Breaking
Barriers:
Filipino Brands Preparing to Conquer Global Markets
The
John Gokongwei School of Management continues to actively pursue its
outreach program with the Fourth session of its Business Leadership Forum,
Breaking Barriers: Filipino Brands Preparing to Conquer Global
Market, held at the Grand Ballroom of the Intercontinental Hotel
on 17 February.
The
forum was organized so that some of the bold business leaders who have
dared to compete in world markets can share some of the business
strategies that have enabled them to win market share in some of the most
competitive markets in the world.
Ms.
Ann Pamintuan, President of The Gilded Expressions, designer, and
founding member of Movement 8, shared the story of how their group was
formed and how they successfully moved Philippine-made furniture onto the
world stage by focusing on modern design using indigenous materials,
moving away from the traditional "ethnic" look so easily available in
other countries. Mr. Jonathan Jay Aldeguer, the very young
President of the Aldeguer Group of Companies talked about Islands
Souvenirs and how he came upon the winning combination of product design,
price and location that has taken his company to Singapore, San Francisco
and Hawaii, among others. Architect Jose Recio, Senior
Partner of Recio+Casas Architects discussed how he felt Filipino
professionals could compete with the best the world can offer if we
developed the right work ethic. Mr. Arthur Tan, President and
COO of Integrated Microelectronics, Inc., told the story of his own
personal odyssey that had led him from the Philippines to the United
States and back, and the differences he saw between the Filipinos here and
abroad, and how we felt we could eventually develop world-class companies
and world-class products.
Two
other speakers provided valuable background information that provided a
context to the above presentations: Mr. J. Richard Soriano,
Chairman of OgilvyOne Philippines and Professorial Lecturer of the John
Gokongwei School of Management, discussed the fundamentals of brand
building, and Mr. Benel D. Lagua, President and CEO of the Small
Business Guarantee and Finance Corporation presented various financing
options that SMEs could tap in their business development efforts.
In the end, it was clear that breaking into the international market would involve not just breaking down brick walls, but picking up these bricks and painstakingly lining them up again to form the foundation for long-term business success.