The Aboitiz Group has received top honors for its exceptional human resources processes and personnel from the 2021 Stevie Awards for Great Employers.

AEV took home the Gold Stevie® for Employer of the Year for the Conglomerates category and a Silver Stevie® for Achievement in Employee Engagement at the 2021 Stevie® Awards for Great Employers.

Meanwhile, UnionBank bagged a Silver Stevie® for Employer of the Year in Banking and a Bronze Award for Michelle Rubio as Chief Human Resource Officer of the Year.

“At the core of our business are our people and it will always be about our people. Their dedication and innovation enable us to stay focused on ensuring that our vital services remain available for all our stakeholders, especially through challenging times,” said Aboitiz Group President and CEO, Sabin M. Aboitiz.

These awards affirm the unwavering commitment of our A-People as we create for ourselves the kind of environment that allows individuals to thrive both in their careers and in their personal lives.

– SMA

Susan V. Valdez, Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Corporate Services Officer for Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. (AEV), also highlighted the company’s early pivot to the digitalization of different employee activities, which kept them engaged and productive even in a virtual set-up.

“With the ongoing pandemic, we had to quickly shift all our learning and development to the virtual space and the results showed that uptake on our e-learning surpassed even the physical classes from pre-COVID. Early digital transformation had a lot to do with it but, more than that, it’s because we have an agile and engaged workforce that can adapt quickly to unexpected challenges and opportunities,” Valdez said.

She also believes that caring for team members’ mental and psychosocial health is critical to continued success in business outcomes.

We believe the key is assuring team members that their well-being is top priority for the Aboitiz Group, no matter what. All of these are strong drivers to achieving our overall environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) goals.

– Susan V. Valdez, Chief HR Officer / Chief Corporate Services Officer, AEV

The Stevie Awards for Great Employers are an international business awards competition that are open to all organizations worldwide. The awards recognize the world's best companies to work for, and the HR teams, professionals, achievements, new products, and suppliers that help to create and drive great places to work.

Stevie judges were composed of over 100 esteemed professionals from around the world who evaluated Aboitiz Group's entries.

“The engagement of your CEO is admirable and impactful,” said one of the judges.

“Great initiatives with the CEO like the SuperDuperCon town hall meetings, Welcome A-board, up close sessions to give opportunities to increase awareness, comfort, and psychological safety across the company. Very well done!” commented another member of the jury.

Among the Aboitiz Group’s many initiatives to support its A-People personally and professionally include the vaccination rollout for its team members, the expansion of healthcare coverage for LGBTQ+ and common law partners of employees, and the multitude of learning and development opportunities on offer through LinkedIn Learning and other similar initiatives.