The Aboitiz Group Management Conference (AGM) last February 6 served as one of the first major events to officially celebrate the 100th year anniversary of Aboitiz & Company. It also carried a markedly different format from its predecessor, the Aboitiz Leaders Conference or LeadCon (held annually since 2017)  as discussions were more inward-looking, focusing on elements already intrinsic to the Aboitiz organization for over century.

Throughout the event, the heads of strategic business unit (SBU) took turns in presenting a snapshot on performance and growth direction.

"We want to give our senior management community a more comprehensive view of SBU strategies and growth aspirations. By having a more in-depth understanding, it increases curiosity and involvement therefore, helping each other achieve our collective goals," explained Aboitiz Equity Ventures President & CEO Sabin M. Aboitiz.

As he opened the conference, SMA introduced and highlighted the benefits of adopting a groupwide Value of the Year — a practice pioneered in Pilmico. Having one in place helps leaders in particular in giving sufficient focus to and building a solid understanding on its application. In 2020, Aboitiz team leaders are rallying behind on the core value of Integrity.

The Legacy of 'Palabra de Honor'

“The biggest fortune I have is my word and reputation. Money can be lost and can be recovered, but once your name and reputation are lost, one’s word is worthless, and one is truly finished.”

SMA shared the well-known quote from Don Ramon Aboitiz to represent a turning point in the company's history. No sooner was Aboitiz Y Compania founded than abaca prices dropped and the business nearly lost everything. Against the advice of many around him, Don Ramon was adamant to keep the business running even if it meant borrowing from friends and businessmen on nothing but a promise to pay it all back — and did. It was integrity in its truest form. Palabra de honor (word of honor) led to a defining moment in what all A-People have come to know as the Aboitiz Way.

Had it not been for [Don Ramon and the company's] determination, hard work, and commitment to honor their word and reputation, the Aboitiz Group would not be around today.

Taking the Lead for One Aboitiz

When reflected against the Group's humble beginnings, each SBU presentation at the AGM served to highlight how expansion and diversification are yielding more complex challenges and questions for Aboitiz.

SMA admitted that nobody has the answers and so it is incumbent upon leaders to work towards One Aboitiz. It is a call-to-action that will help "build and refine a way of thinking, that we are unbeatable when we are together."

To pursue One Aboitiz is to take collaboration further, with a heightened awareness of the steps the other members of the team are making and actively offering ways to add value towards achieving a common goal. It is not new to Aboitiz but it becomes even more imperative amid the Group's rapid outward expansion that at times can be unfamiliar.

We know uncertainty is here to stay and we need to be comfortable with that.

In many ways, Aboitiz marks its 100th anniversary by putting focus on the value of integrity not only to exemplify what leading with values means but as a reminder of how one man's palabra de honor shaped the identity of Aboitiz today.

As the AGM closed, SMA greeted team members across sites within and outside the Philippines via live stream. At each location, A-People held watch parties complete with food and fun games to celebrate the milestone. It brought out a deep sense of connectedness to the organization, something we can imagine is what it would have been like a hundred years ago.