Q1: Pioneer is the market leader in hybrid corn in the Philippines. How has the industry been changing in the last decade? A: Pioneer continues to be at the forefront of innovation in both its product offerings and services. We’ve seen a tremendous amount of productivity improvement driven by an accelerated technology adoption over the last 5-7 years. Farmers shifted […]
interviews
Q1: What made you decide to be an entrepreneur? A: I’ve been working for 25 years. I started as an engineer and rose to VP operations. I saw how I was able to make my previous employers financially successful because of my technical, selling and managerial and administrative skills and experience. I was not getting any younger and I just […]
Q: The worldwide advocacy group, Government Trafficking In Person (GTIP), has ranked the Philippines no. 1 in Asia on compliance of anti-human trafficking since 2010, how was the Immigration Bureau able to do that? A: TEAM EFFORT. Our country’s anti trafficking campaign requires the participation of several agencies. BI only gets involved when the victims or the traffickers are found […]
Q1: Inglot is a make up brand from Poland. How did you encounter each other? A: My sister and I have been wanting to venture into possible brands to introduce to the Filipino consumers. We attempted venturing into food franchises but there were failed attempts due to circumstances. We were contacting 10 – 20 brands in different industries – food, […]
Q1: Question to PRA President & Duty Free COO Lorenzo Formoso: What regulatory changes are affecting retailing in the Philippines? “The Retail Trade Liberalization Act has been the most pertinent government regulation affecting the Philippine retail industry especially now that there are a lot of foreign brands coming in to the country. This Act protects Filipino retailers and at the […]
Q1: Congratulations! Piandre is celebrating its 28th anniversary this year. What made Piandre last this long? A: My mom, Linda Francisco, founder of Piandre Salons, has many secrets to success – one of which is her idea of a Total Development Program which involves training in skills, character building and most importantly Spiritual Development. I think Piandre is one of […]
Q1: Your notebooks are doing well despite being priced premium. What made you decide to focus on the upscale market with various brands? A: Consumers today are more mature and buy intelligently. They do not just buy a product due to being the lowest price. They look for value and differentiation. Each Sterling notebook is value for money due to […]
Q1: What was the inspiration behind the Karimadon clothing business? How has the business and the brand transformed through the years? A: Karimadon started in 1980 as a small store selling PX goods in Virra Mall. Soon, however, people began asking where I got the clothes I was wearing. At that time, most of my clothes were of my own […]
Q1: Before becoming an entrepreneur, you were the Marketing Director of Unilever Philippines and President/CEO of Unilever-Bestfoods, tell us what your most memorable launches are, both successes and failures, in your corporate life and why? A1: As Marketing Director of Unilever Philippines, I must say it was the launch of Surf detergent bar which was then followed by the launch […]
Q1: You ventured into manufacturing bread immediately after college in the 1980’s. After two decades, you launched the first two of a series of innovations, namely the Walter Sugar Free Bread in 2005 and the Double Fiber (wheat plus apple) Bread in 2006. What was the turning point for the sudden change of direction? The market was getting crowded with […]