Harvard alumni to mentor MSMEs at Go Negosyo event

MANILA, Philippines — Alumni of the Harvard Business School volunteered to mentor micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) at the 3M on Wheels free entrepreneurship event at the SM Megamall in Mandaluyong on Aug. 23.

Go Negosyo, the non-profit dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship among Filipinos to help ease poverty and achieve sustainable growth for all, organized the whole-day event.

Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion welcomed the alumni from the prestigious business school of the world’s most famous Ivy League university.

“They bring to our MSMEs the benefit of the discipline and dynamic world view that the school provides. It is a privilege to have our small entrepreneurs receive mentoring from the alumni of such a prestigious institution,” Concepcion said.

Acting Trade Secretary Cristina Roque will join Concepcion and deliver the welcome remarks during the event.

The mentors from Harvard Business School are products of the Owner/President Management Executive Education Program (OPM), which is designed to train executives to become entrepreneurial leaders with the skills to maximize their impact and take their company to the next level.

Former Ambassador Joey Antonio, board adviser to Harvard OPM Philippines Alumni Association, said the Harvard Business School alumni are eager to share with the MSMEs the lessons they have learned from running their own businesses.

“Many successful OPM graduates were once SMEs themselves, which is why many of them are excited to provide support and guidance to SMEs and startups,” Antonio said.

Leading the Harvard OPM mentors are chemist-turned-entrepreneur Pinky Tobiano of Progressive Laboratories, Esquire Financing’s Raj Uttamchandani and Lloyd Laboratories’ Lloyd Balajadia.

About 30 Harvard OPM alumni are expected to mentor active and aspiring entrepreneurs on Saturday.

They will be joined by Go Negosyo mentors including restauranteur Rikki Dee, Womenbiz’s Rosemarie Rafael and Rhoda Caliwara, PR Gaz’s Siu Ping Par, RestoPH’s Eric Teng, Filipina CEO Circle’s Marife Zamora, Packworks’ Ibba Bernardo, Vivian Sarabia Opticals’ Vivian Sarabia, Nature Wellness’s Cathy Turvill, Prudential Guarantee’s Peter Coyiuto, Plato Wraps’ Kamela Seen, Luxe Beauty’s Anna Magkawas and inspirational speaker Francis Kong.

Go Negosyo’s 3M on Wheels is the on-ground, nationwide mentoring roadshow conducted in malls nationwide. It was started in 2018 as Mentor Me on Wheels and was inspired by the growing number of Filipinos turning to entrepreneurship to lift themselves out of poverty.