MARK YAMBOT
Corporate Affairs Director
Microsoft Philippines, Inc.

Education:
B.S. Business Administration
University of the Philippines

M.B.A., Asian Institute of Management

Please describe your responsibilities as Corporate Affairs Director.

To establish and maintain a relationship between Microsoft and the government on one hand and the private sector on another. It’s more of program management and public policy than public relations. Microsoft is involved with a lot of programs for the public such as training public school teachers in the use of computers.

You’re only 36 years old. How did you get to this position at this age?

I’ve had to work for everything in my life. Nothing come easy. I’ve never considered myself the best in my class. My grandparents were public school teachers and my family are all hardworking, simple people.

A lot of this is due to hard work. There is no magic formula. I’ve worked in 6or 7 seven different jobs before I decided to focus on this industry. I was a medical representative once, and there was a time I was selling computer hardware. On the side, I’d do buy and sell just to make extra money.

Later on, I decided that I wanted to join the telecommunications and IT industries. I joined Globe for a few years, and then an opportunity for Microsoft presented itself.

I started the Customer Access Unit for Microsoft in 1998. It was all about integration to create a customer contact port that involved marketing services, database, and customer contact.

In Globe, I was the head of Marketing Communications; in Microsoft, I became Marketing Director.

What are the challenges facing you and your company now?

One is the negative perception of being a giant. People tend to think of Microsoft as a large and monopolistic entity. We don’t see ourselves s that way. There is no complacency. We work with, and not against, our partners and resellers.

The second challenge is constantly staying relevant. There’s a whole lot of development and information, and draw on that for what the customer needs. We need an appreciation, not just a technical understanding, of what technology can do to address the customer needs. To see it make a difference.

How do you address these challenges?

Some people will want to put down the major players. We steel ourselves with our principles and values and do the right thing. Our core values are integrity, passion for what we do, and testing ourselves constantly. We still work like we’re a start-up. The results will speak for themselves.

How do you keep yourself on the cutting edge?

On a general sense, I talk to the customers more and spend less time on the office. I come to the office at 8: 15 a.m. and leave around 8 p.m. People here, though, still manage a work-life balance. I see work as fun. I can switch on and off the work mode, and then get back into it.

What do you see as the factors that made you successful?

I find energy and knowledge from interacting with many people. I learn something new.

I am a wide reader and try to expand my knowledge. Microsoft gives a lot of support for continuing education and training.

If you’re not into our work, you will not be intellectually curious and want to learn more.

Where do you go from here?

Professionally I’d want to be able to use my knowledge and experience in a more regional setting. It would also give me knowledge and insights into different cultures and practices.

But it’s not about staying somewhere else. I may practice my discipline on a regional scale, but I’d like to be based in Manila. The Philippines encourages creativity and provides a quality of life that’s being around your family and friends. You know our way around. At the end of the day, it’s not just about salary.

You get to work with people who share the same values and same dedication.

What advice would you give other younger professionals who want to reach higher ground?

Know what you enjoy doing and what you want to achieve.

Set the challenge for yourself. Set your own goals and work towards it.

Know what you stand for and be consistent. You invest in it, and you don’t market it to everywhere. Your image and capacity to be advertised will depend on your trust, reputation, and ability to get things done.

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THINK YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A HIGH-POWERED EXECUTIVE? Send your resume to eportfolio@jobsdb.com.ph.

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