Women in Business Forum: Work Culture & Beyond

For the past 12 years, Jen has been developing front-liners and senior leaders. Her primary focus is in creating positive mindset in the workplace. Jen is an agile learning and development partner who is able to work across multiple industries. Jen is experienced in training, facilitation, learning design, project management and needs assessment. She is a faculty of Globe University. She has supported organizations to enhance their branding, leadership, team effectiveness, team culture, values and emotional intelligence, creative thinking, trainer development, peer coaching and customer experience.

Jen has studied learning design and learning evaluation at the Ateneo de Manila Center Organizational Research and Development. She is also trained in Interactive Training strategies by Dr. Thiagi. She studied Applied Improvisation in San Francisco; Online Organizational Analysis Certificate at Stanford University; and inspiring Leadership through Emotional Intelligence at Case Western Reserve University. Currently, Jen is the Training Director of Spiderhook Learning Services Division.

With more than 26 years of widespread and substantial experience in Business Development, Sales Management and Strategic & Tactical Strategy, Leni leads the business development team of Trends and Concepts with notable clients such as Project T Solutions, Amway Philippines, DHL Philippines, DKSH, Avon Philippines, Lenovo, PMAX Global and Sprout Solutions.

Leni continues to drive internal and external initiatives for Trends and Concepts under communications in creating a strategic and effective organizational system in promoting the company.

Leni promotes disruption within the workplace by combining traditional methods in employee engagement to increase motivation for the generation of employees. Leni strategizes factors to combine a win-win solution that meets the needs of the business and the employees.

Cong. Kim Bernardo-Lokin is a business journalist with a solid track record in both the print and broadcast media. She has hosted and moderated prestigious business forums and summits, such as the Asia CEO Forum, Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), and special events of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE). She also runs a regular column in The Manila Times, called “CEO Corner,” where she has been featuring one CEO weekly since 2006. During her stint as Partylist Congresswoman for the Citizens’ Battle against Corruption (CIBAC), she became known for her advocacies on anti-corruption, women empowerment, and other business measures, authoring several bills, including landmark laws on women and children, anti-corruption, as well as the creation of economic zones.

She is a journalist by profession, with a Bachelor of Arts in Literature from the University of Santo Tomas.

With more than 25 years of local, regional and global experience as an HR Practitioner from various industries, Michelle is currently the Country Director for Human Resources of SGS, a Geneva-based Inspection, Testing, & Certification company with 10 business lines.

As HR Director, she handles HR Strategic Management of SGS Philippines, SGS Guam, SGS Gulf, and SGS Global Business Services for Asia (Shared Service Center)

In SGS, she led the company’s transformation towards achieving the Investors in People (IIP) Gold Level Certification. A Psychology graduate and recipient of Jose Rizal Academic Excellence Award from De La Salle University, Michelle also graduated from various post-graduate programs in Talent, Management & Leadership Development.

In 2018, the Philippine Society of Fellows (PSOF) accorded her the citation Fellow in People Management (FPM). CHRO Asia, in 2014, gave her a citation as one of the Global 100 Most Talented HR Leaders. The following year, she was awarded as one of the Top 100 Influential HR Leaders in Asia.

A Certified International HR Manager (CIHRM) by the American Certification Institute - today, she is serving the HR profession as the President of the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP).

Laura Verallo de Bertotto is the CEO of her family’s business VMV HYPOALLERGENICS®, the safest, most proven effective care on the planet. Like VMV HYPOALLERGENICS®, Laura was born in the Philippines to Dr. Vermén Verallo-Rowell and her husband, Glendon Rowell, Ph.D..

VMV is already the global authority in validated hypoallergenic and clinically-proven cosmetics. Laura runs VMV with her husband Juan Pablo Bertotto and their goal is VMV’s expansion into global markets and its amicable world domination in skin safety, evidence-based “skinnovation,” and therapeutic efficacy. One in four people is allergic to skincare and cosmetic ingredients: VMV’s mission is to save the world’s skin. VMV wants to make the world safer, kinder, nobler and smarter.

Laura graduated from Brown University in 1993 with a B.A. in dual majors: English and American Literature, and Semiotics. Completing Brown’s 5-Year Combined Bachelor-Master’s Degree Program, she received her Master’s Degree in English and American Literature one year later under the advisement of Michael Eric Dyson and William Keach. Her work focused on postmodern culture, literary and cultural theory, and consumer society, as well as several courses in the Visual Arts, Sociology, Anthropology, Postmodern Culture and Media (Film and Literature), and Theatre Art.

Carmelita “Carmie” P. De Leon is the current Vice President for Sales and Marketing and a member of the Executive Committee of Healthway Medical. She is a visionary, passionate leader and team player. She is a motivator and an inspiration to her people. With her twenty (25) years of working experience, she has mastered sales and marketing, relationship building, networking and people management. On top of that, she is an active advocate of promoting health and wellness in the society.

Carmie’s health and wellness advocacy have helped the healthcare industry of the Philippines through her leadership and passion, making healthcare accessible and available to the Filipinos. She is the founder and active advocate of the SEED Lifestyle and Wellness on Wheels (WOW) is part of Carmie’s wellness advocacy.

Her leadership was able to support the company in maintaining its market leadership as she served as the Vice President for Sales and Marketing from year 2008 to present. Her leadership continues to strive in promoting the company’s wellness advocacy and active lifestyle promotion that gathered a number of reputable recognitions in the industry through introduction of innovative products in the healthcare industry—HealthCheQ (executive check-up), HealthWallet, MEDI-Access, Corporate Clinics Services and also promoting health and wellness advocacies such as SEED Lifestyle and Wellness on Wheels.

On top of these, Carmie is also an active member of internationally-recognized affiliations—Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), as she was a proponent and an active member of the wellness committee since 2012; People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP), as she is currently the Trustee for Membership Engagement and Wellness Committee; Others include Asia CEO Forum, largest and only national business event series in the Philippines, a hub for the spreading of ideas that help executive managers to oversee enterprises across the Asia Pacific region; European Chamber of Commerce; Retirement and Healthcare Coalition; Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and Health Alliance of the Philippines.

Boots is President of Mageo Consulting Inc. a company providing business advisory and corporate finance services. Boots started her professional career at SyCip, Gorres, Velayo & Co. / Ernst & Young (SGV & Co. E&Y), the Philippines leading professional services firm, in 1974 where she became a Partner in 1990.

She headed the Firm’s Global Corporate Finance Division from 1992 until her retirement from the partnership in 2001. She has advised private and public sector clients in various aspects of corporate finance such as mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, restructuring, among others, for more than 25 years. She is the former Chairperson of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority and also sits as Member of the Board of Directors of several government and private corporations engaged in real estate development, banking and retail.

She is the current Chairperson of the Philippine Women’s Economic Network (PhilWEN), the current Co-Chair of the ASEAN Women's Entrepreneurs' Network (AWEN) as well as a member of the Board of other women's organizations such as: Business & Professional Women Makati (BPW), Women Corporate Directors (WCD) Philippines chapter, and Samahan ng Pilipina para sa Reporma at Kaunlaran (Spark! PH). Boots received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and Accountancy from the University of the Philippines (UP) in 1973. She completed her Master of Business Administration from the same university in 1978. Boots is a Certified Public Accountant.

Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros is a health and women's rights advocate, a proud activist, and a champion of the basic sectors. She brings the voice of ordinary citizens to the Philippine Senate.

As the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women and Gender Equality, Senator Risa pushes for legislative measures to address social injustice and inequality, particularly in the areas of health care and women's rights.

Senator Risa graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Sciences from the Ateneo De Manila University. Before her career as a lawmaker, she was a community organizer and peace advocate. She was also a successful television journalist and news anchor who has worked for major news networks.

Senator Risa is also a dedicated solo mother to her four children and shares with them her love of music, culture, and the arts.

Ms. Myrna T. Yao is a graduate of Master’s Degree in Business Administration in the University of the East.

A well-known and successful businesswoman, she is the President and CEO of Richprime Global Inc and Richwell Trading Corporation, the exclusive distributor of Barbie Dolls, Hotwheels, Fisher Price, Mattel Games, V-Tech Learning Computer and many other well-known toy brands, infant and juvenile, shoes and apparel.
They have expanded their business to Thailand, Real Estate and the Online Business known as Kids Company.com.

Recently, she introduces the Aloe Vera natural line of supplements and skin care from Australia known as the Grace Cosmetics.
A staunch advocate of women’s economic empowerment, Ms. Myrna T. Yao served as Chairperson of the Philippine Commission on Women from 2004 to 2010. She is the Founding Chairperson of the Philippine Federation of Local Councils of Women and Filipino-Chinese Federation of Business Women and Professional Women of the Philippines, and the Chairman Emeritus of Pearl S. Buck, Philippines.

She is a recipient of different awards including 2015 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World; 2013 International Women Entrepreneurial Challenge Awards, Women’s World Excellence Award. Also granted the Presidential Merit Award for her success in the field of entrepreneurship in the local and international level.