Asia CEO Awards Finalists 2015

At the Diplomatic Hall of the Grand Ballroom of the elegant Marriott Hotel located in the Resorts World Manila area, I had the honor to be one of the bloggers to cover the Asia CEO Awards announcement of the finalists for this year, 2015. This event that was held last Oct. 20 also gave recognition to the lifetime contributors. There will be ten awards with different categories for leadership teams and individuals in the Philippines and Asia region to be given out, and this event was presented by PLDT Alpha Enterprise

“It is considered a must-attend occasion for business leaders active in Southeast Asia because it is one of the largest events of its kind in the Asia Pacific region.”

Rebecca Bustamante, President and Chief Executive Officer of Asia CEO Awards

Arriving early, as I had noted that the Asia CEO Awards that is in the 4th year, has such prestigious leaders that will be attending, and I could not bear to miss a minute of this event, that is like the "Academy Awards" for the private and public sector. Notably, in the Asia CEO Awards of 2014, for the private sector, Henry Sy, Sr. was the "CEO Lifetime Contributor of the Year" and in the public sector, it was the Tourism Secretary, Ramon Jimenez, Jr. was chosen because of the "It's More Fun in the Philippines" promotional campaign.

Before the time for the event proper to start, the guests had all arrived. The presentation started and it was a lively one. Included in was was shared was outstanding advice, leadership tips, achievements, goals, and even our present concerns such as the traffic and solutions. The power could be felt throughout the room, as the respected leaders spoke.

In the photo from right to left:

• Asia CEO Forum Chairman Richard Mills
• BusinessMirror Vice President for Corporate Affairs Ricky Alegre
• Asia CEO Forum Strategic Initiatives Partener Don Felbaum
• IRemit Chairman and CEO Bansan Choa
• KPMG Vice Chairman and Head of Tax Noel Bonoan
• American Date Exchange Corp. General Manager-Asia Jurgen Tanpho
• ADP Philippines Vice President and General Manager Josep Elias
• International Care Ministries Donor Relations Coordinator Deborah Foo
• Shore Solutions Communications Director Tanya Deakin
• JLL COO Lindsay Orr
• Capital One Director Tom McCormick
• Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. First VP and Head Jovy Hernandez
• Tata Consultancy Services Country Manager-Philippines Vikram Singh
• The Manila Times COO Blanca Mercado
• JLL National Director and Head of Project Leasing Sheila Lobien
• SyncHRony Chairman and CEO Darcy Lalonde 
• Asia CEO Forum President Rebecca Bustamante 

On Nov. 11, 2015 at the Grand ballroom of Marriott Hotel Manila, this year's CEO Awards winners will be announced. For a complete list of the finalists, and for more information, visit the Asia CEO Awards Facebook page and/or the Asia CEO website.

Author's Note: The Marriott Hotel is the perfect venue for this occasion as the service was impeccably unobtrusive, from the shuttle car from the hotel proper to the grand ballroom venue area. There was coffee and tea available before the awards proper. The buffet surpassed my expectations as all dishes and desserts were superb. The salad had a medley of finest seafood such as shrimps and shellfish. The buffet had a variety of viands and the beef lasagna was the best that I have every tried, even better that what was at the top of my list from a Las Vegas hotel. The dessert buffet was a chocolate lover's delight. The event was a success, well-planned and organized, as befitting such leaders. And, it must be extremely difficult to choose who will get the awards, as the finalists are the best among the best.