AIM CONFERS HONORARY DOCTORATE TO ABOITIZ EQUITY VENTURES CEO ERRAMON I. ABOITIZ

The Asian Institute of Management (AIM) proudly conferred its third Honorary Doctorate in Management during its 2018 Commencement Exercise held at the Fairmont Hotel recently to Aboitiz Equity Ventures President and CEO Erramon Isidro Aboitiz.

AIM recognizes Mr. Aboitiz’s numerous contributions to Philippine business and society, citing him as an inspirational example to their graduates of what a transformational leader can achieve, especially in advocating and promoting sustainable change.

In his commencement address and acceptance of the honorary doctorate, Mr. Aboitiz paid tribute to one of his forebears, Don Ramon, as having instilled in him and in the rest of the Aboitizes who work at the family-led conglomerate the importance of keeping one’s word and protecting one’s reputation as the cornerstone of their company philosophy and culture. Mr. Aboitiz shared a nugget of their family history, mentioning that when the family business had taken a massive downturn in the 1920s, Don Ramon resisted the advice to declare bankruptcy and vowed to pay their debts. They did, and throughout the decades, the Aboitiz descendants continue to consider their reputation their most valuable asset.

Mr. Aboitiz also emphasized the importance of articulating as well as living their company’s purpose of driving change for a better world. Embedded within this purpose is what Mr. Aboitiz referred to as their ABC: Advancing Business and Communities. This goal has remained unchanged over time, whether through their power electrification program in rural areas, or being one of the largest producers of renewable energy, or providing clean loans for public school teachers.

AIM President and Dean Dr. Jikyeong Kang notes that its Board of Trustees makes the decision to grant the Institute’s Honorary Doctorate to outstanding leaders whose integrity, professionalism, advocacies, and achievements reflect AIM’s mission-vision: “When we consider who we’d like to honor, we always take into account the extent to which their leadership, their vision, and their mission aligns with ours. Are they exemplars of our motto: Lead, Inspire, Transform? Are their accomplishments those that we’d like all our students and our graduates to emulate?”

More information about AIM can be found at http://www.aim.edu.