John Clements Holds Business Forum in New York
by Paul Catiang

The Philippine Consulate hosted a John Clements-sponsored business forum in New York on the evening of September 6, 2005, a first-of-its-kind event meant to show Filipinos abroad the many professional prospects now available back home. Attendees included Consul-General Cecille Rebong and Consul Edgar Badajos as well as over 40 professionals and executives representing different sectors and industries, like firms such as Citibank, Bear Stearns, Morgan Stanley, UNDP, Price Waterhouse, and Deutsche Bank. All in all, the event was a success.

President and CEO of John Clements Consultants, Inc. Carol Dominguez opened the talk by outlining the recent growth of the BPO and call center industry in the Philippines, resulting in more available jobs, and the new fertile ground on which the Philippine economy is growing. The guest speakers were Tully Moss, President of the Magellan Alliance, and Arlene Tolentino, an AVP of HSBC HDPP.

Mr. Moss mentioned that the Philippines is a world leader in offshore outsourcing because: 1) it has the second highest market share after India 2) the Filipino has the personality for customer care work 3) the Philippines has a very good telecommunications infrastructure 4) the Philippines has low cost labor 5) Filipinos have a reputation for having a good work ethic. Because of these reasons, the Philippines is attracting global Fortune 50 companies such as Citibank, AIG, Dell, JP Morgan Chase and Shell resulting in many employment opportunities for people with strong managerial and leadership skills. When Mr. Moss asked the attendees if they had any family in the Philippines, all of them answered yes. When he asked them for a good reason to return, most answered that they will come back for retirement. Still, some agreed that starting a new professional life back home would be rewarding in itself, but the ideal compensation package would sweeten the deal all the more. Mr. Moss and the Magellan Alliance help North American companies with their offshore outsourcing decisions.

When Ms. Tolentino began her talk and mentioned the dozens of management positions available at HSBC HDPP in the Philippines, the possibility of a homecoming became more of an opportunity to take. She spoke from experience, having spent 2 years as an expatriate in London with another firm, but returned to the Philippiines and joined HSBC to help manage the 1,400 employees of its captive BPO and call center in Alabang. The number of employees alone and the fact that the Alabang facility is one of HSBC’s global service centers worldwide is a testament to the rapid growth and viability of offshore outsourced business in the Philippines.

Still, a lot of work remains to be done. “We need to do some more educating in terms of showing that the Philippines holds a lot of prospects for executives, managers, and professionals,” says Ms. Dominguez.

Many opportunities await Filipinos back home; all that’s needed is to inform them of the bright future that could be theirs, and see if they are willing to take the chance.