April 4, 2025 l Manila Times
On March 29, FINEX recently held the 1st Junior Finance Executives Summit with JP Morgan Chase for a group of extremely talented students from across the country. They still belong to the Gen Z demographic (born 1995-2012) but are entering the work force with artificial intelligence gaining momentum in the next two years.
The summit was part of the awarding ceremony of the 24th Inter-Collegiate Finance Competition (ICFC). The top performing teams from the regions were invited. Special awards were given to winners of the competition. University of the Philippines Diliman won first place, followed by De La Salle University Manila, and the University of San Carlos.
Resource speakers included Edmund Alan “EJ” Qua Hiansen, chief finance officer (CFO) of Phinma Corp., who talked about leadership and how to bridge the gap from the campus to the corporate world.
Joweelyn Liao, director of finance of Watsons Personal Care Stores, profiled the modern CFO and its expanding role from number cruncher to strategic leader.
Ethan Aldaba, analyst at JP Morgan Chase, recalled his career journey.
Lofreda “Dada” del Carmen, president of NOAH Business Applications, traced the evolution of transformative technologies in finance, as well as her career journey as a technopreneur.
John Balce, senior managing director of FTI Consulting PH, pinpointed emerging opportunities and careers in finance.
Mary Jade Divinagracia, managing partner at PWC/Isla Lipana & Co., explained the advisers’ edge in decision making in an uncertain world.
Reynaldo Abilo, CFO of Shell Pilipinas, expressed his views on the CFO mindset in setting the next-generation strategy.
Jose Luis Dabao, president of Kabangkalan Community Antenna Television, discussed game-changing skills to become a successful entrepreneur.
The summit also touched on universal lessons, which the youth can develop as good habits:
Take care of your health. One needs a healthy mind and body to be ready to face all kinds of pressures in the workplace.
Dada del Carmen talked about the need for spirituality. This involves finding meaning, purpose and connections in life through meditation, prayer and connecting with God, and seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit. This is about exploring values and morals to guide personal actions.
Never stop learning, remain curious. Commencement exercises are a preparation for a new chapter in gaining new skills and adopting new technologies. One needs to be adaptable and resilient in light of a constantly changing and evolving world.
John Balce cited recent surveys of the CFA Society — which say that the way people work will change a lot in the next 10 years than it did in the last 10 years. Technological innovation and disruptions will likely have the greatest impact on professional roles in the future.
Fintech disruption is already affecting professional roles as firms use algorithms, AI and alternative data to perform more complex technical tasks.
The rise of vibe coding or AI wrappers in recent months is expected to accelerate AI development, which will vastly improve and forever change the workplace as we know it today.
Cultivate the value of networking. Developing relationships with classmates, friends and industry contacts can help in one’s career success. EJ Qua Hiansen said one can never have enough friends. Friendships help us build connections with people who share our values or interests. They encourage us to pursue our passions and offer support. They motivate us to reach new goals. They also keep us sane and grounded.
Learn to perform the role of advisers. The role of advisers is to synthesize data, simplify it, and provide solutions by communicating in a clear manner. Jade Divinagracia said that, to accomplish this, one needs to gain trust. Trust takes a long time to build and a second to destroy.
During the feedback session, the students concluded it was a day well spent. The insight is that technological developments should not be viewed as threats to careers, but should be embraced to improve lives. We also realized that the basic tenets of health, friends, continuous learning, trust, and prayer will remain constants in the ever-changing world.
***The views expressed herein are his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of his office as well as FINEX. For comments, email rsgoseco@gmail.com. Photo is from Pinterest.