What It’s Like To Be The Women Who Run iMoney Philippines
The Philippines has once again topped Grant Thorton’s International Women in Business annual report for 2021. The study tracked the number of women occupying senior management roles and our country came out on top. iMoney is proud to be one of the businesses that continue to uplift and empower women bosses in the Philippines.
Holding together our team in the Philippines are three women – Jessica April Tonggol (Commercial Executive), Van Patricia Abrogena (Commercial Manager), and Mercy Balano (Head of Customer Care). They currently work together to manage iMoney Philippines in all its key departments from call center to business development and forging corporate partnerships with clients in the finance industry in the Philippines.
They are the very embodiment of women in business today, and in celebration of 2022 National Women’s Month, let’s get up close with our women movers and shakers who embody the new face of iMoney Philippines.
April, Commercial Executive
April started out her career with iMoney as a customer care agent and was recently promoted to the commercial team. Her experience on the front lines became the foundation for her to understand the needs of the customers. And now as a commercial executive, overseeing business growth and partaking in a more significant role in running the business has greatly helped her realize her full potential.
Pursuing a career in the personal finance space for April is more than just a job. To her, the lessons from the industry overlap with the real world. Not only does it help her grow professionally, but the knowledge and skills that she’s acquired are also significant in her personal growth.
Given the tremendous responsibility that comes with her role, April admits that it can be challenging, especially thinking strategically and making sound business decisions. While in the Philippines, being a woman in power is now a norm, it still comes with its own set of challenges.
What part of the business or your job is specifically tough?
- Making an analysis of where the company is heading and how to improve our revenue performance. It is not as simple as plugging in numbers on a spreadsheet. It necessitates strategic thinking as well as the ability to make sound decisions.
On being a key player in the company
- I’m grateful. The iMoney Philippines team has given me the confidence and trust to be one of the key players in the team in order to strengthen the business, allowing me to go above and beyond what I am capable of.
On being in a leadership role
- It means having complete control over my life to achieve my goals. It doesn’t have to be a position that leads people, it can simply be a lifestyle where a woman like me is enabled to have a career or business-driven.
- Setting an abundance mindset and affirmations
“There is always more than enough money in my life”
- Never spend more than what you can afford
Don’t go overboard with your spending and focus instead on why and where you want to spend your money. Always set a budget for your needs, wants, and savings.
Mercy, Head of Customer Care
Like April, Mercy started her iMoney career as a customer care agent, two promotions later she found herself in her current position.
As the head of Customer Care, she is the bridge between our customer care team and the commercial team. For our head of customer care, the job is not just about improving the customer care team’s performance but also putting their welfare ahead of herself.
As the glue that keeps our customer care team together, Mercy admits that dealing with different personalities comes with the job description; while some “personalities” can be challenging, that doesn’t stop her from seeing the best in her people.
Different strokes for different folks. As a head of customer care, most of Mercy’s challenges are about motivating her team composed of different people while upholding our company’s goals and values.
What part of the business or your job is specifically tough?
- Sometimes, I find it really hard to motivate people and encourage them to be dedicated to what they are doing. Dealing with different personalities and upbringings could be tough but that won’t stop me from believing that they will be transformed in order to reach their full potential.
On being a key player in the company
- It’s really a tough job but rewarding at the same [time] especially if I see the result of my hard labor. It makes me feel important and empowered! It motivates me to continue taking the team to greater heights.
On being in a leadership role
- Someone who is not afraid to fail because she believes it’s another stepping stone to greatness. One who is strong, independent, always believes she can make things happen, and always sparks hope even in the darkest of times.
- You are in charge of your financial future
Live within your means in order not to be broke, save and grow your money until such time you reach the financial stability - Build up your savings
Even if it takes time to start to make wise investments to grow your money.
Van, Commercial Manager
Van, as we call her, is the newest member of our iMoney Philippines leadership team. Van forges client partnerships for iMoney while being a full-time mom to her son. For her, the job isn’t just about onboarding new partners but about finding the right solutions for our customers.
While she’s still in the early stage of her journey with iMoney, she admits that as she goes deeper into the nuances of the personal finance space, the more challenging it becomes. However, she remains optimistic and enjoys overcoming obstacles, especially when things don’t pan out.
Forging partnerships with banks and other financial establishments is no easy feat, and it comes with its own set of challenges.
What part of the business or your job is specifically tough?
- When things don’t go according to plan.
On being a key player in the company
- It’s a stupendous feeling that we can do so much despite the challenges, especially at the height of the pandemic.
On being in a leadership role
- It’s more of being a leader rather than a boss. It’s about making sure that you are leading the team towards what is beneficial holistically while being optimistic.
- Investing early – invest early to make money work for you.
- Always follow the formula: Savings – Income = Expense
- Always come with alternatives
- Always live a simple life
The Philippines have made great strides in making our workplace an equal playing field for women, and this month is a reminder of how far we’ve come in our effort in making that happen.
It’s no longer about challenging social norms but rather upholding and further empowering our women-dominated business culture and landscape.
And for us at iMoney, we are honored to have empowered women in our team to help Filipinos make the right financial decisions.
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