Leadership and People Development

Leadership

Board of Directors

James L. Go

Chairman

Lance Y. Gokongwei

Director, President and CEO

Antonio L. Go

Independent Director

Cirilo P. Noel

Director

Johnson Robert G. Go, Jr.

Director

Jose T. Pardo

Independent Director

Lily G. Ngochua

Director

Patrick Henry C. Go

Director

Renato T. De Guzman

Independent Director

Robina Gokongwei Pe

Director

Corporate Center Heads

After having laid out the 5-year roadmaps for JG Summit and its subsidiaries, we revisited the parenting role of our Corporate Center and its relationship with the Strategic Business Units (SBUs), ensuring that the parent company is appropriately designed and structured to support and enable the SBUs towards the achievement of both their financial and non-financial goals, which in turn facilitates the realization of JGS’ 5-year ambition. Considering the size, nature and maturity of the different businesses in our portfolio, we determined that the parenting strategy should be more focused on Synergy Creation for core businesses, Strategic Guidance for growth businesses and Functional Leadership for new builds.
As a holding company, JGS’ parenting role is principally to provide access to capital markets and resourcing. In addition, the parent company can add value to the SBUs by (1) becoming a Center of Excellence and Knowledge, (2) supporting them in building essential capabilities, (3) driving cross-BU synergies, (4) managing risk and ensuring compliance with laws, regulations and best practices, and (5) challenging business strategies and financial targets.
With these in mind, the Corporate Center Units’ (CCU) primary purpose is to be an enabler to the holding company and to the SBUs for the achievement of our ambitions. The CCU’s need to shift its focus to business results delivery, ecosystem leverage, as well as business and organizational sustainability. Hence, we are evolving the corporate center organization design in line with JG Summit’s enterprise transformation. As we move towards an optimal structure, the CCUs are currently organized as follows:
CCU Leader
Corporate Strategy Lance Y. Gokongwei, President & CEO
Corporate Strategy Cornelio S. Mapa, Jr., Senior Vice President for Investments and New Builds
Corporate Strategy Bach Johann M. Sebastian, Senior Vice President for Strategic Investments Group
Office of the Chief of Staff and Investor Relations Michael P. Liwanag, Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff
Corporate Human Resources Nicasio L. Lim, Senior Vice President
Corporate Procurement Alan D. Surposa, Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer
Digital Transformation Office Lisa Gokongwei-Cheng, Head
Corporate Information Technology Carlos G. Santos, Chief Information Officer
Office of the Chief Financial Officer Francisco M. Del Mundo, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Corporate Treasury Aldrich Richard T. Javellana, Senior Vice President and Treasurer
Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Renato T. Salud, Senior Vice President
General Counsel Group Maria Celia F. Estavillo, Senior Vice President & General Counsel
Corporate Internal Audit Emmanuel B. De Pano, Vice President
Corporate Secretary Rosalinda F. Rivera, Corporate Secretary
Compliance Arlene S. Denzon, Compliance Officer

Strategic Business Unit Heads

Irwin C. Lee

President and Chief Executive Officer,
Universal Robina Corporation

Frederick D. Go

President and Chief Executive Officer,
Robinsons Land Corporation

Michael B. Szucs

Chief Executive Adviser,
Cebu Air, Inc.

Patrick Henry C. Go

President and Chief Executive Officer,
JG Summit Petrochemicals Group

Elfren Antonio S. Sarte

President and Chief Executive Officer,
Robinsons Bank Corporation

JG Summit Holdings, Inc.’s Initiatives

John Gokongwei Institute for Leadership and Enterprise Development (JG-ILED) was spurred by the vision of Mr. John Gokongwei to (1) demonstrate the enterprise commitment to continued learning, organizational growth and career development; (2) enable leaders to develop strategies for competitiveness of the company; and (3) develop our employees and create a deep bench.
The Learning and Development programs under JG-ILED are crafted to help employees in different levels to advance their skills in effectively managing themselves (leading self), managing teams (leading teams) and being able to contribute significantly to the organization (leading the business/enterprise).
As JG Summit (JGS) transitions from being founder-led to a professionally-managed, Purpose, Values and Ambition- led empowered organization, we began with top-leadership development to further equip our leaders, and help them become better role models and change catalysts to inspire as well as influence the rest of the group. Moving forward, new, advanced and tailored-fit programs being carefully designed and procured by our Leadership and People Development team will be implemented across various levels in the organization.
“The targeted programs enhance leaders’ agility to anticipate and respond to current and emerging changes brought about by disruptive environments”

Executive Development Program (EDP)

EDP was developed as we saw the need to proactively respond and reshape the organization given the accelerated pace of change JGS faces with globalization, digitalization, business disruption, and rapidly changing consumer expectations. This program builds on the senior leaders’ wealth of experiences, while honing their skills in articulating a strategic vision, developing an authentic and high performing culture, and increasing stakeholder engagement. The targeted programs enhance leaders’ agility to anticipate and respond to current and emerging changes brought about by disruptive environments such as innovation and digitalization while it remains rooted to our most espoused core values.
The current JGS Leadership Team is composed of eight (8) Presidents and CEOs of our business units and sister companies, with a good mix of family members and professionals having varying skill sets and capabilities. The EDP was facilitated by top notch leadership development providers such as the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) and INSEAD, one of the world’s leading and largest business schools. The 10-month long program which ended last January 2020 aimed to increase both self and team awareness, as well as help transform our JGS leaders to reach their full potentials to new ways of thinking, acting and learning in the changing and complex business environment.

Learning Pathway of JGS Leaders

JGS partnered with the CCL for the Leading Self and Teams modules of the group. CCL is a top-ranked, global provider of leadership development based in Singapore. They offer an exclusive focus on leadership education and research and unparalleled expertise in solving the leadership challenges of individuals and organizations everywhere.

The learning pathway of JGS leaders started with self- awareness and an assessment of how each one relates effectively with others. The leaders took a variety of assessments and tools such as the Leadership Culture Assessment (LCA), 360 Benchmarks for Executives, Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation- Behavior (FIRO-B) and SBI (Situation, Behavior, Impact Model). These allowed each leader to be mindful of those areas where they are strong and those which need work, and deftly unveil unspoken behaviors, mindsets, and social patterns of our leaders. Being honest about these strengths and limitations puts leaders in a position for improvement and growth.
The learning journey started with thirty-two (32) participants who attended the two-day program on February 12-13, 2019 at Dusit Thani Mactan Cebu Hotel.

JGS followed up with another intervention by engaging the leaders into an eight-day program strategically interspersed over a ten-month period on Leading the Business and the Enterprise. The group has partnered with INSEAD Singapore in creating and supporting the leadership development of our leaders while they lead and transform the enterprise.

Thirty-five (35) participants attended the Leading the Business and the Enterprise module. The program was designed into four (4) modules incorporating relevant thrusts and challenges that JGS leaders face namely:
  • Module 1: Corporate Strategy and Entrepreneurial Thinking
  • Module 2: Digital Strategy, Business Model Innovation and Customer Centricity
  • Module 3: Stakeholder Management and Leading Successful Change
  • Module 4: Business Decision Making in the JGS Context
The 10-month program was attended by the group’s President and CEOs, senior leaders, Corporate Center Unit Heads and Strategic Business Units Critical Talents.
These initiatives are just the beginning of our leadership and people development strategy. This will be an ongoing endeavor across all levels in the organization to further expand JGS’ leadership and functional capabilities and build a continuous learning environment for our employees.

SBU Initiatives

Universal Robina Corporation (URC)

“URC University is lining up new programs to strengthen critical skills and competencies via its functional academes”

We established URC University which houses the learning management system that facilitates the continuous learning and growth of our people. Our brand on people development inspires personal mastery, encourages servant leadership and collaboration, and ensures operational excellence.

For several years, URC has partnered with JG Summit Corporate Human Resources team in delivering training to an estimated 800 leaders on core programs such as integrated business communication, customer service excellence, project management, and coaching.
In 2018, URC University launched customized leadership development programs based on the needs and requirements of our leaders and of our business. Its flagship executive development program, namely “Excellerate”, was designed to inspire leaders to be “at their very best”, while building their capacity to inspire others to higher levels of performance. It is a six (6) month learning journey of self-discovery, giving them a holistic view of who they are and what they can be – as “individuals”, as “leaders of teams” and as “leaders of the business”. It reinforces enterprise thinking, team collaboration and the pursuit of operational excellence using multiple methodologies including 360-degree assessments, personal and team coaching, structured learning experiences and action learning projects. More than 50 leaders have been enrolled in the program, with 37 of them successfully completing the same over a period of 18 months.
As we end 2019, URC University is lining up new programs to strengthen critical skills and competencies via its functional academes in Sales, Marketing, Integrated Supply Chain and Human Resources. It is rolling out new programs customized for its middle managers and line managers, building management essentials critical to their success. In preparation for the year to come, it will continue to create more exciting, engaging and relevant learning experiences for our employees, enabling them to meet head-on the challenges of the business and the ever-evolving external environment we operate in.

Cebu Air, Inc. (CEB)

“CEB’s robust training programs are composed of comprehensive and specialized learning modules across job functions and roles.”
In 2019, CEB was inducted into the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the trade association of the global airline industry. With this, we became one of more than 290 member-airlines from 117 countries all over the world. CEB is IATA’s largest member among Philippine carriers. Our formal membership is preceded by the airline’s compliance with the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), a globally recognized evaluation system.

Moreover, CEB is committed to the personal and professional development of all employees. CEB’s robust training programs are composed of comprehensive and specialized learning modules across job functions and roles, including specialized technical training for safety and security, cabin crew, and pilots. In 2019, CEB invested in over 24,000 basic, people management, and leadership training hours for its employees.

We also uphold diversity and inclusion, to drive innovation and long-term success. CEB provides equal opportunity. As of end 2019, CEB is home to 39 nationalities. In leadership positions (managers and up), there are as many males as females (162). Out of its 771 pilots, 41 are female, and of over 1,800 cabin crew, 266 are male. In 2019, CEB, through its subsidiary Cebgo, made history with the first two transgender cabin crew in the Philippines. They graduated in November 2019, along with 12 other Cebgo cabin crew trainees.

Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC)

Our leadership and people development strategy focuses on increasing the functional capability of staff and creating well-rounded leaders, who are self-aware, able to manage a team, as well as the business.

Structured Onboarding Program

RLC’s onboarding program (First 100 Days) was revitalized. There was a shift in focus from the classroom learning component to a more robust on-the-job training to ensure that new employees are equipped with the necessary skills required of their roles. In Robinsons Hotels, the process is aptly called the Onboarding Journey, which goes beyond 100 days. The line managers take an active part in the process instead of relying on the HR department. The onboarding also introduces the one-minute training videos called Minute-to-Learn-It. These videos were well-received by the employees, new and old, the latter considering them as refreshers.

Focus on Functional Training

With fresh employee intake, there is a need to strengthen functional capabilities. Several functional learning tracks were created; Engineering and Operations, Marketing, Leasing, and Sales. The following are some of the functional/technical training programs:

Engineering and Operations:

Fundamentals of Electricity, Fire Hazards, and Troubleshooting of Escalators and Elevators; Basic Occupational Safety and Health; Emergency Response Training; First Aid

Leasing and Sales:

Negotiation Skills

Marketing:

Social Media Analytics and Marketing

Finance:

Finance for Non-Finance

Specialized (Hotel):

Executive Housekeeping

Leadership/ Executive Development

The development of leaders in RLC follows the model: Managing self, Managing Others, and Managing the Business. Whilst finalizing the integrated and laddered program in this area, identified key leaders have attended the following:

  • Leading Self and Teams by CCL
  • Leading the Business by INSEAD includes four (4) modules on 1) Corporate Strategy and Entrepreneurial Thinking, 2) Digital Strategy, Business Model Innovation, and Customer Centricity, 3) Stakeholder Management and Leading Successful Change, 4) Business Decision Making in the JG Summit Context;
  • Leadership in Transition and The Future of Work – by HBR
  • Better Conversations Everyday by CCL, where RLC conducted one pilot batch of 24 managers. RLC likewise, sponsored the trainer’s training of one BCE facilitator, to ensure the roll-out of the program in 2020.

In addition, we contracted the Emergenetics Assessment Profile for Leaders, which provides an overview of a leader’s thinking and behavioral preferences through a quantifiable brain-based format. This allows the leader to be more self-aware to better understand themselves and their team, empowering them to interact more effectively with each other. Two pilot batches of Emergenetics were conducted.

JG Summit Petrochemicals Group (JGSPG)

JGSPG is home to highly engaged and inspired individuals who are driven to contribute to the attainment of our vision to become the market-leading and preferred supplier of innovative, world-class petrochemical products and solutions in the Philippines. Our top of the line technology is partnered with equally world-class human resources, which we continuously cultivate through various leadership and skills development programs implemented across all levels of the JGSPG organization. Some of these programs include:

Leadership Training

such as Foundations of Leadership Training

Marketing:

Social Media Analytics and Marketing

Function-specific Courses

such as Effective Communications, Petrochemical Training Courses, On-The- Job Trainings, and Product Applications Training

JGSPG is highly focused in ensuring that the manpower and leadership complement of the organization also evolves with the expanding needs of the petrochemicals business. As such, the group is aggressively recruiting for all levels to help bring in the necessary skills bench and experience required for the business.

Robinsons Bank Corporation (RBank)

Strong leadership empowers performance-based integration to the institution and catalyzes influence to employees. The Bank invested in capacity development to increase competency, skills, and efficiency. This commitment to bring the Bank to the next level of organization maturity is a constant endeavor.
RBank Academy is recognized as the bank’s learning and development partner. Aligned with the Bank’s direction of going digital, RBank Academy continued to increase the number of its e-learnings in 2019, launching in-house designed ABC’s of Agile Leadership and CX Fortified and leveraging on coursera freeware on specialized topics on Finance, Sales and Leadership. RBank Academy likewise continued to offer new facilitator-led trainings on finance to agile scrum foundation workshops. This paved the way towards efficient learning with a 1:3 employee learning ratio across the bank, which benefited 17,333 learners.
Aligned with customer-centricity, RBank Academy launched three (3) process enhancements in 2019 to provide better customer-user experiences thru online training enrolments, QR code adoption in online exams, and establishment of learning centers in Cebu and Davao for virtual learnings.
To deepen and widen the Bank’s leadership pool, yearly career track programs were offered such as the Officer Development Program (now on its 12th Batch) and the Sales Officer Development Program (now on its 2nd Batch), that brings to date a total of 160 graduates. Ongoing as well is the Supervisory and Management workshop, which has been attended by a total of 192 leaders across the Bank.
Indeed, RBank Academy stands true to RBank’s vision to fulfil RBankers’ changing learning needs, and live out its mission to be better every day thru a strong learning culture.