March is their month

MANILA, Philippines—Flesh and metal. Skin and leather. Skinny models in skimpy clothes straddling testosterone-driven steel machines. Women, and their perceived fragility and sexuality, have for many motor shows throughout the decades provided the perfect complement to “man-made” automobiles.

But times are changing. Though we may still see those sexy models posing every which way beside those show cars, an increasing number of the fairer sex can be seen either inside the automobiles (running rings around their male counterparts) or inside the corporate cockpits—pun unintended—calling the shots.

Now, instead of selling the car by being a mere living, breathing mannequin, they buy the car, drive it, and in the process greatly influence how the brand would subsequently be marketed. This transformation has been a slow, painstaking process. And up to now, in the Western world, women’s sphere of influence in the automotive industry is still limited in comparison with that of their male counterparts.

Elizabeth Blish Hughes of Forbes Autos recently quoted Lorraine Schultz (who founded the Women’s Automotive Association International in Birmingham, Michigan) as saying “it (the car industry) is a tough nut for women to crack.” Hughes also quoted Nicole Nason, outgoing administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as saying that in her four years of meetings with the top CEOs of the automotive industry, she often found herself asking, “Where are the women?”

Here in the Philippines, where women play increasingly dominant roles in society, politics and business, the auto industry shows a healthy share of female top-level leaders, namely Elizabeth H. Lee, Fe Perez-Agudo, Ginia Domingo and Maricar Cristobal Parco—the bosses behind Universal Motors Corp/Nissan, Hyundai Asia Resources Inc, Kia and BMW, respectively.

Among them, the most prominent would unarguably be Lee, who, aside from being the COO of UMC, has also been the president of the influential Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (Campi) for several years.

Her achievements in the industry have been recognized by both private entities and the government, having earned the international EVP award by Nissan Global CEO Carlos Ghosn for three straight years (2002 to 2004) representing the Philippines, the only country representing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) at that time, and being one of The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) in 2007 given by the President of the Philippines particularly for Campi’s campaign against smuggled vehicles.

Her TOWNS award also cited her marketing idea for UMC “Ur Van, Ur Business” program as it helped underprivileged Filipinos start their own micro-businesses, thereby helping 3,700 families and creating 4,400 direct jobs.

Lee graduated with an MBA from the United States, and previously worked in SGV/Arthur Andersen’s Business Consulting Group and Merrill Lynch’s Private Client Group in California.

She is also the vice chairperson of the Philippine Automotive Federation Inc. (Pafi), the vice president of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), board member of several industries, and a council member of the Asean Automotive Federation. She is also vice president of the Women’s Group of the Philippine Constitutional Association (Philconsa).

Lee relates to Inquirer Motoring that last year, Nissan launched new models, including the Murano Z51 and the high-end luxury SUV Nissan Patrol Royale. The “Ur Van, Ur Business” continues, she said, with an even wider range of vans available to cater to all family and business needs. And in terms of specifications, The Navara Sport Utility Truck remains as the “top dog.”

“Investments are in the horizon, with automakers still considering the Philippines as a viable and strategic location to expand their operations particularly in the CKD operations. We must support this effort to create jobs and engage investors to bank on the Philippines,” she stressed. “And considering that the auto market of the future is in Asia, we must exploit the fact that we are right smack in the middle of it.”

True honor, non-negotiables

Lee quotes John Maxwell as her philosophy. “‘The greatest honor is the respect people have for you…. and that people will follow you because of who you are and who you represent on a daily basis.’ It does remind us that true honor is neither based on, nor attained through, wealth or power.”

She added: “My guiding principles in life are, in all things, do what is right. Only then can one be a blessing to others and truly enjoy God’s blessings in return; Integrity is non-negotiable; and everything is possible. Aim high and don’t be afraid to fail.

“I also believe that everyone makes a difference. Successful people seldom climb to the top. They are carried there.”

Lee would wish to be remembered as someone who tried her best to accomplish what is most relevant for the future growth of the industry, considering not only the businesses, but more importantly, the workers and families who depend on them.

Iron lady

“Do you want to be a tiger in a small kingdom or just one of the animals in a big forest?” This was what Fe Perez Agudo’s father, Emilio Perez, told her before he passed away more than a decade ago. Then, Fe was about to give up a fruitful career in real estate to join Hyundai, an erstwhile unknown Korean automotive brand. With her father’s last cryptic message embedded in her mind, Fe joined the automotive industry in 2001.

Almost immediately, she was faced with two seemingly insurmountable odds, both hurled onto her by public perception: That she joined a weak Korean brand, and that she was a member of the weaker sex.

This was how Fe Perez Agudo, the president and CEO of Hari and current president of the Alliance of Vehicle Importers and Distributors (Avid), related to Inquirer Motoring the harsh beginnings of her corporate career in the auto industry.

Fe told the Inquirer Motoring last Monday one of the turning points in her career happened in South Korea just as she was starting out with Hari. When she was first introduced to the top management of Hyundai, one of the big bosses there asked her, “What do you know about cars?”
“It was a question that would probably send one running back to the Philippines, but as I stood my ground, I looked him in the eye and replied, in a very business-like tone, ‘What do you know about the Philippine market?’ Since then, I’ve been able to mark my territory; I was representing the Philippines, after all, a country known to have many heroes who do not flinch in front of combative elements,” she said.

“Recently also, I had undergone my latest experience of humiliation, which I would not elaborate during this interview, except to say that the ordeal was like reminding me again of our dog-eat-dog world. To the extent that it tipped into a less objective and issue-focused process where I felt pushed into a space of unnecessary humiliation, I think that was really unfortunate. To be honest, that moment in my life wasn’t something to brag about, but despite the pain it caused, not just for me, but for my colleagues, we did not lose spirit, we did not lose hope,” she added.

The tiger in Agudo eventually played a substantial part in the remarkable transformation of Hyundai in the Philippines. Today, Hari has grown to become a major automotive player.

‘Iron and faith’

The biggest push, Agudo stressed, had been from her father, Emilio, and mother, Fidela. She was christened “Fe,” which in chemistry represents iron—a symbol and an element of strength, and in Spanish means faith—in God’s purpose. These were the qualities the parents wished of their daughter even from a young age. Emilio was a textile mechanic of an American sewing machine firm. Fidela, who didn’t finish high school, had her hands full raising all of 10 children. “I got my inner strength and tenacity from my mother. I got my wisdom from my father.”

Through hard study and what Agudo attributes as good brain genetics, she and many of her siblings were able to get scholarships from various schools. Fe, a middle child, got her scholarship at St. Scholastica’s College in Manila, where she majored in accounting.

As a student activist, and as a former student council president of St. Scholastica’s College, she had fought for the rights of the studentry, instilling in her values of gender equality and social justice.

In grade school, she and her siblings would troop to the principal’s office before final exams. There they would write promissory notes for their tuition so they could take their exams. “We never felt humiliated, but we felt the challenge and told ourselves: No one will help us except ourselves. Education was our only weapon out of poverty,” she said.

Three days after graduating from college, Agudo had to start work so she could help her five younger siblings through school. She found her initial calling in real estate. With the sales team of Cityland, she used her earnings to help a sister and a brother finish school.

Today, her siblings are all established in their own careers, and have their own families. Agudo herself has two kids—a boy and a girl—both scholars.

Agudo, the president and chief operating officer of one of the largest-selling car brand, had just improved on her father’s final riddle. She is now the tigress of a big forest.

Standing tall

At 5 feet 6 inches, this female top executive is tall enough for her subordinates to literally look up to, who can also level with the males in the industry. On the corporate ladder, she is certainly at the top rung, in perfect position to call the shots and point to where the company should be heading.

We’re talking about Ginia Domingo, Columbian Auto Car’s new president.

“I think my being female in a predominantly male industry was actually the source of my strength. My gender has always been a key driver, from when I was growing up and until now. I don’t think (gender) was ever an issue because I refused to let it be so,” she quipped.

Ginia related that it was because she was female that she knew she had to pull her own weight. When she was a sales consultant, she related that she “worked doubly hard—I would study harder so that I’d be one of the best in product knowledge. While others were out having a good time, I was working on my sales leads, literally letting my fingers do the walking in the yellow pages (which later brought me to the top 3 among the top marketing professionals of another car company nationwide).”

“I became one of the boys,” she laughed when she related how she went out with the boys during their drinking sessions and client calls. But she was sober and attentive enough to learn even during these instances. “I listened and learned from my male peers.”

Now with the exclusive Philippine distributor of one of Korea’s most recognizable auto brands Kia, Ginia’s main objective is to grow the business by offering a more competitive product lineup.

“There is so much potential for Kia to grow in terms of volume and market share.” She expects to see a more exciting lineup unfolding in the next three years, making Kia one of the most watched-out-for brands.

She admitted she never expected to get into marketing and sales, let alone in the car industry, having finished an Economics degree in the University of Santo Tomas and had planned for a career in the banking industry. When she did start out with a bank, she was restless.

“While I loved the people I worked with, there was no joy in my everyday work. Then I was introduced to a guy who saw the potential in me. He believed I had the self-confidence to represent Toyota. So I took the big step and never looked back. It was hard at first for it required for me to study and to learn. But I’m a good student and I like to study, and I refuse to fail.”

It was with Toyota that Ginia, then 24 years old, learned how to drive. Now, of course, Ginia drives a Kia—a Mojave to be exact.

Martial law child

Ginia, with her two older brothers, grew up in the ’70s under the shadow of the iron fist of martial law. A very strict father made sure the Domingo children fulfilled their household chores, and among her most hated was picking dirt and other impurities off their daily ration of rice. But what she was made to do in their Sampaloc, Manila, household—including washing and ironing clothes, collecting water, cooking and washing the dishes—the boys did so, too.

“My father raised us to be equals. This is probably how I became competitive. My brothers made sure that despite my being a girl, I would be ‘as good’ as the boys. So I guess you can say I grew up a tomboy.”

Ginia also became active in clubs and was a member of the high school varsity volleyball team, where she honed her leadership skills.

Ginia said her “two wonderful sons serve as my inspiration,” and since she is now both father and mother to them, she tries to be a role model in all respects. “They are the focus of all my drives to excel in both my professional and personal endeavors.” This, as well as integrity, Ginia cites as her non-negotiables.

Unstoppable

It’s not a runaway train we’re talking of here. Maricar Cristobal Parco, Asian Carmakers Corp. president, uses that word to describe her 70-year-old mom. “She still practices dentistry to this day!” she beamed.

Parco derives inspiration from her mother as she leads the Philippine importer and distributor of BMW vehicles. “As long as you work hard, good results should follow.”

Parco also said that her being a female in a male-dominated industry has made her “stand out.”

“I believe that you just have to make the situation work for you. It certainly has driven me to push harder.” She also said she had been fortunate to be part of companies that supported diversity and encouraged its people to play active roles, regardless of gender.

Parco promised more excitement coming from BMW for 2011. “We will continue to beef up our product line-up with the introduction of new models/variants this 2011, starting with the recently introduced all-new BMW X3.”

Parco graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication. She joined Honda Cars Philippines as a marketing assistant soon after graduation and moved up to assistant manager for marketing and communication. She moved to Ford Group Philippines as public affairs manager and later as AVP for marketing and public affairs. Then she joined Prestige Cars BMW as vp for marketing. In 2009 she moved to ACC when it became the official importer and distributor of BMW and assumed the position of marketing director.

Beneath that extensive industry experience, Parco keeps it simple. “I see myself as a mother—to my two boys and now to my ACC family. In making decisions, I just ask myself: ‘Is it something that I would want my children to emulate or not? Is it something I can be proud of or not?’ Obviously, if the answer is yes, then I know I’m doing the right thing. It’s a simple guideline that works for me.”

(With excerpts from “Tigress in the big forest,” Road Talk, June 27, 2010)