FPLA concludes 1st program

THE FIRST Pacific Leadership Academy (FPLA), the training and leadership development institute of the First Pacific Group of Companies, recently concluded its inaugural Management Development Program (MDP) aimed at developing future business leaders in companies.

A total of 29 young business executives from the First Pacific Group (Smart, PLDT, Digitel/Sun Cellular, Meralco & FPLA) made up the first batch of graduates.

The five-day MDP was conducted at the Asian Institute of Management, the premier graduate school of business and management of Asia, on Oct. 4 and 5 at the AIM campus in Makati and on Oct. 8 to 10 at the FPLA in Antipolo City.

The program was in response to a call for the development of mid-level executives of the First Pacific Group by offering them world-class graduate education.

The MDP aims to develop effective pro- cess managers capable of identifying and analyzing problem situations and improving systems.

This will enhance cross-functional skills by challenging them academically and experientially in all areas that will involve finance, marketing, operation and people management skills.

The program is just one of the pilot programs of the FPLA since its transition into a corporate university as part of First Pacific’s alignment of its training and development activities to the succession and executive development requirements of the company.

The initiative to develop a corporate university was inspired by First Pacific Group executive director Manuel V. Pangilinan, who foresaw the need to identify successors to the group and develop unique management skills of being a Filipino in a global business environment.