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Alberto
A. Lim was set to retire from his job as president of
Ten Knots Development Corp in July last year when Makati
Business Club (MBC) chairman Ramon R. del Rosario Jr.
approached him to convince him to take over Guillermo M.
Luz as executive director of the prestigious
organization.
He
accepted it and soon enough Lim was transferred—in the
words of del Rosario—from the serene waters of
Palawan to the less idyllic environment of the MBC.
Last
December, Lim was formally introduced to the media as
the new executive director of MBC. “My right arm is
still a bit swollen after the arm-twisting,” Lim
jokingly told reporters.
In an
interview with BusinessMirror, Lim admits he faces a
man-sized job as the successor of Luz.
But
although he comes from a different work background, Lim
says he is starting to enjoy his new job, not only
because he is with his schoolmate as his boss, but also
for the different advocacies the MBC is pursuing.
Aside
from managing resorts in the postcard-perfect
environment of Palawan, Lim was also active with civil
society organizations that are focused on community
development, health management and disaster response.
In
Palawan, he was active in the El Nido Foundation and the
Culion Foundation. As president of El Nido Foundation,
he led in the development and implementation of projects
to promote sustainable development in the area. As an
official of the Culion Foundation, he spearheaded in
uplifting the welfare of the people and the nationwide
prevention of leprosy.
Being a
founding trustee of the Corporate Network for Disaster
Response, Lim led a pioneering effort in disaster
preparedness by the private sector in the 1990s.
“I think
we were a pioneer in this area of disaster preparedness.
And now many people are going into that too,” Lm adds.
Lim had
great years in Ten Knots because the owners believe in
the triple bottom line long before it became a trend.
Its Japanese owners are firm in that business must first
take care of the environment and the community and
profit will follow.
“It was
an enjoyable job. My role as CEO was to guide the
company. The company was not put up just to make money.
The owners believe in worthy advocacies,” he says,
Lim says
it was initially a challenge to make money because the
resorts were in a remote location and there was lack of
infrastructure.
“We have
to run our own transportation, produce our own
electricity and develop our sewage treatment and water.
We pioneered all these things in developing the resort,”
says Lim
Eventually, Lim managed to make Ten Knots profitable. He
also became involved in the development of the classy
Amanpulo and El Nido resorts. As an aside, he was also
the president of the Palawan Tourism Council since 1995.
Aside
from promoting tourism in
Palawan, Lim believes that stakeholders must also be involved. He advocated
ecotourism and tapped the community to be immersed in
the projects that created economic opportunities for
them so as to lessen the strain on the environment’s
natural resources
“In
tourism, it is quite important to address the issue of
poverty. Failure to do so means a bigger strain on the
environment which results a lose-lose situation for the
people and the environment,” he says.
A shared
past
Aside
from the La Salle connection, Lim and del Rosario Jr.
shared a lot in common. Both, for instance, were members
of Manindigan, an alliance of professionals and business
who opposed the Marcos dictatorship.
“I had
also been a political activist or a street
parliamentarian in the 1980s through Manindigan,” says
Lim.
Lim says
the stint with Manindigan gave him a wide perspective
regarding democracy and human rights. He adds this made
him more aware of having a pro-active stance in
safeguarding democracy.
Del
Rosario also recruited Lim in the late ‘80s to form the
Jaime V. Ongpin Institute for Business and Government in
honor of the late activist and prominent business
leader. At that time, Lim was working as a senior vice
president for planning in the Soriano group of
companies.
Lim ran
the JVO Institute for Business and Government for
one-and-a-half years. After that stint, Lim went to
Harvard and took up Master in Public Administration in
the Kennedy School of Government.
Studying
public administration proved to be a good move for Lim
when he was appointed to the MBC because the 25-year old
organization isn’t shy in articulating its views on both
business and politics.
“Because
of my Manindigan work, I am no stranger to political
activism. But I also have to balance it with sober
business activities. Being a business club, businessmen
are conservative and generally don’t go into politics
and in partisan politics,” says Lim.
“But you
know the board believes politics is where the rules of
the games are made. We will speak on certain issues if
it’s necessary because it affects business also,” he
adds. With his solid business background and governance,
del Rosario has found the most suitable successor to
Luz. |
