Acting on ambition
This De La Salle University graduate was only 22 when he launched a software development company in Canada. But he won over clients’ hesitancy with his aggressiveness and willingness to learn. For him, each new business venture is an opportunity to learn and survive. are communicated to my management team, which translates into the employee’s attitude, and which, in turn, defines the client experience. It all starts with me. Who I am as a business owner reflects the morale of the employees and the client experience.”
Employees who deliver substandard work naturally disappoint Gerry. “Doing their job as a matter of compliance [is not enough]. I want people who think, analyze and innovate,” he says.
To date, Intellismart Technology has forged partnerships with some of the biggest and most trusted global technology brands, including Samsung, Fujitsu, Bosch and Microsoft. “We have a sturdy and resilient relationship founded on respect, trust and loyalty,” Gerry says with pride. “The moment I sign a partnership with a brand, I give them my loyalty. Even if a competing brand approaches me and offers me an alternate deal, I stick with my partners. I support them the way they have always supported me.”
As company owner, Gerry believes each day presents an opportunity for growth. “There is no opting out or resigning from your position. You have to bear the burden. When you become a business owner, you become accountable as well for your employees, their livelihood and their income. If I don’t do my job well, many families will be affected.”
Gerry’s father, who ran a wholesale pharmaceutical business, inspired him to become an entrepreneur. As the youngest of six children, Gerry knows what it’s like to be the center of a close-knit family. He and his wife Jinky Tobiano have four children — Gian, Gio, Julia and Jillian — whom he unequivocally sets aside quality time for. He says: “Unless I am abroad or have a client or partner meeting, I pick up my wife from her office at 5 p.m. every day. Dinner is always reserved for the kids, which is when I give them my undivided attention and the next two hours after that.”
To this corporate leader, commitment to his loved ones and his colleagues is one and the same: dedicated and deep.