Master and servant

Ignacio Mijares

A servant-leader.

That’s how 43-year-old Ignacio Mijares, president and CEO of Cemex Holdings Philippines, sees himself as head of a big organization and leader of more than a thousand people.

As such, Mijares says he works for his team, attends to their needs, makes sure they are clear on their goals—particularly those related to work—and sees to it that they are capable and fully supported to achieve those goals.

Barely a year in the country and in the local Cemex unit, Mijares seems to have already fully adjusted.

He says the adjustment has not been difficult, personally and professionally, given the many similarities between the Philippines and his country, Mexico.

He moved to the Philippines with his wife of 20 years and three sons, ages 14, 12 and 8, in June last year.

It took them no time to adjust and feel at home here, he says, referring to his family. This despite the fact that it is the first time his wife and his boys are living outside Mexico.

“Almost everything is very similar. Strong family tradition, religion and cuisine,” he says.

Although he had previous overseas postings, such as in Australia and Puerto Rico, Mijares says he is particularly happy and excited to be in the Philippines to run the local operations of Cemex.

He believes the Philippines, given the rate its economy is growing and the infrastructure program it is implementing, is the place to be for a cement company like Cemex and for him.

“There are very few countries growing at the rate the Philippines is growing and I want to be part of it,” he says.

Mijares served as vice president for planning and administration at Cemex Mexico for six years before taking on the job in the Philippines.

“I like this job (in Cemex Philippines) more, it gives me the opportunity to take charge of operations and to make all my professional dreams come true,” says Mijares, an industrial engineer who holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Hard worker

He took on the job at Cemex Philippines with a vow to take the company to new heights by working hard, leading well and keeping his high professional standards.

By now, Mijares has already met most of the people in Cemex Philippines, from the main office to the company’s two cement plants (Solid Cement in Antipolo and Apo Cement in Cebu).

He holds a weekly coordination meeting with his 12-member team to make sure everyone is “aware of what needs to be aware of and that we are coordinated and aligned with our goals.”

He does small team breakfasts, holds general assemblies, have lunch with groups of 20 or 30 people in the plants whenever he comes, which is at least once a month.

In many of these meetings, conversations are casual, questions are asked on anything and are answered accordingly.

“We talk about the safety of our people, which is a priority. There’s personal checking to see if everyone is okay personally or professionally. We want to know what’s happening to our people outside the office. They may want to share things that are important to them that may or may not affect our work,” he says.

“It is important that they have a healthy work-life balance. A happy employee is a productive employee,” he says.

But no matter how busy and how big the challenges are at work, this father makes sure he’s the one who wakes up his boys every morning and stays with them until they leave for school.

Only then will he start his day and allows himself a short “me” time, which he gets during his 45- to 60-minute run, before heading to the office.

On weekends, he stays with the family.

In the office, he always makes himself available to anyone who wants to see him, raise concerns or make suggestions.

“I make mistakes and I learn from them so I need feedback from our people. I want them to be brave enough to stand up and point out those mistakes or bring out their ideas,” he says.

With regards to the shortcomings of the people in the organization, he makes it a point to criticize the work, not the person.

Marathon man

When it comes to the quality of work, he says he has high standards and cutting corners is unacceptable.

A serious runner who has completed 11 full major marathons, the latest being the Tokyo Marathon, Mijares says he observes similar disciplines in running and in the performance of his job.

“In running as it is in work, your goal has to be clear and you focus on it. You prepare thoroughly, work hard and be determined to achieve that goal,” he says.

At least three days a week, Mijares runs in the morning, one for 90 minutes and the rest for 45 to 60 minutes.

This becomes two days with a 90-minute run and a day or two of a 45- to 60-minute run when he is preparing for a marathon.

“After working hard, on marathon day, you get that sense of accomplishment when you cross the finish line,” he says.

The same is true in the workplace.

Bringing new experience

In running the Philippine business, adds Mijares, the key is to leverage on the strength of the past and bring in new experience.

Under his term, the company will undergo a major transformation in the area of customer service.

In line with the parent company’s strategy for its global operations, Cemex Philippines is introducing in the country in September “Cemex Go,” a fully digital customer integration platform that will provide seamless experience to customers in placing and live tracking of orders, managing invoices and payments for Cemex products.

This is one proof of the company’s focus on customers.

“Being customer-centrist is easier said than done, but that’s what we are and the changes we are undertaking stemmed from our customers and are focused on them,” he says.

The company’s transformation and adaptation to the interconnected business arena are the results of its continuing interaction with the customers, of getting their feedback and perception on Cemex products and services, and of determining the customers’ needs even before they realize they need them.

“Just like how Lazada, Uber, AirBnB and the likes revolutionized the market for consumer goods and services, Cemex will lead the disruption in our segment of the business world,” he says.

Mijares admits he is facing a myriad of challenges in running the Philippine operations, such as the issues on cement imports, the price pressure, capacity expansion to meet the growing demand for cement and the continuing efforts to improve operational efficiency.

He is, however, bullish on the prospects of the company and the industry, as a whole.

“We are just starting and I am excited about what we can achieve,” he says.