MANILA, Philippines - Edgar O. Chua, Shell companies in the Philippines (SciP) country chairman, has received 2013’s most prestigious award in the business practice: the Management Association of the Philippines’ (MAP) Management Man of the Year.
This highly celebrated award has only been conferred 37 times in its 46-year history, giving its awardees unquestioned distinction in their respective fields. “I have been lucky and blessed to be part of a great company, with great mentors and a great team who make me look good,†said Chua in response to the numerous commendations given to him, counting this MAP award as the most recent and important one.
In his acceptance speech, Chua looked back at his humble beginnings and the start of his unexpected journey in Shell in 1979. “I did not expect that I would be spending a long time with the company,†he said. “But I thoroughly enjoyed my job, the people I worked with, the challenges and recognition, the culture of the company, and the values that the company espouses: honesty, integrity, and respect for people. These are the same values that we all want to inculcate in our children.â€
Most importantly, Chua is cognizant of the fact that being Management Man of the Year entails significant responsibility in terms of his future actions as a role model. MAP’s thorough and stringent selection process took into consideration integrity, leadership, and management qualities; contribution to nation building and values formation; and effective stewardship within the parameters of the highest standards of business and management practice.
Having been part of past award selection committees, Chua acknowledged his now fellow awardees as “pillars of the industry who have made significant contributions to nation building,†and being on the list this year humbles him to do more for his organization and the country.
The next 100 years for Shell
“This award comes at an auspicious time as Shell will celebrate 100 years of presence in the Philippines in 2014,†Chua said. “When I look at what has been achieved throughout its 99 years in the country, I am amazed and I truly admire the Shell employees who came before us who made Shell companies in the Philippines what it is today.â€
Shell has been investing in social programs as part of its business operations even before the term CSR (corporate social responsibility) became popular. It takes particular pride in the Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc. (PSFI), formed in 1982 to complement the company’s involvement in the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) and to deliver more impact in addressing issues on education, environment, safety, and health, “the focus being to capacitate our less fortunate countrymen who only need to be given an opportunity to improve their lives,†he added.
Shell’s enduring social development programs have also strongly focused on the youth, such as the National Students Art Competition and the Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship. The Shell Eco-marathon is a banner program that has inspired promising Filipino engineering talents to pioneer sustainable mobility through fuel-efficient vehicles and using power sources such as biofuels and electric mobility.
Other continuous programs create a new generation of Filipinos conscious of advocacies and issues such as road safety, fuel efficient driving, environmental management, and many others.
A new energy future
With Shell’s continuous accomplishments, Chua foresees the power, energy and gas technology leader as a continuing contributor to the country’s growth and development, particularly with the $1-billion Malampaya Phase 2 and 3 project. “We are also eyeing building the first LNG [liquefied natural gas] import facility and to expand our Shared Service Centre by another 1,000, bringing Shell’s staff complement to over 5,000,†he added, illustrating innovations in power and providing employment to Filipinos as well.
Shell’s social investments are substantially growing, having allocated P200 million for relief and rehabilitation for typhoon Yolanda victims, signing a P100-million donation for the National Museum, and another P100 million for science and technology university scholarships in partnership with PhilDev.