AFI Welcomes Atletang Ayala

The Atletang Ayala athletes with Ayala group officers led by Ayala Chief HR Officer Paco Romero Milán; AFI President Tony Lambino; ALI Chief HR Officer Isabel Sagun and Head of Human Resources - Corporate Rico Manuel; AFI CFO Felipe Estrella; AMPC General Manager Pinky Picache; and Atletang Ayala program team members Jim Villegas, Jan Bengzon, Xavi Virata, and Cel Amores

Over the past 20 years, our Leadership programs have produced leaders in positions of influence in public service, in nonprofit and people’s organizations, in business, in academia, in the performing arts, and others. And with Atletang Ayala, we are seeing not just the country’s next generation of sports champions, but also professionals within the Ayala group.

TONY LAMBINO
AFI President

Ayala Foundation recently announced its stewardship of Atletang Ayala, a program that supports the development of top-caliber Filipino sportspersons and opens up opportunities for them to build professional careers in the Ayala group of companies.

The foundation welcomed the program through a simple turnover event held on July 11 at the Ayala Museum. Atletang Ayala now joins the roster of Ayala Foundation’s Leadership Development programs, alongside the Ayala Young Leaders Congress, Leadership Communities (LeadCom), and Scholarships.

A highlight of the event was the signing of the commitment to support the Atletang Ayala athletes by parent Ayala Corporation, Ayala Land, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Globe Telecom, ACEN, AC Industrials (including Integrated Micro-Electronics and ACMobility), and Ayala Multi-Purpose Cooperative. AC Health and AC Logistics have also expressed their interest to participate in the program starting 2025.

 Addressing the officers of the different business units, Ayala Chief HR Officer Paco Romero Milán said: "Thank you for believing in the program and our athletes. [...] We are confident that the excitement and engagement you have extended to the program these past couple of years will continue in the months and years ahead."

Launched in 2022, Atletang Ayala was first managed by the Ayala Center for Excellence in Sports (ACES). Its inaugural batch of eight athletes—swimmers Jasmine Alkhaldi and Xiandi Chua; archers Andrea Robles, Abby Bidaure, and Pia Bidaure; fencers Nathaniel Perez and Noelito Jose Jr.; and karateka Prince Alejo—have performed excellently in their respective sports and have also started their careers in the Ayala group. Atletang Ayala is now actively recruiting its next batch of 20 athletes, with the final selection set to be announced in September.