GLOBAL GOALS
Aboitiz Future Leader graduate unboxed
‘We should not box ourselves in our field of specialization. We should be open to opportunities and expect more growth if we take risks.’
Current and new scholars under the Aboitiz Future Leaders Program (AFLP) had the rare chance of getting guidance from Aboitiz Foundation chairman and Aboitiz Group president and CEO Sabin Aboitiz during the Scholars Day organized by the CSR arm of the techglomerate last 3 October 2026.
One of the new scholars asked Aboitiz what should their mindset be when they enter the workforce. His reply was to be truly open-minded of the opportunities that come their way.
“I’m saying open-mindedness because we don’t know what’s coming, right? So you need to learn, you need to open your mind, you need to move into other places that will make you adapt to learn what’s needed for what comes,” Aboitiz said.
He mentioned as example a prominent former corporate executive within the Aboitiz Group, Susan V. Valdez, who spent nearly four decades as a key leader within the organization until her retirement in 2023.
Valdez worked in various executive capacities spanning human resources, risk and compliance, information technology, digital transformation, and reputation management.
Coincidentally, AFLP graduate Mary Rose Esguerra, who graced the occasion, is already taking the cue from Aboitiz.
Being open-minded was behind her decision to work in the energy industry, according to Esguerra.
After graduating from Agribusiness from the University of the Philippines-Los Banos, Esguerra took a job as a corporate communication specialist for AboitizPower, the renewable energy unit of the Aboitiz Group.
“The good thing about my course, the approach of teaching the business management portion in agribusiness is very general, so we can apply it to different industries,” Esguerra said. “So, it has not been that hard to transition to a different industry. And during college, I really enjoyed marketing and communication.”
“I feel validated when he (Aboitiz) mentioned that we should not box ourselves in our field of specialization. We should be open to opportunities and expect more growth if we take risks. So, I feel validated that what I’m doing is right,” she added.