After college
I worked at the School of Economics as a junior instructor, taught macroeconomics, and did some thesis advising from 2001 to 2005. Then I studied at China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) from 2006 to 2008 and graduated with an MBA, with a specialization in finance. I worked at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management (PWM) in Hong Kong from 2008 to 2012 and worked at the Career Development Center of the CEIBS MBA program from 2012 to 2014.
At present
I am the Managing Director of Emerging Asia Capital Partners (EACP), a boutique financial advisory firm with focus on emerging markets and infrastructure. The main joys of being in investment banking is getting acquainted with different businesses, people, and cultures from around the world. This career gives you a hands-on approach to understanding the world, both from macro and micro points of view. I like being on the road, going to different places, meeting different people, and accumulating all sorts of knowledge and information first hand. Moreover, I have always been fascinated with how the world works, especially the main systems and institutions that make the world go round: banks and money and how they drive the whole economic process. I like getting my hands dirty, and this job gives me all of that and more. The main challenge to this career is the “eat-what-you-kill” approach to getting compensated. As an investment banker working for a boutique firm, one is not given any salary. One gets paid only after a deal is closed. It is possible to work for months and even years on end without getting paid. The main payback for all this risk and uncertainty of not getting paid is fat paychecks when deals do get closed.
On UA&P
I became a nerd when I started studying at UA&P. This was a huge contrast to my 13 years in Xavier, where I did what boys do: engage in a lot of sports and once in a while get into trouble. Hence, I see my life in UA&P as the crucial years where I morphed from being a boy into a young man. The priests, faculty, and spiritual aura in the campus drove me to excellence. I was immensely disciplined in my studies, was always in the library, and read my books over and over until I had a 100% grasp of the lessons. I do not recall ever arriving late for class or cutting class more than three times.
I am aware that UA&P has plans to build a new campus somewhere in Batangas. My foremost wish is for the University to build a first-class campus comparable with those in the US or other western countries, where students can study and enjoy sports and nature at the same time. I believe that being fit and being close to nature is part of a well-rounded education.
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