By BERNIE CAHILES-MAGKILAT
The Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) aims to recruit young business leaders that will comprise no less than 20 percent of its roster and infuse fresh blood to its ageing membership.
Atty. Francisco “Francis” Ed. Lim told reporters at the 71st MAP Inaugural Meeting that they would recruit 50 years old and below heads of business organizations. The aim is that 20 percent of its total membership, which is now dominated by members with average age of 60 years old, must be of young blood.
To entice young leaders to become MAP members, Lim said MAP may relax the qualification for membership to include other than the top three officers of a company. At present, only the CEO, COO and CFO are qualified to be MAP members.
The idea is to open the membership to lower company officers other than the top three. There are now 1,034 members of MAP, the country’s premier association of officers from the management sector. As such MAP members represent 40 of the top 100 corporations in the Philippines. Around 74 percent of MAP members are either the chairman, CEO, President, managing director/partner and country head of these companies.
“We have in our fold 72 listed companies whose combined capitalization is ₱9.3 trillion, representing around 60 percent of our stock market’s total market capitalization,” he said.
He noted that qualifications have been tied to the top three when there is a need for the young to take the helm at leadership position.
Lim is eyeing young company officers from the innovation and technology firms, which are mostly run by young tech entrepreneurs.
“To deepen the bench for future business leaders” completes the four thrusts of Lim’s presidency. The three others are “Level up by enhancing Ease of Doing Business,” “Embrace Environmental, Social Responsibility and Governance (ESG) for sustainability,“ and “Accelerate best management practices.”
“This fourth thrust of our theme is, quite frankly, closest to my heart as a father, teacher, and mentor,” Lim said.
Lim shared that in his almost 40 years of practicing law and business that includes his stint as president of the Philippine Stock Exchange, he realized that the infusion of young blood and fresh perspectives is one of the greatest life lessons.
“It is the audacity of the young to push boundaries tempered by wisdom from experience that will bring meaningful change in our society,” he pointed out.
He noted that “millennials” have stepped into the limelight and shaken the world as we know it with their big dreams and bold attitudes.
“It is inspiring to see our young generation taking an active role in shaping our communities and in building our nation. They have not only decided to demand more from their elders; they have taken it upon themselves to be the change in their own communities,” he said citing Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Larry Page of Google, who launched their businesses at ages 19 and 25.
“They are powerful examples of how our young generation can change the world.”
“As the rest of the world continues to evolve and modernize – oftentimes faster than our ability to adapt – it is imperative for us to hone and elevate the professional and leadership skills of our young men and women to help build a better Philippines.”
To this end, the MAP Board has created the NextGen Committee not only as a platform for new ideas from our younger members but, even more importantly, as a breeding ground for future business leaders.
At the same meeting, MAP also signed a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Trade and Industry on Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) Program to help boost the country’s ease of doing business and raise overall competitiveness in the country through more efficient and competitive LGUs.
Under the MOA, MAP will assist the DTI in encouraging LGUs to participate in the CMCI. MAP will also help LGUs participate in the CMCI annual ranking of LGUs.
MAP will also collaborate with DTI in conducting regional, provincial and local seminars and to disseminate CMCI information and its application to invest promotion, innovation policy, and industry development.
It will also assist DTI in the review and evaluation of CMCI process for the enhancement of the program.