STANDING conspicuously at the heart of Bonifacio Global City, the BGC Arts Center houses the Maybank Performing Arts Theater, the first standalone theater in central Metro Manila that opened to the public in November 2016.
A three-story building, the theater includes the Globe Auditorium, a 500-seater flexible hybrid-studio blackbox that can be configured for theatrical productions, banquets and special events. The seats retract and adjust to accommodate the demanding needs of today’s intricate productions. On the second level, one will find the Zobel de Ayala Recital Hall, a space for more intimate performances or events. It has resilient flooring, wall-to-wall mirrors, and can easily be converted to a rehearsal area for dances and theatrical shows.
On the third floor is the Exhibit Hall, an open space ideal for art exhibits, talks, art workshops and classes. Also within the space is the W Global Lounge and the Daiichi Properties Lounge, which serve as reception areas for cocktails. And, last, there is the NutriAsia-Del Monte Lobby, which is the main gathering space of the theater, boasting of a larger-than-life photo mural by Don Jaime Zobel de Ayala.
As its name suggests, the theater was made possible through the generous donation of Maybank (Malayan Banking Berhad), the Asean’s fourth-largest bank that operates Maybank Philippines with its 80-strong branches all over the country.
Established in 1960, Maybank is currently the largest finance-based company by market capitalization on the Malaysian Bourse (Bursa Malaysia). It is ranked first among listed Malaysian firms, and is included in the top 500 in the Forbes Global 2000 leading companies of the world. It has an international network of over 2,400 branches and offices in 20 countries, with 44,000 employees globally.
Maybank Foundation CEO Shahril Azuar Jimin is delighted for his company’s contribution to the newly erected edifices this side of Manila. It is envisioned to be the venue that caters to various programs and productions, providing rich cultural and educational experiences to inspire the public and promote cultural exchange.
After all, this is Maybank’s biggest contribution in the country, as part of the company’s mission to humanize financial services by being at the heart of the communities that it conducts business with.
Moreover, Maybank recognizes the importance of safeguarding arts and cultural heritage for future generations. Through Maybank Kim Eng, the Maybank Group is undertaking significant arts and culture-related programs. Jimin said the foundation has helped numerous artists, photographers, graphic designers and writers by sponsoring and promoting a wide range of events to celebrate South East Asia’s unique, diverse and vibrant cultures.
Its own Balai Seni, located within its Maybank Tower headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, is Maybank Performing Arts Theater’s counterpart venue for showcasing arts and cultural programs in Malaysia.
The Maybank Foundation has been the strategic driver and main implementer of the Maybank Group’s community programs since it was inaugurated in 2010, in conjunction with the group’s 50th anniversary.
“The foundation’s mandate is to create positive, long-term impact in communities in the markets where Maybank operates. It strives to identify programs that will have the most tangible and sustainable results,” Jimin said.
Its focus is to enhance quality of life for all, regardless of race, gender or creed, with an emphasis on the poor and marginalized. This is done through strategic partnerships with local stakeholders and non-governmental organizations. In six areas, namely, education, community empowerment, arts and culture, environmental diversity, healthy living and disaster relief within every country it operates in, the foundation focuses its activities and funding on creating meaningful, measurable and sustainable impacts “that differentiate us from our competitors [while complementing] our long-term aspiration to humanize financial services.”
The CEO upclose
THE first CEO of the Maybank Foundation, Jimin has a Bachelor of Laws degree from Staffordshire University and is a graduate of the Global Senior Management Program from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.
His appointment in September 2014 was timely, being at the pivotal stage of Maybank and the Maybank Foundation’s journey in intensifying its efforts to reach out to a broad spectrum of global audiences, and enhancing lives of communities wherever the group has a presence.
Prior to that, Jimin has had a colorful career as an insurance executive—having assisted people from all walks of life and changing their lives through the benefits of insurance. From 2012 to 2014, he was senior executive vice president and chief commercial officer of Maybank Ageas Holdings Berhad, the holding company of Etiqa Insurance Berhad and Etiqa Takaful Berhad. As chief commercial officer, Jimin was responsible for overseeing its commercial offerings for insurance and takaful solutions. He was also the CEO of the group’s Etiqa Takaful Berhad from 2010 to 2012, where he led the company to be the biggest takaful company in the world at that time by contributions and assets.
Before that, he served as the executive vice president and head for corporate planning and strategy of Etiqa Insurance & Takaful. As one of the key leaders in the takaful industry, Jimin held the post of chairman of the Global Takaful Group from 2012 to 2014, then as director of Pak Kuwait Takaful Co. Ltd. from 2010 to 2014. He was also a member of the Malaysian Accounting Standards Board Standing Committee on Islamic Financial Reporting.
PHL flagship programs
The foundation has initially poured in P6 million for an entrepreneurship program to help underprivileged communities, mainly people with disabilities to increase their income without the need for business start-up grants.
Jimin said the Philippines was chosen for the second phase of the Reach Independence and Sustainable Entrepreneurship (RISE) program. Launched in January this year, the program is designed to train, coach and mentor participants to develop their entrepreneurial skills to increase the level of their income, thus improving their overall standard of living.
RISE has already trained 1,700 participants in Malaysia and 200 in Indonesia. According to Jimin, the pilot project was a huge success in Malaysia, as it resulted in an increase of 411.7 percent in average income per individual within the top 40 percent of the pilot participants.
“Our aim is to create economic independence and financial inclusion, which means not leaving anybody behind in terms of economic growth and development. It is easy to overlook these kinds of people. They make up a big group, actually: in Indonesia they comprise about 1 percent of the population, which is a big number.
But they tend to be forgotten, and they do not get the care that they should. So for us, it is about providing a level playing field to give them opportunities,” Jimin said.
For its pilot training in the Philippines, 100 participants each from Manila and Cebu have been identified through the Maybank Foundation’s partner-organizations, People Systems Consultancy and the Department of Social Welfare and Development. The selected participants would attend a three-day entrepreneurship and financial-training session, followed by a six-month mentoring period, where they would be trained and coached to develop their entrepreneurial skills, covering practical topics in running a business, such as financial goals, operational planning, budgeting, and tracking and sales and customer analysis.
RISE aims to have at least 40 percent of its participants gain an income of 100 percent within three months. Launched in January, 117 participants have successfully completed the trainings in Metro Manila and are already showing good progress, while 138 participants have already completed the trainings in the Cebu leg launched this March.
For young people who have little or no opportunity to be part of the formal-schooling system, Maybank TLC Training & Learning Centre provides training and learning that also serves as local catalyst for youth empowerment. The first of its kind was established in Cagayan de Oro, with plans under way for a formal building turnover. The TLC will soon be welcoming the first batch of students sometime in April.
“Skills training plays a crucial role in driving development and transformation, as well as reducing poverty and empowering out-of-school youth or youth who have no opportunity to go to school. We recently partnered with Xavier University-CDO for this,” Jimin said.
He added Maybank aims to build centers across the Asean region to enable local school leavers—those who did not complete school, albeit with sufficient skills—to render them suitable for employment and eventually be productive and manageable. These centers are intended to be developed into providers of effective vocational training, centers of information and innovative practice, as well as skills training, combined with livelihood, health and entrepreneurial training.
Not intended to compete with the formal-education system, he pointed out Maybank TLCs are designed to equip participants with a specialized skill with which they can start a business or gain employment in six months. “TLC is an essential element to quickly harness their employability and potential productivity,” he explained.
Soon, the Maybank Foundation will touch lives of thousands regionally through its programs. As it happens, Jimin cherishes the opportunity to make a bigger difference in the region in his present role with the Maybank Foundation, while looking forward to the successes of his projects in the near future.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano