s e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 5 i s s u e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


Edwin Joseph G. Galvez
AVP for Finance and Treasury, Harbour Centre Port Terminal Inc. (HCPTI)

Education:
B.S. Business Management, De La Salle University
Candidate for Masters in Business Management, Asian Institute of Management

 

What are the challenges in your industry which are port services/operations?

The challenge is removing the monopoly in the shipping industry. There are only few players and we are still new in the business. We offer port services that will upgrade the standards in port operations giving the customers their money’s worth; also, we are giving a choice to customers on which port or pier they will use.

The major advantage of HCPTI is its depth or draft of –12m MLLW. The trend in the shipping industry is that vessels are getting bigger, which require a depth of at least -10 meters MLLW. We are the only one in the Ports of Manila that provides this deep draft berths or basin.

Before, foreign vessels anchor before the ports to remove either partly or the entire cargo load of the vessels through barges simply because the ports in Manila was not deep enough to accommodate these foreign vessels. In HCPTI, because of the –12m draft of our basin, the foreign vessels can go straight to our ports/piers to berth without the hassle of unloading some of the goods from afar the ports hence reducing the costs and time to unload the goods. In HCPTI, a vessel carrying a load of about 70,000 metric tons of cargo may be able to berth in our port for unloading and loading of their cargo.

How do you meet this challenge?

We maintain that draft which is our advantage. We provide the most efficient way of unloading and loading of cargo through modern port handling equipment, fast turnaround of the vessels thereby reducing the cost for the vessel owners and shippers/importers. We have a vast area yard facility to accommodate all cargo as competitors do not have room for expansion.

As an example of the efficiency in services and fast turnaround of the vessel, a vessel that contains about 10,000 metric tons of cargo will be serviced within 4 days while other ports will take 10 to 14 days to complete the unloading of the cargo.

The majority of the clients are in the steel industry.

Please tell us about your career path.

In brief, this is how my career went after college:

  • The Philippine Banking Corp, a year and a half, 88-89, loans analyst
  • Far East Bank and Trust Company, 1989-91, ATM Services, responsible in hardware and software faults of the ATMs, cash loading and reconciliation of incomplete transactions.
  • AIM, 1991-1993
  • 1993-1997: Security Bank Corp, cash officer in a branch
  • April 1997-September 2004, R-II Builders Inc., construction firm, started as Manager for Finance and became the Chief Finance Officer
  • October 2004-April 2005, consultancy work in finance and credit
  • April 2005-present, Harbour Centre Port Terminal, Inc.

Where do you go from here? What would you like to do in the future?

I would like to have my own restaurant/food business. I like to cook and I am a weekend chef for the family and friends who likes whipping up Asian and Spanish dishes.

What would you advise junior managers who want to reach higher executive positions?

Be knowledgeable about your work. Read a lot. Don’t be shy in asking other people to learn more as there are people who will be glad to teach you. Don’t limit yourself to work in a box; expand your environment and think of ways to improve your work.

Uphold leadership by example. Leadership is earned through good relationships with your working environment. This means that you let them feel that what they are doing is valuable. Each person in your group is important. They should also be comfortable with you for them to openly speak out their ideas and feelings.

To move up, you should enjoy the work that you are doing. Be sensitive to your environment and customers so that you may know how you can serve them better and always look for ways to improve your work.

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THINK YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A HIGH-POWERED EXECUTIVE? Send your resume to eportfolio@jobsdb.com.ph.

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