congratulations, ldt!

The first time I met Lucien 11 years ago, he impressed me as a kind, genuine person who is always willing to lend a helping hand. Lucien is a hardworking and determined person. He puts his heart into everything that he does and does not stop until he achieves what he has set out to do. He is a true friend, one who will tell you both the good things and bad things about you because he truly cares for you.

To an innately good person, a loving husband and father, and a real friend, may the Lord continue to shower you with His blessings so you can continue to be a blessing to others. Digna Santos Executive Director Ad Standards Council

I’ve been working with Lucien for 20 years now. I still remember my first Job sa ad agency, nakakatrabaho ko na sya noon. Fresh graduate ako noon, for the record, and Head of Sales na siya noon ng Philippine Star .

I’ve known him to be a downtoearth person. Reserved and malumanay na tao. What I like best about him is that he always has a helping hand when you need his assistance w i th Philippine Star. I’m happy to see how he has evolved together with the newspaper. I still remember my reaction when I saw him do a mega production number during their trade launch and ad summit. My reaction: I didn’t know how to react. LOL. But, seriously, it’s really a pleasure working with Lucien. From my ad agency days to the client side and now at PANA, I am happy to see him with these kinds of achievement which he truly deserves.

Keep up the good work. Keep on aiming for more achievements. Keep your feet on the ground and stay humble as you are and I’m sure more and more people will like/love you for that. And lastly and most importantly, keep on dancing. Cheers! Bobby Simborio Executive Director Philippine Association of National Advertisers

On behalf of SM, I would like to congratulate Lucien for his well-deserved Agora Award and promotion to EVP. As a marketer, Lucien has faced the challenges of the digital age with innovative ideas to make mainstream media more relevant to the new generation. This has allowed The Star to speak to a wider base in multiple platforms. This was not only done with lots of creativity, but also a lot of hard work and professionalism. Lucien and the rest of The Star family has also been open to many collaborations with us — like the Generations and My City series — allowing us to break boundaries together. Millie Dizon Senior Vice President SM Retail Group

My warmest congratulations to Lucien for a well- deserved recognition! For the many years that I have known him, he remains to be the amiable and approachable person that I have known despite his many successes. He is a true maverick with creative ideas that have helped us, his clients, in many marketing campaigns. Ana S. Soriano Senior Assistant Vice President Insular Life

Luc is one of the biggest assets of The Philippine STAR. I also congratulate Miguel for spotting him when he was just “one of those new hires.” Bravo!

Keep shining, Luc! You have consistently exceeded expectations, both in the business and personal aspects.

Rock and roll! Virgie Ramos President Swatch Philippines

LDT, as we fondly call him, is a true blue (and yellow) visionary hero. He is the perfect “Batman” to our “Superman” president and CEO, Miguel Belmonte. Together, they have a very clear vision of the place where The STAR belongs in the future. Up there in “the stars.”

We are witnessing LDT’s declaration that The Philippine STAR will someday be the biggest printbased multimedia entity in the country and possibly steadily unfold in Southeast Asia.

He has the ability to see “what’s not in there,” go to uncharted territories and, in the process, scale greater heights. And he knows exactly how to get there.

His competitive approach has always kept us, his sales and marketing team, on our toes all the time. He is an inspiring leader inside out. His tenacity and passion for what he does for The STAR is what inspires us to always bring in our A-game all the time. He is truly the best in the print industry.

This Agora Award not only validates this testimonial, it also assures us that the future is indeed shining brighter and brighter for The Philippine STAR!

Congratulations, Sir Luc! Mick Atienza Sales and Marketing Director The Philippine STAR

I have not worked with anyone longer and as much as I have with Lucien. We go a long way back to our early years at The STAR more than 20 years ago — he as a budding account executive and I as a writer for advertising topics.

Even then, he was already the sales standout. He always had some novel money-making project in mind, and by that I also mean that he had a knack for making us work more, especially during major holidays like Christmas and New Year! No apologies, it had to be done, and no one says no to Lucien.

I call him the yin to my yang because we’re such opposites. I genuinely cringe at his pop star intentions, and I guess I was pretty much his harshest critic for the most part of our careers. Despite our regular differences of opinion though, I always held him in high regard and have much respect for his abilities.

I particularly admire Lucien for his courage and singlemindedness, the hard work he puts in, his taste and appreciations, his humility and ability to listen when it counts most, and his unconventional kindness.

Not your textbook definition of a leader, he can be so relentless in pursuing his goals that people around him tend to feel as though there is hardly any time for pause; to catch up on their own lives or their own goals.

What makes him tick? Though it’s his passion that makes him a real winner, Lucien would rather think that it’s his boyish charm. This explains why he toils behind endless sessions of Body Jam at the gym.

He envisions success and achieves it, no matter what it takes. I have also seen him grow through the years to become even better at what he does.

As a quiet and woefully shy young man, Lucien adored Nadia Comaneci, the gymnast who went down in Olympic history as the first to achieve a perfect 10 for her routine. Lucien’s determination may well derive from her famous quote: “Jump off the beam, flip off the bars, follow your dreams, and reach for the stars.”

You’ve certainly taken these words to heart, Lucien, and deserve all the success you are reaping. Congratulations on your Agora award and I will always be proud of your own perfect 10s! Tammy Mendoza Vice President for Operations The Philippine STAR

I still remember the first time I met LDT during my job interview. I was really intimidated by him. You know the feeling of seeing someone for the first time and felt really nervous.

My favorite part of working with him is every time he pushes me to pursue whatever passion I have. He pushes me to do my best without feeling any intimidation and pressure.

I know he will always be a great boss and leader to his colleagues and to those people who he works with. He is that kind of boss whom you will always look up to and a kind of friend who will push you to your highest point for you to be able to be the best. I’m just really grateful that I’m working with LDT. James Hernando Account Executive The Philippine STAR

During our first meeting at the BusinessWorld’s boardroom, Sir Luc rarely smiled. So, I thought he’s a very serious man. Eventually, when I got to know him better, I realized he’s only serious and strict when it comes to work. I discovered that he also knows how to have fun.

As a boss, he is like a teacher who loves sharing with the team his knowledge, strategies and ideas to make sure that planned projects will yield good results. He is the type of leader who knows how to listen. This gives us freedom to think and express our ideas better. It’s nice to work with him because he’s very optimistic. He always looks at the brighter side of any situation. I admire him most for never giving up on inspiring the team to do greater things. He never fails to bring out the best in us. Jeanette Dominguez Advertising Manager for Special Features BusinessWorld

Sir Lucien has this kind of mentality that pushes you to do the impossible. He’s very open to suggestions even if he’s the boss, and that’s what I like about him the most. At times you might think that he’s not checking on you because he just lets you work and move things on your own.

As a boss, he never runs out of ideas and has enough trust in his people so they can grow. I’m so happy and excited to be working under him. Congratulations, Sir! We are so lucky to be under your guidance. Mark Julian Cunanan Account Executive BusinessWorld