The chairman of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI)-Muntinlupa was honored with the Woman in Business of the Year by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines Inc. (ICCPI). 

Elvie Sanchez-Quiazon, who is also the vice president of sales and marketing at The Bellevue Manila hotel in Alabang, Muntinlupa and secretary general of the PCCI-National Capital Region, was announced as the winner at the recent ICCPI Leadership Awards 2024. 

Italy's Ambassador to the Philippines Davide Giglio and Mike Toledo, chairman of the board of judges, presented the trophy to Sanchez-Quiazon. 

Elvie Sanchez-Quiazon (second from right) receives the trophy for Woman in Business of the Year from Mike Toledo and Italy's Ambassador to the Philippines Davide Giglio (Photo courtesy of Eli Carug)

Elvie Sanchez-Quiazon holds the trophy for Woman in Business of the Year (Photo courtesy of Eli Carug)

The awards ceremony recognized “exemplary leadership across various industries,” according to ICCPI. 

There were several contenders for the Woman in Business of the Year. The nominees were reduced to three, including Sanchez-Quiazon, who exemplified “leadership, resilience, and excellence in advancing gender equality in business.”

The winner was selected by a panel of judges consisting of Rosemarie Rafael, chairwoman and president of Airspeed and chairwoman of the Women's Business Council (WomenBizPH); Monsi Serrano, founder of the Philippine Business and News; Fabian Delos Santos, partner and head of tax services at SGV & Co.; Mike Toledo, head of Government Relations and Public Affairs at Metro Pacific Investments; and Roel Refran, EVP and COO of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE). 

In an interview with Manila Bulletin, Sanchez-Quiazon said she was not just happy to receive the award but it was an opportunity to inspire others. 

“Of course, not just that I'm happy but also because I know I have an opportunity again to inspire more people. It's like, I think a multitude will feel that I am not just credible but I am one woman that they can relate with and that there is nothing impossible really,” she said. 

She added, ““It’s not really about winning but it's just that I’m a relatable person. There is nothing impossible. It’s really about inspiring. I’m very, not just happy,  I'm elated because I know that I'm doing things for His better glory and that I can inspire more women.”

About the business sector performance in Muntinlupa in 2024,  Sanchez-Quiazon said, “Firstly I'll say that in the tourism sector, there are challenges but what is so beautiful about it is we are very resilient.”

“I think that's because we have the collaboration which is also a robust relationship with the LGU. What's good about it is we have such great support and we see the sincerity in all the other leaders of other industries, having that desire to really collaborate with each other knowing that it's not possible to do things alone,” she said. 

She added, “Everything is now aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development goals so the big word that we have is sustainability. So maybe after the pandemic, what we all realized is we really need to collaborate and there should be recognition by the government and we should recognize the efforts of the government.” 

“Fortunately I am in Muntinlupa City of which the leaders from the mayor or like the father of the city, the congressman all the way down the line, including from the grassroots level, are now interacting and the whole value chain of supply is very active and there is engagement,” she said. 

She added that “this is evident in all the activities in the government, from the government initiatives and the activities done or initiated by the private sector involving all from the grassroots level all the way up. Even collaborating with shall we say across the borders. So we're active that way. So it's not only locally competitive but we're also globally competitive already.”