Fortunes, failures and the future of ecommerce in the Philippines

Mabuhay, Philippines! ecommerce has reshaped the modern marketplace in the recent years, and this technological growth paved way for a huge presence in Southeast Asia, particularly in the Philippines. With over 100 million residents in the Philippines, the country is seen as a market with overflowing potential for ecommerce opportunities. For physical stores, one’s services are limited by their geographical location, but with ecommerce, the whole world is your playground.

For the third Tech in Asia Manila Chapter event, the team has invited speakers who are very well-versed in the ecommerce scene, as well as those with tremendous experience of building a virtual empire through their online ventures.

Sharing their journey and aspirations for their respective ecommerce businesses are:

Inanc Balci – Inanc is the CEO and Co-Founder of Lazada Philippines, the pioneer and leading online shopping destination in Southeast Asia. His mastery of ecommerce flourished by being the Co-Founder of the online payment gateway, HelloPay Philippines; as well as being the Co-Founder of the online selling platform, Lamido. What further strengthened his diverse experience in a multitude of industries was his participation as an Early-Stage Investor for the London-based company Plentific.

Ash Mandhyan – Ash is the Head of Client Solutions for Facebook Philippines, the largest social networking site in the world. Prior to his involvement with Facebook, he lead the supply chain management and vendor performance of Lazada Philippines, by serving as its Vice President. Apart from that, Ash has established his name on the e-commerce and digital marketing scene by being the Business Director of iProspect, as well as being the Brand Manager and later on a Business Unit Head for SM Prime Holdings, Inc.

Paolo Azzola – Paolo is the COO and Managing Director of PayMaya Philippines, the digital financial services unit of PLDT and Smart Communications. Prior to his engagement with PayMaya, he honed his expertise in the financial software and technology sector by handling derivatives in JPMorgan Chase. His accomplishments was further recognized through his extensive affiliation as an Executive Investor for MarketInvoice Limited, a Strategic Advisor for Global Founders Capital, the Managing Director for Rocket Internet AG, and a Board Director for InstaReM.

Bjorn Pardo – Bjorn is the Founder and CEO of Xend Business Solutions, Inc., an international logistic and courier service that caters to customers all around the globe. His great interest for ecommerce started with Ebay, where he saw the opportunity to create logistical processes and business solutions. After establishing Xend and OkayOkay.com, his prominent contribution for ecommerce was shown by being the Shareholder and Director of Openate Labs, the President of Digital Commerce Association of the Philippines (DCOM), and the Co-Founder and CEO of Jinio.

Jean-Francois Darre – JF is currently the Chief and Analytics Risk Officer of Mynt, a fintech subsidiary of Globe Telecom. His career and expertise as a data scientist evolved largely through his 9-year engagement in UBS Financial Services Inc. as the Credit Derivative Team’s Quant, Structurer, and Head Trader. He joined Mynt in 2016 to lead the integration of data in their business decisions as well as engineering and managing Mynt’s credit scoring and loan screening engines. Most recently, JF has been tasked to run Fuse, Mynt’s financial services arm, which aims to empower the broader population with credit, insurance and savings solutions.

Mark Joseph Panganiban – Mark is the Head of Digital Business at Airfreight 2100, Inc., the delivery service more commonly known as Air21. His great contribution for Air21 has stemmed since his involvement in 2011, where he lead the company from Sales and Business Development to Marketing and Communications. Apart from that, he has built a strong rapport among a vast clientele by being a known consultant for entrepreneurial developments for e-commerce. His outstanding portfolio is supported by being closely affiliated with the Digital Filipino Club, IMMAP, and UREKA Forum.

Kristina Ay-ay – Kristina is the Co-Founder and Country Head of Shopback Philippines, an e-commerce platform that gives its consumers the best deals online. She’s currently strengthening Shopback Philippines by forming local and international affiliations and partnerships, as well as closely managing its advertising and marketing efforts. Despite her young age, her attainment is shown by her impressive performance in building and growing tech startup companies in the Southeast Asian region, specifically in the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Abbie Victorino  – Abbie Victorino is the stylish Founder and CEO of StyleGenie, the first styling subscription box in the Philippines. One thing you can’t deny about her is that she’s an expert on all things fashion, this is supported by being a prominent international fashion buyer for 5 years and counting. Aside from her achievements on fashion, her versatility on a variety of industries is exemplified by being a Digital Commerce Consultant at PLDT-Smart Voyager Innovations, Inc.

Martin Yu – Martin is the Head of Business Intelligence for Shopee Philippines, an online marketplace where customers can browse, shop, and sell. He started his career as a Summer Analyst in the Management & Financial Services team at UBS New York, and pursued the same role as an analyst at Credit Suisse Hong Kong. Prior to joining Shopee, he was the Vice President of Finance and Accounting at Merit Stainless Steel, as well as the Vice President and Strategist for Asia Fixed Income at Credit Suisse Singapore.

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