By Kristel Parungao and Jennalyn Tan
To advance its techglomerate vision, the Aboitiz Group is equipping its team members with opportunities to develop world-class skills and expertise. A key step in this journey was the recent Financial Modeling Training, a comprehensive three-day workshop designed to sharpen the analytical edge of its corporate finance and investment teams.
Held from September 23 to 25, 2025, the training was a joint effort hosted by the Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) Investments and Corporate Finance team and the Aboitiz Group Corporate Finance (CorFin) Council, composed of corporate and finance teams from all Strategic Business Units. This collaboration underscored the Group’s shared commitment to developing unified standards and strengthening financial discipline across SBUs.
Facilitated by Mr. Diogenes Dy, Executive Director of the Development Center for Finance, Inc., the session brought together 34 participants from across the Aboitiz Group, including representatives from AEV, AboitizPower, Aboitiz Foods, and UnionBank. It was a clear demonstration of the #OneAboitiz spirit in action, uniting diverse teams in pursuit of shared capability-building goals.
Assistant Vice President for AEV Investments and Corporate Finance Kenneth Almanzor emphasized the strategic importance of the capability building:
“World-class capital allocation is non-negotiable for our growth. This training establishes the essential foundation for our finance teams to navigate a solid path towards that. We are investing in our people to develop good stewards that drive our strategy and Aboitiz Group’s progress.”
Participants echoed the training’s impact.
“The workshop enabled me to understand the basics of financial modelling and valuation. I gained an intuitive grasp of how to effectively apply best practices and corporate finance concepts to real life projects and transactions,” shared by Investments and Corporate Finance Intern Martin Tan.
His feedback reflects how the program successfully translated theory into practical, real-world skills that can be immediately used in ongoing projects.
From Foundation to Future: Three Days of Deep Learning
The comprehensive curriculum guided participants through a clear and structured learning progression, moving from foundational principles to advanced applications.
- Day 1: The session began with the foundations of financial model design, focusing on structure, inputs, linkages, and tools such as circularity switches and cash shortfall triggers.
- Day 2:The second day of the training unpacked cost of capital and discounted cash flow valuation methods, emphasizing how financial modeling supports investment decisions and capital structuring.
- Day 3: The training concluded with the fundamentals of project finance, highlighting how debt structuring affects project viability. It also covered key taxation concepts that influence cash flows and financial outcomes.
Looking Ahead: A Call to Continuous Learning
This initiative is part of a broader effort by the AEV Investments and Corporate Finance team to collaborate with the CorFin Council and develop aligned investment professionals across the Aboitiz Group. More capability-building efforts are in the pipeline, ensuring that finance teams sustain momentum and continue strengthening their technical and strategic acumen.
By investing in programs like this, the Aboitiz Group is making a clear statement: its greatest asset is its people. Equipped with sharper skills, these professionals are now better empowered to guide critical investment decisions and actively shape the future of the country’s first techglomerate.
