I ADMIRE her intelligence and her insatiable thirst to know more. She knew that to lead our retail group, she needed to understand not just consumer behavior but the macroeconomic realities of the country as well.
She understood that the country and the region’s consumer purchasing power is increasing as an effect of tremendous economic growth. As a millennial leader she understood that young people want to try things out, and being exposed to diverse culture through travel and television, our people are now more open to a lot of different concepts from around the world that are being brought here.
I have seen Camille evolve from a young manager absorbing the lessons of her new environment to someone who has developed her own brand of leadership. In Vista Land, I noticed that she has become a leader who directs rather than commands. She adopts an inclusive leadership style that allows her team to be open with their ideas. She is accessible and she values the inputs of all her team members.
I like that Camille is not an armchair leader, one who leads from the comforts of an air-conditioned office. She sees herself as an operations person. She wants to see and learn how things are done, how they are set up. She is an intelligent person but humble enough to understand that diplomas do not make one wise. It is the actual experience that creates genuine knowledge.
In one of her interviews, she jokingly referred to herself as “dad’s minion.” But we really work well together. Case in point is an endeavor that captured our shared passion for coffee: the Coffee Project.
I never liked meeting in the conference rooms of offices. It’s so formal and constricting. So as much as possible, I hold my meetings in coffee shops where I can freely think and talk. I love coffee and I think that this is one of the things I passed on to Camille.
We were not fully happy with some of the coffee shops we visited so we decided to put up our own coffee shop that is conducive to enjoying an excellent cup of coffee, an exhilarating discussion and introspective thinking. That is what you will experience in all of our Coffee Project branches.
But more than anything else, what makes me proud of my daughter is her love and care for other people. She is genuinely a nice person who cares for other people. When you are a parent, your hope is that your children would grow up to be decent, polite, and civil persons. Cynthia and I are blessed in this regard. And I think that one of the reasons she strengthened this quality was her experience as co-host of Willie Revillame’s nightly game show “Will Time Big Time.”
She would tell me how impressed she was with fans who would show up at the studio at ungodly hours for the chance to win cash or appliances. She was surprised how ordinary folks would approach her and express love and admiration, which she reciprocates.
She learned two things: that we need to do more in order to win the fight against poverty and that loving and caring for others transcend gender, socio-economic status, religion, and even politics.
I have always taught her that serving the people is something that can be done inside or outside government. In business or in politics, the rule is similar – love the people, care about what they need and want. When I entered politics in 1992, I brought with me the same values and knowledge of an entrepreneur who cares for people. I have no doubt Camille would do the same.
