CEBU CITY — With the common goal of boosting businesses and spurring economic development in Metro Cebu, executives from various firms gathered on Wednesday for the Asia CEO Cebu forum event at the Fili Hotel at Nustar Cebu.
Now in its 15th year, the event, founded by Rebecca Bustamante, continues to be a platform for chief executive officers (CEOs) and business leaders to share ideas on advancing their businesses in Metro Cebu.
Bustamante told The Manila Times in an interview that the event's goal extends beyond boosting productivity and profit. She said it aims to drive development to transform Metro Cebu into a first-world city.
She said that the key topics discussed by the speakers, who are executives from diverse industries, included the integration of new technologies. Among the topics tackled was artificial intelligence (AI), highlighting its potential to revolutionize business operations and growth in the region.
She said the event also helps market Cebu as a hotspot for investors, including those from abroad. With Cebu's international airport, numerous seaports, and infrastructure such as the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway, she said these assets catalyze the establishment of more businesses in the metro which would create additional job opportunities for locals.
Aside from these infrastructure assets, Bustamante said that the talent pool in Metro Cebu is one of its advantages.
The keynote speakers for this year's Asia CEO Cebu were Patrick Salazar, Tech Mahindra global delivery head; Patrick Gloria, Globe Telecom External Affairs vice president; Jericho Go, RL Commercial REIT president and CEO; Arthur Nowak, iCXeed CEO; Jemima Villa, Innodata Knowledge Services country head; and Jay Yuvallos, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president.
Also in its roster of resource persons were Dagny Estacio, Concentrix Client Success senior director; Hazel Amoyan, PLDT corporate relationship business head; Stephan Bily, Lexmark Research and Development Corp. president and CEO; Faye Cadungog, Wipro CSR head and talent acquisition AVP; Buddy Villasis, Cebu IT BPM Organization executive director; Lloyd Omandan, Airspeed International Visayas vice president; and Dagny Estacio, Concentrix Client Success sales director.
In an interview, Villa of Innodata explained the importance of using AI in the workplace. She said that, aside from making operations easier, instead of replacing humans in the workforce, if its potential is used correctly, it can result in more jobs.
She added that the public, particularly private firms and the local government, should be supportive of these developments and innovations, including creating "training programs for the talent pool that will be working towards AI spaces."
Villa added that they are currently partnering with some universities in Cebu to introduce students to these technologies and help them integrate what the industry is looking for in the generative AI space into their curriculum.
This is echoed by Salazar of Tech Mahindra who said that "Cebuanos are very much in love with AI" and are very up-to-date. He added that aside from Metro Manila, Metro Cebu is already using AI.
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