January 2021

Financial Services Organization (FSO) Consulting Manager Larisa Jane Salaysay recently passed the Sustainability and Climate Risk (SCR™) certification exam. Offered by the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP), the SCR certificate is designed to equip professionals on how to manage the potential economic and operational impacts of climate change on their organizations.  Motivated by her interest in climate change and sustainability, Larisa worked for the certification and in the process gained valuable knowledge on becoming a climate risk leader. She believes that these areas will require more action and attention from business leaders and regulators as the Philippines is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Larisa credits her achievement to her FSO Consulting teammates and executives, who provided invaluable support throughout the certification process. As a newly-minted SCR professional, she strongly believes that her SCR certification will open avenues in her career and help her contribute to the Firm’s climate change and sustainability initiatives and engagements. Congratulations, Larisa!

SGV’s Learning & Development (L&D) Team conducted the first SGV Facilitator Awards last 15 January. The Facilitator Awards recognized 12 outstanding facilitators for their contributions to SGV’s learning initiatives in the past year. The awards were given under four categories for each service line – Facilitator Impact, Rising Star, Thought Leadership and Innovation. An overall Facilitator Excellence awardee was selected among the winners from all the categories.                     The Facilitator Excellence Award was given to Assurance Senior Manager Marc Bonnie Wong who is a significant contributor to L&D activities as a subject matter resource (SMR), an innovations contributor who aims to improve the learning process, and an overall outstanding facilitator. The Facilitator Impact Awards were given to Bonnie Wong, Consulting Manager Celina Rose Capalad, Strategy and Transactions Senior Manager Miguel Carlo Rancap, and Tax Senior Manager Alden Patrick Labaguis, all of whom had dedicated a significant number of hours to facilitating and consistently demonstrated excellent facilitation skills. The Rising Star Awards were presented to individuals who have made a significant impact as new facilitators. The recipients were Assurance Senior Manager Carmi Hernandez-Paigma, Consulting Manager Sarah Jane Lim, Strategy and Transactions Senior Associate Kieth Adrian Andaya, and Tax Senior Manager Gecel Codera-Ong.  The Thought Leadership Awards were given to experienced facilitators who have significantly contributed as SMRs by sharing knowledge, ideas and best practices. The awardees were Consulting Senior Manager Alvin Manuel, Assurance Senior Manager Marco Rene Barredo, and Tax Senior Manager Ana Katrina De Jesus. Consulting Manager Jerome Alvarez was the sole recipient of the Innovation Award, which is given to top contributors in learning technologies or the creation of EYU interventions that improved the learning conduct or L&D processes. Congratulations to all our Awardees!

SGV’s Consulting and Talent Teams organized a webinar on Women Leaders: Rising Above Adversity last December. The session is part of the She Inspires webinar series where women leaders share their experiences as female professionals and the valuable lessons they have learned over the years. Consulting Leader Rossana A. Fajardo (RAF) delivered the welcome remarks and introduced the guest speaker, Globe Telecom Chief Customer Experience Officer and Head of the Office of Strategy Management Rebecca Eclipse. Ms. Eclipse discussed her experiences as a mother, a CPA, and a senior executive, highlighting the challenges she faced and the lessons she learned throughout her life. She then shared tips on how women can overcome the challenges brought by the pandemic and emphasized the importance of faith in God. The webinar concluded with an open forum where she addressed participant questions and shared insights on having a purposeful life and fulfilling career. The forum was moderated by RAF, Financial Services Organization Leader Vicky Salas and Consulting Partner Kaye Macaisa-Peña. 

SGV Chairman and Country Managing Partner Wilson P. Tan (WPT) was among the panelists at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Regional Roundtable on 14 January. The event discussed the Generation Z (Gen Z) workforce and related talent and inter-generational workplace dynamics. Other speakers included executives from other professional services firms and educational institutions from ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand. WPT discussed Creating Purpose in the Gen Z workforce and presented the characteristics of Gen Zs in the Philippines, highlighting their tech-savviness. He shared the findings of the EY People Pulse Survey and explained the qualities that Gen Zs look for in business leaders and organizations. WPT also explained the initiatives organizations can undertake to attract and retain Gen Z talent, and foster a sense of purpose among the Gen Z workforce.

Consulting Markets Co-Leader and ASEAN Finance Fields of Play Leader Kathrina S. Macaisa-Peña (KSM) was a guest speaker on the Market Edge, hosted by ANC Anchor Michelle Ong, last 7 October.    KSM discussed the state of supply chains (SCs) during the pandemic. She provided an overview of the gaps in local SCs such as the inability of companies to move goods around and meet customer requirements due to strict quarantine measures; the state of local infrastructure and congested roads and ports; and companies’ ability to visualize their end-to-end supply chain model. Emphasizing the pandemic’s impact on operations and investment strategies of local companies, KSM also discussed key trends and steps businesses are implementing to build their resilience.  

SGV Chairman and Country Managing Partner Wilson P. Tan (WPT) was a speaker at a recent executive roundtable discussion titled Engaging CEOs in Advancing Workplace Gender Equality and Rebuilding Inclusive Organizations. Hosted by the Male Champions of Change Philippines and the French Chamber of Commerce Philippines (CCIFP), the session covered how different industry leaders are upholding gender equality in their respective organizations. Other resource speakers included GPT Group CEO Bob Johnston and JLL Philippines Country Head Christophe Vicic. CCIFP Managing Director Maylis Charlat welcomed the participants, who included executives from CCIFP member companies, as well as SGV Assurance Partner and Talent Leader Julie O. Mateo and Financial Services Organization Partner Miguel Ballelos. WPT discussed EY global initiatives in promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and empowering women in business, such as EY’s Women Fast Forward program and SGV’s Economic Dividends for Gender Equality (EDGE) certification. Emphasizing the value of sustainability, he shared how the Firm’s business model – focused on strengthening our people, operations, supply chain and communities – is also aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals aimed to address complex global challenges. Philippine Women’s Economic Network (PhilWEN) Chair, Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE) Co-Chair and SGV Alumna Partner Boots Garcia moderated the roundtable discussion and PBCWE Executive Director Julia Abad delivered the closing remarks. All speakers committed to continuing their collective action to achieve gender equality.

SGV Financial Services Organization (FSO) Leader Vicky Lee-Salas (VLS), Partner Christian G. Lauron (CGL), and Senior Directors Leslie Huang and Bryan Baes attended the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) Virtual Auditor Training Course. The two-day training course aimed to enhance auditors’ subject matter expertise on precious metals supply chain risks and issues. The sessions featured case studies and interactive exercises. The facilitators discussed the ISAE 3000 standard, the concepts of risk-based assurance audits and the application of subject matter expertise when conducting due diligence audits in the context of precious metals supply chains. They also trained participants on how to check whether traceability and due diligence systems are in place, are operational and compliant with LBMA requirements and if exceptions are being effectively identified, assessed, managed and reported. The LBMA is the international trade association that represents the market for gold and silver bullion. It is centered in London but has a global client base, including the majority of the central banks that hold gold, private sector investors, and mining companies, among others. It publishes the LBMA Good Delivery List, a widely recognized standard for the quality of gold and silver market bars, which includes the world’s pre-eminent refiners of gold and silver located in 31 countries. It promotes Due Diligence for Responsible Supply Chains by actively drafting the Gold Supplement section of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidance for supply chain due diligence. It has also set up a Responsible Gold Guidance for good delivery refiners to comply with high standards of anti-money laundering and combating terrorist financing and measures to curb human rights violations.

SGV Partners and staff participated in the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants Southern Metro Manila Chapter (PICPA SMMC) Adopt-A-Chapter webinar series last 13 and 20 December. On the first day of the webinar series, Tax Partner and PICPA SMMC President Maricris U. See (MUS) delivered the opening remarks and emphasized the value of continuous learning and professional growth amidst the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Tax Senior Associate and PICPA SMMC Co-Chair for Social Involvement Edsel Francis Lima led the participants during the Oath of CPAs as a reminder of the profession’s principles of integrity, objectivity, due care, and confidentiality. Tax Partner Aaron C. Escartin (ACE) led the session on 20 December. He discussed the differences between tax rules and accounting rules as applicable to small- to medium-sized entities. Other topics discussed at the webinar series included “Developing ethical leaders for the accounting profession” and “PFRS for small entities.” Over 120 participants from the PICPA Aklan, Capiz, and Antique Chapters attended the event. The webinar is an annual project of the PICPA SMMC and aims to equip participants with relevant competencies to prepare them for the audit busy season.

Tax Partner Cheryl Edeline C. Ong (CCO) led a virtual session on the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) bill for members of the Nordic Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (NordCham) last 18 December. NordCham Membership and Events Manager Maan Yu welcomed 27 executives and representatives from companies engaged in various industries such as financial services, retail, pharmaceuticals, and real estate. CCO discussed the bill’s salient features, developments and incentives in corporate income tax. She also provided insights on how companies can prepare for the proposed tax reforms. The webinar concluded with a question-and-answer portion where CCO addressed participant questions. The webinar was organized by Tax Senior Director Gecel Ong in coordination with NordCham.

Consulting Principal Philip B. Casanova (PBC) was one of the speakers at the DECODE Conference hosted by Trend Micro Inc. last November. With the theme, Elevate! Transform Rapidly, Seamlessly, Securely, the conference featured sessions on the cyber threat landscape, industry trends, and new technologies aimed to help participants and their organizations address the issues caused by the latest disruptions. Over 4,500 information technology and cybersecurity professionals attended the event. PBC led a session titled Principles to Live by for Cybersecurity Leaders where he shared the principles he learned in his over 20-year career in cybersecurity. Emphasizing the value of preparedness, he encouraged participants to equip themselves with the necessary knowledge and skills to enhance their personal and professional development.