UnionBank earns two big wins at 2020 IDC Digital Transformation Awards

Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank), the country’s top digital bank, took home two major wins at the recently concluded 2020 Digital Transformation Awards held virtually by the International Data Corporation (IDC) last October 12, further strengthening its foothold as the leading digital transformer in Philippine banking.

UnionBank President and CEO Edwin Bautista was named “2020 DX CEO for Philippines” for his efforts to lead the Bank in its various digital transformation initiatives and inspire employees to adopt an agile work culture throughout the company.

The DX CEO award is given to CEOs who have developed a strategy to create a digitally transformed enterprise, and whose vision follows an agenda aligned with the emerging digital economy, responding to new customer requirements, capabilities, critical infrastructure, and industry ecosystems, according to IDC.

“Edwin Bautista is among the few leaders in the country bold enough to transform the organization immediately when he started as UnionBank’s CEO starting with strengthening the bank’s IT infrastructure, reinforcing a digital and agile culture. These include critical digital customer touchpoints and the Bank’s own fintech company,” IDC said.

UnionBank was also named “2020 Talent Accelerator for Philippines” for its ground-breaking “People Tech – People at the Core, Technology at the Fore” initiative. According to IDC, the award “recognizes technology programs or projects that have enabled discernible and measurable excellence in the organization’s ability to achieve business objectives by effective sourcing, deployment, and integration of internal and external resources”.

A key component of the Bank’s People Tech initiative is its Xcellerator Program, which is a strategic initiative to equip educators and students with the necessary knowledge that will allow them to thrive in the digital economy. The program is one of the many ways that the Bank is helping future-proof the country’s workforce under its unique “TechUpPilipinas” advocacy, and showcase Filipino talent to the world.

“People Tech focused on workforce transformation through UBP Xcellerator Program. A learning resource website that offers a variety of on-demand learning content and pathways to allow learners, educators, and career-shifters to gain basic, intermediate, and advanced knowledge in blockchain, data science, artificial intelligences, robotics, and other emerging technologies. Participants receive firsthand coaching from experts and the opportunity to work on use cases related to the field they intend to learn. Externally, it also trains individuals through a learning portal where they can receive structured mentoring by online channels,” IDC said.

The IDC Digital Transformation Awards is an annual ceremony that honors excellence in digital transformation. For this year, the event focused on recognizing the resilience and innovation of organizations in the implementation of digitization initiatives that have enabled them to adapt to the new normal and its impact on consumer behavior and preferences

Held annually since 2017, the event is spearheaded by IDC, a global research, analysis, and advisory firm that provides insights on trends and opportunities that are shaping the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets.