Enderun Student Participates in AmCham’s 9th Business Orientation Program

The AmCham Philippines has been in our country for more than 100 years, making it the oldest American Chamber abroad – and the first in Asia.

“The Chamber exists to serve the interests of U.S. businesses through the participation of members in promoting their long-term objectives, while contributing to the civic and economic development of the Philippines.”

Its mission statement states its long standing commitment to the Philippines which can also be seen through its various foundations and programs.

The AmCham Business Orientation Program (BOP), aims to make the next generation of leaders aware of the contributions of American multinational business to the country’s development, offering well-qualified undergraduate Filipino students an opportunity to be exposed to the “real world”, through a week-long program of site tours and thorough discussions with management professionals from the leading American multinational companies in the country.

The 2011 BOP was the first time that Enderun joined the line of schools where the applicants for the program could be coming from. Fortunately, out of the 3 the school recommended, Esber was able to get in, and in fact, was the youngest of all 32 of the BOP delegates. An applicant must be an incoming senior taking up business-related course such as Business Management, Accountancy, Entrepreneurship, etc. This year’s BOP had 145 applicants coming from various universities nationwide who underwent qualification tests and personal interviews by AmCham BOP Committee members to 99 after the initial selection, then 50 after the post-interview until the final 32 successful students were chosen.

The delegates were housed in the Asian Institute of Management Conference Center (AIMCC) for the whole 8 days of the program. The delegates gathered in the AmCham Hall, which is only beside the hotel, every morning depending on the schedule of activities.

Within the whole week, the delegates were able to meet the CEOs of the companies, which were sponsoring the program during the BOP Cocktail held in the residence of the Deputy Chief of Mission of AmCham in Forbes Park, Makati City. They also had breakfasts, lunches, and dinners with one to two CEOs everyday who told them their success stories and inspirational talks.

The CEOs are as follows: Mr. Rick Santos, the CBRE (CB Richard Ellis) President, Mr. Jomari Mercado, CEO of Convergys, Mr. Richard McGonegal, President and Managing Director of RCG IT, Ms. Tyrena Holley from the U.S. Embassy, and Mr. Robert Kuan, St. Lukes Medical Center’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Each of their talks was very significant since the delegates were business students who would be dealing with these different industries soon after they graduate.

The delegates also had site and plant tours. The delegates were toured in Mead Johnson in Makati City by Mr. Paul Richards, the President & Managing Director; Chevron in Makati City by Mr. Mark Quebral, the HR Manager; Peregrine in Clark, Pampanga by Mr. Dennis Wright, the President; Clark Education City by Mr. Clark, CEO; Holiday Inn in Clark by Mr. Melzer, the General Manager; Thomson Reuters by Corporate Executives; the U.S. Embassy by Mr. Harry K. Thomas, Jr., US Embassador; Philip Morris in Batangas by Corporate Executives; Sun Power in Laguna by Mr. Rey Mella, Fab1 Director; and in JP Morgan Chase & Co. by Mrs. Karen de Venecia, VP of Marketing and Communication.

It was a great opportunity to see the systems and processes happening within the operations behind the making of the things people usually see, use or hear everyday, but what was better was that the actual head of these operations told them exactly how they were able to get on top, stay on top, solve current problems, and anticipate future happenings.

In between these talks and site visits, delegates who were divided into groups, had to study and prepare for their presentation of their proposal to the company in the case given. The case study given to all groups was about the Splash Corporation. The presentation took place in the Marriott Hotel Manila. Delegates were helped by the consultants coming from John Clements Consultants Inc. These were Ms. Carol Dominguez, the Honorary Chair of the BOP Committee; President and CEO of John Clements Consultants Inc., Ms. Grace Alcid, the Business Development Director of John Clements Consultants Inc., and Mr. Kevin Lynch, the Business Director of CitiBank.

Of all the things that were told to us, the delegates, what I remember the most are about what Mr. Rick Santos of CBRE, Mr. Dennis Wright of Peregrine and Mr. Paul Richards of Mead Johnson told us.

Mr. Rick Santos of CBRE gave a list of how to be successful. First, leaders never, ever give up! One must be driven with persistence and determination. Second, leaders have a great story! Don’t try to be someone else, determine who you are, and determine who your good friends are before the age of 40! Third, be ready to change and adapt to an international world. Fourth, enthusiasm is a “force multiplier.” Fifth, be family-oriented. Sixth, create a ‘cause’, not a ‘business.’ Seventh, if you don’t have enemies, they are in your friends. Eight, “You must be the change you want to see in the world”, hese wise words are Mahatma Gandhi’s. Lastly, leaders enjoy leading.

Mr. Dennis Wright of Peregrine said that competition drives better performance, and brings out the best in someone. In addition, one must know how something is being done to improve things, and make a difference. Never sacrifice quality – quality over quantity! Lastly, cost should not matter if it means improvement.

Mr. Paul Richards of Mead Johnson’s tips for a successful company are to create value, do good, and have fun. He showed all these three as he told the delegates how Mead Johnson participate in charity works, value their company and employees.

In life, you just have to hold on to the right principles and the things that you value to achieve your goal. Always remember that it is lonely at the top, so make sure to reach it with the people you trust and value the most – again something I learned from the BOP.