‘Transforming for Future-Agility’

Exemplifying leadership in innovation, the 9th Ayala Innovation Excellence Awards (AIXA) held on November 28 recognized this year’s best homegrown projects across the group.

Awarded for Innovation Excellence were Makati Development Corporation’s Catalyzing Green Construction: Towards Net-Zero and Ka-agapay Vendor Financing Program, BPI’s Universe Expansion: Towards Financial Inclusion, and GCash’s GLoan Sakto. Special recognitions were given to ALI’s Make-It-Makati Car-Free Sundays, for customer centricity, and Seda Abreeza’s Circular Waste Program, for ecosystem collaboration.

Prior to the awarding ceremonies, keynote sessions on organizational transformation focused on the human element were held.

Ayala Corporation President and CEO Bong Consing opened the program, announcing the recent recognitions received by Ayala Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala. JAZA won the Ronald Jonash Innovation Lifetime Achievement Award at the GIMI Innovation Awards. He was also named to Thinkers50’s inaugural Leaders50 list of inspiring global leaders.

“Transformation is about fundamentally shifting how we operate, culturally, and operationally to achieve set goals,” said Utsav Bhatt of StratOffice. He then had a fireside chat with BPI Chief HR Officer Gina Eala and Chief Customer and Marketing Officer Cathy Santamaria on the bank’s transformation journey in customer obsession.

Awaken Group Founder So-Young Kang underscored the importance of taking a human-centered approach when designing great experiences that create meaningful transformation, as her company did for Singapore’s Housing and Development Board.

Closing the event, Ayala Corporate Strategy Group Head Mark Uy emphasized innovation from the perspective of the parent company’s purpose, which is “to build businesses that enable people to thrive,” and its core values to do what’s right, imagine it better, inspire excellence, and create value together. “And that’s what makes the group special,” he concludes.

The Ayala Land group emerged as the big winner of the 9th AIXA, bringing home four out of six awards for innovative projects led by Makati Development Corporation, parent ALI, and Seda Abreeza.

(Left) BPI won for its integrated program towards greater financial inclusion; (right) StratOffice Founder Utsav Bhatt

(Left) Transformation design expert So-Young Kang; (right) the winning team behind GCash’s GLoan Sakto