Self-made executive inspires success

CEBU CITY, Philippines– Dream big, work hard, and stay focused, and you might just achieve your goals – and who knows, even change the Philippines.

These were the words of former domestic helper Rebecca Bustamante, now founder of Chalre Associates Executive Search, who provided inspiration to 90 of the country’s top college students at the 10th Aboitiz Future Leaders Business Summit (AFLBS) at Marco Polo Plaza Cebu last Nov. 6.

“The future of the Philippines is you. If anyone can be successful, you can,” she exhorted the batch of young leaders.

“If I can do it, so can you. It doesn’t matter where you start,” added Bustamante, who is now also president of the Asia CEO Awards, the country’s largest business awards event.

Bustamante is known for her compelling life story, which saw her rise from being a domestic helper in Singapore to chief executive officer of her own company, thanks to her sheer determination and an iron-clad resolve to succeed.

During her talk at the 10th AFLBS, Bustamante offered eight ways to earn a career advantage: gain knowledge, gain top place, gain control of money, gain relationships, gain good work habits, gain a positive attitude, gain personal energy, and gain the right career.

Every year, the AFLBS gathers the country’s brightest college student leaders for a two-day summit of fun and knowledge through activities that allow participants to develop their leadership skills and learn how to concretize management concepts in a corporate environment.

This year’s AFLBS carried the theme “Inspiring Leaders for a Better Future”.

On the first day of the summit, top Aboitiz executives from various business units of the Aboitiz Group shared their knowledge, experience, and philosophies that reinforce high hopes for the country for these future leaders.

On its 10th year of building young talented leaders, the AFLBS reaches a significant milestone in preparing and empowering the youth to become change-makers in their chosen field of profession, and in society in general.

“At Aboitiz, people are our greatest assets, which means that human resources holds a key role in the organization – that of finding the right people to occupy the right positions and motivating them to excel and be the best at what they do,” shared Txabi Aboitiz, Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. chief human resources officer.

“We look for people who are driven, energetic, and results-oriented, who seek innovative solutions in their day-to-day work. We want people who are passionate about succeeding, and like to excel in everything that they do,” Aboitiz added.