The PHINMA Foundation, Inc. (PFI) has announced its new leadership as it celebrates 35 years of making lives better for Filipinos.
The PFI Board of Directors has appointed Ms. Nicole “Nikki” del Rosario-Serafica as the Foundation’s new President. She succeeds Mr. Roberto “Bobby” M. Laviña, who will now serve as PFI Chairman. He replaces Mr. Oscar J. Hilado, now the Chairman Emeritus who will continue to provide guidance and inspiration to the Foundation.
“As President, Nikki Serafica brings fresh ideas, an expanded network of possible partners and youthful vigor in pursuing our expanded role in the PHINMA Group,” said Mr. Laviña.
A Master of Business Administration graduate of the Columbia Business School, Ms. Serafica deems her new role as “primarily a stewardship job” that allows her to harness the PHINMA Group’s talent and treasure to improve the lives of Filipino families who have difficulty accessing the essentials for a dignified life.
Under her leadership, Ms. Serafica vowed not only to bolster PFI’s flagship program PHINMA National Scholarship but also pursue meaningful contributions to community housing and the fight against child malnutrition and stunting.
“These are new areas for us and so the first step would be to build a very good knowledge base, get to know the groups who are already doing significant work in these areas and find areas of alignment, avenues for collaboration,” she said.
Mr. Laviña said his new role is “very significant” as it allows him to keep making lives better through the Foundation.
“Guided by Phinma’s core values, we will continue to promote the spirit of volunteerism among our employees…However, even as we strengthen our partnerships with like-minded parties, we will work with our strategic business units in looking at other areas where PHINMA Foundation can help address the Filipinos’ desire to have a dignified life,” said Mr. Laviña, also the Chairman of PHINMA Property Holdings Corp. and Board Adviser to PHINMA Corporation.
PFI also announced Ms. Grace M. Purisima and Ms. Eolani S. Osorio as its new Treasurer and Controller, respectively. Ms. Purisima also serves as the Assistant Treasurer of PHINMA Corp., while Ms. Osorio is an Assistant Vice President – Controller of PHINMA Inc.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ron Ranier R. Reyes will serve as PFI’s Executive Director effective August 1. Prior to his new role, he was a Public Affairs Manager for PHINMA Corp. Just this March, he was recognized as a PHINMA Service Awardee for his efforts to prepare and train youth leaders from underserved communities mainly through the non-profit organization Hirayang Kabataan that he co-founded.
Completing the PFI team are Program Managers Mary Elaine Lora and Jeng Mungcal and Junior Accounting Manager Blessy Caspe.
The PHINMA Group established PFI in 1989 to improve the lives of Filipinos beyond the Company’s business operations and instill a culture of service among its employees. 35 years later, the Foundation continues providing better opportunities through the PHINMA National Scholarship; supporting better initiatives through grants for causes like culture and the arts, education, and disaster response; and building better communities through the employee volunteerism program PHINMA Hero. In doing so, PFI supports the Group’s efforts to champion business as a force for good.
With gratitude for the generous support of the entire PHINMA Group, the PHINMA Foundation team looks forward to partnering with PHINMA business units and long-time partner organizations and communities to build a better, more hopeful future for more Filipino families.