Keynote Speaker
Asec. RICA BUENO
Assistant Secretary for Tourism Regulation, Coordination and Resource Generation, supervising the Office of Industry Manpower Development and Office of Tourism Standards and Regulation
Guest Speakers
DR. BERNARDO VILLEGAS
Research Director & Founder, Center for Research and Communication
Co-Founder & Professor, University of Asia and the Pacific
Bernardo Malvar Villegas is a Visiting Professor of IESE Business School in Barcelona, Professor at the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) and Research Director of the Center for Research and Communication, Manila. He has a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University (1963) and is a Certified Public Accountant, one of the CPA board topnotchers. He obtained Bachelor’s degrees in Commerce and the Humanities (both Summa Cum Laude) from De La Salle University where he established a record by obtaining straight A’s in the LIACOM course, a five-year program he finished in four years. At Harvard, at the age of 21, he was one of the youngest teaching fellow in the College of Arts and Sciences. His special fields of study are development economics, social economics, business economics and strategic management. He is the author of several economics textbooks widely used in Philippine schools and universities.
He has received several prestigious awards such as Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM), Fullbright, Johnson Foundation, Asia Foundation and the Instituto de Cultura Hispanica. He is currently a member of the boards of directors or advisory boards of leading national and multinational firms, such as the Benguet Corporation, Filipino Fund, Cuervo Appraisers, First Metro Exchange Fund, PHINMA Property Holding Corporation, DMCI Corporation and Transnational Diversified.
He is a consultant on management development and strategic planning for numerous leading firms operating in the Philippines and Asia Pacific. He has served in the boards of leading non-governmental organizations like the Makati Business Club, Pilipinas Shell Foundation, PHINMA Foundation, the Parents for Education Foundation and the Dualtech Foundation.
He continues to promote investments in the Philippines especially in the regions outside the National Capital Region. He served in the Pacific Board of Economics of Time Magazine and writes regularly for both local and international newspaper.
MS. EVA MAUREEN CLARAVALL
Group Head & Client Partner, Insights PH
CX Director, CX Commercial Lead APAC KANTAR Phillipines, Inc.
“New ideas and new experiences are borne out of curiosity and understanding failure.“
Eva Claravall is a Customer Experience (CX) practitioner and Commercial Lead of this practice in the Asia Pacific region at Kantar. This recent shift in her role is proof of experience that she has built over time being a brand advisor, leading Brand Guidance and Customer Experience (CX) practices in the Philippines. The breadth of her practice covers sectors of Finance, FMCG and Telecommunication. She provides consultative and advisory work to companies running full Customer Experience Management (CEM) and Brand Guidance programmes. On top of this, Eva plays a key role in building and maintaining client partnerships in Kantar Philippines.
Eva can already look back on a long career as a brand advisor with over 20 years of experience in the field working with various companies in the Philippines and around Asia. In the last decade, her focus was on technology and communication researches, founded on strong fundamental human understanding, before later narrowing her focus on customer experience management consulting in APAC.
She joined Kantar in 2014 and acted as the local lead for Kantar’s foray into understanding the digital life of consumers. She is also Kantar Philippine’s executive sponsor for Inclusion & Diversity (I&D) leading a local committee achieve equality in opportunities, care for mental health and employee well-being. Prior to joining Kantar, Eva spent several years with other research agencies on both local and regional (APAC) roles, Colgate-Palmolive Philippines, and ABS-CBN Corporation.
On a personal level, she is a fur mom who appreciates the arts, design
and recently have found her new love for plants.
MS. FAMIDA ALONTO
Venture Builders, 917Ventures APAC, Global Philippines
After pursuing graduate studies at Stanford University, Famida Alonto became one of Silicon Valley’s youngest VCs, focusing on corporate innovation and startup collaboration. Fam has reviewed over 1000+ startups around the world for potential investments and partnerships with F500 companies. She has also co-founded the PnP Travel and Hospitality Innovation Platform, an incubator in Silicon Valley, in partnership with JetBlue Ventures, Lufthansa Innovation Hub, and more.
Fam became one of the youngest executives in APAC, as the Chief Innovation Officer at Insular Life, a multi-billion dollar financial institution. She created long-term digital strategies to achieve business goals and championed the culture of innovation in the organization. As Head of Innovation, Fam’s team won the Anvil Awards in 2019.
Currently, Fam is a Venture Builder at 917Ventures, one of the largest incubators in APAC, wholly owned by Globe Telecom. She is also a part-time lecturer at the School of Management of the Ateneo de Manila University and an Adjunct Professor at the Asian Institute of Management.
Fam is one of the recipients of the Young Market Masters Awards, a prestigious national award that seeks to honor young achievers, 35 years old and below, who excel in marketing, sales and entrepreneurship
MS. CYNDY TAN JARABATA
CEO/President, TAJARA Hospitality
Cyndy Tan Jarabata has diverse experience extending over 25 years in the hospitality, tourism and residential development. Founder of TAJARA Hospitality, she heads strategy, business development, acquisition and asset management.
TAJARA is a leading hospitality consulting and development company in the Philippines working with clients throughout Asia. The company has been involved in several hotel and residential developments, integrated resorts, island destinations and rollout of business hotels across the nation. Today, TAJARA has the biggest hospitality client portfolio in the country.
Cyndy is the Chairperson of the Philippine Property Awards, the most respected and sought-after real estate industry honors, where winners get to compete in the regional Property Guru Asia Property Awards.She is part of the ExCom of the Urban Land Institute Philippines, heading the Hospitality Committee and a council member of the ULI Hospitality in Asia Pacific.A regular speaker at hotel and investment conferences in Asia, she continues to drive sustainable growth of the industry.Cyndy also serves as board trustee of several non-profit organizations, dealing with sustainable tourism, family planning and poverty alleviation.
