The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), through the Business Leadership Program (BLP) of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Inc. (AMCHAM), facilitated the first-ever virtual session of BLP to help student leaders steer their financial destinies in the right direction amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
The BLP 2020: Personal Financial Wellness aims to help students better understand the concept of financial responsibility, and how this will help them achieve both their financial and life goals.
“It is important for these young students to learn the importance of saving and managing their finances carefully as early as now. This will be greatly beneficial for them when they become older and start investing on their own,” said BPI Chief Marketing Officer Cathy Santamaria.
BPI believes these talks about managing money will benefit student leaders, especially amid the pandemic when even the young ones are not spared from the impact of this health crisis. The Bank, through lectures on leadership, financial responsibility, and other finance-related topics, hope to influence young leaders to make wise financial decisions.
“These are uncertain times and the best we can offer the younger generation are insights and wisdom on how to prepare for a sustainable, financially secure life. Pandemics and other unfortunate incidents are wake-up calls we need to heed and prepare for,” Ms. Santamaria added.
Career development
BPI Chief Human Resources Officer Gina Eala also talked about how BPI nurtures the careers of its employees. The Bank, through its BPI Career Development Program, has become an ideal institution for those who want to start their careers in banking and finance.
“In BPI, we take care of employees’ development because we believe that a BPI learner is enabled, empowered, and a value-driven professional,” said Eala.
One of its flagship programs for career development is its Officership Training Program (OTP), which is the premium management training program of the Bank. This has made BPI an employer of choice among young talents.
“While these are challenging times, we remain committed to providing the necessary training and tools that would enable future leaders to understand the dynamics of the Bank’s sustainable and inclusive business framework,” explained Eala.
The BLP is an intensive business immersion program where top students of the country are given the opportunity to learn directly from leading companies through talks, lectures, discussions, and mentorships. A total of 216 students were trained over the years, empowering them to be leaders in their chosen field of work.
BPI has been supporting this program since 2012. BLP 2020, with the help of John Clements Consultants Inc., another partner, selected 27 student participants this year.
