Alex Chan Lim: Corporate on weekdays, creative on weekends

LIM

MANILA, Philippines—Since April 2011, Alex Chan Lim has been known as the Philippines’ country manager for MoneyGram International.

But on weekends for the past 10 years, this corporate man gladly takes on the role of art teacher.

“Without fail,” he reminds repeatedly. Alex, who specializes in Chinese painting, has held classes in his Pasig studio for years, as well as in workshops mounted by the Shangri-La Plaza mall and the Ayala Museum.

It was his father, Jose (otherwise known as Chan Lim or “Angkok” to students), who first got the family interested in the visual arts and painting.

But while the elder Chan preferred oil, his sons Alex and Felix decided to embrace their Chinese roots.

Under the tutelage of various Taiwanese teachers, the brothers Lim learned how to wield a Chinese brush on rice paper—a tricky task when you’re all of 11 years old and the rest of your friends are having fun assembling robots and cars out of Lego pegs. “It was hard!” recalls Alex with a laugh. “But it was a good decision. No regrets.”

These days, painting is Alex’s form of relaxation; it’s also how the Lims like to bond. “All of us come from different companies, so whenever we get together, we do not share any negative stories about work because we cannot help the other solve his problem,” says Alex, whose other brother, Rolex, is also involved in the art workshops. “We only talk about painting.”

Good news, however, is encouraged, and since joining the second-largest money transfer business in the world six months ago, Alex has had a lot to share. Operating in the Philippines since 1991, MoneyGram has 8,300 agent locations and counting—that’s thrice the number that it was five years ago.

As such, the Philippines is the fourth-largest recipient of remittances in the world, posting a staggering $21 billion in 2010 alone. The second-largest money transfer business in the world, MoneyGram tops its closest rival in its number of agent locations worldwide—244,000 at last count. That’s more than twice the locations of McDonald’s, Starbucks, Subway, and Walmart combined!

Though a US company with headquarters in Dallas, Texas, MoneyGram seems almost tailor-made for the Filipino lifestyle.

Besides its cheaper transfer fee, it offers a range of options on how to send and receive money. MoneyGram’s agents include popular pawnshops (Cebuana Lhuillier, M. Lhuillier), major retail outlets (SM), and 20 major banks (Bank of the Philippine Islands, Bank of Commerce, Banco de Oro, HSBC, Citibank, to name a few). Transfers can also be made via Internet through MoneyGram’s website, or through Smart, Globe, and Sun mobile phone subscribers.

Recipients even have a choice of whether to receive their money in US or peso currency. “We believe we have a very good product and trusted brand and we provide very good service to both our customers and our agents,” says Alex.

Previously holding senior management positions in the mining, packaging, international express mail, and garment industries, the country manager may be a newbie to the money transfer trade, but already he sees its potential.

“Every day, you have more than 3,000 Filipinos who leave the country, a majority of whom stay abroad for work. This means more chances of bringing money back. And Filipinos are very resilient. If there’s a war, they don’t go home, they just move to another country. If they need to send more money home, they take on two jobs. So the money they send back doesn’t diminish—Filipino OFWs will never let their loved ones feel the lack.

“And that goes for Filipinos sending money to 192 countries as well,” he continues, “to children studying abroad or a family member who lost his job. We’ve relaunched the service and it’s proving to be quite good. If MoneyGram is growing,” Alex concludes, “it’s because we have a good product and trusted brand, and we provide very good service to our customers and our agents. It’s also because of the hard work of my colleagues.”

While his new job may sound like a piece of cake, it’s actually making him work harder. Alex monitors the world daily through the slew of local broadsheets, and he’s taken to watching not just the business portion of the news on TV, “but show business as well!” he admits with a laugh. “I also watch commercials now because I have to know who’s endorsing what.”

Talking shop is even allowed in his art classes. “My students come from different professions,” Alex explains, “and since they know where I work, they give me feedback about our products and services. I get a lot of insights from them. It’s a good time for check and balance,” he says of his art classes. “But it’s also a very calming time for me.”