In a bid to strengthen business organizations, ING Philippines and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) recently hosted a leadership forum themed “Do Your Thing: Lead with Impact” at the Grand Hyatt Manila in Bonifacio Global City. The event gathered about 100 emerging leaders from the business and finance sectors for an exchange on modern leadership and strategies for organizational success.

“At ING, we believe in empowering people to go further, do their thing, and create meaningful change. This belief has guided our journey over the past 35 years in the Philippines. Strong leadership is essential to achieving lasting impact, and this forum reflects our commitment to nurturing the next generation of changemakers,” said Jun Palanca, country manager for ING Philippines.

The program featured two key sessions that examined the evolving demands of leadership.

The first, a fireside chat titled “Do Your Thing: Lead with Impact,” explored the qualities that define transformative leadership. Eugene Acevedo, former president and CEO of RCBC and author of Never Stand Alone; Reinvent and Outperform: Becoming a Better Leader; and The Future Leader: What it Takes to be the Next-gen CEO, shared insights on reinvention, digital advocacy, lifelong learning, and purposeful leadership.

“Digital transformation is 90 percent transformational and 10 percent digital. It should be called Transformation Digital—the other way around,” Acevedo remarked. “Culture is what matters most. A company cannot be digitally transformed unless it is digitally ready,” he added.

The second session, a panel discussion titled “Leading Across Generations and Beyond,” focused on the complexities of inspiring multigenerational teams. Panelists included Carlo Puno, chief financial officer, treasurer, and chief risk officer of Globe Telecom; Raffy Montemayor, co-founder and director of Salmon Group and chair of Salmon Bank (Rural Bank); Philip Dy, president of Metrobank Foundation and executive director of GT Foundation; and Jessica Sy, vice president and head of Design, Innovation, and Strategy at SM Prime Holdings, Inc. and SM Development Corporation. The discussion was moderated by Nic Chua, director of Corporate Sector and Financial Institutions Coverage at ING Philippines.

The event also welcomed H.E. Marielle Geraedts, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Philippines, underscoring strong bilateral ties and the shared goal of fostering leadership and innovation across borders.

“We’re proud to partner with ING Philippines for this milestone event,” said Paulo Duarte, president of ECCP. “As the Philippines continues to rise as a strategic market in Asia, cultivating strong leadership across sectors is vital to sustaining inclusive growth and innovation.”

The forum also marked a milestone for ING Philippines, which has operated in the country since 1990. It became the first foreign bank to secure a universal banking license in 1996 and has since facilitated 194 capital market transactions worth over $28 billion, along with advisory services for more than 80 mergers and acquisitions valued at $35 billion.