MANILA, Philippines - Built on the strength of its passion and momentum for instilling innovation in the industry, Globe Business gathered leading business stalwarts here and abroad for the third installment of its Enterprise Innovation Forum (EIF) last Oct. 25 at the Makati Shangri-La.
Touted as the “most awaited and exclusive business event of the year,” the EIF drew top business executives where they learned ideas and strategies to maximize innovation within their organization to stay ahead of competition and become role models in their respective industries.
With the theme “Revolutionizing Businesses Today,” the event empowered the delegates with more insights on the current and evolving needs of their own clientele, with Globe being at the forefront of the industry.
The day kicked off with a CEO Breakfast Forum with Globe Telecom president and CEO Ernest Cu setting the tone through his welcome remarks.
Cu said, “The company is one which thrives through innovation as evident with its initiatives on transforming itself with massive investments on its network, IT infrastructure, customer support systems, and its people.”
In his special message, Globe chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala said, “Globe Business has consistently been in the forefront of innovation by introducing game-changing solutions to the market as it continues to reshape itself to best position its clients, partners and affiliates to drive their future.”
True to its theme of introducing innovation, Globe Business head of enterprise segments Grace Castillo opened the forum proper via a hologram and walked the participants through a synopsis of the first two EIF’s highlights, then provided a snapshot of the event’s morning plenary and afternoon sessions.
She capped off her presentation by encouraging the company representatives present that for their businesses to survive, they need innovation “to embrace change to turn challenges into profitable opportunities and become role models in (their) respective industries.”
For this year’s forum, Globe Business flew in world-renowned corporate innovation consultant and speaker Robert Tucker, president and founder of The Innovation Resource, to deliver the event’s keynote address.
In his speech, Tucker said, “In today’s hypercompetitive world, innovation will be much more than new technology as well as research and development, but should rather become ‘everybody’s business.’”
“Innovators are made, not born, and I’m convinced that we can all learn to innovate better, and the EIF is one such venue to unleash innovation from each and every one here,” he said.
A panel discussion with some of the country’s top executives such as Bank of the Philippine Islands president and CEO Aurelio Montinola III, Citibank country officer Sanjiv Vohra and Zuellig Pharma Corp. chief executive Raymond Azurin along with Cu and Tucker followed suit, discussing the topic, “How Innovation Drives the Business Landscape.”
Globe head of corporate strategy and business development Gil Genio also provided a run-through of the current status of the ongoing network transformation, saying the “brand new Globe network is almost 60 percent done and will augur well for companies and enterprises being served by Globe Business.”
After providing an overview of the afternoon sessions, Globe Business head Jesus Romero reiterated Castillo’s earlier statements, going further by saying that while businesses today face huge challenges, they need to be able to do more efficiently, in less time.
“We all have to act now. We all have to be fast or be last. Having products and solutions that address end-to-end ICT solutions, Globe Business will be there to make innovation work best for you,” he said.
Breakout sessions featured topics on mobility, enterprise networking and connectivity, collaboration, technology, software solutions involving health care and business intelligence, showcased by a powerhouse cast of presenters and speakers — experts of their respective industries spanning the spectrum from electronics, telecommunications to health and all other industries in between.
New ICT services and solutions were also put on the spotlight, displaying the current arsenal of Globe Business to enhance corporate as well as small-and-medium enterprise operations.
Living up to its billing in propagating innovation, the 2012 EIF was also simulcast live to business leaders in Cebu and Davao.
The annual event powered by Globe Business was also ably backed up by its corporate partners SingTel, MIS Net, F5, Samsung Electronics Philippines, Research in Motion, Trends and Technologies, Avaya, ECI, Tellabs, and Hewlett Packard.