AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE Inquirer president/CEO Alexandra Prieto-Romualdez is given the CEO Excel Award for encouraging the Inquirer Group of companies to embrace the future of new media and reintroducing the brand to the young and millennials. —ARNOLD ALMACEN
CEBU CITY—Fueling positivism in one’s line of work should be anchored in a company’s mission and vision.
This was the point raised by Alexandra Prieto-Romualdez, Inquirer Group of Companies president/CEO, during the CDN Conversations 3 that highlighted the power of positivity at the Cebu City Marriott Hotel on Monday.
“If you want to fuel positivism in what you do, you need to anchor that in your mission and vision. If there’s a disconnect or gap between your vision and brand values, you’re in a bit of trouble,” Romualdez told more than 150 advertisers, marketing managers, advertising managers and CEOs of different businesses in Cebu.
She recalled the 30-year journey of the Inquirer from being a mosquito press in the 1980s to the No. 1 newspaper with over 22.7 million in combined number of readers, viewers and listeners across all its multimedia platforms.
Romualdez shared that for the Inquirer Group of Companies (IGC), as a leader in the mainstream media industry now, positivism was parallel to causing change in society.
“For me, positivism is really driving things to the point where you do want action. And I think that is the dedication that we are committed to do and this is, in a way, our contribution,” she said.
And when there’s actual change in the community, this should be applauded, she said.
Romualdez recalled the time when advertisers pulled out of the Inquirer after the newspaper ran several investigative stories against then President Joseph Estrada. For six months, she said the company was losing but continued operations because it remained true to its vision and mission.
She later asked the audience if they felt that much had been done in the past 20 years legally, socially, politically and economically in the country. Only a handful of hands were raised.
Many more hands were raised when she asked if they didn’t feel any change in the four areas she mentioned.
Romualdez said she and the Inquirer Group had the same observations.
“For me, positivism is hopefully five years from now, when I have this survey again with you, more hands will be raised in ‘yes’ rather than ‘no,’” she said.
Replying to questions about the alleged bias of the broadsheet against the administration of President Duterte, Romualdez denied this, saying the paper had bannered positive stories about it.