Edgar Sia II, better known as Injap, started Mang Inasal in Iloilo City in 2003. For his successful expansion and pioneering concept of the Filipino barbeque fast-food chain, he was awarded, among many others, the Mansmith Young Market Masters Award (YMMA) in 2009. In 2010, Jollibee acquired 70% of the company for P3 billion. Injap then focused on another start-up, […]
Q&A
Q1: Unlike your competitors, Serenitea brews freshly brewed tea using an Espresso machine. What was the insight for this move? A: We did this to ensure the quality of our product so as to deliver freshness in every cup. It also helps our business minimize spoilage. It’s a win-win move for both customers and the company. It also happened that […]
Q1: What was the inspiration behind your beauty distribution company? A: Being an avid shopper myself, I have always had this interest with the retail industry whether which side of the fence I am in. The “accidental discovery” of K-Palette’s eyebrow liner came at a time when my husband and I were thinking of having our own business. I stumbled […]
Q1: There are so many banks in the Philippines, yet, since 2012, East West Bank has opened around 300 additional branches in 3 years, what is your vision for East West Bank? A. Our expansion was a necessary competitive response. We needed to expand quite massively because our competitors have much more branches. Otherwise, we will get clobbered. This is […]
Q1: When you took over the role of CEO for Sun Life Philippines in 2009, total premiums was declining from P13.1 billion in 2007 to P8.5 billion in 2008. By 2014, Sun Life has become the leading life insurance provider in the Philippines. What did you do to turnaround the business? A: It wasn’t just Sun Life whose premiums declined […]
Q1: You were an IT executive before. What made you shift to becoming a yoga instructor and entrepreneur? A: I tried yoga as a form of fitness activity in 2005 when a yoga studio opened one floor below my office. Prior to that, I was a regular gym-goer. I did group classes and did once a week private session for […]
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 […]
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, […]