HANS B. SICAT
Country Manager ING Bank, N.V. (Manila Branch)
The chief finance officer (CFO) in the organization has traditionally concerned themselves with historical information: ensuring that company balance sheets are healthy, tax filings, and regulatory disclosures are timely, accurate, and compliant. They hold the company’s purse strings and are considered one of the backbones of every successful organization.
But times are changing — and fast. Businesses are being disrupted with digital technology and are forced to either adapt to new practices or reinvent their business models. Decision making no longer just rely on historical information but driven by data and influenced by artificial intelligence algorithms.
So today’s CFO has to shift his role as well as the impact he makes in his organization. He must not just be a steward for the company’s coffers, but also have the ability to turn financial data into insights, generate business intelligence, and build collaborative teams and not just rely on his own ability to make better decisions. This is why the search for the ING FINEX CFO of the Year Award every year becomes more challenging. In the past 28 years that ING Bank has been operating in the Philippines, we have we seen so many transformative changes than in this present environment. And never have we seen so many Filipino CFOs rising up to this challenge.
Our commitment to sustain our support for the ING FINEX CFO of the Year Award, in partnership with the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX), is more than just for brand goodwill; for us, it also makes good business sense. CFOs help to ensure their organization’s survival and sustainability. In this rapidly changing world we live in, a bank like ING puts a premium on doing business with CFOs and companies who understand the importance of doing good — not just for their financial bottom lines, but also for the good of society and the planet.
As we shine the spotlight on our 2019 ING FINEX CFO of the Year, we extend our heartfelt congratulations as well to all the finalists and nominees, their champions, and all the hardworking and dedicated people behind the longest-running and the only search for the most outstanding CFO in the Philippines.