UBS highlights power of women entrepreneurs

MANILA, Philippines — UBS Philippines remains committed to its efforts to empower women and their financial confidence as it recently another held a dialogue which put the spotlight on homegrown female entrepreneurs.

The banking giant recently held the third installment of the UBS Women and Finance dialogue series titled “Women Mean Business”, which focused on female entrepreneurs.

Key speakers of the event were Converge ICT Solutions Inc. president and co-founder Maria Grace Uy and Wildflour Group president and CEO Ana Lorenzana de Ocampo.

“UBS is committed to empower women and increase their financial confidence. Over the years, we have seen an increase in the number of women participating in the workforce, reflecting a rise in economic empowerment. Here in the Philippines, we have seen strong growth in the number of women entrepreneurs and their contribution to the society,” UBS Philippines country head Robby Go said.

“Through our ‘Women and Finance’ Dialogue series, we aim to encourage more women to support and empower each other to achieve greater success,” Go said.

During the panel discussion, Uy shared that she and her husband launched Converge to ensure that every Filipino have access to world-class internet connectivity and today, their company is one of the leading internet service providers in the country.

For her part, De Ocampo shared that she was working for the family business before she founded the first Wildflour Cafè + Bakery in Bonifacio Global City.

With a passion for cooking and an eye for details, De Ocampo’s business expanded to five main restaurant concept brands in 16 branch locations.

The forum highlighted the qualities that help women entrepreneurs succeed particularly integrity and passion.

“Women are resilient, and they tend to operate with integrity. Women are passionate about what they do, and focused on doing it right. These are the qualities inherently that make women excel, so it is imperative to harness these qualities,” UBS Philippines said.

Since its launch in the Philippines last year, more than 100 women CEOs, corporate leaders and entrepreneurs have attended the UBS Women and Finance dialogue series.

The panelists covered a diverse range of topics including their views as women corporate leaders in finance, the opportunities and challenges encountered by female entrepreneurs, building cohesive and winning teams in the workplace, increasing financial literacy and financial independence for women.

Other resource speakers who have participated in the UBS Women and Finance Dialogue series include former Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas monetary board member Anita Linda Aquino, Ayala Land Inc. CEO Anna Ma. Margarita Bautista Dy, Hotel101 Global Pte. Ltd. CEO Marianna Yulo, Focus Global CFO Angela Sy, ATRAM Trust Corp. chief investment officer Sandra Araullo and GCash chief strategy officer Rowie Zamora.