The making of a First Pacific leader

MANILA, Philippines - “A successful leader must have these essential qualities: Integrity, competence, passion, authenticity, and humility. Combined with proper training and the right exposure, a leader can be more than good — he can be great.”

These are the words that Manny V. Pangilinan, CEO, entrepreneur and visionary, said in describing an effective leader, and these attributes are what the First Pacific Leadership Academy (FPLA) endeavors to bring out among participants in the academy’s various leadership and management course offerings, with the hope of producing what it calls the “First Pacific leader.”

From its humble beginnings of being a foundation, which provided a premium conference venue and corporate training within a 10-hectare, eco-centric environment in the hills of Antipolo City, it slowly metamorphosed into FPLA, a leadership academy, a “talent pipeline” of outstanding managers, or a corporate university for future global business leaders like Pangilinan himself, who would eventually become a steward of the country’s economic and social progress.

Roy Agustin K. Evalle, general manager for First Pacific Leadership Succession and Development, said that FPLA’s statement, “Shaping the Leaders of the Future Today,” expresses what FPLA is all about, its vital role and function of creating leaders within the First Pacific Group, a Hong Kong-based investment management and holding company that has exposure in various industries like utilities, telecommunications, healthcare, toll roads, mining and food in the Philippines and abroad.

 â€œOur objective is to ‘mold’ and ‘shape’ individuals to become leaders of the future through our established leadership and succession development programs. The FPLA will endeavor to instill a mindset of innovation and continuous development for First Pacific Group leaders and eventually in other organizations as well,” Evalle explained.

FPLA has the right academic tools in place and is backed by outstanding academic people who focus on leadership education, advocacies and development such as the Management Development Program run in partnership with the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) and various Innovation Sessions of the First Pacific Group of Companies. They also have dedicated personnel in technical training development who focus on the creation of competency-based and technical programs tailor-suited to client needs such as the on-going Cadet Engineering Program of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the U.K.-certified Lineman training for SmartAsia International and Freedom Group UK.

The FPLA is also guided by essential philosophies such as integrity (transparency and accountability), malasakit (teamwork, quality service, environment, safety and health), excellence (competence, productivity, customer focus, creativity, performance), learning development/growth (innovation) and synergy (partnership, relationship), values that are already inherent in FPLA’s culture and its people.

FPLA caters primarily to CEOs and mid-level managers of companies under the First Pacific Group. However, FPLA also extends knowledge to various corporate clients and partners, who give strategic priority to the continuous learning and development of their people and organization, through customized learning solutions formulated using the FPLA program process flow.

For information, call 632-8111 or visit www.fpacademy.net.