Entrepreneur and Director of Cotecna Elite Philippines Inc., Antonio Vicente Jr. Ortigas, highlights transparency as a factor in employee management

Antonio Ortigas is an entrepreneur and coffee lover. The passionate photograph is the Country Manager of Cotecna Elite Philippines Inc., where he doubles as the Director. Over the years, Antonio Vicente Jr. has risen through the ranks, joining the company in 2008 as a sub-contractor and helping to drive the growth of the business. As the Manager and Director, Antonio oversees a lot of employees and he recently revealed the secrets that have made him a successful manager over the years, which have also helped the business to grow tremendously.

“What has proven to be successful for us is that we always put our employees first. We have been able to create a company culture wherein the people are motivated and treated with respect. Being the country manager, I am transparent with our employees and I stay involved in their personal development. These simple things have made our organization a place where people want to work,” said Antonio Vicente Jr. when he was asked about how he hires talent.

Antonio’s approach to work has undoubtedly yielded results. As the one of the youngest Country Managers in the industry, the 38-year-old Antonio has seen it all at a relatively young age. His experience as an entrepreneur, creating two coffee businesses in the Philippines has also helped him as a professional and business manager. “I started working with Cotecna in 2008 as a sub- contractor and in 2013 we formalized our relationship by joining forces and starting Cotecna Elite Philippines. With my leadership, what was once a company focused on the oil and gas Industry is now a more diverse organization catering to different sectors, like the agriculture, energy, minerals, hospitality, certification and trainings industries,” said Antonio Ortigas. “I believe that I was given the confidence to lead our Philippine operations because of my previous track record as an Entrepreneur,” he continued.

Antonio’s rise to the highest echelon in the industry has not been particularly easy as he had to overcome several challenges. This included taking over a 29-year-old business, following his father’s death in 2007. “It was challenging because our employees saw me just as the owner’s son, some young guy who had no experience and who they could fool,” said Antonio.