THEY used to be “figure heads” crunching the numbers and fixing the balance sheets. Nowadays, the chief finance officer (CFO) has shed the dour stereotype in pinstriped suit as he or she takes on a role that goes far beyond the figures.
Since it launched the prestigious ING-Finex CFO of the Year Award in 2007, the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (Finex) and ING Bank Manila have been discovering and honoring “heroes beyond the boardroom” whose excellence, strong leadership and stewardship have helped steer their organizations toward financial stability, benefiting not just their stakeholders, but also the domestic economy.
According to a statement from ING-Finex, this year’s six-month search expects to yield yet again another “Super CFO” – one who holds the unique mix of having outstanding professional capabilities, high ethical standards, and strong survival instincts.
The first four awardees include Delfin Gonzales Jr., then the CFO of Globe Telecom and now with Ayala Corp. and Ysmael Baysa, Jollibee Foods CFO.
Gonzales successfully steered the Globe through the time when the firm was raising funds for its expansion into 3G (3rd generation) technology while Baysa, who started as a bookkeeper, helped made Jollibee into a Filipino multinational brand.
On its third year, ING and Finex have partnered with the Ateneo Graduate School of Business and the De La Salle University College of Business – Graduate Studies to assist in the search for the top CFO in the country.
CFOs from any private local and multinational companies, government-owned and controlled corporations, and government financial institutions can be nominated for the award.
Nomination forms can be downloaded at www.finex.org.ph or at the website of the two partner business schools.
It can also be obtained at the Finex Secretariat at Unit 1901, 139 Corporate Center, Valero St. Makati City. For more details visit www.finex.org.ph. Nominations, however, have to be submitted before Sept. 23, 2011.
The 700-member Finex organization is made up of the country’s top CFOs while ING is a financial institution offering banking, investment, insurance and life retirement services to 85 million clients in 40 countries.