Divergent worlds of art and money remittance rewarded by focus

MANILA, Philippines - Completion is achieved by every focused and masterful stroke. This is how managing a vital office of MoneyGram, a leading global remittance company, can be likened to painting, which is another passion of Alex Chan Lim.

In his executive work as the country manager of MoneyGram International Inc., Lim ensures that every Filipino consumer gets the best value for money and excellent customer care.

MoneyGram’s traditional and digital remittance programs are carried out to provide convenient, safe, and fast ways to send money to loved ones. In all these, he remains steadfast and focused.

And as he scurries to his art world, Lim brings with him the same qualities of focus, discipline and commitment.

He started painting when he was 11 years old but his love for art never waned as he took up engineering in college. Even now with his big responsibilities at MoneyGram, he still takes on a very active role in The Chan Lim Family of Artists, a brand that has been around the circuit for over four decades.

The Chan Lim Family works have been showcased in 14 family exhibits which had been held in different parts of the country. Their art workshops, attended by people from all walks of life, have inspired many to take up their paintbrushes and to let the inner artists in them shine through.

The artistic country manager puts heart in into his work just like an artist who devotes energy and time in perfecting an artwork.

“You have to be very focused. When we say we’re going to do it, we will really do it. It’s the same with painting. When I hold the paintbrush, I start painting. I cannot say to my students, ‘I don’t feel inspired today’. You have to look for inspiration. You need to have commitment.”

He added: “Bad mood or good mood, the show continues. Rain or shine, when you come to the office you must focus on your job, of what is required of you.”

Lim is known for his modest and honest work principles. He stressed the importance of humbly admitting the size and scope of one’s abilities to avoid shortchanging others. He noted, “Do not say you know how to paint if you don’t know how to paint. When I am unsure about something, I just say, ‘I will get back to you next week’. Then I try to learn more about it.”

He also offered a word of caution. “If you say that you will get back to a person, see to it that you really will. Otherwise, that person will not believe you next time.”

He cited, as an example, MoneyGram’s initiative to offer more convenient banking options for consumers. “MoneyGram did not have real time products before but now we do. We did not stop with just one or three banks. It was endless. We want to give people fast services with the least minimum price.”

With MoneyGram, Lim believes in investing in product innovation to provide more solutions for specific client needs.

“We give people more choices on how to send and receive their money,” Lim said.

As a creative leader, he knows the importance of developing talent and bringing out the best in everyone. “When it comes to painting, it is good to have talent. It is better to have interest. If you just have talent but have no interest, it will be hard for me teach you. If you have interest even without talent, you can still learn fast. If you have both, then all I have to do is to guide you. We are different. We all have our own talent, our own forte.”

Not a stranger to hard work, Lim intends to make more headway in the field of remittance. It is no wonder that under his leadership, MoneyGram has experienced exponential growth within a span of few years.

MoneyGram caters to 11 million Filipino migrant workers. As the numbers continue to grow, Lim assured that the remittance firm will provide wider latitude for strategic and convenient choices.

“It is important to be innovative. We will not stop innovating. We know how to position ourselves.”

And very much like preparing for an art exhibit, he added, “We know what to present to the public.”