| What
is your main concern right now?
The first order of the day is to electronify distribution
of our content. Until recently, the only way for
our players to access our games is to buy prepaid cards.
Moreover, when they buy at the retail outlets and i-Cafes,
they find out that the card they want is out of stock! What
complicates this system further, is that retail outlets
have a choice of dozens of cards from telcos, ISP, gaming
with four to five different denominations to choose from!
Three months ago, we started changing that by partnering
with service providers who are the major distributors of
all pre-paid offerings in the country. This eliminated unnecessary
cost on iinventory and logistics and more importantly, it
avoided the out of stock scenario described earlier.
That’s the first order of the day. It gets rid of
the cost of inventory and logistics of the distributor and
the retailer.
In the past, retailers would have to have a crystal ball
to know which denominations would sell faster, and in most
cases, these wouldn’t pan out. In electronifying
the distribution, they’d have all the denominations
of all our games at all times. They’d always have
the right denomination that our customers need.
What are the challenges facing
your industry right now?
The company is in the digital entertainment business like
online gaming. Forty percent of my task is converting
the distribution of this industry into electronic. But my
responsibilities are much bigger in scope. It’s igniting
e-commerce in the Philippines.
The Philippines is still a relatively young market. In
the more developed countries, everybody, and not just young
kids, is into online gaming. We are rapidly reaching
that stage where online gaming will be a form of entertainment
for everybody. We see the proliferation of I-cafes and the
cost reduction of broadband internet. Both the service providers
and the equipment manufacturers are realizing that the Philippine
market is becoming more and more sophisticated, that’s
why they are doing everything to address that. We have to
go past the notion that online gaming is just for kids.
The challenge is to take this industry into the next level
where digital gaming is for everybody.
How do you address this challenge?
We are taking initiatives that will shatter the notion
[that gaming is just for kids]. We are focusing
on bringing content that appeals to all demographics, especially
females who are currently a small minority in online gaming.
Please tell us about your
career path.
After graduation, I became a marketing officer in a Multinational
IT Company where sales and marketing were integrated. I
moved to a Telco company where I was promoted Manager of
the business unit. After four years, I met this venture
capitalist who hired me as VP for Sales and Marketing to
establish a company called Inter-Tech Providers Inc; we
worked with telcos and partnered with operators in the US
enabling us to offer telco-like services to the corporate
segment.
This put me in the map, so to speak. All the things that
I learned from school and the corporate world are now on
my shoulders. It was just the Board and myself making decisions.
After that, I became Director of Sales and Marketing of
Conexys Asia Pacifc. Then I worked at Great Alliance Telecoms
as Business Development Head, where I worked with the finest
minds and businessmen in the industry. They pioneered the
distribution streams of the leading telecoms. When
you get the chance to work with leaders and pioneers, it’s
like you’re learning new things from the masters.
It’s like playing basketball with Michael Jordan.
After that, I went to Digital Media Exchange. I’ve
been in this company since April.
What is your most fulfilling
career experience so far in DME?
I enjoy trading wits with my bosses. These guys
think fast, they have an understanding of the market and
know where they want to go and how to get there. Everytime
they give you a pat on the back, “Great job,”
it’s something. At the same time, they are very receptive
and don’t claim to know everything.
What consumes us in this organization is knowing our end-users.
We are very pro-active in addressing the needs of the customers;
we make it a point that we are two steps ahead of the competition.
How do you remain competitive,
as a leader in the industry?
There are no shortcuts in life. You just work hard.
I am so blessed because I am in a position where I love
what I am doing. I would do this for free. It’s the
love for what I do that makes me at get up at 5:30 a.m.
and go about the day with a lot of excitement.
I always sharpen my fundamentals in marketing and
business development, by constantly reading and learning
from the masters.
I stay in touch with my previous bosses. They have
no qualms about giving me advice, nothing specific, but
to guide me. In the same manner that my previous
subordinates would ask me and I would give them guidance.
But at the end of the day, it’s their call.
Where do you go from here?
I have business plans. What I’d want is to see it
through. I don’t have the money to start it yet. It
would take more than a billion pesos. This business
plan is solid. One of these days, I know I’ll meet
an investment partner and I’ll see it through. I have
the confidence that this will take the industry by storm.
What advice would you give
young managers who ask you for advice so they can reach
your same level of success?
It’s all about love, not just for excellence,
but the love for perfection---that’s what consumes
me. Love what you’re doing.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. But at
the same time, don’t use that to excuse yourself from
preparing. Everyday, I prepare for the next day.
I am always ready. I know exactly what I need to do and
what I need to get done. Otherwise, you’re better
off staying home.
Be positive and aggressive at all times.
No one succeeded by being passive in any field.
Every time you visualize yourself, don’t
go by your day-to-day activities independently of God. I
pray everyday. That’s where I draw strength and wisdom
from: prayer. Despite the 16-hour workdays, I find time
to pray. What I do is sacred---and when you’re in
that frame of mind, you know that what you do does not hinge
exclusively on you, but on Someone who is infinitely more
powerful.
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