Okada Manila’s Cielo Ortega-Reboredo emphasizes the value of relationships and integrity

By Bjorn Biel M. Beltran, Special Features Writer

As far as her career is concerned, Cielo Ortega-Reboredo can hardly wish for anything better.

As Okada Manila’s recently-appointed vice-president of the hotel’s new Sales & Marketing, Hospitality and Entertainment division, she oversees a dynamic team responsible for the diversified portfolio covering “land, sea and air” venue offerings, from ballrooms to The Garden, Cove Manila and Crystal Corridor, as well as the hotel’s private yacht and jet services.

And only less than a year into her team’s operation, the division has achieved 96% of their 2019 bullish revenue goals.

“I’m proud to say that my boss and the management team are very happy and have recognized our contribution, hard work, and all the projects that we have done,” Ms. Reboredo said in an interview.

“We’re not just doing events, we’re cross-selling rooms, our spa, Play for kids, and our food and beverage outlets. We’re not limited to our events alone. Anything about the property, we sell. [The management team] recognize our efforts and though the expectations are high, I can say that they have a high regard and respect for our division. This inspires the team to push themselves further to attain goals.”

When she started her career at the front office of Manila Midtown Hotel, she admitted that she never imagined her future self to be where she is now. After moving on to work at Makati Shangri-La, she eventually found an opportunity at the Events Sales and Marketing division of Sofitel Philippine Plaza under the mentorship of the esteemed Rose Hilario-Libongco.

“I never thought that I would fall in love with Sales and Catering (Banquet),” Ms. Reboredo said.

But she did. She found her calling under Ms. Libongco’s tutelage, and soon enough, the Philippine hospitality industry has found itself another visionary. She became instrumental in the growth of Midas Hotel and Casino, where she joined the pre-opening team as director of Sales and Marketing in 2011.

In 2015, she received the first Virtus Leader of the Year award from the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association of the Philippines. And shortly after that was when Okada Manila came knocking.

Now, over three years into her job, Okada Manila’s top management, spearheaded by its Co-Vice Chairman and President Takashi Oya, has recognized Ms. Reboredo’s strong leadership skills, wide network, and stellar accomplishments; and set up the new division under her wing, catering to clients’ evolving needs with its diversified events venue portfolio.

Not that her career was one completely free of hardship. With more than 20 years of experience under her belt, Ms. Reboredo has seen her fair share of challenging events, dealt with different personalities and stressful circumstances, which are particularly part and parcel of pre-opening properties. There are unforeseen circumstances like changes in construction timelines and therefore, entailing the need for flexibility, patience, and coming up with clear-cut solutions to ensure that clients’ needs are met.

Ms. Reboredo puts a premium on sustaining a good professional relationship with clients by sustaining ties and ensuring that each event, whether big or small, is given the same level of importance.

“What matters to the clients now is who they’re talking to. ‘Is this salesperson or sales manager going to deliver, or work with me hand in hand to make my event a successful one?’ Thus, we’re there for our clients 100% because we have to ‘own’ their events to ensure we deliver seamlessly and excellently,” she said.

Ms. Reboredo always has a positive stance who looks at all the triumphs to be celebrated and would not change her job for the world.

In 2020, she looks forward to the continuing growth of her division, as well as help with the MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) business. She also envisions the Okada Manila brand to further penetrate the international market and become among the premier integrated casinos in the world. She believes that every day is an opportunity for growth.

“I enjoy being a hotelier so much and feel motivated and inspired to do my job everyday. I always get excited for what’s happening tomorrow. As the saying goes, find a job that you love and you’ll never have to work in your life. I’m glad I’ve found the job I truly love and enjoy,” Ms. Reboredo said.

“You need to have passion for your work because that will sustain your dedication, drive and help you establish a stronger client relationship by putting yourself in the place of your customers and clients to deliver your very best. As I always advise my team, they have to ‘own’ client events because their success is also theirs to celebrate. I’m also proud to say that I have a cohesive team; team members support each other. Those are my formula for success,” she added.

As one of the most recognized women leaders in the country’s hospitality scene, Ms. Reboredo knows that client relationship plays a pivotal role to grow the business. Her secret is her innate ability to nurture relationships with both her clients and her team members.

“You’ve got to have integrity. You have to deliver what you promise to your customers. Because at the end of the day, you will still have these relationships. And I’m glad that we work for a company like Okada Manila, which helps us nurture and grow our business relationship with clients through their unwavering support.

She added, “It’s really all there is to it. Love your job and the company you work for, take care of your clients, nurture and help the people under you thrive, and everything else will follow.”

By Mark Louis F. Ferrolino, Special Features Writer

From her fine composure to calm and cheerful demeanor, Insular Life Assurance Co. Ltd. (InLife) Executive Chairman Nina D. Aguas carries herself with exceptional confidence. Whether she’s on stage delivering some words of encouragement in front of a large crowd or in a small room answering questions from the media, Ms. Aguas displays great sophistication, wit and wisdom. She is an empowered woman full of substance, and her inclusion in the list of 2019 Asia’s Power Businesswomen of Forbes Magazine is just one of the many validations of this.

It was in September last year when Forbes released the names of 25 top-caliber women who are playing a significant role in shaping Asia’s business landscape. Ms. Aguas is the sole Filipina who made it to the list, which also includes Grab Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer Tan Hooi Ling, and Vietjet Aviation Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, among others.

Forbes cited Ms. Aguas for becoming instrumental to the success that InLife has attained under her watch and for helping the company provide better access to insurance and investment products through its improved digital capabilities. The magazine also recognized her initiative of spearheading an advocacy called InLife Sheroes, which empowers every woman to become self-reliant and financially independent.

The triumph and recognitions that Ms. Aguas currently enjoys did not happen overnight; it is a product of years of hard work and persistence. She had to overcome all the challenges blocking her way, including gender stereotypes that most women experience in the corporate world.

PUSHING BOUNDARIES AND CHANGING THE NORM

Ms. Aguas started her career in SGV at a time when only very few, select women were allowed entry in the organization. After a few years working with the firm, she followed her interest in banking and proved that women can also excel in such competitive field, just like their male counterparts.

Her journey in the industry was marked by many firsts. She became the first female regional audit director in Citibank, as well as the first woman country manager in Citibank Philippines. She was also the first woman to be the managing director of ANZ Retail Bank and then Private Bank in Asia Pacific, and the first woman to be the president and CEO of PB Communications.

With over 30 years of work experience in major financial institutions, Ms. Aguas emerged as one of the high-powered global banking executives with a proven track record of building new businesses, as well as defending and growing large existing businesses in highly competitive and challenging environments.

Before becoming the executive chairman of InLife in 2018, Ms. Aguas became the firm’s CEO in 2016. During her first year in office, InLife delivered the highest financial performance, achieving double, and even triple digit growth rates. It was also during her term as CEO that the company was recognized many times by international award-giving bodies for their digital capabilities and trusted brand.

Ms. Aguas is the first woman CEO of InLife after 106 years of its operations, as well as the first woman to become its executive chairman.

“I am fortunate and blessed that my career is marked by many firsts. I have strong beliefs, values and true inner strength that saw me through. God has helped me gracefully endure challenge after challenge and I have gone farther than I have imagined, breaking so many glass ceilings along the way is a bonus,” Ms. Aguas shared in an e-mail, noting that each of those titles and positions were born from years of hard work, perseverance and passion for continuous learning and innovation.

CATALYZING CHANGE FOR GENDER EQUALITY

Despite gender discrimination against woman in the corporate setting, Ms. Aguas considers being a woman as a blessing and a great privilege. Women, as she shared, add color, fashion, passion, and compassion.

“I do not assent to the prevailing collective thought that women are lacking. Because the truth is, (as I quote Rupi Kaur) ‘that since day one, she already has everything she needs within herself, it’s the world that convinced her she did not’,” Ms. Aguas said.
Ms. Aguas treats men, women and those in between with great amount of respect. She tries to build honest relationships with them in the same measure as she believes that “what you give is what you get and giving out your true self is probably the best way to get you to the destination.”

“I normally use my calm and rightly toned voice and choose my words carefully to convey thoughts and ideas without trying so hard to impose or assert my opinions on others. Because principles, decisions, points of view, outlook, and ideas to me have no gender,” she said.

At InLife, in particular, Ms. Aguas shared that gender bias has no place. In fact, the company is the first local insurance firm that received EDGE Assess Certification, a global recognition for commitment to workplace gender equality. Aside from measuring where organizations stand in terms of gender balance, the certification is designed to help corporations create an optimal workplace for women and men while fostering equal career opportunities.

Taking its women empowerment campaign a notch higher, InLife partnered with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to co-create the InLife Sheroes Movement. The partnership, according to Ms. Aguas, is about insuring the women’s market in the country which is a relatively untapped segment.

“The potential for women’s insurance market in the Philippines is projected to reach P217 billion by 2020. This is because a growing number of women are completing tertiary education, allowing them to join the labor force or start their own businesses. Women’s income is expected to increase, making it all the more important for them to make sound financial decisions,” she said.

In addressing the women’s market, InLife also recognized the opportunity to deliver positive social impact through the InLife Sheroes program. It aims to empower Filipino women by focusing on four areas: financial education, health and wellness, women-specific solutions, and connecting to business and social networks.
“The Inlife Sheroes Movement is InLife’s continuing commitment to the Double Bottom Line — achieving both healthy financial returns while delivering positive social impact,” Ms. Aguas said.

A BETTER FUTURE FOR WOMEN

From all the challenges that Ms. Aguas has overcome to all the accomplishments she has achieved over the past decades, she considers herself very blessed with a happy family and a thriving career. She can’t ask for anything more, she said. She only aspires to see a new generation of women and their children living healthier, wealthier, and more meaningful lives.

When asked about what kind of advice she would give to other women, especially the young ones, who want to succeed in their careers, Ms. Aguas said: “Draw from your own foundation, be reinforced by your values, recognize the love inside you coming from all those forces for good around you, draw from your own strengths, be confident, and put yourself out there.”

“Reach Up. Take courage. Speak your intelligent mind, create and add value so you get an invitation to the table. Show your brilliance with your arguments without having to put all your emotions into it. Decision makers will recognize a great idea when it is coherent, rational, and strategic. Be your best woman-self. Dress up, stand tall, chin up,” she added.