Albert buckles up for the ride of his life

Lawyer Albert Arcilla was president and CEO of Viking Cars, distributors of Volvo in the Philippines, when an offer came along to start up another car company. Volvo sales were in high gear despite the financial crisis of 2008-2009 — and so Albert could have easily gone into “cruise control” as far as his professional life was concerned. He had already gone places, so to speak. But he accepted the offer and finds himself now, at midlife, in first gear all over again.

And he has never been more excited.

“The excitement and thrill of being part of an iconic brand like Chevrolet and the opportunity to head a dynamic team trusted to ‘Re-ignite the Passion for Chevy’ was too tempting to pass,” Albert explains his decision to switch from marketing a luxury European brand to trumpeting a mainstream American brand. “It is not always that you are given an opportunity by God to be part of something big twice in your life. Just when I thought I was reaching a comfortable level and going on ‘cruise control’ here I am buckled up for what I think will be the ride of my life.”

Albert, who plays Christmas carols to himself the whole year through to keep up the cheer and to remind himself that “my Savior was born to redeem me,” is now the managing director and CEO of the Covenant Car Company, Inc., which was appointed the independent and exclusive importer and distributor of Chevrolet in the Philippines.

Albert is now in charge of building the brand, its products and services and working closely with Chevrolet’s existing dealer network of 12 outlets all over the Philippines. “As our company is aptly named, we have forged a ‘Covenant’ to serve our Chevrolet principals, our dealer partners and the Chevy owners,” points out Albert, who I like to tease as a former “Viking.”

“In the few months that I have immersed into the operations, I felt it was clear that Chevrolet, with its almost 100 years of heritage, has so much more to offer to the motoring public. It has a car model and variant for every life stage and every need and this we will present and offer to the market,” says Albert, who tells me that GM and Chevrolet are number one in China.

“All other automotive firms have been declaring that their best option to survive and grow is to focus their resources and programs to capture Asia and China in particular. GM and Chevrolet have already been number one in China for the past years, proving that GM and Chevrolet have always been ahead of the pack in terms of understanding the automotive industry,” he points out.

To symbolize the successful blend that he thinks Filipinos and Chevy can be, he served a blend of American and Philippine Mountain coffee, which he and his team especially brewed themselves, during Chevrolet’s very first “Dealer Premiere.”

The brew is indeed keeping Albert and his team wide awake!

“We will start re-igniting the passion for Chevy in 2010 with the exciting and successful model, the Chevy Cruze, and with this I will assure you, there will be a Cruze for every Juan de la Cruz!”

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Albert went to Law school because his father expected him to be a lawyer. He brooked no dissent and Albert is glad he was a dutiful son. We both agree that obedience has its blessings.

“My training in the field of law has given me the discipline of always being thorough in my thought processes and taught me how to listen well so I will be able to achieve the best solution for all parties. I feel my training in Law equipped me as I pursued my career in the automotive industry. A car was built and designed to take you from one place to another, so technically, it was built to bring someone to meet another and that is probably why I enjoy working in this industry because it gives me that opportunity to bring people together.”

Albert also feels that every conversation with a buyer or a potential buyer is a “negotiation” and a lawyer has been to the “driving school” of negotiations. That’s why, even when he was the CEO of Viking Cars, he would often drop by the Volvo showroom and interact with potential buyers.

“I truly believe any encounter is a negotiation and that my task is to make it as pleasant and mutually acceptable as possible,” he shares.

The best salesman, says Albert, is the one who knows how to listen best.

“A good salesperson is a sincere listener. There will be good times and bad times in any industry, what is important is that you always have a good offer and a sincere desire to provide the need of the customer,” says Albert, who is an alumnus of three of the best schools in the Philippines — La Salle, UP and the Ateneo.

Asked what makes him feel great, Albert surprisingly doesn’t say, “a firm sale.”

“Being part of someone’s life makes me feel great,” says Albert.

In his spare time, aside from surfing news channels, Albert likes reading books on the lives of great men and leaders of recent history. He particularly admires “the excitement, character and determination that the Kennedy family has displayed.” In fact, his admiration for JFK and the hope he inspired among young people has made him come up with a declamation tilt among high school students that has brought out the most eloquent speakers amongst them.

 Despite his success, and his own wealth of acquired knowledge, Albert has not stopped learning — and praying. That is perhaps why he is not afraid to start all over gain.

“I start my day by turning on my iPod and play the ‘Rosary’ and  pray for my nieces Alexis and Ayra and my nephew Ande,” he shares. Even at midlife, he also likes to keep the student in him always eager and ready to learn.

“I have learned to be entrepreneurial and visionary from our chairman emeritus, Richard L. Lee. I was fortunate to start my career with former Trade Secretary Peter D. Garrucho, who taught me the basics and introduced me to the field of marketing and management. Our chairman for Chevrolet Philippines, Jose L. Cuisia now really inspires me to achieve that level of respect and integrity. I was also blessed to have met Selene Lee Yu who taught me to trust in myself and that with God and perseverance, everything is possible,” acknowledges Albert.

After all, one can’t get directly to high gear without starting on first — especially for the ride of one’s life.

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