PLDT Tech Island 2.0: Transformational Leadership in the Digital Era

With its aim to provide small and medium enterprises (SMEs) a venue to explore their options for growth, PLDT SME Nation hosted Tech Island 2.0 in Ocean Adventure, Subic.

Industry leaders, business owners, and IT professionals gathered for the two-day event held from April 15 to 16 for discussions, workshops, and knowledge sharing on how to communicate in the digital sphere.

Tech Island 2.0 opened its first day to key business owners in a high-level forum that established the changing digital landscape in the Philippines. With the theme “Transformational Leadership in the Digital Era”, PLDT Executive Vice President and Head of Enterprise and International and Carrier Business Eric Alberto shared his insights on what it means to ride the waves of the increasingly digital world for SMEs to remain competitive in the market. Key speakers included Rappler’s Chief Executive Maria Ressa on her experience in taking Rappler to uncharted digital territories, and  the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines’ Cardinal Luis Tagle on the responsibility that users and businesses need to take in maximizing the potential of the digital world. Alberto, Tagle, and Golden ABC’s President and CEO Bernie Liu also engaged on a panel discussion about what it means to be a transformational leader in the digital era.

A larger gathering of around 1,000 members of IT professionals, business owners, and developers took place on the second day for a plenary and workshops with some of the country’s top technology brands. Kicking off with the theme “Mastering the Digital Wave”, the talks aimed to bring businesses from the traditional to the digital scene with the use of the latest products and services that can empower SMEs.

     The plenary began with International Data Corporation’s Software and Services Director for ASEAN Roger Ling, who gave his analysis on where the technology industry is heading in the coming years. Sharing his experience in bringing Foodpanda to the country was Foodpanda Philippines’ Chief Executive Officer Mauro Cocchieri, who gave recommendations on how SMEs can take advantage of the country’s digital revolution by integrating their operations and deliveries into the cyberspace. Also contributing his experiences was Amihan Global Strategies Managing Director Winston Damarillo, who shared his story of making it big in Silicon Valley and starting his enterprise in delivering digital transformation strategies. Rounding out the series of speakers was IdeaSpace Foundation President and Co-Founder Earl Valencia, who discussed the need for science and innovation to solve the region’s market issues, as well as shared his list of tools in the market today that will help SMEs grow their business.

Participants were also engaged in four breakout sessions designed to cater to every stage of a digital enterprise’s growth. In “Catching the Wave,” PLDT SME Nation Data Solutions Category Head Christian Lim highlighted the collaboration between PLDT SME Nation, Samsung Business, Smart M2M Pay, Office 365, PLDT Cloud, Tackthis, Lazada, and JuanaChat to discuss a full-solution approach in providing SMEs with the necessary platforms as they continue to grow their businesses in the digital hemisphere. Unveiling the key to competitive efficiency was PLDT SME Nation Product Specialist Miguel Alegre in “Riding the Wave”, centering on the benefits of automating and streamlining operations with ICT solutions powered by  Enterprise Resource Planning, PLDT Cloud Asset Tracking, ABM Global Solutions, Salesforce, Smart M2M PowerForm, and Smart M2M Pharma. For businesses that already have cloud solutions, IPC, Vitro Data Center, and PLDT Cloud held “Sink or Swim”, a talk by PLDT SME Nation Category Head for Voice and Cloud Enzo Tanedo on sustaining digital enterprises. On “Surfing Lessons,” Valencia returned to give IdeaSpace’s and Foodpanda’s business hacks for starting a digital outlet.


To cap up the success of Tech Island 2.0, Tech Islanders partied on the beach with special guest Ellen Adarna.

To learn more about the event, visit pldtsme-nation.com.ph.