The founder and chairperson of the Harvard Owner/President Management program and her collaborators recognized various leading personalities in such fields as retail, food manufacturing, media and transportation.
Chemist, entrepreneur and social media influencer Pinky Tobiano, founder and chairperson of Harvard OPM (Owner/President Management program) Philippines, personally welcomed the winners of Harvard OPM Philippines’ first Leadership Awards. The recognition is given to Harvard OPM graduates who have excelled and created a difference in their chosen field in the Philippines.
Pinky herself was also cited, albeit informally, for her dynamic and tireless leadership. Not only is she present in all Harvard OPM activities. Because of her vision and commitment to the program, she has successfully elevated the status of Harvard OPM Philippines into a global player, inspiring, in the process, countless Filipino industry leaders and SMEs to dream big and excel in global entrepreneurship.
Singer Erik Santos graced the event, serenading the graduates, awardees and other guests, including Harvard OPM Lifetime Achievement awardee Henry Lim Bong Liong, who was cited for having elevated the country’s rice industry. Liong, who believes that one seed has the power to uplift the nation, remains fired up with his vision to transform the Philippines into a self-sufficient rice-producing country.
Other Harvard OPM awardees are Rajan Uttamchandani, founding chairman and CEO of Esquire Financing, who was recognized for Leadership Excellence in Finance and Business Advisory; Wilson Lim, founder of the Abenson Group of Companies, for Leadership Excellence; and Chan Kok Bin, founder of CLN chain of shoe stores, also for Leadership Excellence.
Lim’s nationwide chain of Abenson retail stores satisfy the growing needs of Filipinos for quality home and business appliances, furniture, information technology products and even consumer goods. Chan, on the other hand, started small with a 50-sq. m. shoe boutique along Escolta Street in downtown Manila. Today, his CLN chain has a nationwide presence consisting of 70 branches, making it one of the leading fashion footwear brands for women.
Honorary awardee Rep. Ray Florence Reyes is a healthcare advocate and a business executive who brings his 18 years of experience in various industries to the 19th Congress as a representative of Alagaan Natin Ating Kalusugan (AnaKalusugan) party list. Alagaan is a non-profit organization focusing on public health as it advocates for equitable healthcare for Filipinos.
The next awardee for Leadership Excellence, William Tiu Lim, has an interesting story on how he got hooked on the fishing industry. Somewhere along the way, he was smitten by a woman who eventually became his wife. Five children and 12 grandchildren later, the couple’s family business is now a household name and a leading manufacturer of canned sardines under the brand name Mega.
Mega Fishing Corporation (MFC) is the fishing arm of Mega Global, boasting a fleet of more than 75 vessels equipped with state-of-the-art sonar fish finders.
Harvard OPM Philippines is also proud of its Roswell Limsui, also one of its Leadership Excellence awardees. The man at the helm of New Panay Agri-Ventures Development, Inc. and RL Royal Prime Construction Company, Limsui is a successful entrepreneur and visionary who has founded and led several companies in various industries.
He is also a philanthropist and a social innovator who has supported and initiated many projects.
Tobiano has been instrumental in leading and transforming Harvard OPM Philippines into a dynamic community of leaders and learners. Her strong and engaging personality allowed the organization to increase its engagement, enhance its visibility and strengthen its impact.
She is also an entrepreneur and runs big veterinary company and manufacturing facility in the country, which caters to the local export market. For the past 32 years now, Tobiano has been a known philanthropist who consistently inspires and helps a lot of elderly and sexually abused children in the Philippines.
As one of the country’s leading chemists, Tobiano recently formed a joint venture with Bureau Veritas, a French conglomerate testing laboratory to boost the presence of Filipino chemists here and abroad by giving them a global voice.
The field of journalism was also represented, as Harvard OPM gave its special award for Truth in Journalism to CNN Philippines senior anchor and director for news content development Rico Hizon. An industry veteran, Hizon is the first Filipino news anchor to work for two of the world’s most prestigious television news networks – CNBC Asia and BBC World News.
Also on the same night, Harvard OPM special award for Leadership Excellence went to Captain Stanley Ng Kua, a seasoned pilot, who rose from the ranks as airport crew member to becoming the president and COO of Philippine Airlines.
