Manny Pangilinan: A True Leader
Manny V. Pangilinan - widely recognized for his outstanding achievement in business and his commitment in the academic, charitable, arts and culture, sports and health communities - has achieved in his life more than most can ever dream of.
But, unknown to many, Mr. Pangilinan came from humble beginnings and had to get by with meager means to support his education. Working from ground up, he used to be a sales trainee traveling to remote parts of Mindanao just to sell products. And in search of better opportunities, he worked as an overseas contract worker in Hong Kong in 1981.1
As fate would have it, it was during his stay in Hong Kong that his leadership ability was first put to test. He was tasked to build an investment firm that, in the beginning, only employed a few people in a small office space with a small capital to start off with. This firm would then become First Pacific, a Hong-Kong based conglomerate, the portfolio of which includes Indofoods, the largest food company in Indonesia, and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), the leading telecommunications company in the Philippines.2
When Mr. Pangilinan became president of PLDT in 1998, he was able to transform the company into the full telecommunication service network it is today. Smart Communications, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of PLDT, is now the Philippines' leading wireless services provider with 27 million subscribers and counting.
Presently, aside from being the Managing Director and CEO of First Pacific, Mr. Pangilinan is also the chairman of PLDT, Smart Communications, Metro Pacific Corporation, Landco Pacific Corporation, among others. 3
What are the secrets behind his success?
In a speech during Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan's 68th commencement exercise, Mr. Pangilinan has this to say, “If I were to identify which qualities in a person best substantiate success, I would say that it is the spirit of enterprise and the passionate determination to succeed.“ For him, a true leader is one who “does not shrink from risks, from hardship, or from bitter toil." 4
Two years ago, Mr. Pangilinan was given the “Management Man of the Year 2005” award by the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), primarily for being an “outstanding Filipino capable of effective and ethical leadership and of competing with the best in the international business community spectrum.” 5
And not one to rest on his laurels and capability to do and give more, Mr. Pangilinan continues to help improve the lives of millions of Filipinos by not only providing employment opportunities, but also by supporting micro-entrepreneurship (through Philippine Business for Social Progress), improving the quality of education (through Smart Schools Program and the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program), and bringing sports to the youth (through Lead to Gold Foundation).
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