Leaders Annual Summit 2011 and the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2011 held this year in Dalian, People’s Republic of China from September 12 to16, 2011.

Two MM Alumni at the Helm of the CAAP Philippine President Benigno Simeon Aquino III early this year appointed Ramon S. Gutierrez and Abner B. Bondoc, both Master in Manage-

Gutierrez

ment 1996 alumni, to head the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) as Director General and Chief Financial Officer with the rank of Deputy Director General, respectively. Gutierrez obtained his bachelor’s degree from the Philippine Military Academy in 1978 and took up his Military Pilot Training at the Philippine Air Force Flying School in 1979. He attended the Advanced Officers Course at the US Air Force University in Alabama. His government work experience spans more than 23 years of continuous military service, covering intelligence and security work as a military/intelligence attaché of the Office of Listening Post at the Philippine Consulate General in Hongkong and as Junior Military Aide-de-Camp to former Pres. Corazon C. Aquino at the Presidential Security Group (PSG). He was an Intelligence and Operations Officer at the Armed Forces Research and Development Center, Junior Operations Officer at Aviation Security Command and Director of Plans and Program, Philippine Air Force Modernization and Base Relocation Project in partnership with BCDA on the NAIA Terminal 3 Project. He was also a Special Assistant to the Bureau of Customs Commissioner in 1992, and as Consultant for General Aviation at MIAA from 2005-2008. In 1985, as a young captain then, he was one of the only two junior officers who volunteered their services in the snap election campaign of President Corazon C. Aquino. He retired from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and joined the corporate world in 1997. He was Operations Manager of Ayala Aviation of the Ayala Group, President and Chief Operating Officer of Corporate Air, Inc. of the FedEx/ Lina Group of Companies and Board of Director of Zest Airways, Inc. As Director General of CAAP, Gutierrez is responsible for the overall guidance, supervision and development of airports and implementation of the civil aviation policies to ensure safe, affordable and efficient control of air traffic nationwide. He also supervises over the administrative, technical and operational functions of the civil aviation offices and has the authority to issue, deny, suspend, cancel or revoke any certificates and licenses in relation to the regulatory function of CAAP. Bondoc is a Certified Public

Accountant by profession with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce degree, major in Accounting. He took the AIM Advanced Bank Management Program (ABMP) in 1992 where he received the “Superior Performance” and “Best Performing Bank” awards. He obtained his Doctorate in a Special United Nations (UN) course on Peace & Security Administration offered at the Bicol University with a satellite course at Camp Crame. He is presently pursuing the degree of Master of Divinity, major in Theology at the Asian Theological Seminary. Bondoc

He served the banking industry for more than 20 years at the Philippine National Bank (PNB) and Asiatrust Bank as an Auditor, Training Specialist, Assistant Manager, Senior Manager, Technical Assistant to the President, and Assistant Vice President, respectively. Other positions outside banking were with the ISO certified Corporate Air, Philippines, as Finance and Administrative Manager concurrent Quality Management Representative, and with the La Consolacion College Manila as Finance and IT Consultant. He has served Centennial Card Corporation as Comptroller. He was the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Freyssinet Filipinas Corporation and worked with AMC Incorporated as Chief Management Officer (CMO) prior to his formulation of the company’s Business Enhancement and System Transformation (BEST) strategy as Management Consultant. Bondoc was once a professor at De La Salle University, La Consolacion College Manila and special lecturer at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran.

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Signing Ceremony for Triple A Scholarship Held at AIM From left: Art Macapagal, Robert Kuan, Jesli Lapus, Katrina Gracia Macaraig, Jonah Avegail Gaerlan, AIM President Edilberto de Jesús, and AIM Dean Ricardo Lim

Signing Ceremony for Triple A Scholarship Held at AIM

HE SIGNING CERemony for the Triple A Club’s commitment to provide scholarships to two lucky recipients was held last August 19, 2011 at the Lopez Gallery of the Asian Institute of Management. Present were members of the Triple A Scholarship Committee, Robert Kuan, MBM 1975, Art Macapagal, MBM 1971, and Triple A Club President Jesli Lapus, MBM 1973. Also present were members of the AIM Board of Trustees, Roberto V. Garcia, MBM 1973, and chairman of the Alumni Association of AIM, Eustacio Orobia, Jr. The Triple A Club is a prestigious organization of the most outstanding alumni of the Asian Institute of Management, all recipients of the AIM Alumni Achievement Award, the highest recognition given to exceptional graduates of the Institute. This year’s Triple A scholars include Katrina Gracia Macaraig and

Jonah Avegail Gaerlan who will be taking their MBA starting September 2011. In his welcome remarks, AIM President Edilberto de Jesús expressed his appreciation to the Triple A Club for their generosity and commitment in ensuring the continuous flow of bright students to AIM through their donation to the AIM Alumni Fund for Scholarships. “No Institute achieves greatness without the support of alumni,” De Jesús noted. “AIM looks forward to a long and lasting, and mutually beneficial relationship with alumni groups.” In response, Lapus remarked that “The Triple A Club is delighted to be contributing to the school, and that the alumni have never failed to be involved since the 1970s.” He also added that aside from the financial support, the members of the Triple A Club also provide their invaluable advice to the scholars to enable them to do extremely

well in the caserooms. Lapus also thanked Gabby Paredes, MBM 1972 for turning over a check for PHP 1.4M that morning, as his contribution to the AIM Alumni Scholarship Fund. “The alumni’s presence this morning is a testimony of our commitment to AIM, thank you for giving us this opportunity,” he ended. The new AIM Dean, Ricardo Lim invited the alumni to “Continue supporting the Institute by teaching, mentoring, coach-

ing, and redesigning caseroom content to the quality that you remember.” He congratulated Ms. Macaraig and Ms. Gaerlan, and added, “I wish you well as indeed you have very big shoes to fill. But you are also lucky to have our most outstanding alumni as your mentors.” Associate Dean for the Washington SyCip Graduate School of Business, Prof. Horacio Borromeo, Jr. was the Master of Ceremonies for the event.

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Homecoming 2012 Lead Host Class Mini-Reunion

ARO Hosts Thank You Party for MBM 1991 A GIANT TARP FEATURING the cheerful faces of MBM 1991 wrapped the walls of the AIM swimming pool area as candles and rose petals floated in the waters that once witnessed students dunked after passing their MRRs. In gratitude for organizing one of the most successful homecomings in the AIM campus, the Alumni Relations Office hosted a Thank You Party for MBM 1991 at the AIM poolside last April 8, 2011. The current and incoming members of the board of the Alumni Association of AIM were also present to congratulate MBM 1991 for a job well done. With the AIM Milestone theme of “May Bago sa AIM! Tayo Na!” MBM 1991 was able to gather a

total of PhP5 million in alumni pledges for the AIM Alumni Fund. Headed by Tito Serafica, chairman of the Homecoming Committee, MBM 1991’s efforts in staging an entertaining, well-attended and meaningful homecoming at the campus provided a benchmark for other Lead Host Classes to beat. A Plaque of Appreciation was awarded to the MBM 1991 by AAAIM Chairman Joselito Yabut, MBM 1979. Engraved in the plaque were the following words: “In grateful appreciation to MBM 1991 for staging, as Lead Host “May Bago sa AIM! Tayo Na!,” the most successful homecoming night on record in raising P5 Million in alumni donations and pledges on February 24, 2011 at the AIM campus.” The message was signed by AIM President, Edilberto de Jesús and AAAIM Chairman Joselito Yabut. The gathering provided a venue for MBM 1991, AAAIM Board Members and ARO staff to have a warm reunion after the hectic activities of the Homecoming Week.

IN PREPARATION FOR 2012’s AIM Alumni Homecoming, the Alumni Relations Office (ARO) hosted a mini-reunion for the Class of 1992, the Lead Host Class, on August 12, 2011 at the AIM Foyer. Alumni from MBM 1992 namely, Ruben Victa, Agnes Lamberte, Michael Ochosa, Rowena Bayoneta, Sylvia Reyes, Steven Cuenca, Don Albert Cuesta, Francis Macatulad, Teresita LenoVillareal, Ma. Angelica RustiaCorpuz and Alexander Corpuz, attended the Friday night gathering. Mr. Greg Atienza, ARO executive managing director, welcomed and briefed the alumni on organizing next year’s homecoming. Celebrating classes of the 2012 Homecoming are the classes of 1972 (40th), 1977 (35th), 1982 (30th), 1987 (25th), 1992 (20th), 1997 (15th), 2002 (10th) and 2007 (5th).

Sylvia Reyes and Ma. Angelica “Jill” Corpuz

Rowena “Wing” Bayoneta

Seatmates Teresita “Terry” Leano-Villareal and Agnes Lamberte

MBM 1992 reminiscing the good old days inside the Meralco caseroom

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Gabriel M. Paredes, MBM ’72, supports an AIM scholar MR. GABRIEL PAREDES MBM ’72, enabled a deserving Filipino student’s dream of pursuing an AIM MBA degree through a donation to the AIM Alumni Leadership Fund for Scholarships. Mr. Paredes, his wife, Mrs. Marianne Paredes, and their daughter, Ms. Michelle Paredes, MBA 2012, graced the Signing Ceremony held on September 28, 2011 at the Metro Pacific Corporation Room of the AIM Conference Center Manila. In his welcome remarks, AIM President Edilberto de Jesús expressed his appreciation to AIM alumni for their support, which “has always been important to AIM, but especially at this time with the fierce competition from many schools in the region for the leadership spot. AIM needs the continuous support of fellow alumni in teaching and research, recruitment, placement and fundraising. The full scholarship granted establishes a new benchmark for future alumni donors to follow.”

For his part, Mr. Paredes shared that in his lifetime, he received three special gifts. Other people’s generosity paved the way for him to pursue his dreams and reach his goals. He remarked, “This is a special gift from a special company, a special gift donated by Chibuom Corporation. “This is my giving back to AIM,” he added. “We believe in the value of education and what it can do for a deserving student: how it can change your life and how you contribute to society eventually.” To his scholar, Ms. Kristeen Joi Lantican, who was also present at the event, Mr. Paredes advised: “I hope you continue giving back. It is what makes life more meaningful.” Also present at the Signing Ceremony were AIM President Mr. Edilberto de Jesús, Council of Past AAAIM Chairmen President Ramon M. de Vera, the Alumni Association of AIM (AAAIM) Chairman Eustacio Orobia, Jr. and the members of the AAAIM Board of Directors.

Mr. and Mrs. Paredes with their scholar, Ms. Kristeen Joi Lantican

Mr. Alex Sembrano and Ms. Erissa Arce, MBM 1990, received a token of appreciation from AIM President Edilberto de Jesús

Class of MBM 1990 revives the AIM Student Loan Fund THE CLASS OF MBM 1990, led by Homecoming Chairman Mr. Alex Sembrano, revived the AIM Alumni Student Loan Fund through a gift to AIM. Their donation came from the proceeds of the Annual Alumni Homecoming, “Come Back, Give Back”, which they organized as lead host class in February 2010. The AIM Alumni Student Loan Fund is a fund pool that would provide funding for those who would like to have an AIM education but whose finances may not allow them to do so. This Fund was formally reestablished upon the signing of the Deed of Donation on September 28, 2011 at the Metro Pacific Corporation Room of the AIM Conference Center Manila. AIM President Edilberto de Jesús acknowledged the Class’ efforts in making available a facility that would support applicants and students to study in AIM. “The Class of MBM 1990 mobilized funds during their homecoming last year to set up the AIM Alumni Student Loan

Fund. This facility will help AIM enroll more Filipinos in its degree programs. “The alumni donations demonstrate what AIM has been doing since its inception,” he added. “From the start, AIM has proclaimed as its objective the promotion of Asia’s sustainable development by graduating innovative entrepreneurs and expert professionals, who as leaders and managers of their institutions will also be mindful of their social responsibilities,” Mr. de Jesús remarked. Mr. Sembrano shared that it is his and his classmates’ wish to provide an opportunity for more students to study at AIM. With the revival of the AIM Student Loan Fund, this will be possible. In closing, AIM Alumni Relations Office Executive Managing Director and Master of Ceremonies Greg Atienza concurred, “Inspiration has stemmed to a much deeper result, because this allowed more students a chance at an AIM education.”

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Celebrating Batches Unite for “Ready, AIM, Fire!” THE CLASS REUNION OF Celebrating Batches for the AIM Alumni Homecoming 2012 was held last October 21, 2011 at the Bancom-Soriano Room of the Asian Institute of Management. Over 50 alumni attended, representing the following celebrating batches: 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002 and 2007. Alumni Association of AIMPhilippine (AAAIM) Chapter Chairman Mr. Eustacio “Jun” Orobia welcomed the alumni back to AIM, updated the guests on the latest developments of the Institute, and encouraged them to support the lead host class for Homecoming 2012. The Lead Host Class, MBM 1992, represented by Ms. Rowena “Wing” Palmiery-Bayoneta, Homecoming 2012 Steering Committee chairman, with Mr. Francis Macatulad and Mr. Mike Ochosa, who were emcees for the evening, presented their plans for the Homecoming celebrations

Lead Host Class of 1992

in February 24, 2012, to coincide with the 44th Anniversary of AIM. MBM 1992 came united in red, and according to the class, even those who weren’t able to attend wore red that day to show their support to the group. With the theme “Ready, AIM, Fire!”, the Grand AIM Alumni Wing Palmiery-Bayoneta

Homecoming will be held at the NBC Tent, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

Mr. Augusto Antonio Serafica, Homecoming 2011’s Steering Committee chairman and his classmates, Mr. Angelo Gelano and Mr. Samuel Jardin, rallied support for Lead Host Class 1992. Mr. Serafica shared valuable inputs in organizing the Homecoming. “The way to become successful in doing the Homecoming is to form your own can group. The knowledge and the experience will multiply many times over,” he advised. Towards the end of the program, Host Class 2002 pledged P50,000 for the Homecoming. On top of that, they will also sponsor the Homecoming Night’s drinks

and entertainment. Triple A awardee and AIM Board of Trustees member Mr. Gabriel Paredes gave a few important words to his fellow alumni during the programme. “If they say that AIM is no longer at the level of its past, they are talking about the fact that there are many schools to choose from. The quality of the (AIM) product never diminished. Remember that,” he stressed. Mr. Paredes belongs to MBM 1992, the ruby celebrants. Special thanks to San Miguel Corporation for sponsoring the drinks.

Mike Ochosa and Francis Macatulad, MBM 1992

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“Demystifying The Stock Market: Making More Money Versus Inflation” David Leechiu and Gillian Virata

From left: Josephine Gomez, Pax Lapid, Samuel Jardin, George Wong, Edward Lee, Ofelia Bisnar, and Gary Grey

THE ALUMNI ASSOCIAtion of AIM-Philippine Chapter (AAAIM), in partnership with CitisecOnline, held a two-hour briefing entitled “Demystifying the Stock Market: Making More Money Versus Inflation” on November 4, 2011 at 3:00-5:00pm at the Fuller Hall, 3rd Floor, Asian Institute of Management. The briefing is the sixth installment of the AAAIM LEADer’s Forum Series. AAAIM LEAD—L (Leadership), E (Entrepreneurship), A (Advocacy), and D (Development)—is a project conceived to provide unique opportunities for AIM alumni to make meaningful connections and share their leadership experiences with an intimate group of fellow leaders. AAAIM Treasurer Mr. FranEdward Lee and George Wong

cisco “Pax” Lapid, ME 2003, welcomed more than 70 alumni and guests to the briefing. AAAIM Secretary Ms. Josephine Gomez, MBM 1988 introduced the speakers. CitisecOnline Chairman Mr. Edward Lee, BMP 1975 and CitisecOnline Head of Private Clients Group Mr. George Wong talked on the opportunities in investing in the stock market, the fundamentals of listed companies, and 2012 stock picks. They also shared tips on making good investment decisions. CitisecOnline is an online stock brokerage company in the Philippines, primarily to engage in the business of broker and/ or dealer of securities and to provide stock brokerage services through internet technology.

Actively trading in the PSE since 2001, CitisecOnline has gained status for its proficiency in equity analysis and brokerage services. CitisecOnline’s management team is composed of professionals in the financial and information technology industries, as well as entrepreneurs with decades of experience in the stockbrokerage industry. It was established with the objective of leveling the playing field for retail investors by providing a low-cost and easily accessible means to access the Philippine stock market. Over the years, it has developed a full sweep of services to empower the retail investor. These include real-time quotes, research services and reports, and other tools to help customers make well-informed investment decisions. It also allows for prompt execution of trades, which is the best practice in the local online trading industry. CitisecOnline is well-poised to drive the development of the online trading market in confluence with the increased penetration of internet access, broadband services and increasingly tech-savvy investing public. The company owns 100% of CitisecOnline HK, a member of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Narzalina Lim and Greg Atienza

Briefing on Sunrise Industries JONES LANG LASALLE Leechiu in partnership with the AIM Alumni Relations Office hosted “Briefing on Sunrise Industries” on May 4, 2011 at the SGV Hall, AIM Conference Center Manila. Over 150 AIM alumni, students and guests attended the forum which provided an overview of the current state of the business process outsourcing, real estate and tourism industries. Ms. Gillian Virata, Senior Executive Director of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines and Mr. David Leechiu, Country Head of Jones Lang LaSalle Leechiu, talked on the BPO sector. AIM alumni Ms. Narzalina Lim, MDP 1974, President of Asia Pacific Projects and Mr. Samie Lim, TMP 1976, President of Automatic Appliances, filled in on the status of tourism in the Philippines and in the region. AIM alumnus Aloysius R. Santos, MBM 1971, Vice Chairman and Treasurer of the Guidance Management Corporation and AIM Professor Federico Macaranas explained the macroeconomic conditions of our country.

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LIBON, ALBAY IN IMAGES, IN ITS TRUTHS, WINS 1ST MDM PHOTO JOURNAL CONTEST 1 JUNE 2011—THE GOAL OF UNDERstanding development from the ground is one that isn’t easy, but in the hands of Master in Development Management (MDM) students, what shines through is the truth that it’s the only way to even begin affecting change, in the places where it’s needed most. Within their Rapid Area Assessment (RAA) immersion sites, grouped into learning teams, and armed only with the theme “Development in Action” and their digital cameras, MDM students prove that the first step to change is to look at a space and feel its urgencies, to look at people’s eyes and see their resilience. The top prize photos of the 1st MDM Photo Journal Contest organized by the Center for Development Management (CDM) show exactly that. Learning Team 3, First Runner Up, traveled to Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur and saw rural life up close, where daily activities are done not within homes but in spaces outside of it, where rice remains as most basic need. Here too there are children, ones at play such as a younger child in a makeshift trolley being pushed and pulled by older siblings, and another child no more than four alone on a sandy beach gathering trash. Rural life here is rendered as a matter of fact, without romance, without forcing the perspective of the photographer on what the lens captures. Learning Team 3 is composed of Melanie Kelleher, Edy I Gede Purwaka, Pergentino

Malabed Jr., Suparat Phranoret, Tashfeen Siddique and Angelina Golamco. It would be Learning Team 1 though, the winners of the 1st MDM Photo Journal Contest, who would capture rural life in Libon, Albay across all their entries. These photos tell the story of a cement road that cuts across green fields and a view of mountains; of this road being used by a lone tricycle that carries more people than it should, of these people who would know to walk the fields but who don’t have the resources to drive through new roads. These photos tell the story of where that road leads, to small-scale productive rural farming, to children who know to smile and welcome strangers, to one child who knew not to care much for strangers. This child who turned his back, laid on the sand and faced the sea, disinterestedly looking behind him, is a stark reminder of difference, of how so many are removed from what we know, from where we come. What this set of photos capture about Libon, Albay, is what “Development at Work” means. Where it begins with seeing what happens in areas in need of development, where development isn’t just about putting in a road here and there, where people must be prepared for it, must know to use it. Where there is always a young generation that knows not what it needs, but that must be given a better future. Learning Team 1 is composed

READY, AIM, FIGHT!

CHEERS AND ROARS echoed at the Fuller Hall when eight-time world champion Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao defeated Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez in their third bout via majority decision

last November 13, 2011. More than 100 AIM alumni, family and friends witnessed another victory by the Filipino boxing icon during the PacquiaoMarquez live viewing at AIM, the inaugural event of the 2012

of Hope Esquillo, Ratree Joomwanta, Christopher Agbayani, Ivo Dos Santos Cancio,Yakobus Yuliatmoko, Buyandelger Ulziisaikhan and Prabhas Ukil. The winners were chosen by the Board of Judges composed of Associate Dean Juan Miguel Luz and core faculty members of CDM, professors Nihal Amer-

Alumni Homecoming Celebration. Sponsored by San Miguel Beer and Hershey’s, the Pacquiao-Marquez event is the start of the 2012 homecoming activities. Upcoming are the AIM Fam-Run and the AIM Homecoming Golf Tournament. The celebration culminates with the staging of the AIM Grand Alumni Homecoming Night at the NBC Tent, Bonifacio Global City on February 24, 2012, Friday, 6:00 to 11:00pm. With the theme, “Ready, AIM, Fire!”, the Lead Host Batch of 1992 is spearheading a fund drive to support the AIM Alumni Association’s project of raising funds for the alumni’s total endowment contribution for 2012. This will be directed towards scholarship funds or renovation of learning space and facilities.

asinghe, Benjamin Bagadion, Buenaventura Canto III, Manuel de Vera and Fredelita Guiza. The criteria for judging consists of: theme—50%, overall story—30%, and artistic interpretation —20%. Awarding ceremonies were held during the MDM Open House on May 27, 2011.

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Thank You! AIM wishes to thank the following alumni who have made a gift to the AIM Alumni Leadership Funds for school year 2010-2011. Your generous involvement makes a statement about how you value your degree. Your gift countsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;whatever the amount!

AIM Alumni Leadership Fund for Scholarship Triple A Club (c/o Jesli Lapus, MBM 1973, Robert Kuan, MBM 1975 and Arturo Macapagal, MBM 1971) Gabriel Paredes, MBM 1972 Alumni Association of AIM-Indian Chapter (c/o MP Singh, MBM 1976, President) Malvan Hwang, MBM 1974 Mario Antonio Lopez, MBM 1970 Jesus Galang, MBM 1970 Dexter Aldi Ampong, MBA 2008 Joselito Yabut, MBM 1979 Ofelia Odilao-Bisnar, MBM 1988

Tae Sook Han, MBM 1984 Chun Jin Suk, MBM 1979 Hyun Oh Cho, MBM 1985 Chang Yoon Jeong, MBM 1980 Jocelyn Maloles-Keehn, MBM 1985 Hong-Soo Lee, MM 1979 The Class of MBM 1973 The Class of MBM 1971 The Class of MBM 1991 Gregorio Atienza, MBM 1983 and Maria Cristina Atienza, MBM 1983 Philip Huang, MBM 1997 Jose Ma. Parocco, MM 1987

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Your Gift Counts Give to the AIM Alumni Fund! Whatever amount you choose to give as a gift, annual donations to the AIM Alumni Fund for Scholarships, Research and Development, Learning Space, Student Loan Fund or Unrestricted (AIM’s Most Imminent Need) will be pooled together to make a difference to your school. Your investment as a graduate of AIM will help your school make positive changes and growth possible, by increasing diversity in the case rooms and ensuring the future education of our gifted scholars and future leaders.

Unrestricted (AIM’s Most Imminent Need) Roberto Garcia, MBM 1973 Lorna Morte-Runkle, MBM 1983 Shankar Vembu Gowri, MM 2005 Alex Tanwangco, MBM 1973 Jocelyn Maloles-Keehn, MBM 1985

AIM Alumni Student Loan Fund The Class of MBM 1990

AIM Alumni Leadership Fund for Research and Development Joselito Yabut, MBM 1979 Ofelia Odilao-Bisnar, MBM 1988 Jocelyn Maloles-Keehn, MBM 1985 Mario Antonio Lopez, MBM 1970

AIM Alumni Leadership Fund for Learning Spaces Joselito Yabut, MBM 1979 Ofelia Odilao-Bisnar, MBM 1988 Mario Antonio Lopez, MBM 1970

Give to the AIM Alumni Leadership Fund for Learning Space

After more than forty years, while the AIM dormitory holds years of accumulated memories, it is due for a major renovation to cater to the new demands of the times. We need your help to renovate the dorm that was your home while you were at AIM. Contribute to the AIM Alumni Leadership Fund for Learning Space and Facilities, and help make our future students’ AIM experience more meaningful and enjoyable.

Give to the AIM Alumni Student Loan Fund

On a yearly average, out of the 360 applications to our degree programs, about 50% require some form of financial support for them to be able to pursue an MBA degree at AIM. Give applicants more opportunities to study in AIM. Contribute to the AIM Alumni Student Loan Fund and help students pursue their dream of studying in AIM.

Give to the AIM Alumni Leadership Fund For Scholarships

As former students of AIM, you have experienced the rigors of CP, the challenges of WAC and MRR, the pressure of maintaining good grades, and the joy of earning an AIM degree. Help provide this opportunity to a deserving student. Contribute to the AIM Alumni Leadership Fund for Scholarships and help grow an AIM community of leaders and managers for Asia.

Give to the AIM Alumni Leadership Fund for Research and Development

Contribute to the AIM Alumni Leadership Fund for Research to support and expand the AIM case bank and innovate learning in the AIM classrooms.

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YES! I Want to Make A Gift! to the AIM Alumni Leadership Fund (Please send this form to aimalumni@aim.edu or fax to [632] 893-7410)

Full Name AIM Program / Year Graduated Company Designation Company Address Email Address Home Address Home Country Home Phone Mobile My gift is for (Please check one)  Alumni Leadership Fund for Learning Space  Alumni Leadership Fund for Scholarship  Alumni Leadership Fund for Research and Development  Alumni Student Loan Fund  AIM’s Greatest Need

My gift is in the amount of:  A one time gift of  Php 6,000.00 or USD 150  Php 12,000 or USD 300  Php 25,000 or USD 600  Php 50,000 or USD 1,200  Other Amount: I wish to have my donation acknowledged as follows:  Individual Donation  Corporate Donation  Class/Batch Donation  Alumni Association/Chapter Donation  Anonymous  My company has a Matching Gift program (name/address of company) PAYMENT MODES: Check: PAYABLE TO AIM SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION or AIM-SRF Inc. Wire Transfer: Account Name: AIM-SRF (Alumni Fund) Dollar Savings Account Number: 0384-0147-12 Peso Savings Account Number: 0383-1205-78 Swift Code for Wire Transfers: BOPIPHMM (Kindly send an email to aimalumni@aim.edu with your deposit details to enable us to acknowledge your gift) *For donors based in the Philippines, donations to the AIM Scientific Research Foundation are tax-deductible subject to regulations of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. *For Metro Manila donors, please send an email to aimalumni@aim.edu for check pick-up.

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by Kenneth Hartigan-Go Rethinking, Re-designing, MD, MD (UK), FPCP, FPSECP, FPSCOT Re-shaping, Re-engineering Health

Executive Director, Dr. Stephen Zuelling Center for Asian Business Transformation (ZCABT)

THE DR. STEPHEN ZUELLING CENTER for Asian Business Transformation (ZCABT) is about business transformation with a focus on health issues. Established in 2005, the ZCABT has three target areas of concern which appear to be concentrated with the pharmaceutical industry, HMOs and hospital facilities, and to a certain extent how they affect public health delivery of services. A new landscape is being shaped by changes in emerging market, variations in regulations and policy, market competition and presence of newer technology (or the absence of such). The ZCABT therefore wants to intersect with these groups and study these concerns, with the end in view for a diagnosis of the problems, finding relevant solutions, proposing new theories of change and contributing to the research and educational agenda of the AIM.

BUILDING BLOCK AS FOCUS PROGRAM OF WORK 2011

CENTER FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Governance

 Case Studies on Health Leadership with two health secretaries (A. Romualdez and E. Cabral)  Participation in Health Care in Asia (HK) and to echo lessons with faculty through a brown bag session.  First Think Tank on Anticorruption in Health Sector

 Develop a Program on Anticorruption and seek funding and grant  Research on Devolution in Health: is it working? A research grant will be sought. Focus will be various aspects of the building blocks at the local government sector.

Regulation, policy and legislation

 Assistance for FDA through management systems studies and capacity building for managers.  Chairing of the TWG for the Senate Committee on Health & Demography, on National Health Insurance Program. The objective of which is to find harmony with proposed bills into a coherent piece of legislation.

 Creation of a Program on Health Technology Assessment: a capacity building program that includes conducting studies and evaluation and providing consultancy services to both public and private sector. A grant will be sought to develop this program.  Planned publication and course series: The 21st Century Health Regulator

Medicines

 Patient Safety and Medicines Management and WHO Strategies.  ASEAN Network for Drugs, Vaccines and Diagnostics, a consultancy project to develop the regional Strategic Business Plans Feb to August 2011(Consultancy work with funding from WHO TDR).  Pending publication: Universal Health Care and the role of Medicines (MeTA funded, AIM organized work in 2010)

 Initiate the Program on Pharmacovigilance: studies the risk of medicines and why some of reporting schemes do not work. There is an effect on this program on the landscape of pharmaceutical practice because of emerging role of risk management planning and communications.  There is potential for resonance and complementarity of work with AIM Center for Corporate Social Responsibility and with pharmaceutical industry.

Services

 Joint NUS-AIM Diabetes Mellitus Seminar workshop at AIM

Workforce

 How to start up a clinical practice? Course intended to help young medical professionals to undertake cost-efficient clinical practice.  Consultations with Philippine Nursing Association to create transformational or hybrid nurse managers.

Information Technology System

 ICT for Health on Standards, Seminar on IT data standards HL7  Development of Innovative CPE materials with CIBI (On-going)  Field study on IT systems and models in Davao and Bukidnon rural units and hospitals  Telehealth as solution for community with no health professionals—action research

 Operationalizing a Health Care Delivery system in Maternal Child Health with the Aid of ICT: A field experiment to improve efficiency and quality of maternal and child health services in remote areas where there are no medical doctors with the aid of mobile phone technology

Financing (Health economics and financing)

 Thought forums and Health financing literacy seminars and conferences  Cebu and Davao. More provincial sorties to improve this literacy will be undertaken.  Sector targets like academe, health professionals, and media will also be provided continuing advocacy and education.  Exploring collaborative work with the AIM Policy Center, in particular, the Social Protection for the Poor.

 Project Majestic. This is a collaborative work with WHO WPRO to design a series of films/documentary on health inequity due to financing concerns in 5 countries (China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Laos, Philippines).

Current Working Paradigms

HEALTH SYSTEMS BUILDING BLOCKS

In 2007, the WHO prescribed a number of building blocks for health systems strengthening (ref. 1). These are governance, regulations, human resource for health, integrated public health with clinical services, information technology for health and health financing. Health system strengthening needs to take into consideration synergistic roles of the private and public sector. The center will consistently be a critical player for providing a platform for these two sectors to collaborate. Center will be known as broker of thought forums, leadership, policy and management learning sessions and research work. There is recurrent concern by the private sector on the absence of policy consistency emanating from the public sector. This center aims to study and find solutions to these issues and offer business transformation solutions. The Zuellig Center Response Framework for the ZCABT response is arranged according to the identified building blocks for health reforms, the planned program of work for 2011 and the future directions in line with the center’s business transformation agenda.

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ZCABT programs

Corruption in Health

Health Technology Assessment

Quality Assurance and Patient Safety

Assess the current state and form of corruption in health care

Advocate HTA as a valuable decision tool for the social adoption, use, and reimbursement of health care technologies

Contribute to QA and Patient Safety efforts that aim to measure and improve the quality of health care services provided

Measure the risks associated with corruption in health systems Evaluate its impact on economic and societal issues Prescribe measures to identify and remedy corruption in health

Output Thought forums and consultation activities such as think tanks to deﬁne and map the typology of corruption in health care. Research on the impact of health care corruption to the economy Development of a checklist to guide government and industry in the identiﬁcation of corruption

Promote the use of HTA in providing policy makers with information on policy alternatives

Output Thought forums to facilitate and encourage partnerships between HTA researchers and policy makers Provide access to HTA and outcomes research to guide in the procurement of medical devices and supplies Establishment of a directory of HTA papers and researchers in the Asian region. Creation of a library of resources on HTA tool kits and case studies

Output Thought forums on patient safety issues and its application to improving health care services Collaboration with WHO on developing a certiﬁcate course on Quality assurance for hospital systems (Pilot: Brunei and Philippines) Collaboration with the Philippine Government on Pharmaceutical Risk Management and develop training courses catering to industry Research on a) the economic beneﬁts of investing in QA and PS, and b) the current limitations of the pharmaceuticals industry in developing riskmanagement plans for their products Developing a partnership with the UK National Patient Safety Association on Prevention of Errors

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Health financing literacy On the 26th January 2011, ZCABT in collaboration with CDM, organized with local partners in Visayas (Cebu Institute of Medicine, Visayas Primary Health Care Services, Inc.) to introduce health financing literacy. This was to serve as a platform to discuss the Universal Health Care (UHC) agenda of the Philippine health sector as well as to incept into society a consciousness that constructive alternatives to health policy can be made that can promote a balance of social welfare and business. This was held at the Cebu Institute of Medicine with a full day program. There were 130 participants from grass root community leadership, civil society organizations, local government officials, health and media professionals, hospital owners and pharmaceutical industry representatives. This pioneer activity in Visayas set the tone for a meaningful discussion on the directions of the Aquino Health Agenda (AHA), how financing of health systems and health care will ultimately benefit the marginalized sector and how the stakeholders can contribute to accomplish these goals. Two of the root causes of this current health inequity that surfaced at the summit were unresponsive health policy in terms of health spending and the perceived unforeseen consequences from having a devolved health service of the local government. This activity is an initial exploration to assess the dynamics of the changing environment of health care and businesses and to document the areas of inefficiency that if corrected may contribute to business transformation, and address stakeholder concerns. The activity was replicated for Mindanao at the Davao Medical School Foundation on the 8th February 2011. The AIM CDM and the Zuellig Center for Asian Business Transformation, in partnership with the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Davao Medical Society (DMS) represented by Dr. Malou Monteverde and the Davao Medical School Foundation Inc. represented by Dr. Jose Rene Lacuesta and Dr. Jonathan Alegre, chair and president respectively, jointly conducted a seminar workshop on Health Financing. In attendance were key leaders from hospitals, professional medical societies, industry, academe, and civil society. There were representatives from local government from Mindanao and the media. About 110 participants came to attend and challenge the paradigms of current and proposed health systems reforms relating to financing, human resources and information technology. Main points raised were: there are inefficiencies in health care systems ranging from misuse of technology and resources,

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effectively limiting access and adversely affecting health outcomes. One of these is the chronic inadequate spending for health. Universal health care is not just about increasing coverage of enrolled Filipinos but more about improving the integrated health systems building blocks, one of the six which is health financing and is generally regarded the key critical knob to ensure reforms with the other building blocks. There are in fact models of good practice that we can learn from: the UK National Health Service, and the local government model from San Isidro, Nueva Ecija. Judicious use of medicines following guidance and compliance from hospital formulary and clinical practice guidelines has been shown to work in achieving dual objectives of cost containment and quality assurance in Davao and hence improve health efficiency. It is also possible to efficiently link community health systems with hospital systems as what is observed with the Southern Philippines Medical Center (DOH hospital). Many agree that working with politics to attain political will is an absolute necessity to drive universal health care. But PhilHealth has to begin thinking broad picture, which is to truly invest in preventive and promotive health care mechanisms to complement their current meager benefits packages. One of the controversial issues raised was a debate on the merit of using case payment or case mix in lieu of the current fee for service method of payment. The role of AIM and the Zuellig Center is to be catalyst to bring private and public sector together to achieve a higher level for health economics and financing literacy and to provide a creative constructive platform for better policy and management. This Davao trip was participated by former Health Secretary Dr. Alberto Romualdez Jr. Dr. Soe Nyunt U of the WHO country office, HE. Amb. Stephen Lillie of UK, former Mayor Sonia Lorenzo, Dr. Francisco Flores, Dr. Melinda Tagle (chair of Pharmacology department of DMS), Dr. Jean Tay of SPMC, Dr. Leizel Lagrada and Assistant Secretary of Health Romulo Busuego of the DOH, Dr.

Malou Monteverde of Davao Chamber of Commerce, former Undersecretary of Health Juan Nanagas, and World Bank Senior Health specialist Dr. Eduardo Banzon. IT for Health: the role of data standards HL7 in eHealth This seminar was held on the 3rd of February 2011 from 9 to 11 am at AIM Lopez Holding Inc. caseroom. The purpose of this talk with guest speaker and HL7 International ambassador/CEO of Cal2Cal California, Mr. Gora Datta, was to introduce one of the IT language standard for inter-operatability and compatibility for health transactions. At the moment, the country is still without a clear understanding or policy to develop a common standard that will allow public health sector and private sector to interface. HL7 is one such language standard. This public seminar welcomed members of the ICT for Health working group which included both government and private sector. It is envisioned that after this talk, a series of working group meetings will be conducted to create the policy framework for transforming the eHealth business into a more transparent, efficient, cost effective system. Patient Safety: Role of Medicine Management and WHO Strategies On February 11, 2011, ZCABT and CDM hosted â&#x20AC;&#x153;Patient Safety: The Role of Medicines Management and WHO Strategiesâ&#x20AC;?. On behalf of Dean Mike Luz, Dr. Kenneth Hartigan-Go welcomed the participants and provided context to this seminar. Guest Lecturer Dr. Shanthi Narayan Pal, Acting programme manager of Pharmacovigilance of the World Health Organization Headquarters gave a talk on safety of medicines at the Lopez Holding Inc. Caseroom. Attended and well received by 89 participants from the government (drug regulators), pharmaceutical industry, health sector professionals and institutions as well as IT groups working for health and patient support organizations, Dr. Pal elucidated that medicines are not just a commodity and must be used in a proper way to ensure that patients are kept

safe. The role of pharmacovigilance is about the patients and not the product focus set of activities as like in the past. Pharmacovigilance started globally when the Thalidomide and phocomelia in the 1960â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s triggered an international call for monitoring the harm that medicines caused in children. But sadly, despite the knowledge that thalidomide should not be given to pregnant women, these serious adverse events are recurring now. Pharmacovigilance work at the WHO headquarters is a continual collaboration among policy makers and national pharmacovigilance centers around the world and with the WHO collaborating center for international drug monitoring based at Uppsala, Sweden. Apart from providing country support, norms and standards are set on how pharmaceutical products are used and monitored for untoward noxious events. The discipline covers medication errors detection and prevention, contribution to essential medicine listing, drug interactions, quality of medicines (substandard drugs), counterfeiting events, traditional and complementary medicines, vaccines, communications of risk harm and benefit, finding new methods to detect events, to assess and provide analysis of such events among others. The role of IT and Bayesian neural network in detecting associations of drug-reactions combinations and the subsequent role for signal reviewers (drug intelligence) was explained. Pharmacovigilance is not merely for business, but it is a service that builds on efficiencies and on an expressed need. New paradigms that came out from this seminar include the role of patients and consumer reporting, how to create accountability from among funders for health programs and medicines procurement as well as drug suppliers. A few innovative ideas were shared with the drug regulatory agency and industry on balancing risk and harm in assessment and on developing risk management plans. In summary, medicines are like a double edge sword, it can heal but in some cases, it can also harm.

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6 Ways to Bring Out Your Best

A Learning Styles Approach by Henry S. Tenedero, MDM 2003

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WHEN YOU ARE WORKING ON YOUR MONTHLY BUDGET and struggling with your obligations to pay bills, do you:  Consult papers and files you have been accumulating since last year or search for missing items to meet the end-ofmonth deadline?  Work at the kitchen table with all the lights on— or sit comfortably in an easy chair next to a lamp with soft illumination?  Wait until the rest of the family has gone to bed or has gone elsewhere so that you could have quiet—or do you turn on your favorite music or sports event because you need background sound to help you think?  Work alone because you trust your own judgment—or consult with your tax accountant because you feel comfortable when you rely on an authority?  Wake up early to get a fresh start or postpone the task until late evening when you really “think” best? These dichotomies point to some of the different elements of learning styles that affect most things that we do. What is Learning Style? Learning style is the way people begin to concentrate on, process, internalize, and remember new and difficult academic information. It is comprised of both biological and developmental traits that make the same environments and resources effective for some people and ineffective for others. Like fingerprints, no two individuals are exactly the same or possess the same learning style. People prefer to use different sensory modalities when they process information and demonstrate a distinct ability for remembering complex information better or less well by hearing, seeing, or experiencing or mastering it through hands-on learning. Over the past three decades, Dr. Rita Dunn, professor of Education and Director of the Center for the Study of Learning and Teaching Styles at St. John’s University in Jamaica, New York and her colleagues, have produced a massive body of academic research on the relevance of learning styles to education. Now we are examining the relevance of learning style to (a) children in international settings, (b) adults, and (c) workers to help them learn and function better. Interestingly, the learning styles of spouses tend to be diametrically opposite from each other. First-born children tend to reflect the style of one of their parents. The second sibling displays a learning style that is different from their brother or sister and reflects, instead, the style of the other parent. The third child in the family invariably possesses a learning style that is different from either one of his/her older siblings. Researchers have developed reliable assessment tools to identify and characterize “learning style.” Moreover, the educational literature is burgeoning with a growing body of research documenting the extraordinary effectiveness of this approach in helping engineers, teachers, medical and law students, and nurses improve their success with complex cognitive tasks, thus providing evidence that understanding

one’s own learning-style is critical to personal growth and achievement. Six Ways to Capitalize on Your Own Learning Style 1) Recognize that each person is uniquely different, has different strengths, and learns differently. Research suggests that you are most effective when you use your strengths. However, without taking stock of our own learning style, many of us try to produce through our weaknesses. This leads to less productivity at work and wasted time at home. 2) Identify your own learning style. While some differences among people are readily apparent, others are not. Therefore, it is important to use a reliable and valid standardized instrument. 3) Once you know your style, use it to teach yourself anything that seems difficult or challenging. This may be any complex task that requires concentration like outwitting the government or writing notes to your child’s teacher. When there is greater harmony between how you learn and how you work, things will seem easier and move more rapidly. 4) Determine whether you are a step-by-step analytic processor or global learner who needs to see the big picture before you can concentrate on details. Each of these learners is equally intelligent, but functions differently. Global learners often hum, speak, or sing to themselves to provide the sound they crave while thinking. They tend to become hyperactive or tense in brightly-lit rooms. They can’t sit at desks or tables for more than 15 or 20 minutes without sprawling, squirming or moving. They snack, whisper, crouch, and lose interest in whatever they are exposed to when taught analytically. Conversely, analytics think best in a formal, quiet, brightly lit Like fingerprints, area with minimum food no two individuals are exactly the same or snacks. 5) Arrange or reor possess the same arrange your environment to take advantage of learning style. your own learning style strengths. For example, if you like to hum while working, find a quiet place where you won’t be bothering anyone else. If you need space, don’t work at the desk where you keep your computer. If you need to take breaks, structure your time to allow them but make sure you return to the task after a set interval. Forget about the age-old wisdom, “What you don’t know won’t hurt you.” What you don’t know about your own learning-style strengths can hurt you. Although people can be productive in the wrong style (for them), they are significantly more so when they work with their learning style. The author Henry S. Tenedero is the president of the Center for Learning and Teaching Styles, an affiliate of the International Learning Styles Network, based at St. John’s University in New York. He is a graduate of the AIM Masters in Development Management and of the Harvard Graduate School for Professional Educators. He is the author of the following books: Cooking Up A Creative Genius; The HI CLASS Teacher, Breakthrough Ideas in Education; and Using Passion and Laughter in Your Presentations.

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It Is Your Business To Know Your Banker’s Bank by Nolan S. Adarve, MM 1996 Senior Vice President, HSBC Hong Kong

• THE MULTIPLICITY OF PAYMENT systems across Asia makes delivering full coverage a challenge for even the global banks. • When selecting their global or regional transaction bank, treasurers need a clear understanding of how possible candidates will deliver this payment coverage through their bank alliance partnerships. • It also requires treasury insight into candidate banks’ due diligence processes when choosing their alliance partners. This is essential if treasurers are to ensure that their corporation’s credit and operational risks are managed effectively and maximum information transparency relating to their cash management activities is always maintained. • Where a transaction bank has a robust due diligence process for selecting its bank alliance partners, the corporate client will benefit from the optimal balance of streamlined payments and collections, competitive pricing, and well-managed risk. In an increasingly globalised world, corporate treasuries find themselves having to cast their payment and collection networks ever wider. Valuable commercial opportunities in remote locations can only be profitably exploited if supported by an efficient distribution network; a global brand is only as global as the reach of its treasury. While the global transaction banks that are likely to be used by mid-sized and large corporations have a reasonably good network footprint and cutting edge products, even they will not have a physical presence in every corner of their corporate clients’ markets. Therefore, to deliver a truly global payments and collections service required by their corporate clients, they leverage a network of bank alliance relationships. My partner’s alliance is my alliance In one sense, the treasurer doesn’t want to be too closely involved in this interbank relationship. For example, if a payment being handled by a bank alliance goes awry, the treasurer doesn’t want to be the one having to get on the phone to the bank alliance to sort it out—that’s their transaction bank’s job. However, in several other senses the treasurer most definitely must be involved. The process by which the corporation’s transaction bank selects its bank alliance partners should be a matter of the keenest interest. What due diligence is it conducting

around potential alliances’ credit standing, membership to local clearing systems, payments and collection capabilities, operating hours, technological ability, cut off times, geographic coverage, reporting formats and frequency, as well as regulatory compliance? All of these factors have a direct bearing on the service quality and risks experienced by the corporation. If the transaction bank is less than rigorous in this due diligence and its ongoing bank alliance network management, the corporate client will be directly affected by any alliance shortcomings. The obvious isn’t so obvious Before moving on to consider some of these due diligence criteria in more detail, it’s worth pausing to observe that when it comes to bank alliance relationships, the obvious course of action isn’t necessarily the right one. A classic example of this is the assumption that the largest local bank with the most extensive physical network in a particular country is the alliance that can and should handle the transactions of the corporate client concerned. A local bank may have been ranked as “Best Local Bank” by assorted banking magazines, so it must surely be the right choice? Probably not. I n practice larger local banks often regard their bricks and mortar as their major competitive advantage and will not wish to dilute this by sharing it with a regional or global transaction bank. In addition, such banks are often quite conservative in their outlook and may also be rather behind the curve when it comes to technology. By contrast a mid-sized local bank— and especially one where a good proportion of staff have experience working for a regional or global transaction bank—will frequently be progressive in its thinking. It will already understand the more sophisticated requirements of the regional or global corporate in terms of the functionality and service needed. In addition, these banks will typically be far more willing to adapt and enhance their capabilities as necessary to meet the alliance requirements of a global transaction bank and its corporate clients. In fact many of these more innovative mid-sized banks have identified bank alliance as a niche in which they particularly wish to compete and so have deliberately set themselves up as potential

partners for regional or global transaction banks. They may lack the scale of the incountry footprint of the largest local banks, but they will still have sufficient footprint for the requirements of a regional or global transaction bank servicing mid-sized and large corporations, and will be flexible in their thinking and technology. They will also have more experience in handling technology implementations. These last points are particularly important, because while it is possible to manually achieve a reasonable degree of processing efficiency in low cost locations, this does not deliver the automation needed to keep electronic information flowing smoothly between the transaction bank and the bank alliance. The information flow ultimately delivered to the corporate client is obviously dependent upon the quality of this interbank flow, so treasurers need to be keenly aware of the capabilities in this respect of the bank alliances that will be involved in handling their transactions. The local bank must also be able to demonstrate solid experience if it is to deliver service levels appropriate to the needs of a global corporation. Critical Considerations While there are a broad range of criteria that a transaction bank should use when conducting its due diligence, it is worth remarking at the outset that this cannot be a static process. A due diligence revisit on a periodic basis is important. This has the ancillary benefit that current and potential alliances are kept on their mettle by these regular reviews. Service and geography Payment cut off times and timeliness of crediting funds are key to payment obligations and liquidity management and of course the bank alliance must offer the best available service level locally. An important point regarding a bank alliance’s service level is how well it aligns with the service level commitment offered by the transaction bank to its corporate clients. Logically, both the corporate client and their transaction bank have an interest in minimizing the number of alliances required to cover a particular geography. From a corporate perspective, using one (or only a few) good large or mid-sized local

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Entrepreneurs Go to Graduate School (EGGS)

A Seminar Series at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), Manila, Philippines by Prof. Thomas Alexander

THIS CURRENT CROP OF MANAGEMENT STUDENTS might be described as “the thumb generation.” That is, they are constantly thumbing their handheld devices everywhere and at anytime, switching back and forth between the physical and virtual worlds. Their attention spans can be as short as a text message, and so instructors can feel pressure to quickly switch topics, media, and instructional content to keep engagement levels high. This was one of my key concerns as I took on an assignment to teach entrepreneurship courses at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). A colleague (Prof. Horacio M. Borromeo) wanted to help and suggested I start with an elective course on inspirational entrepreneurship, a variation on today’s popular topic of inspirational leadership. He suggested a course title of Entrepreneurs Go to Graduate School (EGGS). He even had a course logo in mind: a chick hatching from an egg with a light bulb above its head. The objective he suggested was “to inspire the audience to look deep in themselves to see if they would ever be bold enough to give up a good job and strike out on their own. And make more money than the investment banker, create jobs for countless others, and contribute to society.” His concept was certainly attention-getting to me. But how might I design and develop this idea so that it would also be engaging to members of the thumb generation? Having just returned from Babson’s SEE program as a firm believer in Entrepreneurial Thought and Action® (ETA), I decided to modify the concept into a panel discussion between myself, as moderator, and an alumnus who practices ETA in his or her life and business endeavors. The setting would be similar to the Charlie Rose interviews on PBS. Moreover, the session would be open to the entire AIM community. I have launched the series by selecting well-known graduates who have pursued entrepreneurial ventures in Asia. Each participant has been encouraged to allow family, friends, and colleagues to share their knowledge and experiences of the participant in his or her ventures. These sessions are videotaped, and two-minute segments are created in order to grab and hold the attention of current students—aka, the thumb generation—as well as alumni and entrepreneurs from the area who are also invited. Several of these video segments are presented during a session. After a segment is shown, I ask questions of the

participants to shed additional context and insight on the topics raised in the clips. The participants amplify, concur, or even object to the video material. We usually spend about 45 minutes on the discussions and the last 15 minutes are spent on Q & A. These segments are created with certain learning objectives that I want to convey, such as how to use ETA to begin an entrepreneurial venture. So far we have completed three sessions and the responses have been very positive. The participants in these sessions were: • An alumnus who organized a management buyout of a money transfer business in the Philippines. He saw the opportunity, saw that the owners wanted to divest (it was not their core business), and was in his own words, “bold enough to tell his boss he could do a better job running the business—and that he wanted to own it himself.”

This current crop of management students might be described as “the thumb generation...constantly thumbing their handheld devices... switching back and forth between the physical and virtual worlds. • A young entrepreneur who started a pet-couture business and later on sacrificed her passion and a friendship when she decided to leave the firm rather than cheat on income taxes. • An alumnus who left his home country of Malaysia and settled in the Philippines to build a successful furniture company. The entire sessions have been recorded and are available as research material for case writing. Plans are in place to market these as DVDs. Even though these sessions were planned to be held once every three months, due to overwhelming demand, we might do this once every two months. The background work is very similar to that of writing a video case study. A good videographer and editor are essential for the success of this program. I would like to acknowledge the assistance of Ms. Melanie Zuniga, Associate Editor of Case Research Group, and the creative director behind the program. She prepared the video clips that were used in the EGGS program. Original published in Babson Insight for Entrepreneurship Education, http://www.babson.edu/enterprise-education-programs/education-educators/ babson-insight/Articles/Pages/Entrepreneur-Goes-to-Graduate-School-Aseminar-series-at-the-Asian-Institute-of-Management.aspx.

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Accelerating National Security and Development Through Blue Ocean Strategy by General Datuk Hj Zulkifli Bin Hj Zainal Abidin, MM 1998 Excerpted from presentation delivered by General Zulkifli Zainal Abidin during his address to MM students and professors, September 29, 2011, Lopez Caseroom, AIM Campus

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Introduction I WISH TO BEGIN BY STATING THE OBVIOUS—THAT SECURITY and development are “mutually dependent” as in “hand-in-glove”— “there can neither be security without development nor development without security”. This is a concept which the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) and its sister security agencies have pioneered and practiced during our fight against the communist insurgency. By providing a security web that thwarted subversion, lawlessness and terrorism throughout the country, the government was able to bring about development to remote areas through the implementation of KESBAN (Keselamatan dan Pembangunan) or ‘Security and Development’ programs. Consequently, the country remains as one of the few in the world to have successfully defeated an insurgency. The MAF and in particular the Malaysian Army, may therefore have in certain ways pioneered the ‘Blue Ocean Strategy’ (BOS)1 through the legacy of the ‘Briggs Plan’ and the implementation of the concept of KESBAN. From a military perspective, the BOS is pre-eminent in its own ways yet quite similar to KESBAN since both are aimed towards accelerating the overall output of the nation through innovative ideas, norms and practices. To this regard, the MAF (along with the Royal Malaysia Police) is proud to be at the forefront of our national security for decades. Whilst focusing on our primary role in protecting the country’s sovereignty, the MAF has always played an active part in national development. However, our secondary role has often gone unnoticed and only rose to prominence through our participation in the National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS)2 programs launched last year. The challenges of the modern era have profound effects on both security and development of nation-states throughout the world today. The various forms of security threats and challenges confronting the individual nation-state, transcend from a wide spectrum of sources; ranging from non-traditional or transnational issues, to the very fibre of statehood—focussing on the dynamics of social, political and economic norms and practices within individual states. This is the reality of the situation and countries of the region must be ever-ready to face challenges, in whatever forms that they may be represented. Based on this, it can be deduced that the strategic ‘sum game’ here is the need for the state to continuously develop and progress within a secured environment, in line with the aspirations of its people to live in peace, prosperity and harmony. This inevitably calls for a ‘Whole Nation’ or ‘Whole of Government’ approach, aimed at synergizing individual capacities and strengths towards achieving the desired goals of the state. The MAF’s involvement and success of the current NBOS is mainly due to the close collaboration, breaking of silos, inter

personal discussions, ‘Teh-Tarik’ or informal ‘Tea’ sessions; as well as many other ground-breaking initiatives that have been formalized at the national level. Ministries, organizations and establishments have now realized that championing in isolation is basically ‘self-praise’ and ‘non-beneficial’ in the long run. Sharing of expertise and resources, inter agency diffusion and cross fertilization are therefore the ‘Order of the Day’; and if one wants to progress and “The Blue Ocean Strategy has develop continuously, opened up numerous options one has to embrace for the MAF and in particular the this ‘sharing culture’. Malaysian Army... to collaborate, Recent examples of synergize and crystallize its this collaboration capacities and capabilities are evident through with the relevant government the formation of the agencies, in its overall efforts to Malaysian Maritime enhance national security and Enforcement Agency, pave the way for the continued the ‘Bunga Mas’3 development of the country.” project between the Malaysian International Shipping Corporation and the Royal Malaysian Navy, and the success of ‘Ops Pyramid’4 involving the MAF and various other government agencies. The NBOS has thus opened up numerous communication channels and laid down the foundations for subsequent initiatives to take off, to ensure relevant parties enjoy the ‘fruits’ of a particular initiative, as well as saving the Government a substantial amount of money. The success of the strategy to-date, especially between the MAF and Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) has been acknowledged by the presentation of the ‘Prime Minister’s Innovation Award’5 or AIPM (Anugerah Inovasi Perdana Menteri) for the year 2010. Achievements of the Current NBOS The results of NBOS 16, NBOS 27 and NBOS 38 (various programs under NBOS), thus far, have been very encouraging and supportive of the country’s development efforts. Based on two of the NKRAs (National Key result Areas) identified by the government involving both the MAF and Royal Malaysia Police, namely NKRA 1—Reduction in Crime Rates and NKRA 5—Rural Development; there has been significant results. The police are now able to be positioned where they are most needed while a substantial portion of the population is seeing improvement in basic infrastructure through projects carried out by the military. What is most significant is that national security is being enhanced whilst certain remote villages are no longer away from the mainstream of development—roads have been paved in ru-

1 The ‘Blue Ocean Strategy’ or ‘BOS’ for short is a move to shift away from the traditional boundaries of competition, to create uncontested market space, and in the simultaneous pursuit of cost reduction; i.e. doing more with less. The strategy is currently being implemented by the MAF in pursuant of greater output by synergizing its capacities and capabilities with the relevant government agencies. It is based on the book ‘Blue Ocean Strategy’ by Professor W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne. 2 The ‘National Blue Ocean Strategy’ or ‘NBOS’ Program is a series of programs carried out by the government to support the ‘National Key Result Areas’ (NKRA) which are major policy areas to be addressed under the Government’s Transformation Program (GTP). 3 The ‘Bunga Mas’ project was a project involving the Special Forces of the MAF stationed aboard for our national shipping vessels; as a prevention against threats posed by pirates, especially along the Gulf of Eden. 4 ‘Ops Pyramid’ was a special operation launched by the Government of Malaysia from 2–11 February 2011 involving the Royal Malaysian Air Force and relevant government and non-governmental agencies, aimed to rescue our students studying in Egypt during the peak of its internal crisis/civil strife. 5 The ‘Prime Minister’s Innovation Award’ is an annual award presented by the Prime Minister of Malaysia to government organizations/agencies for excellence in innovation. 6 NBOS 1 is the re-deployment of the Police Field Force from operational areas to policing duties in towns/cities in efforts to reduce crimes nation-wide. The duties in the various operational areas are currently being carried out by the Malaysian Army. The training of Police Constables together with Army Recruits in the Army Basic Training Centre is also carried out under NBOS 1. 7 NBOS 2 is the Inmate Rehabilitation Program conducted by the Prison Authority with the cooperation of the Malaysian Army. It is carried out to assist the Government in reducing the ever-increasing financial burden of building more prison facilities and also to assist in the rehabilitation of inmates for the benefit of society. 8 NBOS 3 is the strategic cooperation between MINDEF, the Ministry of Rural Development and the Ministry of Home Affairs in carrying out the following tasks: building and repairing homes for the poor, building of roads, installation of street lights and connecting water pipes to remote areas, as well as the use of idle military land for agriculture.

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ral areas, clean water is available in certain parts of the interior of Sarawak (East Malaysia), and homes have been built throughout the country for the less privileged. Most importantly is that all of those programs have generated significant reduction in the expenditure of the government if compared with other conventional modes. For the record, the Crime Index dropped from 209,827 cases in 2009 to 177,520 cases in 2010; translating to 32,297 or 15% decline in numbers. While Street Crimes also witnessed significant decline with 38,020 cases in 2009 to 24,837 cases in 2010, denoting 13,193 or 35% drop in cases. This situation has further enhanced the public’s confidence, paving the way for continuous development. Similarly, there has been substantial progress in the various projects being carried out by the MAF in Rural Development—namely, building of roads in Sabah/Sarawak (62.8% completed), supply of fresh water in Sarawak (100% completed) and building of houses throughout Malaysia (24.3% completed); saving the central government millions of ringgit. Based on these developments, it is apparent that all of the NBOS projects have had a significant influence over the ‘learning curve’ of the various organizations and agencies in their continuous efforts to improve their individual output or performance. The lessons from this experience may be summarized as follows: • Firstly, we are no longer working in silos. From the various initiatives being carried out, valuable lessons and ideas have derived—producing ‘chemistry’, synergizing and synchronizing our individual strengths and capacities towards a common goal. • Secondly, we have changed individually by sharing efforts, ideas and resources so that our combined strength is able to generate greater benefits in terms of efficiency and effectiveness for our individual organizations. There is also speed and discipline of execution due to individual strengths and capabilities; resulting in significant achievements for each undertaking. • And thirdly, such efforts have enabled ‘cost sharing’ and hence a significant reduction in individual expenditures for a definite project or undertaking. This basically stresses on ‘value for money’ and ‘doing more with less’. It also eliminates redundancy and duplication. Navigating the Future We cannot deny the fact that the future is not going to be the same. Threats to

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our national security and sovereignty will no longer be confined to the traditional battlefields of the past. It is now trite that newer forms of threats have emerged and will continue to surface, especially with the advent of information and communication technology. The threats of today and tomorrow can come from everywhere and at anytime whilst the battlefield has expanded to cities and cyberspace. Illegal activities like human and drug trafficking, smuggling, money laundering, cyber crime, terrorism, illicit exploitation of resources, as well as other occurrences like health hazards and environmental degradation will take centre stage time and again. A corollary to the emergence of those non-traditional threats is the increased expectation for government performance. The demands on the government for the protection of the safety, dignity and well-being of the population will increase in the future and the scope of its responsibilities will also become more expansive. Most importantly, whilst the government is expected to enhance the security environment of the country, it is also required to adopt a more prudent fiscal management.

...it is apparent that all of the NBOS projects have had a significant influence over the ‘learning curve’ of the various organizations and agencies in their continuous efforts to improve their individual output or performance. Accordingly, it is imperative for government departments, especially security agencies, to do more with less—where efficient and effective public goods are delivered at lower costs. Here lies, to my mind, the relevance of the BOS. We should therefore not only sustain the existing NBOS programs but must exploit their success by embarking on other initiatives that will comprehensively enhance the secure environment in the country to further facilitate socio-economic development. In this regard, I wish to advocate certain areas in which we can ‘navigate the future: • First is in the field of Border Management. It is common knowledge that a multitude of agencies are involved at our border areas. We have the military, the police, the customs, the immigration, the anti smuggling unit and the forestry department just

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to name a few. Each has its own functions but with a common objective of securing the borders from transnational activities. Although the involvement of all these agencies has contributed to the security of the country, the costs incurred remains uncertain. But I can speak for the Army; in our Border Operations in the northern part of West Malaysia, the Army spent a substantial amount of money (a few millions) for the first six months of the year (covering expenses for rations and petrol only); and we have apprehended a few hundred illegal immigrants as well as confiscated a quarter of a million ringgit worth of smuggled goods. Although it is difficult to quantify the value of ‘security’ created by our operations, I am not ashamed to admit that our costs might be too high (spending millions to save the government a ‘small’ amount of money). And the total expenditure of all the agencies involved in pursuing similar goals and the related opportunity costs can even be astonishingly monumental. Perhaps, it is therefore appropriate for the relevant agencies to resort to means that can reduce the costs of doing our business without compromising the quality of our output. The numerous security agencies should no longer work disparately—no more working in silos. They should instead collaborate and share resources and address the various threats in a concerted manner. If these agencies are able to emulate the sound cooperation between the military and the police through the existing NBOS programs, I am optimistic of a more successful and cost effective Border Management. • Likewise is our involvement in Disaster Management where a number of agencies are chartered with the responsibility to undertake Disaster Relief Operations. It is therefore not unusual to see duplication of efforts as every organization strives to provide speedy response to the needy. Yet, our cost structure has rarely been examined although our relief efforts have generally being commendable. I am therefore certain that substantial savings can be gained by eliminating the unnecessary duplication of activities. • The other area in which security and development can be accelerated through the BOS is Procurement and Maintenance of Common Equipment. It is undeniable that the equipment in the inventory of each security organization is neither uniformed nor procured/maintained through a coordinated approach. Such a situation not only hinders interoperability but also increases our operating expenditure. Thus, it would not be

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far-fetched for us to scrutinize the existing procedures in this matter. • Our concept of Total Defence or HANRUH (Pertahanan Menyeluruh) is another area that can be improved through the BOS. This strategy should be explored to harness the entire constituents of our national power to complement the military element. I strongly believe that through the BOS, a better approach can be formulated to synergize all available resources in the country in order to strengthen our national security, resilience and preparedness. • Finally, we should try to use the BOS to Enhance the Capacity of Our Security Agencies. Personnel must be equipped with the latest ‘know-how’ to stay ahead of the various security threats and to be able to anticipate emerging ones. Moreover, awareness as well as a better understanding among the staff of all security organizations will be crucial to accelerate national security and development What’s Next? Let me now quickly run through what’s next in-store for the NBOS that will have a direct impact on all security agencies. • Firstly, is the ‘Further Enhancement of National Security’. Under NBOS 4 (latest programme) projects, national security issues will dwell on the collaboration of the various security agencies in responding to national threat situations. As I have mentioned earlier, the threats to the security and sovereignty of Malaysia are no longer the same. As such, in NBOS 4, two initiatives have been identified to address national security issues—i.e. the formulation of a ‘National Security Initiative’ involving all Security Agencies of the country, and the collaboration between MIDAS (Malaysian Institute of Defence & Security) and ‘Akademi Latihan Keselamatan Bersepadu’ (Academy for Collaborative Security Training). Let me talk about the ‘National Security Initiative’ first. Basically, the formulation of the ‘National Security Initiative’ is “creating a blue ocean in national security by cutting across the relevant agencies to undertake rapid real-time actions against any possible terrorist threats”. The purpose of this initiative is to rapidly deploy and respond to any forms of national security threat, at the earliest and quickest manner possible. The ‘Assigned Force’ for this initiative will be placed under one Command and Control (C2) structure aimed to coordinate all relevant forces and assets/resources for a

common purpose or tasking. The sharing of intelligence and resources among the relevant forces will also be able to yield higher impacts, rapid responses and lower budget requirements for the government. On the other hand, the collaboration between MIDAS and ‘Akademi Latihan Keselamatan Bersepadu’ for the purpose of doing research on matters such as international terrorism, smuggling, human trafficking and cyber crimes, will be carried out extensively in order to gain as much intelligence, information and knowledge on the related issues. Both centres will share intelligence on related security matters,

BOS is indeed a multiplier in every sense and the strategy provides countless opportunities for the various security forces and government agencies of this country to join forces in a ‘Whole Nation’ context focussing primarily on non-traditional or transnational security threats and challenges. The relevant findings from the research done will then be shared amongst the various security agencies of the country for subsequent actions. • Secondly, is ‘Strengthening Joint Operations’. The MAF has the infrastructure to accommodate and spearhead such an initiative. ‘Jointness’ in this aspect should be in anticipation of any eventuality, not solely military or security based but include environmental, cyber, Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR), civil strife and a host of other national threatening contingencies. The MAF can take the lead in housing all these agencies, professionals and desired ministries so that subsequent plans to carry out joint operations can be coordinated, merged and synchronized for optimum results and efficiency. • And thirdly, is the ‘Fusion of Intelligence Capabilities’. Future strategic intent would require a ‘fusion intelligence capability’ for the benefit of the relevant organizations and agencies to expand their current intelligence capability. Such an asset would provide vital and timely information for identifying emerging crises, effect based campaigns, economic landscapes, political scenarios, technological developments, environmental issues, cyber warfare and a host of other information so that dedicated attention could be accorded appropriately.

The Challenges I have tried to propose some areas of which the BOS can be utilized to provide our people with the building blocks for their survival, livelihood and dignity. Nonetheless, I have to confess that those proposals are not fraught of challenges: • Firstly, is Dealing with the Sceptics. ‘Nay-sayers’ will adamantly maintain that the military is solely for war purposes and has no role in whatever BOS programs. Convincing this segment of the population on the benefits of such programs is thus one of our greatest challenges. • Secondly, the reality of a possible ‘Turf War’ arising amongst the various organizations and agencies may be inevitable. Such a situation must be addressed with utmost caution and sensitiveness, to avoid any untoward consequences. • Thirdly, is the question of having the ‘Political Will’ by all parties concerned to realize the continued implementation of the NBOS. There will always be the question of vested interests that needs to be overcome for the benefit of all parties concerned. • And lastly, is the issue of Legal Powers to be awarded to various parties in carrying out their responsibilities in a concerted effort towards ensuring peace and security. This must be addressed accordingly so that the best practices can be adopted by all parties concerned. Conclusion In conclusion, I would like to acknowledge that the BOS has opened up numerous options for the MAF and in particular the Malaysian Army, to further enhance its capabilities through the various initiatives and opportunities that are available through NBOS. This has created avenues for the Army to collaborate, synergize and ‘crystallize’ its capacities and capabilities with the relevant government agencies, in its overall efforts to enhance national security and pave the way for the continued development of the country. This is also in line with the Prime Minister’s vision to synergize the strength of the nation for development, as well as striving for ‘high income earner’ status. Finally, BOS is indeed a multiplier in every sense and the strategy provides countless opportunities for the various security forces and government agencies of this country to join forces in a ‘Whole Nation’ context that will be able to guarantee the continued sustainment of peace, security, harmony and prosperity of our beloved country. Insyallah (God Willing).

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HIGHER LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE by Dato’ Syed Ahmad Idid, ABMP 1983 Triple A Awardee 2006

IT IS ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO MEET YOUNG, diligent and aspiring people because they will have to take over the running and managing and improving the administration of the universities, or their corporations if they are in the private sector, or their agencies, departments, or ministries if they are in the government. The worn-out cliché was: “Youth–our future.” But many among the present day youth have proved to be useless and are passengers in the over-crowded buses that are driven by only the very few. I urge you to be among the few.

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The AIM Experience I shall share with you the time when I attended the Advanced Bank Management Program in the 1980s. It was the time when the Philippines was in the middle of their People Power Revolution. They were against their President Ferdinand Marcos. My colleague Mr. Raffii Shukor and I had to travel from the AIM Campus in Makati across to Ermita for our Halal meals. The streets were busy and traffic was chaotic. More like the rainy Friday nights when vehicles into Kuala Lumpur are driven by people who have left their good manners in prison or by robots who could not recognise a human being! The Manila buildings were draped with buntings. Workers and residents in the highrise buildings would throw pieces of paper, some looked like toilet or tissue paper, onto the roads and streets. They did not really target the pedestrians and vehicles. But they hit both anyway. We did not know the intensity of the anger of the Filipinos and so we enjoyed the scenery. But when the minute came for the President to depart, the dangers increased and the environment became volatile. And this is one management lesson we were reminded of—be aware of the circumstances you are in. Or else the circumstances can swallow you and crush you! One glaring example must be Napoleon Bonaparte. He boasted that he was in control of the circumstances. So he rushed to conquer Russia. The Russian winter ate up his army. My Professors I recall that they were dedicated. It seemed to me (and the years proved this to be true) that their lives were only at the AIM Campus. I did not hear of moonlighting. Unfortunately, some of you may know of lecturers working outside their IHL (Institutes of Higher Learning). And so they suffer from fatigue (letih!). They fail to perform well at the IHL which employ them full time! The AIM teachers gave off their best. The SOP was the case studies. And you will get more when you attend at the AIM in Manila the week after. The AIM classes made sure we paid attention in class and imbibed the lessons. I am proud that I won the Superior Performance Plaque for being active in class, able to answer questions and for leading the discussions. But only I knew that I had stayed up late into the nights to re-read my notes and read new materials…and be in class before time each morning.

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The next lesson I would like to share with you is that “education is not only what the teachers provide you but what indeed you learned” (which naturally means that one can gain more by one’s efforts). Executive Management Your employers (and those going into self-employment later) will expect you to perform your work substantially better after this program. They have spent thousands of RM on you. Your colleagues who have not the chance to attend such a program are jealous. They can shun you or start rumours that you are worse than before. So your only course of action is to show them that you have indeed improved! Think global but stay local! I realise that when anyone speaks to the MBA or EMP graduates, we should aim high and be flying with ideas and bright sparks. But I have seen with sadness that many graduates fail to perform when they return to their posts. Tolerate me if I remind you that satisfactory performance in your work is the lowest level you can allow yourself. The aim is to get to the higher level of excellence! Everyone here knows that employers and businesses will never accept any non-performer. Bosses expect every employee, every subordinate to achieve better results in the areas they are placed in. Public Bank (which selected me to attend the AIM program) has a value placed on each worker. And so each year the Bank increases its profits so that the worker-value rises. Another bank, an international, terminates 10% of their employees with the worst grading each year. Both develop very strong people in their organizations. So please relax and go home with the authoritative truth that when the corporations or universities raise their standards they are, in reality, building a better crop of human beings. Don’t you want it that way? Perhaps you are asking “What do I do?” When you are young, you will be judged by your competency (capacity to perform, ability to achieve). But later in life, it will be your character that will determine your acceptance in society and the world. First, I recommend you improve both your knowledge of your work and become conversant with the rules and SOP at your office, department or unit. Put into practice and revise TMS = Time & Motion Studies and so gain efficiency and effectiveness at work. In so doing, you can cut down any misuse of

office time. Once you eliminate those who stealthily carry out their private “business”, the results in the work-site will improve and increase. Have check-lists and timelines and observe them rigidly. Be certain you do proper work at faster paces. Quality! Quality! Quality! And then ask to do more! The sickness of waiting for instructions must be cured. Instead, go forward and ask to do more work and do them better than expected. The old Malays had been good Management Consultants. They cautioned that “Jika Malu, akan sesat Jalan” (If one is shy to ask for directions, one can get lost!). Modern day consultants can add: “Jika segan, mana nak cari makan?” (If your performance is poor, how can you gain any remuneration?) I took my grandchildren to the Public Gardens some months ago for our weekly morning walk. When we approached the staff to inquire when the recently renovated “trains” would operate, we were told that they were waiting for the “Tuan Besar” to give the orders. I inquired if the “Tuan Besar” knew that the “trains” were ready for use by the public. Their nonchalant response was: “Dia tak Tanya!” “He (the “Tuan Besar” or Big Boss) did not ask”! (if the trains had been renovated). Could the Boss have known that the renovations (and any repairs) had been done without those responsible for the “trains” informing him? Another sad example is the KTM (Keretapi Tanah Melayu). They started with 64 Electric Multiple Units (EMU). Deterioration in service became the norm! Again the old Malays had warned: “Penyakit Tak Peduli” (The disease of “Not being concerned!”) kills the business. They had breakdowns due to poor maintenance. By early last year, they had only 21 trains in service. The travelling frequency used to be 15 minutes. But now, I am told, it is at about 50 minutes to more than an hour. In your work-sites, check whether your vehicles can last at least 30% to 40% longer than the norm (or do these have to be replaced in half the time?). Do the air-con units work or are there frequent break-downs? Why permit the staff to waste energy and paper by their repeating mistakes several times just to prepare periodical returns? You must ensure every staff embraces the work ethics of “Do it right the first time”. What is the percentage of late-comers and those who seem to fall sick just before and just after weekends and public holidays? There are hundreds

more incidents, errors and mishaps at the work-places...all unnecessary and all due to human failure and their lackadaisical attitude! The oldsters in Tanah Melayu (before Malaysia) carried into practice without knowing “TG mesti TJ” (Terima Gaji mesti Tanggung Jawab!) In English, when one receives remuneration, one is obliged to carry out full responsibilities. We have this disease of our workers avoiding work. Some have built this into a culture where “if you do less, your value increases”. You will agree with me that this is nonsense! But the culture seems to thrive. It has permeated to the country level where some leaders think that if everybody does less, we can employ more people! Seems logical, seems strategic. But the overall impact will be a nation of “SDM” (Segan Dan Malas or unwilling to work and lazy/doing little work). Then for sure we cannot aim high, we cannot get to the moon. We are just on the grass level all the time. I do not think even for a moment that such a “culture” is what we want for our universities, for our nation! For sure such a culture diminishes our importance and demolishes our nation. The beautiful ingredient for our success is that we have Malaysians who have talents, who use their brains and can do excellent work. They can perform beyond what is required in their job-specifications. But some superiors or supervisors kill the initiative of such Malaysians. The supervisors are themselves not qualified, not competent and not up to the mark. So they fear the better-quality workers might over-shadow them. And the supervisors begin to create problems for those under their charge. How do you, as a fresh EMP graduate, solve this? Problems must be solved! It is damaging to employ people who create problems. What each organization or business (or University) requires are persons who can solve problems or craft a new way to getting better products, giving better services and doing more. It is apparent that you are employed to render services. I shall leave the “problem of the trouble-creating supervisor” in your hands. Knowledge is power! Using power wisely and for the good of the greater number of people is the best exercise of your faculty. This speech was delivered during the IIUM-AIM Executive Management Programme (EMP) 2011 during its opening ceremonies in Awana in May 2011.

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WASN’T OUTSTANDING IN CLASS,” HE ADMITTED. But being a mechanical engineer, he naturally gravitated toward math subjects like quantitative analysis(QA) and accounting. But he also found a liking for HR, marketing, and strategy subjects. “This, I believe, helped me in my consultative approach to corporate negotiations. I was impressed by Professors Fil Alfonso, Vic Lim (Business Development), Gaston Ortigas, and Francisco Bernardo, my professor in QA. They have, in one way or another, influenced my thinking and my brand of leadership.” The most challenging part of his AIM days was the Written Analysis of a Case (WAC). “I was slow in typing,” he explained. Nonetheless, from AIM he acquired the discipline, the attitude, and the thinking process. From his father, he also learned strict discipline, and from his mother negotiation skills. All these would guide him well in his future jobs. After getting his master’s degree in 1973, Polly joined Philippine Match Co., which makes matches and disposable lighters. He also became a production manager of Akerlund and Rausing, a multinational packaging company later bought by Metro Pacific Corp. At Metro Pacific, Polly rose through the ranks to become its president. In 1998, he became president of Pilipino Telephone Corp. (Piltel) and took on the task of resuscitating the ailing mobile phone subsidiary of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), the country’s largest telecommunications company. At the time, Piltel had $850 million in debt, 2,500 employees, a declining analog mobile phone business and no cash. After a decision had been made to save the company, Polly opened negotiations with its creditors and took the drastic step of declaring a moratorium on debt repayments. “We negotiated with the CEOs of 27 banks in the country,” he narrated.“It was a humbling process. At the same time, you really needed to find a middle ground every time and be able to craft solutions that would fit all of the banks. I had a lot of help, in the final analysis. After about a year and a half, we were able to put the major restructuring in place—without going through the courts.” As he wrote in the book Taking Aim: Asian Management Breakthroughs, it was “the first successful major restructuring agreement in the Philippines completed on a consensual basis.” Nevertheless, the strain of that effort took its toll on his health. After noticing that his eyesight was failing, he consulted his eye doctor. It turned out he had a hole in his retina caused by stress. Now, with his eyesight crystal clear, Polly is concurrently president and CEO of PLDT and Smart Communications, the market leader in the Philippine cell phone industry. “You gain that learning curve when you go through the strain and the stress, but in a way you develop the knack of handling it.” Polly took charge of Smart in 2000, when the Company was at a crucial juncture. Though the market leader, Its dominance in the analog mobile market was being rapidly eclipsed by the soaring popularity of texting on GSM. Smart launched its own GSM service on postpaid in 1999, but by then its rival Globe Telecom had built a huge lead in the GSM market. Backed by parent firm PLDT, Smart launched an all-out drive to seize leadership in GSM through an aggressive nationwide network roll out and a high-powered marketing campaign. By early 2001, Smart took the lead in GSM and has never looked back. “We bet the farm in that effort. Money was pouring out the door

and for a while we piled up a huge loss. But the wager has paid off. If we had not done it, we would never have won market leadership,” Polly said. Smart has stayed No. 1 by introducing game-changing service and product innovations. In 2003, for example, Smart introduced electronic airtime loads in sachet packs. Called Smart Load, this world-first service made mobile phone services more affordable to a much wider base of users. Before, many industry analysts thought the mobile phone penetration rate in the Philippines would not exceed 20-30% due to the low income levels of Filipinos. Because of innovations like Smart Load, over 80% of Filipinos are now using mobile phones. Meantime, as PLDT president and CEO since 2004, Polly has led the transformation of the landline business from an overwhelmingly voice-driven service to an increasing broadband data-powered industry. This involved not only converting PLDT’s legacy landline system into an all-internet protocol next generation network, but also transforming the structure and culture of PLDT into a much more market-driven, customer-centric organization. Today, PLDT’s transformation program is focused on getting the Group’s fixed line and mobile businesses to work much more closely together in order to better serve customers through converged business strategies. PLDT’s recent controversial acquisition of Digitel, the third player in the market has given Polly his toughest career challenge yet. “This will put us in a better position to serve our consumers nationwide,” he said.“If Piltel then was my biggest challenge, the tests we face now are tougher.” “The industry is not how it used to be 10 or even five years ago. The game has changed dramatically with the entry of new competitors, both traditional and non-traditional like Google and Facebook, also called over-the-top players,” he explained.“The innovations we bring to the market are aligned with these changes. From being a telecommunications company, we are becoming a technology lifestyle company, and this is evident in Jump, our new convergent store.” Because of his important positions in PLDT and Metro Pacific, its seems inevitable that Polly gets entangled in controversies. How does he deal with controversies?

The fun happens when we get together and run after big hairy goals. Every milestone, by itself, is really a journey. When you see people morph and become better individuals, that is the greatest satisfaction you can find in any career. “My formula is simple: I hide from it. I keep a low profile, and I delegate upwards,” he joked. “The important thing is to deal with the conflict and deal with it promptly,” he added in a more serious tone. For Polly, his role as CEO is to make it fun for people to work. “The fun happens when we get together and run after big hairy goals. Every milestone, by itself, is really a journey. When you see people morph and become better individuals, that is the greatest satisfaction you can find in any career,” he noted. “It’s really [about] how people can shine and achieve greater

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things together with you. In most cases, they think it is beyond their grasp, but it happens. Being able to have a hand in molding them to become better leaders who will eventually take our place in the organization is not only a responsibility for me, but is something I delight in doing,” Polly said. “That knowledge that they have been prepared well and they embody the same commitment as you do to continue the leadership legacy is what I consider the most fun and fulfilling aspect of my job.” In 2010, he was called to keep the flame ablaze on another leadership legacy. Already a member of the AIM Board of Trustees(BOT), he was requested by then-chairman of the board Jose Cuisia Jr. to become co-chairman. “They’d been trying to convince me to become co-chairman on the pretext that you share a responsibility, but you are not in the hot seat,” he said. But with Mr. Cuisia appointed as Ambassador of the Philippines to the United States in early 2011, Polly has become the lone chairman of both the AIM BOT and Board of Governors. “My intention is to get another co-chair,” he joked. Seriously though, Polly accepted the chairmanship because “it was an opportunity for me to give back to the school. The school helped put my career on the right trajectory and brought me to where I am today. I wouldn’t have met my wife, and I would have been a salesman all my life had I not entered AIM.” “But beyond the facts and figures we learned, it is the Asian perspective that had proved invaluable,” he continued.“Management principles are universal, but they must be applied to local conditions. AIM gives you a better sense of what it takes to be a manager in an Asian setting.” Another life-changing element of his AIM days is the ties built along the way. “Our Class ‘73 meets every month up to now, and we are in fact celebrating our 40th year.” What changes would Polly, as the first alumnus-chairman, like to see at AIM? “First of all, the five-year plan is in place, approved, and concurred with by the joint Boards of Trustees and Governors, the faculty and the alumni, and the rest of the stakeholders.I would like to see the filed cases settled or dropped for us to be able to start on a clean slate, and therefore provide the new board with an opportunity to take AIM to the next level and regain its original position as a premier management school in Asia. “In the rankings, I’d like to see AIM go up to the Top 10 in the Asia Pacific,” he added.“I’d like it to be more international not only in the student body but also in the faculty, and to have hopefully greater participation of Filipinos, too. “The strategic plan clearly stipulates the roadmap as to how to get to this goal,” he explained. “Now is the time to really step up and be a part of AIM’s next phase of evolution. The alumni should be the driving force because there has always been this issue as to who owns AIM. If the alumni step up, then they should be the driving force. It’s not only the alumni. We also need friends to be with us to give us more teeth. “Academic institutions are supposed to be beacons of light that help illuminate questions and issues that society faces. AIM should perform that role for the Asian region. AIM alumni should be drivers for progress in their respective countries. More importantly, the Institute and its students should understand that the world has changed and will continue to change at a much faster pace. As Thomas Friedman said, ‘The world is flat,’ and we need to be able to adapt to globalization and all the changes that come with it,” Polly said

Juggling these changes and his multiple positions, Polly’s days are usually a long series of meetings that last until evening. But he makes it a point to work out at the gym before running to his meetings and to play golf when time permits. And he starts every day by going to Mass at 7:30 with his wife, Cecille. “I found out later in my life that you need the strength. You become humble enough to find out that you need God’s reinforcement in all that you do,” he stated.“When you are younger, you feel you can do it on your own steam. As you grow older, you feel, ‘Oh my God...’ Your responsibilities increase as you grow old. But then you begin to know how to handle all of these things you have to go through. And then you realize that things happen not because of you.”

I found out later in my life that you need the strength. You become humble enough to find out that you need God’s reinforcement in all that you do... Whatever happened to me was so good that it can’t be me. I’m just too limited to be able to do what I have done. “Whatever happened to me was so good that it can’t be me. I’m just too limited to be able to do what I have done. You begin to feel that you need that (time with God). Also it’s good bonding with your wife. Everything comes into place; all of this is just something you have to do. There are more important things in life,” Polly added. “I take it one day at a time. That’s what it’s all about,” he continued. “I learned from my mentors, foremost of them, of course, is (PLDT and Metro Pacific chairman) Manny Pangilinan. He is a person whose enormous capacity for work is matched by the wide diversity of his interests,” he said. Polly’s other mentors are CEOs to whom he has been close. One is his former boss, Toto Mapa. “That’s a guy I learned a lot from because he was asking the right questions. He knew how to listen,” recounted Polly. “Most of these people taught me how to listen.” Another mentor is Juan “Johnny” Santos, former Secretary of Trade and Industry and CEO of Nestlé Philippines. “We’ve been friends for so many years. We are golfing buddies. He ran Nestlé for 30 years. Now he’s the chairman of SSS (Social Security System)...One of the things Johnny taught me was ‘You do not seek power; it seeks you.” Commenting on the dizzying pace at which the telecoms moves, Polly explained that “there is no time to have big victory parties. The company moves from one struggle to another. At the end of day, the simplest way to celebrate is to go home and be with your family. “Everything is balanced out with the time I spend with my family and my grandchildren,” said Polly, who has been blessed with two children, Reizhelle and Bryan. “I am at that stage where I am happily indulging my grandkids. I aim to be the greatest grandfather. I’m trying very hard to be a good grandfather because I’m trying to make up for lost time as a father.” Polly’s five grandchildren are his “preoccupation.” “Spending time with my grandkids is like my fountain of youth. I watch movies with them. I even bring them to Time Zone, and I wait for them there. I spend part of my week with them. I actually look forward to it.” Is the best yet to come from Polly Nazareno? Polly says he intends to reinvent himself in the next five to 10 years. “I still want to be a pilot,” he confessed.

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RICARDO LIM, PhD

AIM’S NEW

DEAN Interview by Susan Africa-Manikan, MAP 2002

Photography by Jovel Lorenzo

After a rigorous international search process that took almost a year, a Search Committee composed of AIM’s Board of Trustees headed by Vice Chairperson Br. Jun Erguiza of De La Salle University unanimously chose Ricardo A. Lim as the new Dean of the Institute. In this candid interview, Dean Ricky shares his priorities, the challenges he faces, his ideas on collaborating with AIM stakeholders, and his appeal to the alumni community.

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What was the first thing that entered your mind when you found out that you were the new AIM Dean? Anxiety! I was anxious. There are so many things to do. Where do I start? Curriculum, programs, quality assurance, course content, hiring, alumni relations, reports for the Board of Governors and Trustees. Even though I had been Associate Dean [of WSGSB] for six years, I was never prepared for this. What are your immediate goals and priorities for the next year or so? First we must implement a new strategic plan. If we weren’t going to be bought out by Laureate (which eventually was the decision of the Board of Governors), we would have to have in place a strong alternative plan. The faculty had been working on this plan for the last six months and we are trying to put teeth into it, to roll it out over the next three years. This includes projects such as building a common learning platform: a single platform that combines elements of all degree programs. An AIM graduate, whether MBA, MM, MDM, EMBA, should share common traits. What are these traits? Thinking, assessing risk, problem-solving, preparing project plans, and other skills. In the past we never thought of all four degrees as sharing something. Now are consciously looking for commonality. Second is hiring. We need to hire young faculty with PhDs rapidly because this is what the AACSB asks for. We need to build a new cadre of faculty who can develop their own personalities and sustain AIM. Third is quality. This is a constant and ongoing goal. As Dean I have to make sure that the quality of programs remains high, that the AIM graduate 30 years ago would see a product that has equal or better quality than when they were here. AIM’s great pride, its badge of courage if you will, has been its quality. Quality has kept alumni loyal and connected to AIM. What are the top three challenges that face you now as

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AIM Dean and how do you plan to address each challenge? To repeat, my constant challenge is quality. We must improve the quality of teaching, namely case method teaching: it is a mercurial affair because case technique is something you cannot “teach” to new faculty members. The case method teacher has to be mentored and coached and allowed to make mistakes. Initially, this means bad quality and we must balance faculty experience for long term quality, while giving the students an excellent learning experience. Quality means relevant course content. We must use newer cases. A lot of the old cases were developed before the advent of social networking, multimedia, business process outsourcing, and low trade barriers. Many cases were written when America was the number one business power. A lot has changed since then. Quality means better research. We must produce original output. It’s not good enough to be the purveyor of western thought, taking books like “Blue Ocean” and “The Mind of a Strategist” and turning them into something Asian. We must come up with our own. My second challenge is alumni engagement. More than homecomings and

To repeat, my constant challenge is quality. We must improve the quality of teaching, namely case method teaching. fundraising, alumni have to be engaged. They are our most loyal customers. After 40 years they have become de facto “owners” of AIM. For selfish reasons we can engage alumni to teach. Alumni would be great because they are practitioners. Alumni have natural showmanship and want to exhibit what they know: why don’t we harness that energy for the good of our classroom? Alumni can also mentor our young minds. Some of our students were asking, “How do I start a conversation with HR directors? How do I greet people?” For most of us who have been

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in business the past 20 years, it’s second nature. You’ll be surprised how younger students don’t know what to do. Alumni can help answer these questions. Of course alumni can help with funding. Alumni can provide scholarships. We need AIM alumni to help give our guys jobs, as many of our graduates are quite successful. If the alumni can just help open their doors a little bit so that our guys—our MBA and MM boys and girls can sneak in—from there on that’s all they need to do because our students can hold their own. Alumni could also help us recruit. We would like you to help us pick whom we should take. You are good judges of character to choose who should come into AIM, so why don’t we make you part of the interviewing process? Of course we have to set some standards which everyone could consistently follow but still, the bottom line is, alumni themselves are the best judges of people whom they know would fit into the case method system of AIM. Teaching, mentoring, assisting with jobs, fundraising for scholarships, recruiting—in all of these forms, alumni would be very much willing to engage. My third challenge is the AIM brand. AIM continues to have strong word of mouth among its graduates. We have a strong brand in India where we’re considered a top quality educational institute. Some say our system is much better than what NUS or IIM could give--but that’s word of mouth. When it comes to the other forms of marketing we have become less known because of the competition. We have lost “signal,” to use a phone metaphor. So our job is to re-broadcast our quality and brand through various means: through multimedia, social networking, by interviews, by sharing research, and re-showing our brand. Our brand now is like a tightly kept secret: we could stand to show off a little bit more in order to get the brand back. We must regain our “signal.” What are your plans on increasing the diversity of students? Scholarships would help increase diversity! Many smart Vietnamese,

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AIM Deans Nepalese, Bhutanese, Filipino, and Indonesian nationals can’t afford AIM. If we can get sponsorships from alumni and the corporate world, we would turn around and find the best and the brightest from all over, and beyond Asia- we can go to the US, Australia, and the Middle East. So with the help of alumni we will get scholarships for 12 to 15 nationalities in the caserooms. To do that, we have to first re-establish brand, and have great alumni support for funding for scholarships Do you have any significant ideas on how to improve faculty recruitment and retention, and student admission and placement? One idea is to collaborate with local schools. Foreign schools tend to be very expensive so I’d like to collaborate with the good local schools such as UP, La Salle, and Ateneo. Why can’t we run programs and share faculty to add to the diversity? They may not come with us completely, but at least we can share the faculty. That way the professors will have maximum flexibility. On student admission and placement, we’d like to invite alumni to help in recruiting. We also have programs where we provide special incentives for alumni only- if the alumni can recommend a student who is accepted and fully pays for his/her MBA, the alumni will receive a free one week program from EXCELL. If the alumni can recommend good people to us, it enhances the system. If they know that these people are good to begin with, then we can produce good MBAs. What new and exciting things should faculty and students expect from you? We are constantly improving. There still exist certain ageless, timeless things, things that were relevant 15-20 years ago are still relevant today, such as managing by wandering around, and following project schedules and a number of other required skills. But the emphasis has shifted. In the past 40 years we trained our MBAs

to be general managers. At that time, there were hardly any MBAs around and MBA graduates could expect to hit the ground running. You had AIM grads who were given company leadership positions at tender young ages. You tend not to see that anymore. Instead, what you see is that many of our alumni get hired by multinational companies and big firms, and they are tested to manage little projects such as product launches, campaigns, new product development—but always in limited specific modules where upper management can see their performance and gradually increase their scope, eventually to become CEO. We ought to retool our MBA. Perhaps they will not be general managers right away. The world needs MBAs who can pack a bag and laptop, and fly into a project somewhere in Asia for three months, complete it with limited resources and time, with people they might not know, with teams that are assembled ad hoc. And after three months, the team breaks up and the MBA gets assigned to the next project. This is the nature of business nowadays. We must get students used to quick, agile management. Our students must learn to be multicultural, to communicate with various nationalities or religions or industries—whether Christian or Muslim, whether English or Bahasa, whether you’re in a mixed group of Filipinos, Indonesians, Americans or Vietnamese, whether in a cement company or a telecoms, or a media or a non-profit situation. We would be emphasizing on these multikinds of skills. We might also be trying new modes of delivery. Twenty or thirty years ago, you could take a year off your life to do the MM or MDM. By the time you graduated, the world would not have changed that much. Nowadays, a year is an eternity. Most people coming to AIM ask: “Do you have a part time MBA?” And we have not been able to deliver on that. Perhaps now is the time to be able to deliver ladder-

GABINO A. MENDOZA 1973-1986  First member of the faculty and COO during AIM’s founding in 1968  President of AIM from 1978-1986  Dean of Faculty from 1968-1972  Taught general management (strategy formulation and implementation), marketing and finance in the MBA, MM, and EMBA programs, and initiated the course on development of enterprise  Extensive experience in business and business education  Currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Allied Metals, Inc. and Director-Treasurer of Foodmach, Inc.  President and CEO of the Makati Medical Center in 2005  Has served as Director of Philippine Investment Management Consultants, Inc. (PHINMA), NCR (Philippines), Basic Advertising, Executive Digest Inc., Prosoft Ltd., Options Publishing Services, Inc., Audience Research Asia, and TQM Asia  Served as a general management consultant to San Miguel Corporation; Ayala Land, Inc.; Delbros Inc.; First Holdings, Inc.; Phelps Dodge Philippines Inc.; Sime Darby (Philippines), Inc.; Basic/Foote, Cone and Belding, Inc.; Makati Medical Center; Caltex Pacific Indonesia; Federal Auto Holdings Bhd. (Malaysia); World Executive’s Digest; and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)  Was a faculty member of the Ateneo de Manila University - Graduate School of Business and the Jose Rizal College in the 1950s and 1960s  Holds a Bachelor of Arts (Valedictorian) degree from the Ateneo de Manila University (1953) and a Master in Business Administration (With Distinction) degree from the Harvard Business School (1966).  1975 Eisenhower Fellow from the Philippines and is a Fellow of the International Academy of Management GASTON Z. ORTIGAS SR. 1986-1990  Expertise: Operations Management, Business Policy Decision Processes, Quantitative Analysis  Associate Dean in 1973  Launched the Program for Development Managers  Opened new programs catering to social issues, such as women in development, agrarian reform and environmental protection in AIM  Former President of Asia Business Consultants, Inc., and PERCON Inc.  Former member of Management Association of the Philippines  Former Co-Chairman Interdisciplinary Committee of the Bishop’s Businessmen’s Conference for Human Development and was a Convenor of the Coalition for Peace  Former Chair of the Benguet Corporation for Business Management  Former Chairperson of the Peace Promotion and Monitoring Council  Earned a Degree in Mechanical Engineering in the University of the Philippines, and a Doctorate in Business Administration at the Harvard Business School  Ateneo University established the Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute six months after his death on August 31, 1990

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FRANSISCO P. BERNARDO JR. 1990-1995  Conferred the status of Professor Emeritus in 2007  Has worked with companies engaged in manufacturing, construction, insurance, banking, and agriculture as well as with government agencies and educational institutions  Co-founder of B2B Action Consultancy & Training, Inc.  Chairman of Leading Entrepreneurs Towards Sensing Global Opportunities (Lets Go) Foundation  Director of Nursing Ventures, Inc. (Nuvent) which is engaged in e-learning  Headed the implementation of the DTI-JICA SHINDAN Project (2007) in the training and development of regional business Counselors for Small and Medium Enterprises  Holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of the Philippines (1956) and a Master in Business Administration from Stanford University Graduate School of Business (1969). He is a licensed Professional Mechanical Engineer. JESUS G. GALLEGOS 1995-2000  AIM was ranked in Asia as number one in Executive MBA, number one in Executive Education, number three in full-time MBA, and number three in Reputation  Expertise: Strategic Management and Systematic Decision Making  Board Chairman of Solutions, Inc. and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Pastoral Development  Former Vice-President for Operations of International Food and Agriculture Resources Management Services, Inc., (concurrently General Manager), and Senior Consultant to the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA)  Served for ten years on the Editorial Board of Agribusiness: An International Journal, a Wiley publication based in New York  Holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from De La Salle University (1969), and is a licensed engineer  Obtained his Master in Business Management degree from the Asian Institute of Management (1973), and his Doctor in Business Administration, with the honor of being first to graduate with High Distinction, from the De La Salle University (1998)  A recipient of AIM’s Alumni Achievement Award (Triple A) and the De La Salle University Graduate School of Business’ Most Outstanding Alumnus Excellence Award EDUARDO A. MORATO 2000-2002  Conceptualized AIM Asian Center for Entrepreneurship  Chief architect of the Master in Entrepreneurship Program  Strengthened the traditional Master in Business Management Program via the MBM Major in Finance  Designed and Developed the Masters in Development Management Program  Prior to being Dean, he was Dean of the Graduate School of Business, Associate Dean for the Asian Center for Entrepreneurship and Associate Dean for the Center for the Development Management

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ized offerings where you might take six month courses and be awarded a certificate; take a few more courses beyond that, do some major papers, and then get what you call a diploma, neither a certificate nor a degree; finally you do a major thesis plus electives, and you get an MBA. This might take you 4 or 5 years, rather than completing it within 16 months. So again if we can have the right amount of quality and we are in compliance with AACSB, we will do it. It’s exciting as it would make us more accessible. It must stick to the standard of high quality that alumni are proud of. We will not do anything that compromises that. How will you strike a balance between continuity and change as AIM addresses the needs of a rapidly developing region? With continuity, quality should be ever present. Quality comes from our methodology. Most alumni agree that the case method bred analytical and decision making skills. Part of the quality comes from the case method rigor. Most AIM graduates remember sleepless nights, hundred page case days, WACs on weekends, exams, professors who demanded too much, bloody competitive classes. What the alumni remember is the rigor. I would like to see rigor continue but at the same time, we cannot be teaching them the same cases that were written in 1982. Those days are gone. Marketing fundamentality still has the four P’s, but the four P’s don’t quite cover social networking, don’t quite cover the power of the new media, and don’t quite cover irrational behavior. An example of irrational behavior comes from Robert Kuan, MBM 1975, former owner of Chow King. When people would eat his classic pork with tausi rice topping, they

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would order one meal at 42 pesos. But Robert found out that if you divided that meal into P22 portions, people would buy three. In the customer’s mind, it would come out cheaper— even if the total price would be P66. This is the new specialty called behavioral economics. Things like the Kuan example perhaps weren’t really thought about before but now have become relevant. Why do people pay thousands of pesos for original brands, but at the same time buy fake bags in Virra Mall and keep the real Louis Vuitton at home? The world is so complex now that we now have to approach it in a different way. Even the way we use cases. We made students read long 20 page cases from Harvard —and alumni will remember this rule—you don’t take from anything that’s outside the case. That’s not so true anymore. We should develop a one page case, about crisis management for example. If you are an FMCG and you are paying some game show a lot of money for advertising, and the host of the show suddenly commits a faux pas: do you pull your advertising? You tell the students to use the internet to survey people’s opinions, use the internet to monitor what’s happening as the situation unfolds, then come back to class and say, “Company X just pulled out their advertising. We should follow.” Another student will counter, “No way, that’s the silliest thing to do, because some competitor will take our place!” And so on, back and forth. Let’s make our cases real time, rather than dealing with an abstract case from 2002 in Ohio. It’s in Manila, it’s live, it requires thinking on your feet and on the spot processing of information. Maybe this is what’s needed now. Speed, currency—this is the world today. We still have rigor—the rigor of a case discussion where you’re fighting

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The world is so complex now that we now have to approach it in a different way. Even the way we use cases. We made students read long 20 page cases from Harvard—and alumni will remember this rule— you don’t take from anything that’s outside the case. That’s not so true anymore.

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 President of ABS-CBN Bayan Foundation, Inc., one of the corporate social responsibility arms of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Network  Earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, major in Economics at the Ateneo de Manila University  Obtained his Master in Business Management, with High Distinction from AIM and a Phd in Public Administration from the University of the Philippines where he was a consistent University Scholar MA. NIEVES R. CONFESSOR 2002-2004  Brought AIM into the global community of European (EQUIS) and American (AACSB) accredited business schools and universities  Expertise: Leadership and Strategic Negotiation  A core faculty member of the Center for Development Management (CDM)  Former OIC-Associate Dean for the Masters in Development (MDM) Program from September 2008-August 2009  Handles courses in the Master in Management (MM) Program of the W. SyCip Graduate School of Business (WSGSB), as well as in the Executive Master in Business Administration (EMBA) and short programs of the Executive Education and Lifelong Learning Center (EXCELL)  Chairs the panel of Declaration Expert-Advisers to the International Labor Organization (ILO)  Former member of the Operating Council of the Global Alliance for Workers and their Communities and a Trustee of the International System for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR)  Former Chairperson of the Philippine Government Panel in the negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front-New People’s Army (CPP-NDF-NPA)  Former Secretary of Labor and Employment during the administration of President Corazon Aquino and the Presidential Adviser on Human Resource Development and International Labor Affairs to President Fidel Ramos, with the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary  Named one of the Ten Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) in 1992  Holds a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government 1980 and Master in Business Administration from the Ateneo de Manila University Graduate School of Business 1981  Took special courses on labor and employment, women in politics, and international economics  Completed a Bachelor of Arts in Literary Studies (Magna Cum Laude and Class Valedictorian) at Maryknoll College in 1971

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each other, intellectually. But the world is interconnected now. Forty years ago, the world was simple. You could cut all these umbilical cords and nothing much would happen. But nowadays you cut an umbilical cord in Manila and somebody from New York would be screaming—as a stockholder you didn’t know about—or somebody from Moscow or Paris or Mumbai because they’re investors in a company here. Leaders always have a life story that profoundly affects the way they lead. Would you like to share us yours? For me it was a “Jollibee” story. When I came back from the US 21 years ago, I had just gotten my MBA, and I was managing a large IT project. We were trying to deliver a massive computer project for a local bank. We were way behind schedule. We were making our people take 24 to 36 hour shifts to get the programming done. As project manager I felt anxious, so I would show up at the location at 4:00 in the morning. And one night, I randomly thought what the hey. So I bought a whole bunch of Jollibee chicken joys and hamburgers and brought it to the programmers who were working in a location somewhere in downtown Manila. They were weary, they were disgusted, they were tired. And a week later one of them said “You’re the best project manager we’ve ever had, because you showed up at 4:00 in the morning to feed us.” The shallow lesson was food always gets the Filipinos. But more importantly, the hard lesson (and they don’t teach this is business school) is that going to the trenches with your people is really the best way to lead. That was my Jollibee moment. There were no fireworks but it was just a private statement made by one of the programmers

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who added: “You’re the best because you took the trouble to visit and feed us. We don’t expect that from managers, but you did.” I don’t know if it made them more effective but it certainly gave them a morale boost. With all these new developments and plans for the future of AIM, what would you like to ask of the alumni? Please help! I need your help in recruitment and referrals, in coaching and mentoring, and in teaching. Your help is quality help when it comes to referrals—even putting in a good word for us. For example, recently I’ve asked the last three batches to help answer surveys for The Financial Times and The Economist. And that’s been a great help because the AIM experience is fresh in their minds and they have been giving the most candid replies, and for the most part their answers have been very helpful. They really are proud to be AIM graduates. Of course we have critics but that’s par for the course—we are also a free market and students are more than welcome to state their minds. We need great recruits from whatever country—smart people for our MBA, MM and MDM intakes. Maybe some of them could get scholarships— you’ll never know. We need alumni coaches and mentors—if you can come in and offer particular skills like executive management, time management, communications, or presentation, we’d love to have you as our resource. We need alumni to teach. If you could spare the time why not teach? You could come and teach for me or collaborate and co-teach with other alumni. For example, three or four of you could come in and gun tackle a single course in marketing, opera-

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tions or strategy. I think it would be invigorating not only for the students but also for you. If you can help with your time— to mentor, to teach, to open doors for placement, to recommend new students—that would be fantastic. If each one of our 38,000 graduates could do at least one little thing like that, my golly! There’s nothing that could stop

If you can help with your time—to mentor, to teach, to open doors for placement, to recommend new students—that would be fantastic... Even if just 1% of the 38,000 alumni could help in any way, that would be colossal! us in terms of brand recognition, quality of classroom discussions, diversity, quality of jobs. Even if just 1% of the 38,000 alumni could help in any way, that would be colossal! Would you have any words of wisdom for alumni? You have to continue learning. Those who graduated 40 years ago are probably about to retire now, so you can have fun. But those of you who are younger than that, you know there is a real risk of becoming obsolete, an aging cowboy if you will. Much younger guns are out there, all skilled, familiar with technology, with better training, who could blow your socks off when it comes to management. You should not be complacent. Start thinking about re-tooling yourself, even if you feel you’re too old. Who knows, you might need an extra degree, you might need an extra course or two. You’ll never know when you might have to shift

careers. You’ll also never know that by the time you hit 65, they would have raised retirement age to 70 or 75. So you’ve got to continuously learn and re-tool yourself and not be complacent. If there’s a thing that I’ve learned in the last 20 years is that learning has become much more dynamic every year. There’s so much new information that one master’s degree isn’t enough—another MA or two will help you withstand shocks. Heck, you might even need a PhD. You’ve got to prepare yourself for a life where you might have to shift careers suddenly at the age of 52 or 57. You never know when you might take early retirement or get laid off due to redundancy, and all of a sudden, you find yourself transferring to another industry where you don’t have your natural advantages anymore. How would you like to be remembered as AIM Dean in the future? What would you endeavor to be your most significant contribution to the school? Innovations will come, but they will not come from one dean; they will come from the crowd. In the book, “The Wisdom of Crowds” one can use diverse people—crowds, under certain conditions, and come out with superior decisions than smart people working alone. I would like to be remembered as a dean who collaborated—with alumni, getting them to teach, to coach to recruit, to place. With students, who can be a source of continuous learning. With corporate—from whom we could learn from and partner with. We can give them the kind of training that they will not be able to get from outside consultants, we can design and customize programs that would be exact, that would be a nice fit.

VICTORIA S. LICUANAN 2005-2010  Continued the accreditation of AACSB  Expertise: Monetary Economics, Financial Markets, and International Finance  Member of AIM’s Executive Education and Lifelong Learning Center. (EXELL)  Prior to being Dean: Associate Dean for Faculty and Economics, Associate Dean for the Asian Center for Entrepreneurship, and Associate Dean for Enterprise and Project Research  Together with a partner, she owns and operates a franchise of the largest bakeshop chain in the Philippines  A partner in the real estate development company, holding the position of Secretary/Treasurer, as well as on the Board of Directors of two other real estate firms and an insurance company  Former Assistant Vice President at an investment bank in the Philippines, where she headed the Economic Research Department  Earned her undergraduate degree in Business Management (Magna Cum Laude) from Maryknoll College  Went to Harvard University under various grants including a Fulbright-Hays scholarship, Harvard University Fellowship and Earhart Foundation Fellowship

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HORACIO BORROMEO, PhD, MM 1977 Associate Dean, W. SyCip Graduate School of Business

LEADING BY EXAMPLE Words by Gerard Ian De Sagun Photography by Jovel Lorenzo

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PROFESSOR HORACIO M. BORROMEO HAS BEEN involved with AIM as a student, faculty member, and associate dean for the past 35 years. He is currently the Associate Dean of the W. SyCip Graduate School of Business, and he credits his predecessor for making his transition as easy as possible. “I’ve inherited from Dean Ricky’s tenure a lot of active support for the programs. So now, between the Dean’s office and GSB, there is good coordination and mutual agreement about what needs to be done. But as I’ve served as Associate Dean under three Deans previously (Ortigas, Bernardo, Gallegos), theoretically the next three years should be a piece of cake,” he laughs. This homegrown AIM graduate, who finished his Master in Management degree in 1977, teaches organizational behavior (and most recently Management Communications), coming from a Bachelor of Arts major in Behavioral Science from Ateneo de Manila University (1969). In his field, much of his teaching is about Leadership. He considers very few people he knows to fall under the category of an ideal leader. Based on his preferred definition of leadership, he says, “Leadership, it seems to me, is all about getting people to see things that either they don’t want to see, or they’re afraid to see, or can’t see, and then dealing with it. Also, I cannot imagine a leader that doesn’t have followers. A follower does not literally mean people marching behind you, but followers in a sense of people who are convinced or persuaded to see things as you have opened their eyes to see these things.” Before joining the AIM faculty, Prof. Borromeo (or Prof Junbo as his former students refer to him) was being groomed by IBM Philippines to be a systems engineer, in the days of mainframes. After leaving IBM, he spent a couple of years as a researcher assistant at the Institute of Philippine Culture (Ateneo University), while enrolled there in a graduate program in Social Anthropology. But the call of entrepreneurship led him to serve as President of a Filipino-Japanese joint venture in the manufacture and sale of stringed instruments. Other entrepreneurial ventures saw him running a frozen seafood export business, a textile dealership, and exporting local handicraft. The many people who influenced him in various stages of his life include his father (“he was a good father, provider, and role model”); the late Dean Gasty Ortigas, who recruited him to the AIM faculty; his mentor and colleague, the late Professor Andy Reyes; and Deans Gaby Mendoza and Mel Salazar, who were exceptional bosses and mentors too. Professor Borromeo believes that while these people most certainly have his deepest respect and greatest admiration, he reserves categorizing them exclusively as leaders, for he has developed far deeper bonds with them. He views their relationship as more of mentor-protégé, rather than leader and follower. “I guess you could say that the real leaders are the ones who don’t need to retain followers; but aspire to elevate them to the same status by teaching what’s necessary to become leaders.” For Professor Borromeo, the mark of a true leader is that he or she should never make his or her subordinates feel like blind followers but rather like colleagues, partners, and equals in whatever endeavors they collaborate on. And for nearly four decades, Dean Horacio “Junbo” Borromeo has been a very important leader in the AIM community.

As the Institute’s Director for International Programs from 2004 to 2006, he was able to achieve many partnerships with international academic institutions before being tasked to take over as Director for Case Research in 2007. As a longstanding member of the AIM community, Dean Borromeo would like to thank the AIM alumni for the overwhelming support that they have been giving to the school recently. As partners in the school’s academic mission, there have been a lot of great ideas that have come from the alumni. One of them is the Alumni Speaker’s Bureau, which will provide alumni who would share their knowledge and experience with AIM students. This weekly forum would be known as the Alumni Hour, and Associate Dean Borromeo would like to have it incorporated into the MBA program eventually in the near future. The idea for an Alumni Hour has been garnering a lot of support from both the alumni and the students, and would be a very effective tool for current students not only to keep up with the latest in management practice, but to gain insights on how to model their future careers. Another project that alumni are working on is the creation of an alumni knowledge database. The idea is to have a database accessible to students, faculty, and alumni for learning purposes. “This is similar to the EGGS (Entrepreneurs Go to Graduate School) program,” states Associate Dean Borromeo, “which has featured several alumni entrepreneurs documented not only in book form but in video as well.” Furthermore, Associate Dean Borromeo and his associates are taking all the data gathered from the EGGS program’s sharing from alumni as material for the proposed alumni knowledge database.

“Leadership...is all about getting people to see things that either they don’t want to see, or they’re afraid to see, or can’t see, and then dealing with it.” With his experience consulting for private enterprise throughout the ASEAN region, he foresees a lot of changes coming for AIM. In the next five years for instance, he sees AIM’s student placement standards reaching another level. “It’s important for AIM to attract the best and brightest to enlist in our degree programs. This kind of student will come to AIM only if they know we will find them good jobs even before they graduate,” states Dean Borromeo. This comes in line with beefing up the school’s academic programs to make it more competitive with other schools that are also offering shorter degree programs. The goal behind all this, Dean Borromeo also explains, is to have quality triumph over quantity in all aspects. Asked about what he thinks is his most significant contribution to AIM, Dean Borromeo answers that ever since he can remember, he has been continually introducing innovations in AIM’s degree programs. But he would prefer to be remembered most of all as a professor who cared, not only about his students and the Institute, but anyone with whom he came in contact as a professor, colleague, or supervisor.

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LEADING EXCELL ENCE GRACE UGUT, PhD Associate Dean, Executive Education and Lifelong Learning Center

Interview by Susan Africa-Manikan, MAP 2002

Photography by Jovel Lorenzo

AFTER OBTAINING A MASTER IN Business Administration from the University of Mississippi in 1991 and a Doctor of Philosophy in International Finance from the Vienna University of Economics in 1995, Professor Grace S. Ugut, PhD joined the Asian Institute of Management in 1998. Thirteen years since joining AIM, she continues her leadership as Associate Dean of AIM’s Executive Education and Lifelong Learning Center (EXCELL). Prior to joining AIM, Prof. Ugut was also connected with Barents International Group LLC (a KPMGBooz Allen Hamilton Company) as a Partner Consultant for a bank restructuring project in Indonesia. Her managerial expertise thrives in the areas of banking and finance, particularly treasury, risk management, corporate finance, and fixed income securities. To date, she provides consulting services in the areas of treasury, financial performance management and risk management. With a wealth of experience holding leadership positions in Asia and Western Europe, as vice president for operations, head of the corporate finance department, and assistant vice president in several national and multinational companies, Prof. Ugut continues to make sure that EXCELL programs provide unique, leading-edge, and results-oriented executive education programs that build managerial and leadership capabilities in its participants. “In a world that’s constantly changing, others may see obstacles, but you should see opportunities,” Prof. Ugut advises. “But you should not leave too much to chance and would rather make your own choices than have them made for you. You want nothing but the best and you like to be informed.” This advice from Prof. Ugut has enabled EXCELL’s program participants to enhance their business management knowledge by acquiring solid business education, skills and competencies that are critical for business growth and success. Strong competition from management schools in the region has provided significant challenges for AIM. But Prof. Ugut remains optimistic. “I still believe that we do have a lot of good things to offer. We also

have to basically redefine what would AIM be for Asia. As part of the management team under the new AIM Dean, Ricky Lim, we would like to move concretely to achieve a lot of goals for AIM’s future.” One of these goals is retaining the school’s accreditation with the prestigious Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International). Since 1916, AACSB has been the longest serving global accrediting body for undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees in business and accounting. AIM is the only b-school in the Philippines with AACSB accreditation. To maintain this recognition, a business school must undergo a rigorous internal review every five years, where it must demonstrate its continued commitment to the 21 quality standards relating to faculty qualification, strategic management of resources, interactions of faculty and students, as well as a commitment to the continuous improvement and achievement of learning goals in degree programs. “We would like to maintain our accreditation with the AACSB, and perhaps be accredited with the European Quality Improvement System (or EQUIS) as well,” she shares. “In repositioning the school, we would like forge more meaningful relationships with our corporate clients, and by doing so we would also like to redefine our role not only as a teaching institution but also an institution that will contribute to research.”

We would like forge more meaningful relationships with our corporate clients...to redefine our role not only as a teaching institution but also an institution that will contribute to research.” By the very nature of its existence as the executive development arm of AIM, the Executive Education for Lifelong Learning Center attends keenly to the needs of the corporate world. By serving the region through its various world-class programs, EXCELL aims to develop excellent Asian leaders as part of the AIM mission, and to be recognized as the leading Asian center for

excellent education and lifelong learning. In a rapidly developing Asia, there is an imminent need to come up with research to attend to the needs of a dynamic region. “One of the areas of research that we think is very important is the research that would benefit many of our stakeholders and mainly our corporate clients,” Prof. Ugut states. “We will emphasize that we will bring our research to our classrooms and clients. So that’s very important for us as a main objective that we would like to achieve for the next five years.” Serving the unique needs of corporate clients is one of the areas that EXCELL is known for. By developing strategic alliances and corporate partnerships, companies take part in the selection of managers they send to the program, and use this to determine which particular skills and competencies need to be developed and are thus integrated in the program design. Customized learning materials are also provided pertaining to their specific industry, and at times, even materials about their own company. As research is an integral part of each program design, Prof. Ugut states the vital partnership that can be forged with the alumni. “Our most important stakeholder is our alumni,” she says. Other than contributing to the intellectual capital of AIM through research, Prof. Ugut enthuses about how the alumni can be more involved with the Institute. “We are thinking of involving alumni from the research, teaching and fundraising.” In teaching, the alumni can bring in a practitioner oriented type of method into the caserooms. “They will be our adjunct faculty,” says Prof. Ugut. “We also look at the role of the alumni through their network on how to improve the fundraising efforts of AIM.” In addition, the alumni network can assist the revitalization of AIM programs in their particular regions. “For example in Singapore or Taiwan,” she explains. “In the 1980’s, we had many students coming from these countries, but now we have very few. We have to work with the alumni chapters more closely and start looking into more opportunities in reviving AIM over there.”

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Supporting the New Dean With a new AIM Dean in the person of Dr. Ricardo Lim, Prof. Ugut looks forward to leadership in moving the Institute forward. “I have been working with Professor Ricardo Lim for the past seven years when he was appointed as Associate Dean of the Washington SyCip Graduate School of Business,” she relates. “We have been working as a team going through so many ups and downs in AIM during so many critical times. And I think we got to know each other’s style and expectations very well. So we are really looking forward to have him lead us through the new challenges of the school.” As competition presents tougher challenges, Prof. Ugut emphasizes that “We have to basically redefine what would be ‘AIM for Asia’ and I believe that is the challenge for AIM in the next five years. With that in mind, as part of the management team under Ricky Lim, we would like to see how we can move concretely to achieve a lot of things that we want to do.” The real challenge in moving forward, Prof. Ugut shares is how to make AIM operations sustainable, while keeping its high quality and prestige in the midst of tight competition. “This is really the challenge moving forward,” she says. “And I believe that we can do it very well because we have this uniqueness of having the MBA, MM and MDM. AIM is actually also quite unique as we don’t receive subsidy from government—AIM is basically stand alone.” Prof. Ugut proudly professes that AIM has many other facets. “AIM is not only MBA- there are also other things that we do very well. Not to mention the Centers of Excellence that basically have their own networks that contribute in building the image of AIM as a think tank, and also as a teaching and research institute.” With Prof. Ugut as Associate Dean of EXCELL, the school continues to establish a strong presence in chosen strategic markets as it delights its participants with world-class quality programs. As a center for innovation in teaching and learning methodologies in executive education and lifelong learning, EXCELL has become a preferred partner of corporate universities since AIM first launched its general management programs in the 1970s. And with Dean Ricky Lim at the helm, Prof. Ugut continues to look forward to achieving many things. “We only have three years runway under the leadership of Prof. Lim,” she says. But she is confident that “In three years, we can do a lot of things.”

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JUAN MIGUEL LUZ Associate Dean,

Center For Development Management

LEADING DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE Interview by Susan Africa-Manikan, MAP 2002 Photography by Jovel Lorenzo

“I SUPPOSE LEADERSHIP AT ONE time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.” These words, spoken by former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, encapsulate the management style of Juan Miguel Luz, Associate Dean of the Center of Development Management (CDM). Luz brings to CDM years of experience in social policy, development management and political development having served in government and having run NGOs. “This is actually my second time with AIM,” Luz shares. From 1997 to 2002, he was a member of the AIM faculty handling courses on development management, negotiations, and management communication in AIM’s degree and non-degree programs. “I was splitting my time between the MBM and MDM programs.” In addition, he was also Managing Director of the Ramon V. del Rosario, Sr.–AIM Center for Corporate Responsibility. In 2002, Luz left AIM to take on the position of Undersecretary in the Department of Education, a position he held until 2006. “I saw this as an opportunity to try to bring about change in what has been one of the most difficult government departments to run in terms of innovation and quality. It was, by AIM definition, a ‘live’ case,” he recounts. Immediately after DepED, Luz accepted an appointment as president of the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction, an international NGO with programs in Southeast Asia and East Africa. But the world of the academe beckoned once again and the graduate of a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government (1992) returned to AIM in September 2009. In spite of this, Luz still holds positions in Knowledge Channel, the Foundation for Philippine Environment,

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the Philippine Center for Population and Development, Assisi Development Foundation, Bato Balani Foundation, and Philippine Business for Education. He is also a member of the Human Development Network-Philippines and the Galing Pook Foundation. The Three-Way Leader “There are three questions a leader must answer before taking the reins of any enterprise” says Luz. “First—do I have a sense of direction? Second—do I have a role model? Lastly—do I know what is expected of me?” A leader cannot lead if they themselves do not know where they are going or what their mission is. For Luz, a leader is one who sets a direction, one who guides his followers and directs them to the right path. As such, one must find such an individual who knew what he was doing and where he was leading his followers. “For me, Mahatma Gandhi is a role model. He made an example of himself which people followed. More importantly, he made the people feel that it was not just his fight, but rather, their fight,” Luz says. “A leader,” he adds, “must also set standards. That is very important.” Standards, Luz says, are integral to any management system if the system is to survive the test of time. In answer to his third question, as Associate Dean of the Center for Development Management, he knows what is expected of him for the school. “The MDM program is literally the multicultural, multi-national face of AIM,” he shares. “The MDM last year had graduate students from 15 countries; this year we have students from 17 countries. It represents the Asian diversity that is a critical part of the AIM brand.” CDM’s mission is to develop the next generation of development leaders and agents of change within their respective countries and organizations. Creating a diverse multinational learning environment is necessary in developing the discipline of management in the development context with a global outlook. “As we develop the next generation of development leaders and managers for Asia,” Luz proffers, “we are positioning CDM as the ‘graduate school of choice’ for development leaders and managers, as a ‘partner-of-choice’ of multilateral, international and national development organizations and as an ‘institutional partner’ to national governments in Asia.” Spreading the mission of CDM and its call for change “Our slogan at CDM is a reflection of what is needed today: Change Yourself...Change your Organization...Change Society,” Luz adds. “This year is particularly special. It is the 20th year

of CDM as a school. But in fact, our development management roots go back 35 years to 1976, when the Rural Development Management Program (RDMP) was set up as an experiment to apply business tools and methods for development. This year, we are celebrating 35 years of development management at AIM and 20 years as a center.” To spread the mission of CDM, there is an imminent need to increase its case room populace from an average of 40 students. “The idea is that a class of 40 is too small,” Luz shares. “You get the diversity but not the critical mass. The key to this are scholarships.” The need to improve the quality of intakes has to do with the focus of CDM on development and public leadership. “This will distinguish us from schools of public policy and public administration,” Luz says. “Secondly, because of our business roots, we take a market approach to development: Are there market solution to public goods problems? But many times, market solutions work only for those who can afford to participate. That isn’t what development is all about. Hence, the other side of the market solutions coin, so to speak, are solutions that have the potential to provide system-wide solutions.” To distinguish CDM philosophy from the Washington SyCip Graduate School of Business, Luz is clear about intent. “Selling to the bottom of the pyramid or corporate social responsibility is not our idea of development management. Getting the bottom of the pyramid into the market as players and producers, that’s where we play as development managers. That is the distinction between development and business.” “At the same time,” Luz emphasizes, “we need to learn about policy. Even though we are not the school for public policy, we teach about policy because it provides development managers with a theory for change and simulates what outcomes might arise out of some intervention at the highest level.” Aside from the Master in Development Management degree program, CDM’s short courses are also led by Luz and his team of dedicated partners. The Development Executive Programs—short, non-degree courses —provide training to development workers, using AIM’s case methods, analyses, lectures, discussions and workshops. These programs are suitable for participants who need to return to work and apply what they learned immediately. “We want to run short courses because that is what is needed in the country,” explains Luz. “We are expanding. What we are going to do is instead of doing all the courses here [in the Philippines], we are going to

start doing courses abroad. We have plans for the Greater Mekong Sub-region—Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. We are also looking at working in Timor Leste. We see CDM as a partner to emerging countries in post-conflict situations.” Supporting the New Dean Luz talks of working with new AIM Dean, Ricardo Lim. “We all agree that AIM needs to become more competitive. The working relationship is good, camaraderie is great. We are all on the same page on this renewed mission to make AIM a premiere graduate school in the region.” The CDM Associate Dean is also pleased with the current set-up with the AIM research centers. “Fortunately, under the current set-up, the centers have once again become part of the schools. It’s very good!” Luz says. “Thanks to this set-up, much progress has been made, from joint conferences to shared research.” Luz also fully supports Dean Ricky Lim’s plan to establish a common platform of learning exchanges for the MBA, the MM and the MDM. “There’s so much that the three degree programs can share in terms of teaching and learning methods,” he explains. Attaining this would require additional steps. “The first step that we needed to do was to synchronize the schedules. That allowed us to offer electives in Module 3 with the possibility of cross-enrolment. The next step is to look at core courses that can be offered across degree programs. That would add a new layer of diversity to the learning process.” With the AIM Dean orchestrating the directions that the school needs to take, including maintaining its accreditation and quality, the Associate Deans continue to adapt to change and to make sure that everyone is up to quality and standard. To assist CDM in fulfilling its mission, Luz looks to its alumni for support. The International Movement of Development Managers (IMDM), an international movement of AIM alumni, is a key proponent to Luz’s plans for the future. As CDM moves to do more teaching and research overseas in the developing countries of Southeast Asia and South Asia, IMDM members will be brought on board as partners in research, case writing and lecturing. With a great deal of work ahead of him, Luz keeps his focus with the idea that changing one’s self, changing one’s organization and changing society will ultimately change the world for the better. That is the mission of the new associate dean for development management at AIM.

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FAIM

A History of AIM Alumni Solidarity by Sherbet Katigbak-Manalili, BMP 2005

involved—that was our battle-cry,” shares Mr. Fernandez. Mr. Fernandez was elected as the first FAIM chairman during the first meeting of FAIM at AIM in 1978, his last year as AAAIM chairman. Under his leadership, the AIM Alumni Achievement Award or the Triple A was established as the first regional activity of FAIM to mark the 10th anniversary of AIM. The Triple A Award is the highest recognition given by the Asian IN 1978, AN ACTIVE GROUP OF ALUMNI Institute of Management to its outstanding headed by then AIM Alumni Association alumni. To date, a total of 116 alumni have (AAAIM) Chairman Mr. Jose Maria J. been awarded the Triple A. The first alumni Fernandez, MBM 1973, instituted the newsletter was published during Fernandez’s Federation of Asian Institute of Management term. From 1988 onwards, FAIM co-published Alumni Associations, Incorporated or The Asian Manager, the predecessor of what FAIM. In the Asian Management Forum is now the AIM Leader Magazine. FAIM also in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in March 1978, worked closely in organizing the annual alumni leaders from the region got together International Management Conference and organized what eventually became (IMC). The IMC, which was a public event, FAIM. The need for the Federation was was hosted by different alumni associations first perceived when a number of alumni in their respective countries every year. associations formed outside the Philippines began to increase significantly in the Vision mid-70’s. “It was obvious that as I traveled FAIM envisions a life-long partnership around the region that a federal form of between AIM and the alumni alumni association would be needed to in pursuing management excellence coordinate the different alumni chapters in their respective countries. being set up. Peng Khoon “PK” Yeap (MDP 1973), Johari bin Hassan (MBM 1973), Mission Teerachai Chemnasiri (MBM 1973), Pithi FAIM is engaged in managing systems Siti Amnui (MDP 1973), Derek Liew (MBM that are supportive of alumni 1973), Antonio “Butch” Valdes (MM 1977), chapter initiatives as they respond and a few others helped out in the formation to AIM and alumni needs. of FAIM. We convinced friends on the need for FAIM, an organization that could help coordinate the needs and aspirations of Pushing the alumni into the forefront of the alumni from the region, while allowing the school and deviating from the “facultyfor autonomy. Other schools like Harvard led formula to a more eclectic, multi-public depended on the alumni for both support and and multi-sectoral community with the direction. We wanted AIM alumni to be more alumni playing a key role”, according to

Mr. Fernandez, has been FAIM’s greatest achievement in its 20 years of existence. In October 2007, FAIM was given a seat in the AIM Board of Trustees. “We fought for greater representation in the Board of Trustees and Governors. We tried to make people aware that the alumni have much to contribute to the school—something that is very obvious today. It is only lately that we were allowed to vote,” Mr. Fernandez says. Fernandez

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The Symbol of FAIM and the Triple A FAIM and the Triple A have always stood for the goal of excellence that each member of the alumni aspires for. Since 1978, FAIM has honored graduates who have exhibited outstanding work. Filipino artist Franco Patriarca first conceived of the Triple A concept, where the first letter of the English alphabet stands for Asian, Alpha, as well as the known constant in math, the highest mark a student can attain. The three A’s further denote “a visual interplay that echoes the coming together into the union; graphically expressing the harmonious characteristic of that bond. The fusion of the letters (or the figures) evolves into a singular, yet individually autonomous new form—a delta (literally ‘the door’) which means the mouth of a river or a point of entry a beginning.” (The Asian Manager, 2nd Quarter 2000)

“Pushing the alumni into the forefront of the school...with the alumni playing a key role...has been FAIM’s greatest achievement in its 20 years of existence.” FAIM is the umbrella organization of AIM alumni associations which at present is composed of Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, People’s Republic of China, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, United States of America, and Vietnam. These chapters may further organize alumni branches in their respective countries. FAIM, as an apex organization, provides a crucial link among its alumni chapter members, and between the institute and the alumni chapters. It promotes solidarity and camaraderie among its culturally diverse and diffused constituents through their common goal of supporting AIM and the alumni; communication and teamwork; mobilizing and sharing of resources; and networking. There now exists 25 active AIM alumni chapters in 14 countries under FAIM. The Federation was formally registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 19, 1990. Incumbent FAIM chairman is Mr. Mahendra Pratap Singh, MBM 1976, president of the AIM Alumni AssociationIndia. The Federation holds the FAIM Heads Meeting annually.

Faim Chairmen Through the Years 1978 1979 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993-1994 1995-1996 1997 1998 1999 2000-2002 2003-2004 2005-2010 2010 2011

Jose Ma. Emmanuel J. Fernandez Peng Khoon Yeap Piti Sithi-Amnuai Thomas T.N. Hsi Roberto V. Garcia Robby Djohan Teerachai Chemnasiri Datuk Dr. Ian Chia Kay-Meng Gan Cheong Eng Cipriano S. De Guzman Lai-Fa Hsieh Pashupati Nath Singh Boo Ho Rho Leonard Tanubrata Gan Cheong Eng Robert V. Chandran Christopher Lin Jih-Fung Jose Ma. Emmanuel J. Fernandez Felipe R. Diego Mohan Madhav Phadke Tae-Sook Han Datuk Ir. (Dr.) Mohd. Annas Haji Mohd Nor Ofelia Odilao-Bisnar (Interim) Mahendra Pratap Singh

MBM MDP MDP MDP MBM ABMP MBM MM MBM MBM TMP MM MBM MBM MBM MBM BMP MBM MBM MM MBM MM MBM MBM

1973 1973 1973 1978 1973 1979 1973 1975 1982 1973 1982 1975 1974 1978 1982 1974 1977 1973 1973 1980 1984 1984 1989 1976

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AAAIM

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by Sherbet Katigbak-Manalili, BMP 2005

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE NEARLY 40 YEARS AFTER IT WAS initiated, the Alumni Association of AIM’s fulfillment of its goal remains as impassioned as ever. The Alumni Association of AIM (AAAIM) today is an active and committed organization, proud of its role in supporting the Institute and its alumni members. On record, the AAAIM celebrates its 30th anniversary this year as it was formally established in 1981 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. However, the Association’s history can be traced as far back as 1972. The AAAIM is the brainchild of class 1971, the class that founded the first Student Association at AIM. In the 4th Quarter 2009 issue of the AIM Leader, Mr. Arturo Macapagal, MBM 1971, the first Student Association president and the first AAAIM chairman, shares: “Our class of 1971 started the student association—the first to represent the students. Following the success of the student organization, when we graduated, it was easy to see that an alumni association had to be formed. Thus,

our class initiated the Alumni Association of AIM. We wanted to serve a link between the alumni and the Institute and to recognize alumni...we foresaw that we would have to play a continuing role in the success of the Institute by supporting it and its programs.” As the representative of the largest AIM alumni population, the AAAIM continues to devote time, talent, and treasure to AIM through its participation in various institutional, alumni and students activities and through its support to the fund-raising efforts of AIM. The AAAIM helped in the construction of the AIM Conference Center Manila with a donation of P1,000,000. In 2003, with Mr. Felipe Diego, MBM 1973 as chairman, AAAIM donated P100,000 during the launch of the Alumni Fund for Faculty Development or the “Paw Fund”. As AAAIM chairman in 2005, Mr. Alex Tanwangco, MBM 1973 made a donation of P450,000 to the Alumni Fund for Research and Development for the development of the alumni database. The AAAIM also sponsored the

renovation of the SA Store in the same year. In 2006, AAAIM donated the equivalent of P720,000 worth of Panasonic equipment to the Institute. In 2007, with Mr. Ricardo Pascua as chairman, the AAAIM successfully staged the first Asian Business Conference during the Homecoming Week and raised P1,000,000 for AIM. In 2009, in a Memorandum of Agreement between the AAAIM and AIM, the AAAIM provides an annual donation to AIM for the use of the Alumni Relations Office as its secretariat. Through the AAAIM, many alumni homecomings saw various batch donations. This year, a total of P4,500,000 in pledges were made during the alumni homecoming in February 2011, which represents the highest amount of pledges made during an alumni homecoming event. The AAAIM enters its prime in 2012 with intensified vigor as the alumni are now recognized by the AIM Board of Trustees with seats in its governing body. Mr. Eustacio Orobia, MBM 1971, incumbent AAAIM chairman, shares with other alumni leaders

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seven of the 15 seats in the Board. Mr. Orobia, in his closing remarks during the board induction, stressed the need for stronger support from his fellow alumni. He shared that the AAAIM has started on two main projects involving the Development Committee and the Membership Committee. The Development Committee will help raise funds for AIM while the Membership Committee will identify, invite and organize alumni leaders towards establishing a sustainable, consultative “Alumni Assembly”. The total membership of the AAAIM is 20,874 as of May 2011, of which 4,480 are from degree programs and 16,394 are from non-degree programs. Under the Association are four provincial chapters—Baguio, Cebu, Davao, and Pampanga. With the Association’s interdependent structure with the AIM Alumni Relations Office, AAAIM supports significant AIM initiatives such as enrollment and placement support, AIM brand building, AIM events, and the alumni fundraising campaign for scholarships, infrastructure, research and development, and faculty development. VISION To be the leading Alumni Association of graduate management schools in the Region, supportive of the Institute, the Alumni and the Community. MISSION To build a harmonious AIM Community through responsive leadership and integration with all stakeholders. CREDO We are the biggest stakeholder in the AIM Community, therefore: We make ourselves available to whomever, whenever , wherever, and whatever need access to the networking resource We create value focused on Connectivity with fellow alumni for lifetime friendship Team spirit, shared experience, fellowship Lifelong learning We fully support: AIM’s effort to sustain and enhance leadership in Graduate Management Education AIM’s concern for governance and sound financial practice We demonstrate utmost interest in AIM, its brand, its success, its future. We share responsibility for AIM’s long term welfare. We are a community who knows, loves and shares leadership. We live it.

AAAIM Chairpersons Through the Years 1972-1974 1974-1975 1975-1976 1976-1980 1980-1981 1981-1983 1983-1984 1984-1985 1985-1986 1986-1988 1988-1990 1990-1992 1992-1993 1993-1994 1994-1995 1995-1996 1996-1997 1997-1998 1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012

Arturo R. Macapagal Ramon C. Enrile III Ramoncito Z. Abad Jose Ma. Emmanuel J. Fernandez Antonio S. Valdes Roberto V. Garcia Amelia B. Cabal Philip E. Juico Andrew S. Ong Herminio B. Coloma Rosauro V. Sibal Andrew Z. Gaston Jesli A. Lapus Roland U. Young Ramon J. Farolan Bernadette P. Lomotan Alfred Xerez-Burgos, Jr. Guillermo L. Parayno, Jr. Jose Ma. Emmanuel J. Fernandez Renato S. Martinez Bienvenido M. Araw II Laarni J. Goseco Felipe R. Diego Eduardo L. Banaga Teodoro R. Villanueva Alex F. Tanwangco Ricardo S. Pascua Ramon M. de Vera Gabriel M. Paredes Ofelia Odilao-Bisnar Joselito G. Yabut Eustacio, B. Orobia, Jr.

MBM MDP MBM MBM MM MBM MDP MBM MBM MBM MM MBM MBM MBM MM MBM MBM MBM MBM MM MBM MBM MBM MBM MBM MBM MBM MBM MBM MBM MBM MBM

1971 1972 1973 1973 1977 1973 1978 1973 1975 1978 1977 1970 1973 1974 1975 1974 1971 1977 1973 1996 1973 1989 1973 1979 1973 1973 1971 1973 1972 1989 1979 1971

Officers and Directors

For the period of June 1, 2011 to May 31, 2012, the following are AAAIM’s officers and directors: Chairman Eustacio, B. Orobia, Jr. MBM 1971 Vice Chairman Eduardo N. Sison MBM 1973 Secretary Josephine D. Gomez MBM 1988 Treasurer Francisco E. Lapid ME 2003 Directors Gina V. Barte PPDM’04, Rogelio B. Damasco TMP’88, Cesar M. Espino ME’01, Gary A. Grey MBM’74, Samuel T. Jardin MBM’91, Maria Consolata O. Manding, FSP MDM’94, Ruperto S. Nicdao, Jr. MBM’77, Jose Ma. T. Parroco MM’87, Venie B. Rañosa BMP’81, Aloysius R. Santos MBM’71, Augusto Antonio C. Serafica, Jr. MBM’91 Ex-Officio Joselito G. Yabut MBM 1979 AIM Representative Gregorio J. Atienza MBM 1983

Spotlight Turning Loss to Profitability:

MAGIC

The

DENNIS FIRMANSJAH, MM 1994 President, AIM Alumni Association-Indonesia Vice Chairman, Federation of AIM Alumni Associations

HAT DID IT TAKE TO SAVE ONE OF INDONESIA’S largest finance companies from bankruptcy during the Asian Economic Crisis of 1997? “Hard work,” grins Dani “Dennis” Firmansjah. “You might be in a tough situation, but you must always keep your mind on the task at hand—that is, workable and timely decisions must be made without delay.” Hailing from the class of 1994 of AIM’s Master in Management program, Dennis has been recognized as one of the institution’s outstanding alumni as featured in “The Asian Manager” in 2005. Ever modest, quiet and self-effacing, yet deep and full of wisdom that only experience can bestow, Dennis believes that dedication, commitment and focus are the keys to success in any endeavor. Indeed, he has left each company he been involved with, with ledgers better than before he came in. Despite seemingly insurmountable odds, Dennis has always come up on top. However, he claims that nothing excellent can be done alone: “In anything we do, remember that it will only excel if we do it together.” Formation Even as an “ordinarily naughty boy”, Dennis learned the value of dedication, integrity, and commitment, and credits his parents for instilling these in him and being a role model. Graduating from Stamford College in Singapore, his latent abilities did not go unnoticed. He was of particular interest to Francis Lay Sioe Ho, another AIM graduate and CEO of BFI Finance Indonesia Tbk., who eventually sponsored Dennis’ AIM education. “It’s hard for me to select a favorite professor” laughs Dennis recalling his days as an AIM student. “For me, they were all very good mentors.” His time at AIM was marked by periods of intense learning, combined with moments of fun and laughter. “It was all good” he says. “Those moments when somebody would say something during a discussion that would make everyone laugh really served to make the entire experience more interesting and lively.” Of particular interest to young Dennis were the case studies, where his mind was opened to a myriad of new and vastly different takes on the subject. “Sometimes I was really amazed,” he relates. “It was amazing to hear another person’s take on the same topic; it

was amazing hearing them speak out of their own learning and experiences.” For Dennis, there was such a barrage of insightful and meaningful anecdotes that he cannot pick out any particular ones. “It’s hard to remember a particular one because there were so many,” he laughs. Dennis left the AIM, a graduate of batch ‘94, thoroughly prepared to tackle and immerse himself in the corporate world. The time for theory was over. Now came the tests, to measure what Dennis had learned, and if he had learned them well. Fulfilling Episodes Life after AIM presented Dennis with numerous, significant roles in the financial sector. He became Senior Lease Officer and Chief Representative of the Surabaya office of PT Saseka Gelora Finance (SGF) until 1985, and in 1991 he was appointed as Director of PT BFI Finance Indonesia Tbk, one of the top listed finance companies in Indonesia. His stint with the company that sponsored his AIM education provided him the chance to prove his management mettle. With Dennis at its helm, PT BFI Finance Indonesia Tbk became one of the very few finance companies that was able to penetrate the market outside the capital city since 1987. Dennis was also able to successfully implement a real time on-line connection in some operational branches in 1996, through a software development project amounting to USD 2.5 million assisted by Andersen Consulting. Barely three years after graduating from AIM, Dennis was given the golden opportunity of becoming the CEO of PT Saseka Gelora Finance (SGF), a subsidiary company owned by CIMB Niaga, the 5th largest private bank in Indonesia. A boutique finance company with approximately 50 employees, SGF concentrated on heavy equipment financing primarily in the energy and infrastructure sectors. As CEO from 1997-2006, his stint with the company presented the biggest personal challenge for Dennis as the Asian Financial crisis gripped the region, with fears of a worldwide economic meltdown in 1997. “AIM helped my career shine excellently through the application of what I learned in the MM class, particularly in reviewing and analyzing so many problems related to the economic crisis that happened in 1997-1998,” he recalls gratefully. Dennis was faced with the task of salvaging Saseka “The Magic of...” continued on page 74 >>

Words by Isagani Eliezer Manikan | Photo by Jovel Lorenzo

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;In anything we do, remember that it will only excel if we do it together.â&#x20AC;?

Spotlight

â&#x20AC;&#x153;My entire tenure of study at AIM was indeed a very resourceful and beneficial experience that ultimately transformed and elevated me to become the person that I am today.â&#x20AC;?

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The Consummate

LEADER GENERAL DATUK HJ ZULKIFLI BIN HJ ZAINAL ABIDIN, MM 1998

ARELY THREE MONTHS AFTER HAVING BEEN appointed as the Chief of Army, Malaysia on June 14, 2011, General Datuk Hj Zulkifli Bin Hj Zainal Abidin’s first wish, upon paying an official visit to the Philippines, was to visit the Asian Institute of Management, the school where he attained his Master in Management degree in 1998. On September 29, 2011, straight from the airport and in full military regalia, the bright, cheerful and eminent General proceeded to the Lopez caseroom to generously share his insights and experiences with the MM students and professors whom the General remembers by name to this day. It was a nostalgic experience for the General. Thirteen years after his graduation, he still remembers the kind lady guard at the dorm whom he would connive with to allow him to heat up his halal meals. With eyes glistening at the center of the caseroom where he remembered his verbal battles with his classmates, Gen. Zul exclaimed, “It is indeed breathtaking to once again be on familiar grounds—a place that holds a very special place in my heart. Boots on the Ground General Datuk Haji Zulkifli bin Haji Zainal Abidin was born on November 30, 1958 in Perak. A long and dedicated career in the military awaited him as, when he was an aspiring 20 year old, he was commissioned into the Royal Malay Regiment on December 21, 1978 after successfully completing his cadet officer training at the Royal Military College in Kuala Lumpur. With his exceptional leadership abilities, General Zul rose from the ranks and was selected to hold important staff appointments such as Commanding Officer of the 24th as well as the 6th Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment, Principle Staff Officer to the Chief of Defence Forces, and Head of Management and Policy at the Army Headquarters and Armed Forces Headquarters. In 1997, to compliment his leadership skills, General Zul entered the Asian Institute of Management as a student of the Master in Management Program. Of his student experiences, it is the case study that he remembers best. “I had to read hundreds of pages and do number crunching for many weeks. Initially it was difficult because it was not my forte. In the military we handled things differently—we were always ‘boots on the ground’. But when we came here [to AIM], we had to do papers. And changing our mindsets took a while. The learning curve was

slow, expensive, and tedious, but with discipline and the help of friends and professors, I later learned to like it”, he laughs. General Zul also remembers his walkabout, and pretending to be Filipino. “My friends and I would go to Makati Cinema Square because I wanted to have the feel of the environment. As my walkabout was on cleaning, I wore slippers for almost two weeks, boarding the jeepney to go around, behaving like a Filipino so that I could understand the environment and know the core competencies and issues”. Apparently the General thoroughly enjoyed his experiences pretending to be a Filipino, speaking Tagalog, accepted by the majority as one with his brown complexion, visiting the wet market and developing a liking for bangus (milk fish) and labuyo (native chili). By the end of his MM studies, General Zul realized that he had become a better individual and professional officer after tackling 250 case studies conducted throughout the course. “A major aspect of this achievement was that it developed in me the ability to think quickly, analyze critically and adapt swiftly to a particular problem or issue at-hand, and subsequently arrive at the best course of actions or remedial measures to be undertaken”, he shares upon hindsight. “I must admit that through my journey of the Master of Management course at AIM, I am able to literally identify symptoms versus diseases and diagnose quickly the essence of an ensuing situation so that it can be addressed accordingly”. His lessons at AIM further enhanced his command, leadership and management skills, and he is profuse in acknowledging the school in making him a better individual. “My entire tenure of study at AIM was indeed a very resourceful and beneficial experience that ultimately transformed and elevated me to become the person that I am today”. Rising to the Top After graduating from AIM, General Zul continued to excel in local and overseas courses he attended throughout his career. In addition to his MM degree at AIM, some of the notable courses he pursued were the Defence Management Course in Australia in 2003, the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) in the United Kingdom in 2005-2006, the Senior International Defence Management Course in Monterey, USA in 2008 and the Senior Executives Course in National and International Security at the Harvard Kennedy School, USA, in 2010. “The Consummate Leader” continued on page 74 >>

Words by Isagani Eliezer Manikan | Photo by Angelo Ongchua

Spotlight

ENGAGING the Alumni

EUSTACIO B. OROBIA JR., MBM 1971 Chairman, Alumni Association of AIM-Philippines

HE AIM ALUMNI ASSOCIATION IS ON A MISSION of pride. Believing that one’s involvement in school shouldn’t end after every two-year course, the association is currently going the extra mile to ensure that campus pride is alive among graduates, and that the school simultaneously benefits. At the helm of this movement is Eustacio ‘Jun’ Orobia Jr.— a familiar campus figure, and whose rare personality of being both fiery and likable earned him the honor of becoming the newest chairman over other AIM Alumni. Of course, Mr. Orobia’s reputation is backed by an impressive list of career milestones—former President, COO and Vice Chairman of the government arm People’s Credit and Finance Corporation, Director for strategic business development of World of Wellness Inc., EVP of Philamcare Health Systems Inc., former Chairman of the National Commission of Culture and the Arts, and General Manager, VP and Managing Director of Citadel and Company Inc. Orobia is part of MBM Class of 1971—considered to be one of the pioneers of the Institution. He graduated with a degree in Economics at the Ateneo University in 1966, and worked for Shell prior to becoming an MBM student in AIM. Even with these flurry of achievements though, Mr. Orabia’s vision for the AIM Alumni Association is simple enough—restructure the association to allow more venues for students and graduates to be involved. His experience however, assures a strategic approach to this goal, and is something to look forward to. “It is time that we give back to the school after everything that’s been done for us. I think my main job now is to help the school focus on our target, our vision. If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll be running around in circles. As Chairman, I automatically sit with the Board of Trustees. I get to know what’s happening and have a hand on decisions concerning the school. This could help me create more concrete plans for the Association,” he said. Although AIM continues to be one of the top institutions for a post-graduate degree in Business Management, the alumni chairman sees so many opportunities for growth— particularly in policy making. “What our group can do is offer strategic help. We can create a development committee to get the alumni more involved in the requirements of the school. There should be engage-

ment in organizing seminars to ensure continuous sharing of knowledge. We have a treasure trove of experts – from real estate, mining, banking, to housing—all of whom can help in the transfer of knowledge among the AIM community.” The Development Committee is also seen to take charge of funding projects to help the school produce better students such as supporting student funds, as well as organizing more seminars and workshops to help students outside the classrooms. “We can do this better if we have more people involved, which is why we are organizing the Alumni Assembly this November. This will pave the way for the creation of another structure in between the Alumni Association and the School Administration. There will now be a representative for every graduating class. They will handle and bring up the ideas of the class to the board. With this kind of free-flowing information, I believe that you can do more for the school,” he said. Campus Passion Clearly passionate on the state of the campus, Mr. Orobia owes this all to the advantage he got by simply spending two of his best years in the academic life. “As early as the end of January before I graduated, I was already receiving so many calls for interviews—simply because I was a student in AIM. We used to send out our class book of resumes, where there was a page for each student. We sent them out to different companies. I got 18 to 19 companies interested in me. At that time, the school gave us a very good edge. It was a seller’s market. Walang kalaban ang AIM (AIM had no competitor). And the fact that the AIM program was in conjunction with the Harvard Business School, we became very marketable,” he said. “What’s more, AIM brought me closer to my roots. I knew I wanted to take up post-graduate studies, and I was contemplating on going to the US for that. But I knew I was going to burden my parents, and I’d feel so homesick. AIM opened an opportunity for me to get great education without having to go so far,” he said. Of course, the knowledge and skills he acquired also became his tools for success. “When you finish in AIM you become a generalist—you know it was a big step to graduate there because it didn’t only open doors, it gave me the confidence and tools to use in run“Engaging The Alumni” continued on page 76 >>

Words by Mae Lorraine Rafols | Photo by Jovel Lorenzo

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“It is time that we give back to the school after everything that’s been done for us. I think my main job now is to help the school focus on our target, our vision.”

Spotlight

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Cultivating

Alumni in Kunming HUABIN HU, MDM 1998

Chapter Head, AIM Alumni Association-Kunming

F THERE ARE ANY MISGIVINGS AMONG PEOPLE IN the natural sciences about finding a place for themselves at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), botanist Dr. Huabin Hu’s stint at the premier institution could easily dispel these. The 48-year-old Ethnobotany professor at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG), the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) took his Master of Development Management (MDM) at the AIM on a scholarship from the Ford Foundation in 1997. Dr. Hu, who was at that time “purely a researcher”, said he pursued further studies at the institute because he “lacked skills and knowledge about management”. “Also, a Master degree, at least, was required for young scientists working in any Institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,” he added. Fourteen years after entering the school, Dr. Hu—who subsequently earned his PhD at the Kunming Institute of Botany, CAS—attests that his AIM education has equipped him with skills that he now uses in his line of work “It really helps. [It develops] analytical skills, particularly those cases we learned in the first module, including environmental, financial, marketing, operational and intuitive analysis.” These, he added, “are fundamental skills and knowledge”. Like many who walked the halls of AIM before him and many that come after him, Dr. Hu remembers his share of case packs and the Written Analysis of Cases well. “It was quite difficult to adapt after massive reading,” he said. He also remembers the ‘damayan’ at the Institute for the “team work and spirit” that it fosters. Among his professors, he singles out Tomas Lopez for “his sense of humor and his effort to encourage students to speak up”. Dr. Hu’s time at the AIM illustrates the symbiosis between the institute and its students. Having entered AIM at a period when the institute welcomed more cases on China, Dr. Hu was able to provide some during his stay. A paper on tea processing units which he submitted for an exam was later converted into a case on Operations Management. “It was created based on my experience working in the botanical garden. It was distributed to MDM students who came after me, and might be still in use,” he said.

Similarly, his management research report (MRR), “An Intervention Strategy Towards Tourism Development and Biodiversity Conservation for Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve, Yunnan, China”, was later converted into a case. Discussing the highlights of his MRR, Dr. Hu notes that “conservation needs support from all sectors”. “I just did some environmental analysis—external and internal, as taught in CDM. The nature reserve is unique and important in China. Xishuangbanna is famous for its natural [biological & geographical] and cultural [ethnic] diversity, attracting tourists from all over the world,” he said. “Therefore, tourism development can be an opportunity to help the nature reserve, hence, the entire MRR had a good story, and could put what I learned from AIM into the MRR,” he added. Along with his work as a professor at the Ethnobotany Research Group at XTBG, Dr. Hu is also an assistant director. He also served as director at the botanical garden’s Department of Research Planning and Foreign Affairs. At various times, he served as a visiting scientist in the USA, Scotland, and the Philippines. In 2002, he was tapped by the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. In 1991, he was a visiting scientist at the Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of the Philippines, and from 1987 to 1988, he was connected with the Department of Forestry, University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Dr. Hu’s path to plant science began while he was growing up in the plains of Huanggang in the province of Hubei in Central China, which he describes as being “by the Yangtze river, very hot in the summer”. “I often went to see my grandma-in-law, and had [the opportunity] to go hunting in the forest with my uncle-inlaw. The shade and smell of the pine forest gave me excellent memories, although I do not like climbing,” he said. “That was probably the reason I chose to study forestry.” When he turned 16, he left for Hunan to pursue his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree at Central South Forestry University in the provincial capital of Changsha. Although the call of plant science separated him from his family, he didn’t turn back. In 1983, he moved southwest, working as a research assistant at Yunnan Institute of Botany, “Cultivating Alumni in Kunming” continued on page 77 >>

Words by Jennee Grace Rubrico | Photo Courtesy of Huabin Hu

>> “The Magic of...” continued from page 66

Galora Finance, which was established in 1981, from the Asian Economic Crisis at the turn of the millennium. With the collapse of the Thai Baht, several Southeast Asian nations were faced with an economic slump; among those most powerfully hit was Dennis’s home country, Indonesia. Yet in less than a decade, and with Dennis’ superb leadership and decision-making skills, the company escaped bankruptcy as he turned the company from a loss position of about USD 13 million in 1998 into profitability in a relatively short time. In 1999, while many other finance companies still struggled with its bank loans settlement and problematic accounts, Saseka Galora Finance started its lending again, and had fully paid all outstanding bank facilities of over USD 100 million owed by the company to various foreign banks. In the face of overwhelming odds, Dennis’ tenacity allowed the company to turn to profit from 2002 onwards. This episode is, to date, Dennis’ most fulfilling professional experience. “Managing a company during the bad times and turning it into a going concern in a relatively short period of time was challenging,” he muses. “But I knew that the company could survive with the cash flow even through the equity was negative.” Dennis’ penchant for turning around companies from loss to profitability in a short period of time gave him a reputable name in Indonesia’s financial sector as he was again tasked to be the CEO of PT IFS Capital Indonesia, a subsidiary company owned by IFS Capital group of companies in 2006. Again, his sharp financial acumen enabled PT IFS Capital Indonesia to achieve profitability in 2008 and 2009, from a loss position in 2006 and 2007, by successfully booking a strong client base of more than 25. A non-performing loan ratio was maintained at less than 1% and the company’s portfolio of assets from leasing transactions grew phenomenally from USD 5 million to USD 20 million. When asked about what his secret is in being able to turn around troubled finance companies in a short period of time, Dennis humbly replies, “Continue to make the situations workable and provide timely decisions without delay.” Indeed, his perseverance, determination and an indefatigable will to succeed has provided magic in Dennis’ professional life. Management Style Currently the Chief Executive Officer of

PT Indosurya Finance, a newly established finance company in the leasing and factoring business, Dennis envisions the company to be an active player in tandem with Indonesia’s growing economy. As a leader, Dennis values people with a “clear vision and high integrity, who always find ways to improve anything he/she does and never gives up.” When conflicts arise, Dennis uses his superior interpersonal skills to resolve multiple and complex issues. He acknowledges that though conflicts are inevitable in any organization, he subscribes to compromising when necessary to placate both parties. As a dynamic, results-oriented leader, Dennis shares that his most valued professional trait is integrity. “Maintaining high integrity in every aspect of life, and making decisions which will always be for a better future for our family, work, community and country is what’s important,” he emphasizes. In addition, Dennis appreciates being focused and meticulous with the tasks at hand, “but not limited to ‘right sizing’ the activities and the manpower requirements of course,” he smiles. Being compassionate and people centered is also one of Dennis’ assets as he makes sure that he motivates his staff to give their best performance. “I always tell them that they are part of a great team, and that all team members need one another to achieve the company’s goals successfully.” Thus, for Dennis, the most difficult aspect of his job is retiring people. “Getting rid of people in our organization is always the hardest part. However, if that action will help the company’s survival, then I need to do it though it is a most unpopular action and decision to take.” AIM Alumni Indonesia As the President of the AIM Alumni Chapter in Indonesia under the Federation of AIM Alumni, Dennis was elected as Vice Chairman of FAIM in February 2011 during its Annual General Meeting. When asked what the chapter’s plans are for the Institute, Dennis enthusiastically shares, “I would like to continue supporting AIM in sustaining and improving its image as one of the best business schools in the region. Some of our alumni hold strategic positions in banking, finance, media, and social networking in Indonesia, which will certainly help the AIM reputation to shine.” He would also like to streamline the process of the Triple A Award which, he comments, “seems too complicated at the moment.” As the most prestigious

recognition given by FAIM and AIM to outstanding alumni, Dennis now sits as a member of the screening committee of the AIM Alumni Achievement Award. On the academic front, Dennis would like to “Bring to the attention of all the faculty that the world now changes every second. They should continue to deliver their best method of ‘case method teaching’ to make a great impact to their students.” For the future alumni, Dennis advises the students to “study hard, play hard; contribute hard to achieve the best result in your future career. Focus on what you are doing and do not give up easily.” Though playing hard has always been part of Dennis’ regimen, he confesses that “spending time with the family on weekends is the best time for me.” He relaxes by travelling to remote areas and reading books on successful management such as “Leading Leaders” by Jeswald W. Salacuse and “How To Run Your Business by The Book” by Dave Anderson. And his future plans? This outstanding alumnus who is never easily satisfied and always finds new ways of doing things to improve each aspect of life muses: “I would like to be a part of significant leadership and management practice through continuous learning.” And perhaps, he offers a glimpse of his magic as he ends with his favorite adage: “In anything we do, remember that we would excel if we do it together.”

>> “The Consummate Leader” continued from page 69

A challenging yet rewarding career also awaited General Zul as he continued his commitment to excellence and service, becoming Commandant of the Army Recruit Training Centre, Commander of the 7th Infantry Brigade, Vice Chancellor of the National Defence University of Malaysia from 2008-2010 and Deputy Chief of Army. He is also currently Adjunct Professor of the Perlis University of Malaysia. In June 2011, Gen Zul’s exceptional leadership and skills were recognized when he was appointed to one of the most eminent posts in the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) as the Chief of Army, Malaysia. He is the 24th Army Chief in the MAF’s history. As a cerebral and well-balanced General who uses both his mind and heart in decision making, General Zul shared his challenges in his greatest role so far as Chief

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of the Malaysian Army. “One is to bring up the intellectual capacity of the soldiers through the National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS). Personnel must be equipped with the latest ‘know-how’ to stay ahead of the various security threats and to be able to anticipate emerging ones”. With 64% of the Malaysian Army belonging to the “Y Generation,” the General also finds security for the environment as another challenge. “The threat is no longer limited to securing the borders from transnational activities,” he shares. “It also includes cyberspace and is no longer confined to the battlefields of the past. Newer forms of threats have emerged and will continue to surface, especially with the advent of information and communication technology”. Aside from economic challenges, the General also cites transparency as another issue to confront. “You must be transparent and yet you are in the security service- how do you balance that? You must be able to convince them that whatever you are doing is good for them”. To do that, the General believes that it is no longer good to just take someone from the street and turn him into a soldier. “They need to have training”, he emphasizes. “For those in the lower rank, Malaysia is now open for tertiary education —a private can have a degree, some of them even masters. The government is also using e-learning for advancement. Moreover, awareness as well as a better understanding among the staff of all security organizations will be crucial to accelerate national security and development”, he adds. “Jointness and a ‘Whole Nation’ approach can only be realized if everyone involved is adequately trained and exposed”. He proposes the creation of a post-graduate course on security and development for key personnel of the various agencies, and hopes that the Malaysian National Defence University can undertake this endeavor. The Philosophy of Space General Zul is grateful to the military for significant learning experiences that have enabled him to grow as an individual, and to define himself in the overall scheme of things. “For one, I was given the opportunity to know my breaking point. I now know my limits!” he laughs. “Second, the military has provided me with tertiary education. I now have the intellectual capacity because I have gone through the mill. And third is exposure: combining psychomotor skills and tertiary training— the physical and the mental!”

His vast education and experiences have contributed much to his cultural sensitivity and a new kind of military thinking based on the National Blue Ocean Strategy which he shared with the MM students during his visit to AIM (Ed: See related article in this issue). The General admits that AIM also had something to do with this kind of thinking. “Always I would draw experiences from the cases”, he shares. “Not 100%, but basically I look at the points of the cases, the silhouette of the cases—to pull out and bring to my environment, to provide me with a helicopter view. I can draw experience from the forest of the cases, the silhouette of the cases, the tree of the cases to pull out and apply in my everyday challenges”. General Zul also shared his distinct leadership style, “I have this philosophy —the philosophy of space. As the Chief of Army, I must adhere to the philosophy of space—one is spherical space, one is mental space”, he explains. “Because of the nature of the job, the skills in the Army is diverse. And sometimes if you are not

“At the end of the day, I call the shots using my guts—guided by science and heart, and both sides of my brain—I use all of them” careful, you are skilled only to a certain extent. I have the armour, the artillery, and the engineers with me—how do I balance that? I must allow them to speak on their space first, then I have to be the general”. “When they submit their study and forward me their solutions I must respect their space. I analyze the quantitative and qualitative factors, and the numbers crunching comes in,” he smiles referring to a familiar AIM term. “At the end of the day, I call the shots using my guts—guided by science and heart, and both sides of my brain—I use all of them”. As an empowering leader, Gen. Zul makes sure that his people can exercise directive control. “I give my people tolerance as long as they are in the middle of the bell curve”, he shares. “I give them space, and that is the powerful thing I do every day”. Another leadership skill, one that is not taught intrinsically is what the General calls the “philosophy of extreme”. “For example”, he cites, “in buying equipment, militarily you will say that this equipment is good and will enable you to do 150% better. But the government says ‘I want to give you equipment that will make you do

100% better!’ So, the ‘opportunity cost’could be channeled or transferred to some other aspect that is much more beneficial for the country. That is the paradox—the philosophy of extreme—you overcome the paradox, you gain the wisdom. Nobody taught you that. I must strike a balance between becoming a military general and a statesman”. Inspiration and Dedication As a devout Muslim, General Zul draws his leadership inspiration from the Koran, “Because that is the doctrine I look at, and my teacher would be Muhammad. In everything I do, I go back to that perspective: My relationship with God, and my relationship with the rest of the world”. As a devoted husband, General Zul makes sure that he shares at least one meal a day with his wife, Datin Hajjah Rusnah binti Haji A. Rahman. The couple is blessed with four children, two daughters and two sons; three are studying at the university and one is in secondary school. During weekends, the General enjoys bonding with his family, and plays golf, goes hunting or putters around the family garden. “Golf and prayer is the best therapy for my mental relaxation”, he smiles. “I also make it a point to go to Mecca with my family every year if I could. At least I have a week every year to repent”. In inspiring young students who wish to follow in his giant footsteps, the General has this to say: “Be critical and serious with your case studies. No discussion is right or wrong. The caseroom will provide you with a direct answer that you will be able to use outside”. In concluding his talk with the students last September 29 at the Lopez caseroom, General Zul expressed his profound appreciation to the Institute, and inspired the students to do well. “As a graduate of this Institute, I can proudly acknowledge that AIM has churned out professionals like me not just for the MAF and Malaysia in particular, but also to other countries worldwide”, he shares. “As current members of AIM, let me say that you are truly part of an organization that is custodian to the creation of professionals in all fields and works of life—each contributing significantly to their individual countries, organizations or establishments. I am speaking on behalf of the MAF, whereby graduates of this Institute are doing extremely well in their individual appointments back home. So, thank you AIM for continuously developing professionals of world class standards”.

ance’s reporting is that the more efficient and automated it is, the greater the benefits for the transaction bank’s corporate clients. banks for a particular jurisdiction increases More timely balance reporting in even the the likelihood of higher levels of functionality remotest locations translates into faster and and service—and lower costs. By contrast, if better use of corporate cash. multiple small local banks have to be used, these are less likely to be able to offer feaCompliance tures such as automated connectivity. From Compliance is an area where global the transaction bank’s perspective, having transaction banks will typically be to maintain numerous small low volume alli- extremely conservative when choosing ance relationships in order to provide service alliances and because of the potential in a particular country is costly and inefreputational risks to themselves will expect ficient; having fewer larger relationships with high standards. They will therefore be technically oriented bank alliance partners particularly alert to any possible probity is obviously preferable. issues relating to the bank alliance’s senior officers and will be careful to ensure that Reporting the alliance has a good track record with From a corporate viewpoint, the quality the local regulatory bodies. of an alliance’s reporting is of paramount On the operational side, they should importance. If of a high standard it will also be taking a close interest in the qualfacilitate corporate STP, but can also be ity of the alliance’s disaster recovery and leveraged to reduce working capital and backup planning. A more recent compliance enhance returns on liquidity. Therefore, any consideration is the technological capabilitransaction bank worth its salt needs to be ties relating to anti money laundering. For particularly thorough when assessing this instance, while many alliances will have aspect of an alliance’s performance. basic SWIFT capabilities, they may not as The alliance’s ability to capture transac- yet be able to handle the new SWIFT COV tion information that can be transmitted to message types. the transaction bank and ultimately to its corporate client for reconciliation purposes Counterparty Risk is vital. The format in which this information The financial stability of alliances is is transmitted is similarly important. Most obviously of concern to both transaction global transaction banks will ideally prefer banks and their corporate clients alike. One their own internal format to be used in order method of assessing the credit risk of a bank to minimise any translation issues and to alliance is to examine the spread between expedite transmission on to the corporate its credit rating and its domestic market’s client. However, common standards such as sovereign rating. For example, if an alliance SWIFT MT940s are also acceptable—espeis two rating levels below the sovereign ratcially given the number of large corporations ing, this would be regarded as acceptable by starting to adopt SWIFT formats themselves. most global transaction banks, but probably The corollary to this is connectivity; not if it were four rating levels below. which transport mechanism will the alliance Any corporate seeing its transactions use? Probably the most convenient for the flowing through an alliance network should transaction bank and also the one that will have confidence that its transaction bank facilitate the timeliest onward transmission does not regard the credit assessment to the corporate client is direct host to host of alliances as an occasional exercise. connectivity. By contrast, at the opposite Particularly in the aftermath of the credit extreme, a local bank that can only provide crisis, it should go without saying that this is paper deposit slips (and expects the transac- undertaken regularly. tion bank to scan these) is certainly not the This regular diligence isn’t just a best alliance around. question of guarding against capital losses Other factors include the frequency of (many multinationals will tightly cap the the alliance’s reporting cycle, the incidence amount of their cash that can be held with of delays in submitting reports and the local banks anyway); it is also very much accuracy of data capture. The very best in an operational matter. The operational and class local banks can operate to a very high reputational risks for a major corporate of standard in this respect, so corporates can suddenly finding that it can make neither expect them to have a frequent or even real- payments or collections in a particular time reporting cycle. country due to an alliance failure are The over arching point about an alliobviously considerable. >> “It Is Your Business To Know...” continued from page 34

Conclusion In view of the complexities of cash management in Asia, a global transaction bank may easily find itself maintaining a network of possibly dozens of alliances in the region in order to service the cash management needs of their corporate clients. The quality of its network management therefore obviously has a huge influence on the quality of service the corporate client ultimately receives. As such, the corporate treasury will understandably have high expectations for its transaction bank’s use of bank alliances. To be certain that this is delivered in practice, the corporate treasury needs to be prepared not only to evaluate the offering of the transaction bank, but also to understand the dependency of that offering on bank alliances delivering what they have undertaken with the transaction bank.

>> “Engaging The Alumni” cont. from page 70

ning and managing a corporation, or an entity. It helped me judge opportunities better.” At the time of his graduation, Mr. Orobia was offered a post in two big companies— a local business, and one multinational group. It was with AIM’s guidance that helped him choose. “I was able to decide carefully. The school helped me focus. If I chose the multinational company, my career path would have been regional. If local, I’d be working directly with the chairman and know what the business is all about, from a Filipino point of view. With a multinational, everything is so structured. I went with the Filipino company (Citadel), because I knew I’d be learning more things that will shape my career in the end.” The decision proved to be life-changing as it honed his principles in business, which he applies in all his endeavors. “It strengthened my personality in marketing. It also showed me the importance of always having a plan. When you have a good plan, all you have to worry about is execution. AIM taught me that having a plan means you need to study it first carefully. That’s how I do things—you need to have a good organization.” The business connection is also another plus that Mr. Orobia is thankful for in AIM. After an unfortunate episode in 1990 when he lost his right vision, the alumni chairman had to resign in his current company then. “I couldn’t keep up with the company’s development. My condition was really a disadvantage,” he said. This didn’t hinder him however from be-

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ing successful in other fields. He started doing consultation jobs for other companies— many of which are owned by former AIM classmates. His consultation stint allowed him to work with other batchmates like Joey Medina for the People’s Credit and Finance Corporation, and who was also part of MBM ’71, as well as other personalities like Jesli Lapus, MBM ‘73, then Landbank president. The Principles of Success More than good planning however, Mr. Orobia also pressed on the importance of two important marketing requirements which he hopes will help him in running the Alumni Association: people skills and good communication skills. “You should know how to deal with people from all levels of the business, while good communication skills can help you get your message and what you need across. These are very basic; if you have good communication skills and know how to deal with people you’ll always be ok. You’ll never go wrong.” He shared that AIM enhanced his people and communication skills, giving him a management edge in handling various entities. “After graduating, you’ll feel confident in running a company. It doesn’t matter if it’s small, start-up, big, going down—it doesn’t matter if you’re a turnaround president or developmental manager, once you graduate from AIM, you can do it.”

>> “Cultivating Alumni” cont. from page 73

Chinese Academy of Sciences until 1987. Immediately after that, he became a research fellow at Kunming Institute of Ecology, CAS, and later a deputy director of the Department of Plant Ecology. “After I studied, the place I worked in was even farther (from my family) than before. I tried to see them every chance I could,” he said. He added that now that he is based in Xishuangbanna, “I am a frequent flyer between Xishuangbanna and Kunming,” where his wife works. “I value family life more than office work,” he said. Nonetheless, his family is supportive of what he does, he said. “I always got support from my family whenever necessary,” he said, noting that his son, who is now 22 years old, did not follow in his footsteps. “My son is...studying at Yunnan Art College, major in drama performance,” he shared.

Despite saying that he found “nothing exciting” about his job at XTBG, where he has been connected since 1983, Dr. Hu revealed that he has seen many changes in the “remote institution” over the years. As assistant director, he helps in the formulation of mid-term development plans, overseeing and supervising the financial and state asset management division and developing key research project proposals, he said. “As a professor, [I] do research and supervise graduate students on Ethnobotany and biodiversity conservation as well as supervise some young staff members to develop and maintain plant databases,” he added. Among the 16 publications that he authored and co-authored, he mentions one that tackles food chemistry. The paper, which was published this year, covers a preliminary assessment of antioxidant activity of young edible leaves of seven Ficus species in the ethnic diet in Xishuangbanna. “As a corresponding author, I helped one of my students successfully publish a good article,” he said. Dr. Hu does not consider himself a prolific researcher. He nevertheless says: “Although I am not a productive researcher, I still have some experiences to share.” “The most challenging thing as a researcher is to tell a ’story’ and disseminate it to the scientific circle. The key is to explain to everybody why it is worth studying,” he added. Asked what he liked most about his job, Dr. Hu said that he once had to transform one division from the bottom up so that it resulted in improvements in the annual performance of all divisions. Budgeting his time and energy, meanwhile, is his biggest challenge. “During the last five years, I’ve had too much work to do, [being] overloaded with administrative work, project management, student supervision, and also, I had to accomplish my own PhD program,” he said. To relax, he makes sure he gets a good night’s rest. He also points out that he works in an environment that is quite calming. “Working in the botanical garden is like relaxing in paradise,” he declared. The scientist also makes time for singing folk songs with friends and playing volleyball. Dr. Hu, whose favorite book is Steven R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, says he considers Chinese leaders Zhu Rongji and Deng Xiaoping his ideal managers. “They have changed China and influenced the world,” he said. He noted that during his time in office,

Premier Zhu was a tough administrator who saw to the continued double-digit growth of China’s economy and was instrumental in the country’s increased assertiveness in international affairs. Meanwhile, Deng, the Paramount leader of China from 1978 to 1992, was a reformer who led the country towards a market economy, he said. “I think Zhu’s success is mainly based on his technical/intellectual knowledge, and Deng’s success is because of his belief in truth and loyalty to the country,” he said. “They are the great administrators I admire. They reshaped China with their beliefs, wisdom and intelligence,” he reiterated. However, he does not adopt their management style, he said, adding that “they can only be admired”. As a manager, Dr. Hu believes in empowering his people by delegating work to staff members after understanding and clarifying the processes and procedures. It doesn’t end there, however, as he stressed that managers would then have to “provide help and necessary support” to their people. He noted that it was common to have “unclear responsibilities among administrative divisions” and added that this is remedied by first solving the problems, then “making the responsibility clear to the related divisions”. As the head of the AIM Alumni Association Head of Kunming (AAK), Dr. Hu wants to keep the association active. “I plan to keep the Association alive and keep alumni communicating through appropriate channels,” he said, adding that he would want the group to meet regularly as a “club”. “I’m hoping that everybody is doing well, particularly, and that some of us can become ‘emergent’ people in the future,” he said, explaining that he would like to see some of the alumni become influential or wellknown either for their academic research or for public service. “When the AAK meets, we are always talking about these matters, although it is not officially communicated,” he said. Meanwhile, he has these words of wisdom for AIM students: “Be prepared to read as much as possible; try to speak up in the classroom and participate actively in group activities.” Career advancement, he says, is like driving. “Maneuvering a car needs good coordination of the eyes, hands and feet. In accordance with regulations, proper decisions are based on wise judgments,” he said, adding that “learning is a lifelong process.”

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Chief Justice of Malaysia Launches LexisNexis Guidebook on Writing Judgments at the Palace of Justice, Putrajaya PUTRAJAYA, July 14, 2011— LexisNexis® (www.lexisnexis. com.my), a leading global provider of content-enabled workflow solutions, announced the launch of its new publication, Writing of Judgments: A Practical Guide for Courts and Tribunals. This definitive guide on writing judgments was launched by The Right Honourable Tun Dato’ Seri Zaki bin Tun Azmi, chief justice of the Federal Court, Malaysia, at the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya, on 14 July 2011. The event was also attended by Y.Bhg Dato’ Hashim bin Hamzah, chief registrar for Federal Court of Malaysia, senior members of the judiciary, legal practitioners and academicians.

Designed to help judges and other judicial decision makers on the proper way to write judgments within a tight timeline, the book presses upon the importance of being direct and also contains many practical tips to simplify the task of composing judgments. Illustrated richly with references to material from the Commonwealth and Asia-Pacific jurisdictions, the main aim of the publication is to provide an overview of how judgements are written in jurisdictions around the world and to recommend a form of standardisation in the writing of judgements of courts and tribunals. “This book successfully demystifies the process of writing PHOTO: WWW.THESTAR.COM.MY

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judgments and provides a clear and comprehensive guide to good judgment writing,” said Norainni Abdul Rahman, director of Publishing, LexisNexis, during her opening remarks at the launch. The book is authored by Dato’ Syed Ahmad Idid, former judge of the High Courts of Borneo and Malaya and the director of the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration (KLRCA), who has also authored books on the banking and arbitration law. Writing of Judgments: A Practical Guide for Courts and Tribunals is now available for sale via the LexisNexis online bookstore http:// www.lexisnexis.com/store/my/ the Bar Council bookshop and all major bookstores. About LexisNexis LexisNexis® (www.lexisnexis. com) is a leading global provider of content-enabled workflow solutions designed specifically for professionals in the legal, risk management, corporate, government, law enforcement, accounting, and academic markets. LexisNexis originally pioneered online information with its Lexis® and Nexis® services. A member of Reed Elsevier [NYSE: ENL; NYSE: RUK] (www.reedelsevier.com), LexisNexis serves customers in more than 100 countries with 15,000 employees worldwide.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Ghosts (but were afraid to ask)

HY DO GHOSTS APPEAR TO THE LIVING? CAN BABIES SEE GHOSTS? WHY DO some ghosts possess some people? What are the signs that a place is haunted? These are just some of the questions answered in “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Ghosts (but were afraid to ask),” the long-awaited and highly informative book by paranormal expert Jaime T. Licauco, MBM 1972. Published by Anvil Publishing, Inc., the book is a product of the author’s two decades of extensive research and reportage about spiritual and supernatural phenomena. It contains information about ghosts or spirits of the dead as they manifest themselves to the living, as well as other spirits and creatures that inhabit the spiritual world, like the incubus and succubus. Part I of the book provides answers to frequently asked questions about ghosts, including queries like “Do ghosts have human emotions?” “What is the spirit world and what can be seen there?” and “Should we be afraid of ghosts?” The second part is comprised of interesting anecdotes of real encounters with ghosts by people of various backgrounds. Part II include testimonials and recollections of various people with ‘ghostly’ encounters: strange spirit writings on the wall, fax messages sent by a dead person, and the personal accounts of celebrities like Cory Quirino and Elizabeth Oropesa, among others. Cory Quirino commends the author in the book’s Introduction: “The true-to-life stories contained in the book can easily open the door to skeptics and non-believers. The most basic of questions are answered with candor and realism. Easily digestible truths and facts can be extracted from his down-to-earth yet authoritative style.” Jaime T. Licauco is president and founder of the Inner Mind Development Institute and currently writes a weekly column on Inner Awareness in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. He is today considered the Philippines’ foremost authority on inner mind development, creative and intuitive management, paranormal phenomena, and Philippine mysticism. He has written 15 bestselling books and numerous articles on these subjects during the last 25 years. “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Ghosts (but were afraid to ask)” was launched on July 19, 2011 at National Book Store Glorietta 5 in Makati City, Philippines.

The author, Jimmy Licauco, with Roy Alvarez

(From left) Norainni Abdul Rahman—director of Publishing LexisNexis Southeast Asia; The Right Honourable Tun Zaki Tun Azmi—chief justice of the Federal Court of Malaysia, Palace of Justice, Putrajaya; Dato’ Syed Ahmad Idid—author of the book, former judge of the High Courts of Malaya and the director of the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration (KLRCA); Prof. Dr Ahmad Faris Ismail—deputy rector in International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM)

Margarita Holmes and Cory Quirino

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MARY GRACE DIMACALI, ME 2001

Motivated by Passion, Built by Determination, Continuously Growing by Love by Melissa de Sagun

S ARISTOTLE, a Greek philosopher, once said, “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” This exemplifies what Mary Grace Peckson Dimacali, founder and president of Mary Grace Foods, has achieved. What started out as a passion for baking eventually led Mary Grace to further sharpen her skills in the United States through a hands-on course on baking and bakeshop management. After countless hours of honing her craft, she achieved her signature recipe—ensaymadas and

cheese rolls always soft to the bite, best paired with a hot cup of tsokolate—all while being a devoted wife to her husband and a mother to her five children. The business then grew as she participated in bazaars as far back as 1994, opened the first Mary Grace kiosk in Glorietta 4 in 2002, and unveiled in Serendra the first Café Mary Grace in 2006. To this day, Mary Grace has ten kiosks and eight cafés all over Metro Manila. Mary Grace’s whole family supports her and contributes their fair share in operating the business. Her husband Hector, as Chairman of the

company, gives her inspiration and motivates her to aim for perfection; Chiara, her eldest daughter, shares her knowledge and skills in Professional Organization and Brand Management; her sons, Adrian, Gabriel and Raphael are in charge of Human Resources and Legal, Business Development and Operations, and Finance and Purchasing, respectively; while her youngest daughter, Marian Ernestine, handles Kiosk and Production Development. Among the variety of

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their businesses on the right track. Mary Grace enriched her entrepreneurial skills through the help of her mentors and peers, and was able to learn the fundamentals of business, which helped her in structuring Mary Grace Foods’ long-term plans. Graduating from AIM gave her knowledge and confidence to build a strong foundation for the company. Advice to Young Entrepreneurs With a very religious and family-oriented personality, Mary Grace has this advice to young entrepreneurs: “Take your time and focus on what matters most: faith, family, and love for life. Everything will fall into place.” Mary Grace Peckson Dimacali Mary Grace earned her Masters in Entrepreneurship in 2001 at AIM and has a degree in AB Psychology, Cum Laude, at St. Scholastica’s College, Manila. Aside from being the president of Mary Grace Foods, she is also the vice chair of the Social Works Committee of the Yellow Ribbon Movement, and an active Marian devotee. pastries and cakes, Mary Grace’s signature ensaymadas and cheese rolls are a must— have when you visit one of their cafés. Not only do the cafés offer treats to people who have a sweet tooth, they also have other choices like soups, salads, pastas, and sandwiches. Mary Grace’s cafés provide a warm ambiance with their wooden furnishings and their friendly and accommodating staff. One can have a complete hearty meal when you visit their cafes. Awards and Recognitions All the hard work Mary Grace exerts in putting up a successful business is recognized with the numerous awards she has received. Mary Grace was awarded the Filipina Starpreneur award by GoNegosyo and the Neophyte

Entrepreneur Award by the Network for Enterprising Women. She has also been invited to give inspirational talks to numerous engagements for women and budding entrepreneurs. Café Mary Grace was given the Store Operations Excellence Award by the Ayala Malls Group, and its selected offerings were featured in Ayala Malls’ Top Food Picks. Mary Grace’s ensaymada and hot chocolate were also hailed in Spot.PH as the best ensaymada and the third best tsokolate, respectively. Studying at AIM Upon studying at AIM, Mary Grace was able to engage with other entrepreneurs, who like her, also strived to find their niches and place

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Kellie’s Castle Jennee Grace U Rubrico

Kellie’s Castle Words and Photos by Jennee Grace Rubrico

IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF Perak’s capital city of Ipoh stands a stately remnant of Malaysia’s colonial past. Built on a hill and cut off on one side by a moat, the ruins of Kellie’s Castle, an unfinished mansion in Batu Gajah which was built by a wealthy Scotsman a century ago, bears silent witness to the passage of time. The castle seems impenetrable to passersby. Red brick walls seem to protect secrets, and pillared windows with domeshaped arches are eyes that watch intently. The verdant grounds provide a warmth that offsets the somber ambience of the house, and the river that passes in front of the property is serene. But even they reveal nothing. It was a hot Saturday afternoon in May when we visited the castle, and the tourists—most of whom were foreigners—who

flocked to the place that day attested to its draw. How Kellie’s Castle came to be built is well-documented. A 20-year-old Scotsman, William Kellie Smith, had gone to what was then Malaya to seek his fortune in the 1890s. In 1909, Smith bought a 960-acre jungle in the Kinta district, which he turned into a rubber plantation. It was on one section of that land that he built his first home, where he lived with his English wife Agnes and daughter Helen. Five years later, when his son Anthony was born, Smith embarked on an ambitious plan to build a castle that would be connected to the old house. The castle which was to be built using marble from Italy, among other imported materials was to be remarkable in many ways, but in one most of all: it was to contain the first elevator in Malaya.

With 70 Indians under his employ, Smith started construction of the manor. It was set to be completed in 10 years, but a plague and other misfortunes kept delaying the work. When Smith was 59 years old, he went to Lisbon to fetch the elevator for his house. He never made it back, and the house was never completed. After his death, Agnes sold all of their holdings in Malaya. Smith’s family never returned to the house that a century later remains standing and incomplete, waiting for its master. Why the house was built is a mystery. Aqfast Enterprises, the company that now manages the property, conjectures that Smith intended for it to either be a gift to his wife, or a place to entertain wealthy guests. The design of the castle, apart from the plan to install the country’s first elevator in the

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house, would support the theory that it was made to impress. The building follows colonial architecture, with dashes of Moorish influence. It is connected to the old house—also designed with dome-shaped windows —by the servants’ quarters. Between the two houses is a courtyard that’s big enough to hold an intimate party on a moonlit evening. By the side entrance of the building is a staircase that leads to a cellar that could house a sizable wine collection. The property manager has also identified a room above the cellar that was to contain a bar. The castle’s high ceilings seem to have been designed to hold chandeliers. The rooftop, meanwhile, is big enough to hold a tennis court and a party deck. Some of the guest rooms have the best views, being located on the higher floors. They are also most conveniently situated, as they stand next to the elevator shaft. Many of the rooms are bare. On the walls of some, though, are Greco-Roman finishings that give an indication of how they would have looked had they been completed. One can easily imagine

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works of art hanging on the solid walls, and windows, which must have looked out to the gardens or the rubber plantation, draped with colorful curtains or covered with screens that would nonetheless let the breeze in. The huge spaces allotted for bathrooms, meanwhile, obviously meant that they were to be luxurious nooks. The property is so picturesque that it became one of the filming locations for the Jodie Foster-Chow Yun Fat movie, Anna and the King. Yet, the romantic aura that the palace invokes does not resonate with the Smiths’ seeming concern about their safety. The family members’ bedrooms, located on the second floor, are connected to each other by secret passages that go through bathrooms. Each room also has a separate secret passage that leads to a hiding place. One of them leads to a dungeon directly below the room. What were the Smiths afraid of? Ghosts are said to haunt Kellie’s Castle. Among the reported sightings is of a girl who has been seen in the room that was to be Helen’s. Whether the ghost stories are true or not, though, Kellie’s Castle does haunt its visitors. “Every time I come here, I think about how great the house could have been had it been completed. I think about how grand the rooms would have been, and what kind of visitors would have visited the house,” Waran, a native of Ipoh and a family friend, said as we toured the place. “If it had been completed, it wouldn’t be such a mystery. But because it wasn’t, it leaves visitors with a lot of questions.” Questions, such as: What would it have looked like? Why couldn’t it be completed? Why did Smith’s family abandon the house that he had tried so hard to erect? And, why did Smith build the second house? Kellie’s Castle leaves a psychological mark that cannot be removed. It stands in silence to perpetuate the story of William Kellie Smith, unperturbed, as questions that burn in many a visitor’s mind long after leaving remain unanswered.

Vice President Jejomar Binay

Prof. Tomas Lopez and Mark Sanchez

Ambassador Jose Cuisia

DOT Director Emma Ruth Yulo

Atty. Manuel Sanchez, President, Consul Maria Elena Maningat, Home Guarantee Corporation niece of Ed de Guzman

PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE IN NEW YORK CITY by Jerry Quibilan, MM 1976 MY WIFE, LINDA, MM 1976 and I had another memorable trip to the United States. A new unforgettable experience for me was witnessing the very successful and beautiful Independence Day Parade held on June 5, 2011 at Madison Avenue. We were invited by Consul General Mario de Leon when we paid him a courtesy call on May 26, 2011 to watch the parade which would be graced by a fellow AIM alumnus, Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay, TMP 1996. The parade was one of several events that was organized, executed, directed and presented by the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) with the cooperation of the Philippine Consulate General of New York to commemorate the 113th Philippine Independence. The culminating event was

the Philippine Independence Ball that was held last June 12 at the New York Hilton which featured the Rigodon de Honor. The largest Philippine Independence Parade outside the Philippines in the past 17 years, this year’s theme was “Bagong Katipunan, Bagong Diwa, Bagong Pilipino.” The three-hour attraction was participated in by about 150 contingents. Some of them were PIDCI, Philippine Consulate General, Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Philippines to the United Nations, Department of Tourism, Couples for Christ, Gawad Kalinga, University of the Philippines, De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University, Alpha Phi Omega, Order of the Knights of Rizal, The Filipino Channel of ABS-CBN, New York Police Department,

the province of Batanes and Iloilo City. The members and former members of the AIM community that I was fortunate to meet were Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay, Ambassador to the United States and former AIM Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Mr. Jose Cuisia, former AIM Professor Tomas Lopez, MM 1983, President of the AIM USA Alumni East Coast Chapter Mark Sanchez, MBA 1998. Atty. Manuel Sanchez, president of Home Guarantee Corporation, who belongs to the delegation of VP Binay, is the father of Mark. I also met relatives of AIM alumni. Department of Tourism Director Emma Ruth Yulo, sister of Jose Luis Yulo, MBA 1974 and Consul Maria Elena Maningat, niece of Edmundo de Guzman, MM 1976.

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looking for a corporate job, and left Edmundo Castañeda, MBM1975 understanding is the Chairman of the Board of Asiapro that my potential Cooperative in Pasig City, Philippines. and personal “Our cooperative helps improve the satisfaction quality of life of our members. This would not be makes my work so fulfilling. AIM trained achieved unless and developed us to be leaders driven by I ran my own our desires to succeed in business and business. our lives. Finance, marketing and HBO His thoughts on leadership especially enhanced my professional life. These learnings were significant for and philanthropy: “Leadership is me as I apply them daily in my work,” he understanding every aspect of the operation before initiating change. shares. “The best gauge of success is when we discover God’s true purpose for Without that you have no credibility. On philanthropy, I would rather our lives and pursue it with passion.” help the working poor than the poor on welfare.” K.Y. Chow, MBM 1976, President of His message to his classmates Grand Meridian (GM) Printing Inc. in Long and professors: “If you ever want Island City, New York, USA, shared that his company has been a recipient of the information about commercial real estate development and management Pewter Gold Ink awards for a hard cover in Canada, let me know! All the best in board book job, “Interlick-10 Commandyour respective careers.” ments.” Gold Ink Award is the industry’s MBA/MBM

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class notes

M&A Advisory Practice. He writes: “I have relocated back to China in 2008. Both my kids have graduated from college. I am now working and living in one of the most exciting cities in Asia. “Lateral thinking, case analysis and English writing at AIM have helped me in my career. I learned from some of the brightest professors. I am always reminded that one must have “have fire in your belly.”

headedness in addressing issues won the respect of many. He listens and looks at things from all angles. As a leader, he believes in creating an environment that allows expression of varying views for positive change and collaboration...Mr. Wasan closes his tenure with a lasting impact—motivating his team to aim higher and do better. He may be leaving a leading position but his positive legacy will survive his tenure. Great leaders, they say, leave a legacy that outlives them and cements their contribution to the progress and transformation of the organization. Mr. Wasan has just done that.” Mr. Wasan joined ADB in 1986 working on administrative improvement and personnel-related issues, including job evaluation, training and development, and performance management. He served as Compensation and Benefits Division Director from late 1998 to early 2001 during which he introduced a number of reforms to ADB’s compensation policies and systems. In April 2001, he moved to the Office of the Secretary initially as Assistant Secretary, and was later promoted to Deputy Secretary. Mr. Wasan assumed office as OAS’ 9th Principal Director in March 2006 and was promoted to Director General in In April 11, 2011 Porntip Iyimapun October 2008. Prior to joining ADB, Mr. and Tau Pheng Lim of MBM 1992 visited Wasan worked in the Management their classmate Blaise Costabir in Goa, Services Department in the Ministry of India. As part of their experience in Finance of Singapore (1971 to 1981), the Goa, Blaise took them on a kayaking department responsible for enhancing expedition on the River Sal. Blaise productivity and reforms to the Civil writes: “It feels like old times—the three Service. He subsequently worked in of us were part of a group that always a private export corporation (1981 to explored the Philippines whenever we 1986) as the General Manager of its got a chance.” Philippines and Singapore offices. MM

most prestigious printing competition attracting participants internationally. On top of this, they have also been awarded by American Graphic Design USA for four jobs, of which the “Interclick -10 Data Commandments” is one of them. For more information on GM Printing, visit www.gmprintingny.com. Gabriel Franco, MBM 1977 is the President of Franco Nevada Real Estate Services Ltd. in Alberta, Canada. He writes: “I am semi-retired after spending 33 years in the commercial real estate industry in Canada. As far as I know, I’m probably the first Filipino-Canadian to have achieved the highest positions in the industry. I am now providing real estate consulting services in China. “I learned that entrepreneurship is what it’s all about. I entered AIM just

Barry Jian Gang Chen, MBM 1987 is the Managing Director of InterChina Consulting in Shanghai, China, which is one of the leading strategy and M&A Advisory firms in China. He manages the

Amarjit Singh Wasan, MM 1981 was Director General of the Office of Administrative Services (OAS) of the Asian Development Bank from 19862008. Upon his retirement, his staff produced a farewell newsletter in his honor, which he shared with AIM Leader. This is what his co-workers have to say: “He has spent 22 years in the institution that benefited from his selfless service, sharp mind, and strategic vision... Mr. Wasan is known in the Bank (ADB) for his dedication to the job and his commitment to excellence. He is highly regarded by his colleagues for his high ethical behavior, unquestionable integrity and character. For him the institution comes first. He always keeps the greater good in mind and thinks of ideas that will be constructive and beneficial to the organization. People look up to him and value his insightful advice. His judgment and level-

Kaiser Naseem, MM 1984 is a Manager at the International Finance Corporation. He is currently based in Cairo, Egypt. He shares that his daughter has tied the knot. He sends this message to his classmates: “How about a reunion towards the end of 2011. Is KL convenient for all? Or Cairo?”

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“AIM provides the tools that not only help one’s career but also how to see life positively. Confidence is instilled in graduates of this institution when faced with any challenge. “The mix of outstanding professors and staff are the assets that make this happen. When I grow up, I will go to AIM.” Ernesto Puguon, MM1994 is Senior Property Manager of O’Shanter Development Co. Ltd. with business address at 245 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto, Canada. He completed his PhD in Educational Management, Magna Cum Laude, from St. Louis University-Baguio City with a dissertation, “Competitiveness of the Private Universities in Baguio City in a Globalizing Economy”. He shares: “The strategic management models (5-forces model by Porter, Austin Framework, and even SWOT) are very helpful in managing affairs/directions of the business.”

Ajay Gupta, MM 2009, writes: “I am an Assistant Professor in ITM Business School in the area of HR, OB, CSR, and Corporate Governance. I am actively engaged in writing management cases and research. I am pursuing my PhD from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai in the area of Management. “At AIM, I learned many valuable things. Some of them are dimensions of leadership, ethics and society. Critical analysis of subjects and topics were simply insightful. At AIM, I transformed Teopisto A. Abalde Jr., MM 1987 myself. I changed the way I see the from the USA, shares: “I was with the things. The most important learning at MM ‘87 batch. During the first week of AIM is Values. I can say proudly that at indoctrination, Prof. Faustino pointed out AIM, Values are stronger than degrees. the country composition of the class— “I feel happy and proud to be there was one from the U.S. part of the AIM Community. Each and “When I applied for acceptance in every professor is deep in knowledge, AIM, I was looking for serious diversion expertise and style. Student’s learning to keep me occupied and help me get depends upon willingness, curiosity through my personal problem. AIM and passion. The environment at AIM provided it and much more. I earned is encouraging, inspiring and full of friends that to date I still hobnob with harmony. I wish to go to AIM to learn as from time to time and wisdom that much as I can from professors.” Rajesh Bhan, MM 2008 is the guided me to face life with intelligence, His thoughts on leadership: Marketing Director of Alcon Laboratories, “Leadership is three I’s. Initiating, logic and wit. a division of Novartis, with business “After graduation, a friend has influencing and inspiring. Leaders address at AG502, Tower D, RMZ Infinity, initiate and influence environment to make me realize that I have gone Old Madras Road, Bangalore, India. He through a special and prestigious and people by their accomplishment, heads the eye care business unit and institution. I always wondered why, achievement and changes. They inspire is responsible for both the surgical and often times, when I was introduced people to do more than they believe. pharmaceutical portfolio. “Every day, to somebody, the statement that I They connect people with their purpose. graduated from AIM was always added. every moment I spent in AIM was a “Core of leadership is Authenticity, learning and enriching experience. I am I guess I am special, too. Integrity and Ethics. Leaders must be proud to be part of this great institution. authentic and trustworthy. Actions are “What did my education at AIM did to me? First, with the rigor and pressure To my classmates, work towards adding core to their characters. Leadership value to the people you work with you of the curriculum, my personal problem is about increasing, expanding and directly or indirectly.” became an afterthought. AIM added stretching boundaries. Leadership is His thoughts on leadership: value to my resume. I became a problem about acting with courage, conviction “Leadership is situational—do not lead solver in every organization I worked and commitment. Leadership is about in every situation, give others a chance. encouraging and lifting others by with. It was easier for me to see and Lead where it is critical and needs create solutions to occurring problems. connecting and aligning them with direction. Lead by example.” “Nowadays, I am going through their goal and strengths. Leadership some health challenges. With SWOT is people-centric and it takes human John Kurian, MM 2011, Production analysis, I faced them with rationale aspects. It influences the heart and and Engineering Head of Bennett, Coleman emotion of people and inspires them to and a belief that the O part is what & Co. Ltd, wrote: “As a true software The Supreme Architect of the Universe do beyond expectation and to the fullest engineer, the logical mindset helped me wants me to see. I dismissed the of their potential and capabilities.” in writing good software, troubleshooting T part that even my doctors are left technical problems and managing in amazement. Purnendu Chaubey, MM 2006 “These are the upside. The downside projects. But AIM taught me to think in is currently the Vice President with terms of strategies and value, and human Accenture Consulting in New Delhi, India. is that I am always impatient and get reactions (customers and investors). irritated when I encounter a situation He writes: “I am leading the consulting where logic is not utilized or conventional AIM taught me to look at problems and assignments of Accenture in India both opportunities holistically. Think more wisdom being over rated. I stay away from Sales and Delivery perspective. I strategically rather than tactical.” from the generic. have two charming kids, Ishaan and Sarah.

“Taking initiative, willingness to accept responsibility, making timely decisions within resource constraints, stretching beyond the limits and high level of confidence are my most significant learning experience at AIM. “I had organized a debate on the sustainability of MM program in 2006 on the occasion of 30th Year Celebration of the MM Program. That time we had concluded that the MM professionals are rewarded heavily in their career growth but it takes time. In my case also, it has been exactly the same. I have reached where I wanted to be in my career path and that is primarily because of my grooming and learning of MM. I hope that my other classmates must be having the same experience. “Thanks to all the professors Lim, Angtuaco, Gavino, Lagman, and Coloma—we still relish your lectures at AIM which had been there with us all the time whenever we are making any decision in our professional or personal life.” MDM Vikram Singh, MDM 1991 from New Delhi, India is with Verinder & Vikram HUF. “The exposure to a genuine multicultural environment, the alternative and holistic MDM view, and learning the importance of understanding your environment prior to any intervention are my significant learning experiences at AIM. I am grateful to both my classmates and my professors for teaching me so much so well.” Joseph Batac, MDM 2009 is a freelance development consultant, adviser, coordinator and project manager. He is based in Marilao, Bulacan, Philippines. He writes: “I have spent 23 years of professional work in development as a volunteer, technical assistant, community organizer officer and leader, manager, specialist, coordinator and adviser. My AIM education had sharpened the theory and tools that I need for my work. The passion, dedication, commitment and technical excellence of the faculty shall always serve as inspiration for the rest of my life. My learning never stopped. My AIM education only opened more ideas and perspective that I have continued to explore, bringing new mind sets and altering the way reality is to be taken. “Leadership to me is all about being the agent of change, the facilitator

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or cradler or shepherd of the process of change, the expert in the content of change, and the wax that will be extinguish by the light of that change.” Fr. Bartolome Cometa Sagadal, MDM 1998 is the Chaplain Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Quezon City, Philippines. He shares: I am celebrating my Silver Anniversary as a priest and 53rd Birthday on August 22 and 24, 2011, respectively. I have been working as chaplain of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology for almost 11 years. I have been awarded as Best Senior Officer of the Year 2007 by the BJMP National Capital Region (NCR) Regional Director and Most Outstanding Correction Officer of the Year 2009 awarded by the Rotary Club of North Diliman, Quezon City and confirmed by the Chief, BJMP National Headquarters. I have been assigned as chaplain to the present but was designated as concurrent Chief of the Inmates Welfare and Development; Chief, Community Relation Services-Media Affairs (CRSMA); Program Coordinator of the Justice Reforms: Sustained Pre-re-integration Referral System until 2009. I have conceptualized the HumanEcological Sustainable (HESUS) Development, a new Development Paradigm for the 21st century. Its anthropological perspective is that man/woman is multi-dimensional with RESPECT (Religio-spiritual, Ecological, Social, Political, Economic, Cultural and Technological) Dimensions and that a man/woman is integral, holistic, and total, which means all dimensions are

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inter-related and inter-connected. I also have conceptualized an integrated program for the NCR Jails, RELEASE (Religious and Guidance Counseling, Livelihood, Education, Advocacy, Sports and Recreation and Enhancement thru Therapeutic Community Modality) implemented at Manila City jail in 2001. In 2005, it was implemented in NCR-wide but with added programs—PA-RELEASEME (Para-Legal Assistance, Religious and Guidance Counseling, Livelihood and Entrepreneurial, Education and Vocational Skills, Advocacy and Networking on Basic Needs, Sports and Cultural Arts Skills Enhancement thru Therapeutic Community Modality and Medical, Optical, Dental and Psychiatric Health) Services. It had been enhanced with the added programs and tuning in which became COME-PA-RELEASEME-PO (Community Empowerment, Para-Legal Assistance, Religious and Guidance Counseling, Livelihood and Entrepreneurial, Education and Vocational Skills, Advocacy and Networking on Basic Needs, Sports and Cultural Arts Skills, Ecological and Zero Waste Management, Medical, Optical, Dental and Psychiatric Health and Postreleased and Referral) Ministries. Let us sustain our skills by witnessing in our day-to-day existence by helping the under-developed, which are the DOPE (Deprived, Oppressed, Poor and Exploited) considering the holistic dimensions of human life and the protection, enhancement and advocacy on the sustainable development of Mother Earth. Remember: “Happiness is perfected not unless it is shared.” Onward!

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Lakshman Malawathanthrige, MDM1990 is the Deputy Field Director of World University Service of Canada. He conducts training in Strategic Planning, Project Cycle Development, Monitoring and Evaluation. He has written and published a book on “Reflective Learning.” He writes: “Thanks to AIM and the learned faculty members, I learned a lot. Case method learning was really useful in understanding different development concepts and approaches and their positive and negative outcomes. In my work after graduation from AIM , I have extensively used strategic planning, project cycle development and social marketing. “Still fresh in mind are Professors Sonny Coloma, Eduardo Morato, Ruth Callanta, Victor Tan, and Mayo Lopez. Hope they are doing well. My regards to them! Classmates are fondly remembered. Recently, I met Rudy in Sri lanka. He was on an ILO mission. We met after 20 years and he told about other friends in the class. The year we spent together was great. Sad to miss forever some of our friends. Please keep in touch. Good luck!” Pradip Maharjan, MDM 1999 is the CEO of Agro Enterprise Centre of the Federation of

Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Teku, Kathmandu. He shares this advice to AIM students: “Work hard during your stay in AIM and never let down your morale and enthusiasm. It is very hard to study in AIM but what you get after are lifelong learnings.” eMBA Parveen “PK” Gupta, eMBA 2004 is the Dy. General Manager-Mill of Pt. Toba Pulp Lestari in Toba Samosir, Indonesia, one of the world-class speciality pulp manufacturing unit in Indonesia. MICHAEL SHERWIN M. MACATANGAY, eMBA 2006 represented the Philippines as Rotary International District 3830’s Ambassador of Goodwill being the Rotary Group Study Exchange (GSE) Team Leader to Australia. He was chosen among 86 Rotary Clubs’ Past Presidents becoming one of the youngest and first Immediate Past President to become Rotary GSE Team Leader. He led the team of four women professionals’ ages 25 to 40 who visited Rotary District 9700 in New South Wales, Australia, from March 6 to April 4, 2011. They gave presentations about their profiles,

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the Philippines, and Rotary District 3830’s valuable and numerous “Service Above Self” projects. They made an outstanding final presentation in District 9700 Conference in Orange City, New South Wales, Australia, where almost a thousand Rotarians and guests gave them a standing ovation. Rotary District 9700 Officers and Hosts Rotary Clubs claimed the Filipino team was the best ever GSE Team as they gave them the “Highest Possible Rating” in overall aspects of GSE Host Evaluation officially submitted to Rotary International’s The Rotary Foundation (TRF) - Group Study Exchange Program World Headquarters. Mike earned his Executive Masters in Business Administration (eMBA - Manila 6) at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) in 2006. He was elected and served as Board Director of the AIM Alumni Association for two consecutive terms. He was President of the Rotary Club of Makati McKinley (RCMMc) for Rotary Year 2009-2010, a Paul Harris Fellow, and a recipient of various Rotary Awards and Recognitions including the prestigious Rotary International’s Presidential Citation and 5 Avenues of Rotary Service Awards given by Past Rotary International World Presidents

John Kenny and Ray Klinginsmith. Mike has more than 16 years of excellent professional and corporate business experience gained from different top multinational and industry leading companies having held various top management level marketing, sales, management, and operations positions in the food and beverage, consumer goods, telecommunications, marketing communications, advertising, service, manufacturing, trading, and

pharmaceutical industries. He is also a top-notch, strategic management, and marketing consultant to various companies. He is presently the Executive Management Consultant of PHAREX Health Corporation, the Philippines’ leading unibranded generics pharmaceutical company; Executive Managing Director and Head - Philippine Operations of R.A.K. Ceramics - the United Arab Emirates (UAE) based world’s leading manufacturer of High Quality Ceramics, Gres Porcellanato Wall and Floor Tiles, and Sanitaryware products owned by H.H. Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, the Crown Prince and Ruler of Ras Al Kaimah, UAE; and President and Chief Managing Consultant of A-TEAMS and STRATMAN Consulting Groups. Mike is a former Professor and Faculty Member of De La Salle University, College of Saint Benilde, and San Beda College, Manila. He is a Regular Member of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) and Gerry Roxas Leadership Awardees (GRLA) - Professional Group.

ME Mario Ramon G.M. Guanzon, ME 2005, Founder, President and CEO of the MMGI Group of Companies successfully accomplished the Owner/President Management Program, 40th Session, from the Harvard Business School in Boston, MA, USA held from October 2008 to October 2010.

Beyond One’s Silo

by Sreekumar Chandrikakrishnan Nair, MM 2011 THE MASTER IN MANAGEMENT program of AIM is a powerful course with a soul. The curriculum have unique and beautiful moments like the Genogram, a process which takes you to an inward journey to yourself, stripping your “I” and leaving you face to face with your Self. From the case discussions about social issues, I believe that understanding the dynamics of the interaction between different stakeholders in society is inevitable in order to excel in the corporate world. The corporate world is a part of society and it mirrors certain realities of the society. I would like to narrate an incident that happened in our Dorm. At the Dorm, we have different prayer rooms for students who follow different religions. I asked one of my friends who is a follower of a different religion whether I can offer prayer in “his” prayer room. He delicately reminded me that “my” prayer room is on the other floor, and it would be better if I use that room for praying to my God. I respect my friend’s sentiments and at the same time it brings into my mind few thoughts. When we are born into this beautiful world, neither we nor our parents can choose our upbringing to an extent. We are born into the world of Silos, the process by itself cannot be chosen or influenced by us. We grow up with different tags attached to us in Silos as Christians, Moslems, Hindus, atheist, rich, poor, black, white, smart, idiot, etc. When we are able to decide for ourselves and step into the real world, we are already formed with tags attached to us. Our obvious tendency is to move ahead defending our Silos. The beliefs and core values in my Silo may be different from that of one who is from a different Silo. In a society, different Silos are bound to interact with each other thus creating tensions. Throughout this beautiful journey at different stages of life and with the wisdom we are blessed, we have to look beyond our Silos. We can introspect our own beliefs and the core values with which we are brought up with which we assume are the right ones. Are they really worth the value we attribute to them? The easiest way is to be rigid and continue to live in our Silo, and the hardest one is to be flexible, ask questions and to apply the learning from life. Institutions like AIM help us in the learning process by pro-

voking a thought process in our minds in order to ask the right questions and think differently beyond our Silos. In AIM, students from all over with diverse background, culture and religion come together to attend the courses or in other words, a gathering of different Silos from different parts of world, to be influenced and transformed by the faculty and fellow students. By providing different prayer rooms for students from different religions, AIM respects the choice of the individual—helping them to continue within their Silo. (When I stepped into AIM the first day and saw the chapel on the first floor, I felt it is an institution run by a Christian missionary. It comes from my memories associated with school days in a wonderful convent in India.) As a powerful educational institution which creates leaders of tomorrow, is AIM equally responsible to facilitate its students to look beyond their Silos of religions? GOD is one for all. Religions are made by man. To send this message across the world through our future leaders, can we have a common prayer room for the followers of all religions? Anyone with a frame of mind to be with one’s Self in absolute silence is most welcome to the prayer room anytime irrespective of religion, gender, age, values, status and geographical origin. The room can be situated in an accessible and visible place in AIM so the message that the Almighty is One for all beyond religions can be perceived by all. In today’s world where religious organisations compete to widen their sphere of influence, creating powerful Silos resulting in tensions and conflicts, the role of institutions like AIM to create awareness in the society is a need of the hour. The Silos are powerful and will follow you like a shadow unless you start thinking and make deliberate attempt to change yourself. In our classes in MM from the discussion I understood that students are uncomfortable and reluctant to discuss certain topics. I would like to thank Professor Mayo for facilitating thought provoking class discussions on “sensitive” topics. At the end of the day what matters is what kind of human are you? If you can love others, help others and live a bit of your life for the sake of others making other’s life better without expecting anything in return that is what matters most for me.

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Back at the hotel, lobby ambiance changed due to the hilarious noise from the batch up to almost two in the morning. This time Ronald, Yosua and Amitabh took turns in digging out the jokes about the tough classes and even tougher student ranking. Next day was sightseeing, shopping and lunch at the Pasar Ubud after a very late breakfast. Then the day was capped with dinner at Novus Bali Villas courtesy of Yosua Makes who owns and built the place. A high end Balinese resort and cottages/hotel amidst Balinese landscape and architecture

design, a “Riverside Hideaway” blended with ponds and greenest nature. Superb food and drinks flowed courtesy of in RMIT International University Yosua. More class reminiscing, invoking the 20-year period, (Vietnam), Ronald Mascarinas the class regaled with some CEO of Bounty Agro Ventures and Danny Verastigue Director at naughty escapades too. On the last day, the tight Brunei Nat. Petroleum all coming hugs and shoulder patting was from Manila. Each one arrived poignant moment, anticipating bursting and brimming with stories of work, life, success and the long time it can happen again. A class of 11 nationals, challenges, each affirming the which started with almost like success of their AIM education a sea of contrasting opinions and training. The three-day affair was too and ideas turned at the end to a harmonic and eager MM short for the excitedly laughter and stories of each about the past, business graduates, who in from the rigor of case discussions turn became flourishing CEO’s, executives and entrepreneurs to the weekly WAC problems cracked overnight. The reminisc- located in different parts of the globe. ing started from lunch in day It was the most exhilarat1, over palette of crabs and sea ing and memorable gathering foods at Jimbaran Beach. Next we have that all were asking meeting was dinner at Mades for another one. Maybe it will Warung, in between Balinese dancing and more sumptuous In- be our next walkabout. We donesian food. Bilities, Amitabh, agree to share this experience and Rahardjo got the center stage and hope others after MM1991, will follow suit, reminiscing of the chat as this was their first and celebrating successes. meeting after 20 years.

MM 1991 Celebrates 20th in Bali by Ernesto A. Guzman, MM 1991 FOURTEEN MM 1991 alumni travelled the distance, the farthest from New Delhi, India, to meet and celebrate their 20th anniversary at Aston Bali Resort, Bali, Indonesia. It was their class most riotous and memorable day after graduation. That was on February 4-6, 2011, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. The 14 who made it, five with their wives and one, Bilities with her three children, were: Romy Bato of PT Pakuwojati, George Abraham CEO of PT Cipta Kemas Abadi, Ferry Hollen CEO of Sungwon Tech Corp., Yozua Makes, CEO of Makes & Partners Law Firm, Ecky Sidik of PT Toyo Diptana, Santoso Rahardjo VP of PT Telkom, all from Indonesia; Amitabh Lahiri of Indo Asian and Roger Calvo of Magellan Capital both coming from New Delhi, India; Bilties Yuan Pei-Bei from Taipei/Hong

Kong; Billy Cancio of Toucan Investments (New York, USA), Allen Dones of Geothermal Phil., Ernie Guzman, Lecturer

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ME Danilo Rabina, BMP 2003 is a Manager at Petron Corporation with business address at Barangay Alangan, Limay, Bataan, Philippines. STR ATFIN Khalek Abdul, Strategic Finance Course 2007 is currently the Finance Director of Berger Paints Bangladesh Limited with business address at House # 8, Road # 2, Sector # 3, Uttara-Dhaka, Bangladesh. He has been with the company for 19 years. Khalek shares that his most significant learning at AIM is being able to address the conflict of interest of different stakeholders intelligently. His message to his classmates: “Call me if you are in Bangladesh.” MDP Mohd Roslan Bani Amin, MDP 1994 is the Assistant General Manager of Padiberas Nasional Berhad (BERNAS) with company address at Menara HLA Level 31, 1 Jalan Kia Peng Kuala Lumpur, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). She retired from BSP in 2010. After retirement, Eve became a volunteer in Uganda, East Africa under the Voluntary Service Overseas, a UK-based charity organization. Eve invites everyone to visit her blog, Adventures in Africa, at eveavila.blospot.com. According to Eve, leadership is “doing the right things at the right time and place, when no one else does. It also means knowing when your time is up as a leader and identifying a successor suitable for the new time and place.”

Malaysia. He is currently heading the Entrepreneur Development and Research Department at BERNAS. Bani says that teamwork and problemsolving skills were among his most significant learning experiences in the MDP. “As I am passing my half century of age, I am becoming wiser and been practicing out-of-the-box thinking,” he shares. He wishes his AIM professors and classmates a “healthy, happy, and fulfilled life.” ABMP Evelyna “Eve” Avila, ABMP 1981 was Assistant Governor and Head of the Security Printing Plant Complex of

PPDM Chokyi Qingcuoji, PPDM 2010 is the Project Coordinator and a Tibetan Medicine News Reporter and Translator at the Qinghai Tibetan Medical Society with company address at #97 Nanshan Dong St., Qinghai Tibetan Medical Society, Qinghai, Tibet. Chokyi says, “Manila City is a really nice city, I like it very much. I really hope to get another opportunity to visit my professors and AIM. To my dear 2010 PPDM professors and classmates, I miss all of you very much!” I learned a lot of knowledge In AIM school during I was studying there. After then I have been continuing working on my position and I found that really helpful me after attended

PPDM program. I am study in U.S.A now; I really want to thanks professors and AIM workers. You really did great organization for each program in AIM. For me, I am really interesting about leadership, project planning, economic and business, so I think that why I attend school again in U.S.A. It’s really helpful that I had been learning those courses in AIM before I have attended U.S. university. MSC Raymond Ilusorio Yap, MSC 2007 is the Executive Vice-President of CafeFrance Corp. with business address at 1000 United Nations Ave., Manila. Raymond shares: My recently started company has just acquired the following restaurant brands: CafeFrance (formerly Delifrance), Tempura Japanese Grill, Flavours of China, Karate Kid Japanese Fastfood, and Congo Grill. In one year, we now total around 70 branches. I also recently started a chain of Dialysis Centers, Hemotek Renal Center, we now have nine large branches and are expanding rapidly. In less than three years, we have become one of the largest Dialysis Service chains in the country. These new ventures that I have gotten involved in and am actively

managing are on top of my other positions and management: CafeFrance Corp. Executive Vice-President, Hemotek Renal Center Treasurer/ CFO, Euro-med Laboratories Assistant Treasurer, Phil-Progress Securities Corporation Vice-President, and Tedapharm Director/CFO. Marketing principles and strategies were the things that I have applied and referenced frequently in my work. I am very happy and appreciative of the short time that I had in AIM. I have learned so much there from both my professors and classmates. I look forward to seeing more of them in the business community.

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PDM Jose Ayala, PDM 2001 and MAP 2002, is the Founder and President of Bagong Lumad Artists Foundation, Inc. in Quezon City, Philippines. He shares: I am still a hunter-gatherer and an amateur (for the love of!) in the field of cultural therapy. More workshops integrated with performing. Download recent works for free at www.blafi.org. Look for SiningBayan: The Art of Nation-Building. Reading overload can help intuition kick in. The mind shuts down, you fall asleep, and wake up with answers or more accurate questions or big-picture maps and plans. I guess this is one way to ‘do your homework’. Unconscious Leadership: You do your best and when you look around you, ang dami palang nahahawa (people emulate you). Conscious Leadership: Doing art with Self and Others as art material. Philanthropy is inevitable. When your “cup runneth over” you’ll look for things to do BEYOND assuring your own survival and prosperity. Education should include not only “what do you want and how do you get it” BUT ALSO “what do you do after you reach your goals.” Philanthropy is necessary for “sustainable human development” on a personal as well as on a macro level. Without philanthropy the economic equivalent of cancer sets in—and systems collapse under their own “success”. How much is enough? Is there a Law of Diminishing Returns when it comes to success and prosperity? To my classmates and professors: Relax, you deserve to and can afford to. Give the logical-verbal mind a break. Explore intuition, arts, develop personal symbols of value, be a native. Fr. Ramon “Mhon” Pedroza, PDM 2006 is the Delegation Vicar of Montfort Missionaries in Quezon City, Philippines. He writes: “For the fourth time, I was elected to the council of the Montfort Missionaries in the Philippines and was chosen for the second time to be its delegation vicar (2009-2013). I am also appointed to be the incoming University Chaplain at the University of Makati located at J.P. Rizal Ave., West Rembo, Makati City. “The program I took at AIM helped me assess the situation of the Montfort Missionaries in the Philippines. It helped me to be an active participant in drafting our new Vision, Mission and Goal from 2009 to 2013. We were able also to set up strategies on how to be in the right track to attain the dream of the delegation in the Philippines. “Leadership is set be examples. In the Catholic Church where I belong,

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STR ATNEGO Sudianto “Toto” Hartono, Stratnego 2010 is the AVP/MIS Group Head of Bank Danamon Indonesia in Jakarta, Indonesia. He shares that he has joined an automotive club to expand his social life and network. He is also an aikido instructor. “It was a very nice opportunity to join AIM in July 2010. To everyone, please keep in touch and always share useful information we have.” HRM-DO Susanta Padhi, Human Resource Management in Development Organization (HRM-DO) 2011 is the IT Regional Manager of National Housing Bank with business address at Core–5A, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi, India. “The program was neatly designed to give an insight of the HR system starting form designing an HR model, identifying the strategy and core competencies, succession planning and the transformation processes. The program is very useful in identifying the role of HR for the developPPMC ment of an organization and strengthening the same for effective implementaNavin Kumar Jain, PPMC 2010 is tion of the organization’s strategy. the Assistant General Manager of the “I am glad to be a part of the Reserve Bank of India in Chennai, India. program with all classmates. Thank It was a very fulfilling experience at AIM you to the professors like Prof. Sol and and I wish to come back for more learning Prof. Carmen, for their knowledge and experience which is truly world class. professional attitude. Special mention to Let us make this World more beautiful. Gio and the coordinators,” he shares. we always stressed on servant leadership—to serve the faithful entrusted to our pastoral care with the examples primarily of Jesus Christ and the poor apostles, hoping that the recipients of our service will eventually work for the betterment of themselves and in their situations in life. “I am thankful for the learning experience imparted to me both by my classmates and professors. The interaction during small group sharing helped me share and receive insights from classmates. The knowledge imparted to us by the professors were indeed valuable that now I try to apply now in my field of work.”

Ugyen Dorji, HRM-DO2011 is the Manager of the HRA Department at Tashi Infocomm Limited in Thimphu, Bhutan.

Hoai Nam “Hagen” Nguyen, PPMC 2010 is currently with the State Bank of Vietnam. Hagen says: “Hi all! I wish you health and success!”

He shares: “The things I learned from the program have been successful in bringing about a lot of changes in my workplace. The CAN group at AIM was one of the best ways to share ideas. The case studies put your abilities and critical thinking to the ultimate test. To my classmates: Stay hungry, stay foolish. Sincere good wishes and regards! To my professors: Thank you for making us a part of the AIM Alumni Network and for imparting to us the knowledge in the best possible ways. ITPM Nilo Arribas, Jr., ITPM 2003 is the Executive Director of Animansys, Inc. in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu Province, Philippines. Nilo is a member Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, Inc., moderator/ trustee of the Philippine Wild Bird Photography Forum, and a partner of GREENIN Philippines Program of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. Nilo writes: “All of us have the same number of hours in a day to attend to our professional and personal lives. Achieving a balance without sacrificing excellence in both is no easy feat. I am happy to share the fulfillment of having the opportunity to attend to my IT/business consulting career while pursuing my passion for wild bird imaging/photography. “The mantra “On-time, On-specs and On-budget” that I adopted for our consulting company has yielded expected results not only in complex IT or business consulting projects but also in organizing and executing field expeditions in the remote areas in the

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in and even outside the classroom have brought another dimension in the learning experience well beyond the course/program of AIM. “I would like to extend my warmest regards to my classmates some of whom ended up as close friends. This also goes to our venerable professors and highly competent staff of AIM who collectively made the professional development program under EXCELL a truly memorable experience.” Some of Nilo’s wildlife photographs and other relevant details can be access from this online gallery: www.pbase. com/philippines The photos of wild birds found only in the Philippines were taken in their natural habitat during my recent trips to remote areas in the country.

country to document rarely observed wildlife in their natural habitat. “As managers, executives and leaders in our respective fields, we will eventually have to assume a role in environmental stewardship. I was fortunate that my professional career did not prevent me from pursuing my passion for the outdoors and wildlife photography. In fact, this gave me a reason to be more focused in achieving set goals and objectives for both. “The case approach crystallized and complemented my hands on professional experience, which proved to be invaluable in tackling the challenges of my chosen field in consulting. Of course the rich interaction with classmates, facilitators and instructors

EVERY TIME MY WIFE Linda, MM 1976 and I are in New York, I get in touch with the President of the AIM USA East Coast Alumni Chapter, Mark Sanchez, MBM1998. He would then call on other AIM graduates and arrange for a mini-reunion. On our trip last June, Mark contacted the usual members plus three others who have not joined before. However, only five of us were able to make it to the June 2 dinner at Tony’s di Napoli, Casablanca Hotel,Times Square.

Philippine Frogmouth: This nocturnal insectivore bird is found in deep forest and edges in major islands of the country. Photo taken in Mt. Kitangland, Bukidnon, Mindanao.

It was good to see Ric Pijuan, MBA 1970, a friend of 40 years and Henry Cortez, MBA 1997 who were present for the first time at such mini-reunions. We had good conversation spiced with savory Italian food. To cap the evening, Linda and I strolled for az while at Times Square, the most bustling square of New York. We enjoyed the place, the sights and sounds. It was an evening worth remembering.

Philippine Trogon: A colorful bird found in original forests of Mindanao and Luzon faunal regions. Photo taken in the island of Bohol.

SAVE THE DATE! February 24, 2012

NBC Tent, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, Philippines Celebrating Classes: 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002 and 2007