Month: June 2018

Ayala Corporation (Ayala) has reaffirmed its support to the development and training of the country’s national track and field athletes, giving them access to the facilities of its newly opened Vermosa Sports Hub in Imus, Cavite.

Ayala had recently linked up with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) and served as title sponsor of the just-concluded Ayala Philippine Athletics Championships in Ilagan, Isabela.

“We believe in our national athletes’ potential to inspire, drive and instill collective nationalism through sports,” said Ayala’s John Philip Orbeta. “One of the biggest gaps is an internationally certified athletics facility which the Vermosa Sports Hub provides as a means to improve their performance and competitiveness.”

At PATAFA’s new official home, athletes will train in the only International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) certified track & field oval in the Philippines with specifications and standards equivalent to those they will compete with internationally. Aside from the existing oval and Olympic- sized pool, upon completion of the Sports Hub’s first phase, PATAFA will also have access to the 600-square meter Sante Fitness Lab, a first-of-its- kind combination of facilities in the country, which will feature a strength and conditioning fitness facility, sports rehab areas, a Sports Science Laboratory, a dance studio, a spinning class area, bike shop and services, a nutrition and fitness café, VO2 max/lactate testing, plus conference and lecture rooms. Future plans include a provision for a 3,000 seat multi- purpose indoor sports arena.

Manila Water Company, Inc., through its subsidiary Manila Water Total Solutions (MWTS), will also be supporting this project with Ayala through a hydration sponsorship of Healthy Family Purified Water to the PATAFA athletes. Healthy Family will be supplying 4,000 bottles monthly of its 500ml variant to PATAFA for the duration of their training at Vermosa.

As advocates of environmental sustainability, MWTS will also be working together with PATAFA on a program called “Toka ng PATAFA”. This program is an advocacy on environmental stewardship and responsible consumerism that helps promote the value of waste segregation through the recovery of used PET (polyethylene) bottles. This is an initiative to be spearheaded by our athletes as champions for health and wellness, as well as, staunch partners for the environment.

Ayala will provide financial support to facilitate and strengthen PATAFA’s recruitment and training programs.

“Ayala’s support will help the athletes train better, perform better and hopefully bring more medals and recognition for the country,” said PATAFA President Philip Juico.

The eagerness to help improve the skills and international ranking of our national athletes has spurred the Ayala Group to do its part in helping Filipino athletes achieve excellence in their respective sports and succeed in various international competitions.

Succeeding in today’s volatile and uncertain times requires harnessing the power of innovation and effective collaboration. Recognizing this, Ayala Corporation held an insightful forum with key partners to better understand emerging disruptive forces, and discuss how to thrive in this era of extreme change. Held on 21 June 2018 at the Shangri-la at The Fort, the Creativity and Innovation Forum (C&I) was traditionally an internal event that is part of Ayala’s ongoing initiative to institutionalize a culture of curiosity and disruptive thinking across the group. This year, Ayala engaged its key partners and friends from outside the group, recognizing that the most impactful innovations emerge from the power of creative combustion—the intersections of diverse cultures, experiences, and capabilities.

“In parallel to the challenge of adapting our organizations against disruption, we are also called to build bridges of synergy between organizations… Collaboration between and among different groups is essential in all our efforts to harness innovation and solve the world’s biggest challenges,” shared Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Chairman and CEO of Ayala Corporation.

This year’s Forum welcomed back Prof. Hitendra Patel, Managing Director at IXL Center, and Professor at Rotman School of Management (University of Toronto), who spoke about this year’s theme, Thriving in the Age of Disruption.

“You want to be the first to help drive what looks like a logical trend…and use that to create solutions,” shared Prof. Patel. “Disruptions happen very fast… you need to move faster than ever before. You need to be able to look into the future and create a picture of what it looks like. In that future world, you’ve got to see what the business impact is with the growth gap and everything else. From there, you’ll find your space to play in. And in that space, you can place teams that can run to make things happen.”

After the keynote address, Prof. Patel was joined in a panel by Rohan Sakpal, Country Managing Director (India) at IXL Center, and Prof. Joel Litman, Financial Innovation Expert at IXL Center and President and CEO at Valens Research. Vince Tobias, Head of Innovation at Ayala Corporation and Board Director at the Global Innovation Management Institute, moderated the lively discussion, where the panelists shared their thoughts on the value of innovation in building and safeguarding businesses.

Moderated by Cathy Yang, Managing Editor and Anchor at the ABS-CBN News Channel, a dynamic CEO Panel on Corporate Innovation followed to discuss how Globe Telecom, Sun Life Financial, and Pilipinas Shell—three of the country’s most forward-thinking companies—anticipate disruption, adapt their organization, and contribute towards building a Philippine Innovation Ecosystem.

Ernest Cu, President and CEO of Globe Telecom, discussed how Globe’s burning platform mentality helped the company anticipate disruptions in telecommunications, and successfully pivot Globe from being a pure telecommunications provider, to a digital lifestyle enabler powered by data. Riza Mantaring, CEO & Country Head at Sun Life Philippines Financial, meanwhile, highlighted the contributions of disciplined experimentation and adaptation to changing consumer behaviors as contributors to her company’s success despite being one of the world’s oldest companies, also in one of the world’s oldest industries. Lastly, Cesar Romero, President and CEO at Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation, discussed Shell’s globally-recognized excellence principles and methodologies in forecasting scenarios, as well as how the company proactively and collaboratively responds to these forecasts.

Clearly, what used to be sources of strength are now vulnerabilities that can be exploited. What has brought success in the past may not be the same ones that will propel companies into the future. While disruption exists all around, innovation goes beyond increasing a company’s bottomline—there is a bigger, more meaningful goal as organizations respond to disruption. As such, Ayala and its partners remain committed to building a Philippine Innovation Ecosystem to drive the country forward. As Cathy Yang concluded, “Innovation in business is of critical importance—and having the courage to thoughtfully question the status quo is a good start in innovating. [There is] no room for complacency in this day and age of innovation. As they say, the only thing constant is change, so
embrace it. Onwards we go on our innovation journeys.”

from left to right: Rohan Sakpal – Country Managing Director (India) at IXL Center, Paolo Borromeo – President and CEO of AC Health, and Group Head of Corporate Strategy and Development at Ayala Corporation, Prof. Hitendra Patel – Managing Director at IXL Center and Professor at Rotman School of Management (University of Toronto), Ernest Cu – President and CEO of Globe Telecom, Riza Mantaring – CEO & Country Head at Sun Life Philippines Financial, Cesar Romero – President and CEO at Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation, Cathy Yang – Managing Editor and Anchor at the ABS-CBN News Channel, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala – Chairman and CEO, Ayala Corporation, Prof. Joel Litman – Financial Innovation Expert at IXL Center and President and CEO at Valens Research, Vince Tobias – Head of Innovation at Ayala Corporation and Board Director at the Global Innovation Management Institute.