SM Supermalls Wins Big at HR Asia Awards 2025, Marking 40 Years of Transformative Leadership

Pasay City, Philippines – August 29, 2025 — As SM Supermalls celebrates its 40th anniversary, it clinches four major honors at the prestigious HR Asia Awards 2025, reaffirming its legacy of people-first leadership and transformative workplace culture.

For the third consecutive year, SM Supermalls was named one of HR Asia’s Best Companies to Work For, alongside three standout category wins: the Sustainable Workplace Award, the Most Caring Company Award, and the Tech Empowerment Award.

“These awards are more than milestones—they reflect our enduring culture at SM, where people are at the heart of everything we do,” said SM Supermalls President Steven T. Tan. “We are proud of our teams whose passion and dedication make SM not only one of the best companies to work for, but a place where we create meaningful impact for our employees, communities, and the country.”

Award Highlights

Best Companies to Work For in Asia (3rd consecutive year)

SM’s workplace culture is anchored on the key messaging pillars of the SM LIFE framework—Purpose, Passion, and Performance. Initiatives such as Leadership Town Halls, Candid Coffee with Leaders, Feedback Fridays, and the Culture Caravan foster authenticity, inclusion, and growth across all levels.

Most Caring Company Award (2nd consecutive year)

SM’s 360 Wellness Programs include unlimited online mental health counseling, wellness learning series, and Celebrate YOU events such as PRIDE Month and Women Empowerment. Championing safe and brave spaces for all, programs such as Ethics Beat and Safe Spaces promote transparency, accountability, and DEIB across the organization. Employee engagement programs have a 100% employee reach. 

Sustainable Workplace Award

Sustainability is embedded in SM’s DNA. From the Trash to Cash recycling program and Coastal Clean-Up drives to its bold commitment to Net Zero by 2040, SM empowers employees to lead environmental and community efforts through its partnership with SM Cares. Employee volunteerism rises strongly with a 100% increase compared to the previous year.

Tech Empowerment Award

Innovation drives SM’s HR transformation. Tools like the SMILE HCM platform, SAM AI chatbot, DigiU eLearning, and the SM Life app deliver seamless employee experiences. With 90% utilization for the SM Life app and 80% for DigiU learning, digital adoption is high and impactful.

A Legacy of Leadership

Cheryll Ruth L. Agsaoay, Senior Vice President for Human Resources, shared:

“These recognitions affirm our belief that when we design positive employee experiences—caring for people’s wellbeing, embracing innovation, and championing sustainability—we create a workplace that inspires purpose and growth. We see our culture efforts as continuous work-in-progress because at SM, we never stop learning and aiming to be better every day.”

As SM Supermalls enters a new era beyond its 40th year, these accolades underscore a powerful truth: its greatest asset has always been its people—and its future will be shaped by the culture it continuously nurtures

BPI modernizes HR Operations and Employee Experience with Darwinbox’s HR Technology

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), the country’s pioneering bank, adopts digital-first HR with its partnership with Darwinbox, Asia’s leading Human Resource Management System (HRMS) provider. With a legacy spanning over 170 years, BPI has enhanced its employee experience and streamlined HR processes for its 18,000-strong workforce, covering a diverse range of banking services.

BPI has leveraged Darwinbox’s technology platform to enhance employee experience, streamlining every phase of the employee’s journey, from the onboarding process to retirement. Dubbed as Real-time HR Express Assist or RHEA, BPI employees now have access to a one-stop-shop solution for all their HR needs, including Time & Attendance, Performance Management, Recruitment & Onboarding, issue resolution through Helpdesk, and employee engagement via Vibe, Darwinbox’s integrated social network for businesses. 

“We continue to reinforce our value of being customer obsessed to give the best solutions not only to our customers but also to our people. Our partnership with Darwinbox marks a significant milestone in our ongoing journey to enhance the employee experience at BPI. With RHEA, we hope to empower our employees to achieve and do more as we continue to pursue our vision to build a better Philippines – one family, one community at a time,” said Maria Virginia “Gina” Eala, BPI Chief Human Resources Officer.

The first phase of the digital HR transformation went live as scheduled, an achievement that the BPI team found particularly noteworthy. In less than a year, the project team implemented modules from hire-to-retire that enable, empower, and engage Unibankers in creating memorable moments.

Mobile accessibility is one of the key features of RHEA, ensuring that every employee, including those working in branches, can access HR services anytime. “Having RHEA available through mobile phones ensures the platforms’ accessibility and user-friendliness for our entire workforce while upholding the highest level of security and flexibility,” remarked Eala. She further added, “Our most valuable assets are our employees, which is why we prioritize their holistic well-being to boost their productivity in the workplace.”

BPI employees have the opportunity to experience RHEA, BPI’s new platform that serves as a one-stop-shop for all their HR needs. 

“BPI is a pillar of the Philippines’ banking industry, setting standards for over a century with its innovative mindset, a trait we wholeheartedly share. We are proud to be part of the bank’s digitalization journey. Together, we are transforming the employee experience of more than 18,000 people across the nation. It is a massive undertaking, and we are happy to be the bank’s trusted HRMS partner,” shared Jayant Paleti, Darwinbox Co-founder.

“It takes crystal clear vision from the leadership to take on a project of this magnitude, and it’s been nothing short of a joy working with the BPI team on this. Transforming HR at an organization with such scale and legacy was a very rewarding challenge. We are happy to be part of BPI’s mission to build a better Philippines,” added Sasank Raavi, Darwinbox Country Manager-Philippines.

BPI’s collaboration with Darwinbox represents a significant leap in its journey to modernize HR operations and provide an enhanced employee experience for its dedicated workforce.

Mayor Vico Sotto and other local and international innovators joins 57th PMAP Annual Conference

The young and innovative Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, who rocked the local political scene with his creative and pro-people leadership style, will be one of the plenary speakers of the upcoming 57thAnnual Conference of the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP) this coming October 21-23, 2020.

PMAP, the preeminent organization of people managers and HR practitioners founded in 1956, continues to push for a national people-first strategy in addressing human capital management issues, especially during these difficult times. During the 3-day virtual conference, global and local experts and leaders were invited to showcase relevant and timely presentations anchored on the conference theme “Sharp Focus. Future-Ready.”

Sotto will deliver a talk entitled “Building a Culture of Trust in the Era of Disruption” on Day 3 of the conference. This is expected to complement the opening keynote speech of Mr. Peter Cheese, Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) on Day 1 who will present “Developing a Resilient Workforce to Thrive in Uncertainty.”

Day 2 of the conference will feature sixteen (16) concurrent sessions where attendees can customize their learning experience by choosing four topics they want to attend under the categories Developing Digital Leaders, Innovations, Outside-In HR and Advocacy sessions.

Some of the notable speakers this year includes Ms. Annela Heytens, Head of HR of Amazon Web Services; Mr. Bobby Castro, President & CEO of Palawan Pawnshop & Palawan Express Padala; Mr. Kais Marzouki, Chairman and CEO, Nestle Philippines; Dr. Ramon Segismundo, CEO and Founder of 1-HR.X; and other well-respected leaders from both the private and public sector.

Spearheaded by PMAP’s Conference Chairperson, PMAP Vice President Lin Mukhi, the conference’ discussion will sharply focus on how to future-proof organizations in the digital age, creating an agile talent management and development, HR Innovations, ethics and HR governance, deepening HR competencies, employment relations and social protection.

To be part of the conference, you may email kevin.jacinto@pmap.org.ph or carol.alcances@pmap.org.ph or visit www.pmap.org.ph and www.facebook.com/PMAP1956.

EXCELLERATEHR.PH: Elevating and Accelerating Filipino People Management during the 56th PMAP Annual Conference

This coming July 17-19, 2019, over 1,500 people managers will gather together at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino for the 56th PMAP Annual Conference, the biggest and preeminent HR event in the country.

With organizations facing the challenges of disruption and the 4th industrial revolution, it becomes crucial for people managers to EXCELLERATE. For its 56th annual conference, PMAP pushes innovation one step further by invoking poetic license and creating a new word that captures the twin challenges facing the organization and people management in the country today – driving and inspiring EXCELLENCE in the practice of people management and increasing the degree of ACCELERATION of people programs to become up-to-speed with technology and innovation.

The PMAP 56th Annual puts the spotlight on Filipino People Management, featuring a full learning session on the 2019 PMAP Awards finalists’ best practices and programs. It also seeks to bring people managers up-to-speed with the challenges of a digital and inclusive world through updates on trends and emerging HR technologies through business unusual workshops. Lastly, it will take Filipino people management back to its roots and wings through local studies, theories and applications.

This PMAP annual conference hopes to be a veritable marketplace of ideas, emergent theories, endless solutions best practices, advocacies and state-of-the-art HR technology with an unparalleled roster of speakers with global, regional and national stature. It will be a proactive balance of session topics and learning fora, offering a variety of sessions that target various levels. This conference will feature a dynamic learning design that allows attendees to customize their participation based on their individual agenda. It will be a great showcase of best practices, award-winning programs and cutting-edge resources and technologies, with extraordinary potentials for networking and mentoring.

For more information regarding the 56th PMAP Annual Conference, you may contact the PMAP Secretariat through telephone number 726-1532 or email carol.alcances@pmap.org.phor kevin.jacinto@pmap.org.ph.

Talent Solutions Platform Workbank Built on the Filipino virtue of Malasakit

The newest player in the job matching industry, Workbank, has set its sights on the growing Filipino workforce by launching a platform that provides an enjoyable job search experience with exclusive perks and free trainings to help talents land jobs quicker.

The employment solutions firm notes that it was out of malasakit, the unique Filipino virtue that can be best described as compassion, that drove them to create the innovative portal. In a speaking engagement at the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP) General Assembly, Reggie Fernandes, Workbank’s Country Head shared that opportunities exist in the Philippine market through its increasing employment rate and young workforce. Fernandes noted that while millennials and post-millennials already make up nearly half of the local workforce, majority of the unemployed also come from these segments.

Workbank’s Co-Founder and Chairman, Jaison Francis, who has had a long-spanning relationship with Filipino workers as a recruiter pointed out that driven by his malasakit for Filipinos, he realized that he could do more for them. “The Internet and mobile devices are a meaningful touch point for us because this is where we can reach the majority of applicants – this is why we exist in this space. However, we have gone beyond setting up a traditional job portal and decided we ought to invest in the people. Workbank doesn’t just connect job seekers and recruiters – it also provides guidance and support for interviews, pre-employment requirements and assistance even during their first month at work,” Francis said.

In its commitment to investing in job seekers, Workbank has also sought strategic partnerships with the likes of Zalora and Grab that provide exclusive perks like discounts for job seekers. “Our number one commitment is to invest in our talents so that they can land the jobs they aspire for. Finding likeminded partners who can help us see this into fruition is what we will consistently try to build on. We’re glad to have an already impressive roster at the moment but look forward to other partners who will be joining us in the near future”, Fernandes said.

Job seekers can begin signing up for free on their website as they gear up for their official launch in early 2019.

Employment Recruiters

The beacon resources company is DLC Group Company. Beacon resources help their clients and candidates in getting the appropriate jobs in accounting and finance according to their experiences. These DLC group companies are the best companies that make good relationships with their clients or candidates to know them properly so that they can find an appropriate job for them. Some of the people are very much good at finance and accounting so they make some future goals to get success in life so these employment recruiters Los Angeles are there to help out these types of persons. They help the people in getting the most appropriate job they want. The recruiters of these beacon companies see some qualities before giving the jobs to their clients or candidates. The qualities they need are as follows:

• If a candidate or client is finding for an accounting and financing jobs then these beacon companies ask them if they have any managing experience or not. They want a proven managing experience of the clients before giving them a job.
• The clients or candidates those who are in search of a job must be good in communication skills.
• They must have all the abilities that how to talk, manage things and many more.
• The analytical abilities of the clients or candidates they are offering a job should be good.
• Last and the most important thing that these employment recruiter’s check is that the clients or candidates they are selecting for a job should have some basic knowledge about accounting and finance related work.

This is how beacon resources companies help persons in getting jobs. Finance recruiters Chicago and Los Angeles make good relationships first between them and their clients then search a job for them according to their talent, abilities, and experiences. Beacon resources companies facilitate ideal connections and provide placements to their clients as they know each and every person is more important than a resume or an application. So they are there to help there clients and candidates in every possible way that will help them in getting a job. Whether it is an interim, interim-to-hire or direct- interim the approach of recruiters is totally base on meaningful relationships.

Interim is a short-term job that will help the candidates in satisfying their needs. In the interim, the recruiters fulfill short-term job demand of accounting and finance for their clients those who are in need of a job. Interim-to-hire is an immediate type of job of accounting and finance that will help the clients. These interim to hire jobs are totally based on the talents and experiences of the candidates. Direct-interim is a permanent placement job that is provided to those clients who are fond of doing jobs in this company only or to the clients who have good experiences in accounting and finance. So go and take the help of beacon resources company to find the perfect matched job for yourself. This is why we should deal with these Los Angeles and Chicago employment companies.

PMAP holds 2nd HR Innovation Summit on August 15

The People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP), the preeminent organization of people managers and HR practitioners in the country, will hold the “2nd HR Innovation Summit” at Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria (Ortigas Center) on August 15, 2018 (9:00 am to 5:00 pm).
With this year’s theme “HR Next Practices”, this momentous event will feature industry experts and distinguished practitioners to share their knowledge and innovative ideas that will equip organizations in developing employees to thrive in the opportunities and challenges today and in the future.

The line-up of remarkable speakers includes PMAP President Michelle C. Garcia, FPM, HR Director of East-Asia Region SGS Gulf Limited (Regional Operating Headquarters), who will talk about “Revolutionary HR: The Next HR Leadership”; Ms. Amor Maclang, Chief Communications Officer of GeiserMaclang, who will discuss his experience in “Adopting the Blockchain Technology in HR”; Mr. Engelbert T. Camasura, AFPM, President of Asia Select, Inc. (ASI), who will enlighten participants in his talk “Artificial Intelligence in Recruitment”; Mr. Kogie Angeles, Co-Founder/ Vice President of The Office Cowork + Life, who will present “The Gig Economy: How It Impacts the Way We Work”; and Atty. Raul R. Cortez, Legal and Corporate Affairs Director of Microsoft Philippines, who will give a sneak peek of “Telecommuting and Its Implications in the Workplace.”

Aside from the exciting talks, participants will also have the opportunity to be introduced to new products and services from various companies through their exhibit booths at the HR Techxhibit Hall. PMAP also welcome partnerships for this event.

The summit is open to the public and guarantees an interesting and relevant day of learning about HR best practices and innovation to be attended by HRM and business professionals, representatives from the academe, SMEs and industry partners. The Investment fee per delegate is Php3,500.00 for PMAP members and Php3,800 for non-members.

For more information, please contact Ms. Clara Delfin at tel. no. 726-1532 loc. 323 or email: clara.delfin@pmap.org.ph.

PMAP Project sHaRe: Strengthening Human Resource Management

Do you have issues in managing your employees? Are you looking for effective ways to develop your workforce? Get some sound advice from experts and leaders in the field of human resource management (HRM)?

The People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP) will be holding an innovative learning event entitled Project sHaRe: Strengthening Human Resource Management on August 24, 2017 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the Meralco Multi-Purpose Hall, Ortigas, Pasig City.

This momentous event will feature industry experts and distinguished practitioners who will share their knowledge and ideas that will help organizations in resolving workplace issues and challenges while sharing best practices and learning with fellow people managers.

New trends and relevant information on recruitment, learning and development, compensation and management, organization development and labor relations will be discussed by the notable resource persons:

• Mr. Bobby T. Marquez, Jr. (Former VP for HR of HSBC, Alcatel and Sterling Tobacco)
• Mr. Gerry A. Plana, FPM (Chief Executive, Investors in People Philippines)
• Mr. Patricio A. Picazo (HR Executive with more than 20 years of practice and multi-industrial exposure)
• Atty. Ranulfo P. Payos, DPM (1989-90 PMAP President)
• Mr. Jesse Francis N. Rebustillo (Immediate PMAP Past President)
• Mr. Rene M. Gener, DPM (PMAP Executive Director)

PMAP, the premier organization of people managers and HR practitioners in the country, is  inviting SMEs, HR practitioners, people managers, students, members of the academe and business professionals in this summit. Investment fee is P1,500 inclusive of am and pm snacks, lunch and certificate of attendance. 

For registration and sponsorship pcakages, please feel free to get in touch with Mr. Mark Maghirang (mark.maghirang@pmap.org.ph) through tel. no. 726-1532 locals 303, 304 or 323.

*This is Press Release