21 YEARS WITH THE BEE

Just by the way he welcomed and ushered us into his office, one can immediately tell Nelson Judaya was made for the job—his warm, sprightly personality perfectly embodies the Jollibee brand.

At a young age, Judaya was no stranger to work and responsibility. As a psychology student in college, he juggled his studies while working as a part-time marketing assistant at Jollibee’s SM City Cebu store. Upon graduation, he was immediately taken on board to work full time with the fast food chain. Through the years, he rose through the ranks and eventually became regional marketing manager for Visayas, the position he now holds.

This year, Nelson Judaya celebrates 21 years with Jollibee. He is also set to receive the Walang Kupas Award in recognition of his loyalty to the company.

NELSON JUDAYA

With that can-do attitude, the success that he has achieved through the years is not surprising.

It was an exciting and challenging journey. I was always inspired because I had leaders who I looked up to and aspired to become. I observed my superiors and thought to myself, “I can do that.”

Out of all the awards he and his team have won, he considers the Marketing Excellence Award, which they won for the first time in 2016 and then won again the following year, the most validating. This year, Judaya hopes to keep the winning streak.

Despite having such a hectic schedule—visiting stores, traveling almost every week—Judaya manages to stay on top of all his responsibilities. “It’s a decision to have time.” When he’s not working, he enjoys working out at the gym and spending time with his mother, who he fondly calls “Mamita.” He also treats karaoke as his stress reliever.

Judaya stresses the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. “In marketing, you have to be creative. And in order to be creative, you have to be happy.” According to him, the critical part of his job is keeping his team engaged. “I’m with a creative team so I have to keep them inspired, excited. I don’t want them to drag themselves to work. But I’m very blessed to have such a good team.”

Not everyone is fortunate to have a job they genuinely love and not all companies are blessed to have employees who stay long term. Undoubtedly, Judaya is exemplary not just as an employee but as a person in general. Walang

kupas, he sure is.