Sofitel’s 8 ‘remarkable’ corporate mothers

MEL Lerma, country manager of Estee Lauder was one of the high-flying corporate mom’s honored recently by Sofitel.

Because it’s difficult enough to be a mom—motherhood being a lifetime and 24/7 occupation—raising children while climbing the corporate ladder is an extraordinary feat.

In celebration of Mother’s Day, Sofitel Philippine Plaza thus handpicked eight remarkable women who personify the closest family life-career balance there is.

This year’s awardees were: Rizalina Mantaring, president and chief executive officer of Sun Life Financial group Philippines; Mel Lerma, country manager of Estée Lauder; Mildred Vitangcol, president of St. Peter Life Plans (also of Rotary Club 3830); Cristina Garcia, president of Blue Ocean Marine and Offshore Solutions; Merlee Jayme, DM9 Jayme Syfu chair and CEO; Bea Teh-Tan, Citibank consumer banking manager; Natividad Alejo, Bank of the Philippine Islands executive vice president and head of retail segments and channels group; and Debbie Namalata, vice president and national sales manager at San Miguel Brewery Inc.

“The Sofitel Remarkable Mothers are pillars in today’s Philippine corporate world, recognized for their remarkable industry contributions and admirable fulfillment of their role as moms,” says Sofitel Philippine Plaza general manager Adam Laker.

RIZALINA Mantaring, president and CEO of the Sun Life Financial group of companies

“Sofitel’s remarkable mothers were chosen based on their valuable contributions to their respective industries in addition to being well traveled and having been able to balance their stellar careers with being remarkable mothers,” he says.

And theirs was no simple awarding ceremony. It was refreshing to see these women sashay alongside professional models at Sofitel’s Spiral restaurant wearing the Abel Iloco gown collection of Ryan Madamba. The escalator connecting to the main lobby became the catwalk platform and the spiral staircase at the center of the buffet restaurant became the center stage. In this “Mother’s Legacy Fashion Show,” they also shared their secrets in juggling career and family responsibilities.

The guest of honor during the evening were former First Lady (and now Congresswoman) Imelda Marcos and Ilocos Norte governor Imee Marcos.  Ilocos Norte was one of the highlights of Spiral’s Mother’s Day celebrations which featured age-old crafts, traditions and the three-generation recipes of Spiral’s master chefs. Female weaver Merilyn Collado did live demonstrations of Abel Iloco weaving while Ilocos delicacies were put on the spotlight. Other women artisans included a basket and bag weaver from S.C. Vizcarra and an embroiderer from Taal Batangas.

One of the awardees, Mantaring, could not make it to the program on May 13 because she was traveling to Brazil at that time, but prior to the program, she had a fashion photo-shoot and sent a video message.

“You can’t really balance the two because you’ll never have enough time. One or the other will suffer at various points, so you really just have to get your priorities straight. Hopefully over time you end up allocating enough time to both so that they turn out well in the end!” Mantaring says.

With a demanding job as chief of the country’s leading life insurer, Mantaring is often asked how she balances career and family life. “And my answer has always been, you can’t. You simply decide what’s important to you and prioritize and accept that you just can’t do everything,” she says.

“But whenever it came to a choice between my family and career, it was never a contest. Family always comes first. You never wanted to be the parent whose child is the only one without his parents at a school             event,” she says.

For her part, Citi’s Teh-Tan had this to say about this distinction: “I am blessed with a loving and supportive family working with remarkable men and women in Citibank and God’s grace.”

For BPI’s Alejo, one secret to success relates to people. “One never achieves anything alone. I have been fortunate to have people who are always there to step up and help—at home, a very supportive family and at work, a capable and empowered team,” she says.

LEFT to right: This year’s awardees were Citibank Consumer Banking manager Bea Teh-Tan, BPI executive vice president and head of Retail Segments and Channels Group Natividad Alejo, DM9 Jayme Syfu chair and CEO Merlee Jayme, St. Peter Life Plans president Mildred Vitangcol, Blue Ocean Marine and Offshore Solutions president Cristina Garcia, vice president and national sales manager at San Miguel Brewery Inc. Debbie Namalata.

Second is about values. I always keep in mind what my long term goal is, and that is to be able to bring up good children who will also be able to make their own helpful mark in the world. Everything I do, including how I handle my career as well as day to day choices and decisions all lead towards this believing that modeling is the best way to teach and shape the character of your children,” she explains.

For DM9 Jayme Syfu’s Jayme, it’s all about quality time given that advertising requires late nights and long hours of work. “I try my best to keep weekends sacred and spend time with my four daughters. I also travel with one daughter every year to a destination that suits each personality,” she says.

“In our field of work, we know that ‘end of life’ happens anytime and is just not within our control. This understanding compels me to make time for my family. Work lost now will be another work found elsewhere. Family, however, is indispensable,” says St. Peter Life’s Vitangcol.

“What’s important is knowing our priorities and deciding to spend time with those who matter most to me. It’s truly challenging. But my family, they are irreplaceable. They give me meaning and give me just a different happiness, greater even than what my career provides,” she says.

For San Miguel Brewery’s Namalata, “being a working mom is not easy. What helps is I know what I value the most and set my priorities early on. I am also one lucky woman to have married someone who is secure enough to define his value in our relationship not in terms of money. I find balance in knowing that there is a Supreme Being who looks after what I cannot control or influence.”

For Blue Ocean’s Garcia, the key in balancing her career and family is proper time management. “I only do things that I need to do and drop any other activity that add no value. I also start and end my work promptly so that my time with my sons will not be compromised. Finding time to relax before getting totally stressed out also helps,” she says.

Estée Lauder’s Lerma says: “Being home for dinner with my family is my favorite part of the day, their stories and laughter help relieve stress and bring me closer to them.”

Perhaps it is Sun Life’s Mantaring who sums it up best: “Cheers to all the women who are nurturing the next generation by being beautiful and splendid examples. And cheers to all of us who have chosen to live the brighter life, despite the odds and challenges we must all overcome.”