Month: April 2022

MANILA — Ayala Center For Excellence in Sports (ACES) on Saturday names eight national athletes selected for its pilot program Atletang Ayala.

Launched last March, ACES is part of Ayala’s commitment to nation-building by providing holistic support to the country’s emerging athletic Olympic bets. Ayala believes that sports can inspire and bring together a nation. Hence, through ACES, Ayala finds a way to help the next generation of Filipino athletes achieve their full potential.

“Many of our athletes are already well on the way to becoming internationally competitive in this way. We would like to help support them, by building long-term relationships that will help them become the best they can be in both their athletic and post-athletic careers,” said Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Chairman of Ayala Corporation.

“We believe that this posture of investing in the long-term development of the individual, as both an athlete and as a person, is an effective and sustainable way to build success in Philippine national sports,” he added

The pioneering roster of Atletang Ayala includes:

o Jasmine Alkhadi (29) – Two-time Olympic swimmer and SEAG gold medalist – Double major degree holder in Marketing & Management (Hawaii)

o Andrea Robles (25) – First Filipino Gold Medalist at the Indoor Archery World Series – Dean’s Lister in Management (Ateneo de Manila University)

o Prince Alejo (21) – Youngest nationally ranked karateka – Studying Mechanical Engineering (Polytechnic University of the Philippines)

o Pia Bidaure (24) – World-ranked archer and SEAG medalist – Studying Civil Engineering (Siliman University)

o Xiandi Chua (21) – Nationally-ranked swimmer and SEAG silver medalist and – Dean’s Lister in Business Entrepreneurship (De La Salle University)

o Nat Perez (26) – Philippines’ top foil fencer – Aspiring entrepreneur

o Abby Bidaure (20) – World-ranked national archer and – Studying Psychology (University of St. La Salle – Bacolod)

o Noel Jose (25) – World-ranked fencer – Cum Laude graduate in BS Physical Education (University of Santo Tomas)

Each Atletang Ayala underwent a rigorous screening process that lasted for a month. “We wanted to make sure that athletes in the program were as accomplished and committed to their professional careers as to their athletic careers. We were amazed to find many applicants exhibited precisely those levels of commitment, in each of those areas. The 8 selected are, in our view, the best partners, professionally and athletically,” said Jan Bengzon, ACES Program Director.

Under the Atletang Ayala program, participating Ayala Group companies will offer full-salaried employment opportunities at part-time hours to the selected national athletes while they train for the 2022 Asian Games and the 2024 Olympics.

Athletes selected for the program will also be given free access to the world-class training facilities of the Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub (AVSH) in Cavite, which features a 400m track oval built in accordance with the standards of the International Association of Athletics Federations, a FINA-standard Olympic size swimming pool, and an indoor training facility equipped with a sports science laboratory.

AVSH facilities can accommodate training for track/athletics, aquatics, cycling, triathlon, football, rugby, and frisbee.

Further, ACES has partnered with De La Salle University to offer free enrollment in a selection of courses. This benefit will enable athletes to matriculate in DLSU’s world-class programs, eventually earning degrees that will support their career development.

Each Atletang Ayala will be offered a yearly contract that provides for the above benefits and can be renewed annually until the 2024 Olympics, contingent on the attainment of clear performance measures.

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For more information:

YLA ALCANTARA
Head, Brand and Reputation Management
Ayala Corporation
e-mail – publicaffairs@ayala.com

MANILA, Philippines, April 29, 2022 – Ayala Corporation welcomes former Philippines finance secretary Cesar V. Purisima and former Singtel Group CEO Chua Sock Koong to its board of directors following their election at the company’s annual stockholders meeting on Friday.

Purisima and Chua take the seats of outgoing directors Keiichi Matsunaga and Antonio Jose U. Periquet, who had been part of the Ayala board since April 2017 and September 2010, respectively.

Purisima served as the country’s finance chief and chair of the economic development cluster of the President’s Cabinet from 2010 to 2016. Under his leadership, the Philippines received its first investment-grade ratings. Purisima also served as Chairman and Country Managing Partner of the Philippines’ largest professional services firm, SGV & Co.

Chua is currently senior advisor at Singtel, Asia’s leading communications technology group, where she also served as group CEO for 13 years until December 2020. She is currently the Deputy Chairman of Singapore’s Public Service Commission and a member of the Council of Presidential Advisers and the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council.

In his message to the stockholders, Ayala Corporation Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala said, “We always strive to achieve sufficient diversity of thinking across our board representation and have worked to create a proper combination of knowledge, experience, and expertise to guide management. With an increasing demand for companies to adhere to new ESG standards, we understand the need to always focus on revisiting our board composition and allowing transitions to take place at appropriate moments.”

Zobel added, “We believe Mr. Purisima and Ms. Chua will provide immense value and complement the existing expertise and strengths of our current Directors.” He also thanked Matsunaga and Periquet for sharing their wisdom and experience, which helped Ayala withstand various headwinds over the years.

The Ayala board now has two female directors with Chua and Ex-Sun Life Financial (Philippines) CEO Rizalina Mantaring.  

Strengthening ESG commitment

Last October 2021, Ayala Corporation committed to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. To develop its net-zero roadmap, Ayala partnered with South Pole, a leading project developer and global climate solutions provider that works with private organizations and governments worldwide.

By December 2021, Ayala Corporation and core business units Ayala Land, BPI, ACEN, and Globe completed a climate action gap analysis study, marking the first phase in the engagement with South Pole. The study highlighted strengths, areas for improvement, and potential quick wins for Ayala and its core businesses.

Ayala Land, BPI, ACEN, and Globe are currently in the process of accounting for their respective GHG footprints and will be followed by an intervention assessment and target-setting. The group is on-track to develop bespoke net-zero greenhouse gas emissions roadmaps for each of the core business units towards the end of 2022.

On the social front, Ayala became a member of the Business Commission to Tackle Inequality, an initiative by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development that focuses on mobilizing the global business community to address the disparity and imbalance across income, wealth, and opportunities. It aims to accelerate business action around equity and put it at par with climate and nature action. Recently, Ayala Corporation President and CEO Fernando Zobel de Ayala joined as a commissioner.

Investing for the Greater Good

Ayala Corporation’s net profits grew 62 percent to ₱27.8 billion (approximately US$556 mn) in 2021, primarily driven by realized income from the execution of strategic initiatives in the group, boosted by the improved performance of Ayala Land and BPI.

For 2022, Ayala group allocated up to ₱285 billion (approximately US$5.7 bn) in combined capital expenditure and investments to execute on the growth initiatives across its businesses. Ayala Corporation President & CEO Fernando Zobel de Ayala said the group commits to support the continued expansion of its core value drivers Ayala Land, BPI, Globe, and ACEN.

The group will also scale up emerging businesses AC Health and AC Logistics to create new sources of growth and value. Further, by sharpening the group’s portfolio with an increased focus on value realization to fund future investments and strengthen its balance sheet, Ayala targets to raise US$1 billion in proceeds by 2023.

“Our diversified portfolio provides a natural mechanism to mitigate the adverse impact and capitalize on opportunities arising from the global health and economic crisis,” Ayala President & CEO Fernando Zobel said. “With the improving macroeconomic fundamentals, de-escalation of quarantine measures to the lowest status, and high rate of inoculation, we are hopeful that 2022 will be the start of our country’s recovery,” he added.

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For more information:

YLA ALCANTARA
Head, Brand and Reputation Management
Ayala Corporation
e-mail – publicaffairs@ayala.com

CEBU CITY – The Ayala Group has renamed and relaunched the Cebu chapter of the WeAreAyala Business Club (WAABC) recently to advance the Greater Good by fostering customer support, employee synergy, and community engagement.

The event included the oath-taking of newly inducted WAABC Cebu Board Members, a town hall for more than 300 participants from across the different Ayala Business Units, and a token recognition of Alexis Sy, a Cebuana Bowler and BPI Unibanker, that is representing the country at the 31st SEA Games. With this WAABC Cebu launch, the formal inauguration of WAABC chapters in other regions is set to follow.

“We are such a unique group of companies, with such a broad and diverse presence throughout the country. It is really wonderful to see our communities helping one another and the community at large, most especially during these challenging times,” said Fernando Zobel de Ayala, Ayala Corporation President & CEO.

WAABC Cebu, previously known as Ayala Business Club Cebu, was established in 1995.  It has witnessed Ayala’s growing presence in the province. Today, Ayala Land Inc. has two (2) operational estates (Cebu Business Park and Cebu IT Park) and three (3) more under development, which are the centers of business in Cebu and together host 70% of Cebu’s BPO industry. Moreover, Ayala also has 2 malls – Ayala Center Cebu and Ayala Malls Central Bloc, 51 BPI & BanKo branches, 11 Globe Stores, 44 Generika drugstores, and 5 AC Motors dealerships. At the height of the pandemic, AC Health’s Qualimed Health Network operated a COVIDShield vaccination site in Ayala Malls Central Bloc, where over 16,300 jabs of COVID-19 vaccine were administered. 

“As the Ayala group continues to expand its presence here, WAABC Cebu commits to help advance the Greater Good by spearheading projects that enhance our engagement with customers, fellow Ayala employees, and the broader community.  We have also not forgotten our responsibility to our environment and the local communities we work with. We continue to strive to help build a sustainable future for all Cebuanos,” said Patrick Gloria, newly inducted Chairman of WAABC Cebu and current Globe Director for External Affairs, Visayas and Mindanao.

Through #BrigadangAyala, WAABC Cebu helped with the disaster response and rehabilitation efforts in Typhoon Odette-affected areas by spearheading the distribution of construction materials to select local communities and public schools within Cebu. Earlier this year, Globe, together with Ayala Foundation Inc., provided communications support in collaboration with the local government. More than 50 Globe Prepaid WiFi units were donated to select Bantayan Island residents and students.

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For more information, please contact:

Yla Alcantara
Head, Brand and Reputation Management
Ayala Corporation
Email – publicaffairs@ayala.com

Yoly Crisanto
SVP Group Corporate Communications and Chief Sustainability Officer
Globe Telecom, Inc.
Email Address: gtcorpcomm@globe.com.ph
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