Nina D. Aguas – World Class Philippine Role Model, Hands Down

Deservingly, much had been written about Nina Aguas, executive chairman of the board, The Insular Life Assurance Company, Ltd (InLife). With her most recent award as Business Insider’s 100 People Transforming Business in Asia, Nina’s competency as a leader had brought unprecedented glory to her organization, her family and the Philippines. 

With Nina’s accomplishments in her impressive career come recognition that the Philippines has no lack of world class leaders. This is my second time to interview Nina but my admiration for her grows with time. We long for leaders who are worthy of respect and trust in an increasingly ferocious world. The unprecedented global situation due to CoViD19 thrust us to a precarious state that clamoured unprecedented leadership not fazed by fear, rules with intelligence, integrity and compassion. The top of mind leader who fits these criteria and brings so much honour to the Philippines is Nina D. Aguas.

FMAG: In a time of global crisis like the ongoing pandemic, what is primary in your leadership when fear persists everywhere and almost everyone is uncertain of what tomorrow brings?

NDA: The pandemic has three layers: a public health crisis, economic, and humanitarian all in one. As The Economist writes, “the trade-off between saving lives and saving livelihoods is excruciating” (March 26, 2020). CEO’s and business leaders must remain committed to doing what is right for all its stakeholders and take steps, first, to look out for their customers and clients, employees, partners, agents and what will keep their families and the communities safe.  

Provide support so that the stakeholders themselves can withstand the economic stresses on their livelihoods and businesses. In times like this, when the need exceeds the capacity of any one giver to fill, let us inspire one another to give fearlessly when so many lives and the future of our communities and our country need us more. Now more than ever, strong, decisive, experienced leadership is required.  

We are asked to lead with a renewed sense of purpose, to be the calm and steady hand that steers the ship to port in the midst of an ocean of high waves and violent winds. 

Today, we are facing our new REALITY of “NOT KNOWING”. Not knowing is defining our new march forward into a very sick world and learning to live and co-exist with an unforgiving virus.  We are naturally terrified. It is my personal belief, that we are only as small as our fears.  Fear holds us back from achieving greatness.  But grounded in our being,  we must live our lives, pursue our dreams, find the courage to own our truth, speak courageously and by God’s grace, we transcend our fears and become brave again to venture into the unknown. 

Let not fear take out our joy in living. Fearless leaders embrace the fullness of life with all its uncertainties, face toward the direction of fear, walk toward it, and lead into it.   

I enjoin everyone to embrace this time of our lives, wisely, bravely, sensibly and humanely and look back to this unforgettable life event as a Great Teacher.

FMAG: You have such a solid and immaculate image in your private and corporate life. What wise counsel in life can you share to the next generation?

NDA: My parents were great role models for who I am and what I had become. Spiritual, hardworking, honest, generous, humble and caring. We grew up in a prayerful and loving family where our parents, through example and demonstration, taught me patience, how to manage conflicts, learn and have passions, dress neatly, be well-groomed, and to try whenever I can to be warm and generous. 

By generosity, our father went as far as adopting his foreign students during Christmas and New Year so that they will not feel homesick. So, growing up with foreign students exposed me to foreign languages and various cultures. I became accepting and tolerant and learned to build bridges, find fewer wrongs, and understand the differences. 

I am not at all intimidated by Caucasian men or any men of color, title, or faith. I know that people in general have their points of view and they all value mutual respect. And so, I speak my mind whenever I need to, sometimes in a louder voice (when in New York), but without being too passionate in my delivery, knowing that decision makers will recognize a great idea when it is coherent, rational, and strategic.

My father was a man of letters, he has a masters and doctorate degree from the US and the UK. This inadvertently taught me to be an expert in my own field. The depth and breadth of my experience is rooted in my love for learning. 

The world is changing, new markets are emerging, many industries are being disrupted. I chose to be the one driving the change and not the one being impacted by it. I tried to be an expert in finance and banking so I may be able to contribute to my company’s progress and move the industry forward. It accorded me invitations to the table of influencers, to be a speaker, discussant, and a value-contributor. This later created a web of network of friends and leaders, who I sometimes count on for exchange of ideas, collaborative work and exciting partnerships that continue to build bigger and better leadership platforms. 

These virtues were passed on by my parents to us, their children, and now it is our turn to gift these to our own.

FMAG: Your stints outside the Philippines were always exceptional. What was the deciding factor to return to the Philippines?

NDA: There is never just one factor to attribute a major decision. It is a calling not readily comprehensible at that time. My mother was in her 90’s and I wanted to spend some more time with her together with my siblings. Another full career in the Philippines was not in the equation. We can only see what is front of us, but God sees far beyond… until the end of time. He is a God of many wonderful surprises and of deep affection.

FMAG: You are most deserving as one of 2019 Asia’s Power Businesswomen of Forbes Magazine and recently, Business Insider’s 100 People Transforming Business in Asia. How did you feel when you were advised of these recognitions? 

NDA: For me, this was a very pleasant surprise in Covid times. We have a God of surprises. When I was getting congratulated for 2019 Asia’s Power Businesswomen in Forbes Magazine, I asked what they were reading. Next day, my husband saw this featured on the front page of a daily newspaper over breakfast. Huh? The weight of the obligation for such a recognition is big and I embrace it, keeping this in mind.

FMAG: Your InLife Sheroes program at Insular Life combines healthy financial returns for women while delivering positive social impact. How can this program contribute to a Filipina’s success? 

Allow me to lay the premise for Sheroes. Let me start by declaring, I do not assent to the prevailing collective thought that women are lacking. Because the truth is, as I quote Rupi Kaur: “that since day one she’s already everything she needs within herself, it’s the world that convinced her she did not”

I know many among us have had stories about able, intelligent, driven women who were passed up for major promotions or seats at the board because one or few decision-makers felt that the women candidates are not ready yet. I am reminded also of the US presidential election in 2016 where Hilary Clinton battled it with Donald Trump. Qualifications wise, Vox media says Hilary, “served as secretary of state for four years, and for eight years was the junior senator from New York. She ran in two very competitive Democratic primaries. As first lady, she led Bill Clinton’s push for health care reform”. She was ready for the post; America was not yet ready for the first woman president in its 215-year-old democracy. 

When we look at this in the global context, there is a huge imbalance of men-women ratio in key leadership posts until today. Globally, of the 190 heads of states in the world, only 13 of them are women. In the Women on Boards 5th-edition study by Deloitte, women hold only four per cent of CEO and board chair positions. And while numbers are improving, still, women only hold 15 percent of board seats around the world. In Asia, the number of women holding key leadership positions are lower than the global score

I look at this initiative as an opportunity for us women, Filipina women, to expand and dream farther than our reach. It is also an opportunity for our men to show their openness and demonstrate graciousness that they are highly capable of. 

The goal, really, is to have our point of view out there so that important decisions that lead to global policies and adopted as local practices are not skewed or are not made in deference to the men-leaders. When I was invited to be on the Advisory Board of the World Bank Gender and Development Council, we founded InLife Sheroes in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC). 

InLife Sheroes is a huge and wide-open gate that helps more women to BECOME (to borrow from Michelle Obama’s book). InLife Sheroes has four pillars: Financial Literacy, Health and Wellness Education, Women Specific Health Solutions, Women Entrepreneurship. Our mission is to address women’s needs by supporting and protecting their overall wellbeing. SME’s are given access to training and a huge network to earn and learn from and to blossom and grow.

FMAG: One of your greatest pillars of support is your equally brilliant husband. What is key to your very successful marriage?  

NDA: I married the right person.

New York bestselling author, Harriet Jackson Brown Jr., wrote, “Choose your life’s mate carefully, from this decision will come 90 per cent of all your happiness or misery”. And it is true. Falling in love with the right person means finding someone who is affectionate, caring, and attentive to your needs - a man who shares your values and acknowledges you as a partner, the other half of the whole team. Someone who respects your point of view and your own dreams apart from your shared ones. 

Mothering is a full-time job – taking care of the children especially when they are sick, attending to school, ballet, piano, soccer, recital schedules, supervising homework and special projects, plotting driver routines, attending parent-teacher meetings, managing vacations and providing house care - are all too important activities that are crucial for bringing up a healthy family. 

I have five children, two daughters and three sons, who have had different needs in the different stages of their growing up years. Having someone to share the load is key in achieving your own balance. So, you may perform the role of the society’s expected accepted norm for a loving mother, and still have your life and dreams you can pursue.

I married someone who is growing and who is also supportive of my own personal growth, who is not consumed by his ego and his need for the communities’ validation. His security allowed me (emotional security) freedom to expand my career and aim for business goals that required overseeing and spending time with highly performing people across the globe. Because of his upward trajectory in his company, it allowed me (financial security) confidence to be able to make my own decisions and not be afraid of losing my job. 

FMAG: People perceive extremely successful people like you to live differently than most of us. What is a typical weekend in the Aguas’ household? 

NDA: We are extraordinarily ORDINARY. Weekends are about building relationships with family and friends. We create traditions and build warm memories for the children (5+5 in-laws) and 13 grandchildren.  

For example, Since March this year, at the onset of the pandemic, we gather all our children and grandchildren daily to pray the Family Rosary of Pope Francis at 8pm Manila time, 8am New York via ZOOM (six ports). Five of the 13 grand-kids (ages 7-12) take care of leading a decade. 

Slowly, from July, my five year old granddaughter in NY wanted to lead, too - so she and her older brother, share a decade. After one such night, my granddaughter wanted time with me with a special request. “I want my own decade... like Ate (big sister)!” 

How do I accommodate because none of the present Rosary leaders would want to give up theirs or so I thought. After sharing Sofia’s request, the other grand-kids would offer, taking turns their decade. Every time a grandchild is born, I pray only for him/her to grow up knowing and loving God. I went to bed that night smiling.

Everyone gathers for Sunday lunch at home. We usually look after the menu and make sure as much as possible, every need is met in terms of their favourite dish alternately. The house wakes up with stories shared, laughter, music, kids dancing, singing, swimming and games like hide and seek. Christmas, birthdays, holidays, achievements big and small - are celebrated, sometimes grand and sometimes very simply. I try to get an hour of me time, I walk, redecorate, write, watch movies.

FMAG: To the millions of overseas Filipinos in almost every part of the world, what advice can you offer that will always hold true? 

NDA: It is a huge responsibility and humbling, I think, to even hope to inspire others. But if to inspire means I can be a role model for others then I am all in. It is good to have dreams and to stretch out one’s aspirations to get to the top, but we must remember, too, it is likewise about the narrative on the quality of the journey. 

I have always marched to the beat of my own drum. As in a race, I try to avoid looking sideways and back, as no one person is the same. I heard this said once: do not let self-doubt neuter your ambition. 

We were all born from different circumstances, educated, and disposed differently, gifted, and blessed uniquely by our God and you alone can know the place where you can be the best version of yourself. Your individuality makes you YOU and this must shine through. 

You will not have all the answers at any point, I still do not, but I have the courage to take on risks and live out your own dreams. Finally, family and relationships are important - keep your balance, you will be happier and the better for it.

I had a lot of practice in a sense – I have become gender and color blind. I apply the same discipline and focus, create the same passion and excitement, the same judgment and common sense into any role I am given. Do not hesitate, embrace it. Keep saying to yourself, I was placed here for a reason, I am more than enough.

FMAG: Filipinos are proud of you for all you are and all you have achieved. What was the most moving tribute you have ever received?

NDA: I have yet to hear my eulogy- but seriously, more than the tributes, what moves me are life stories generously shared. Stories of love, of courage, of faith and hope. I cannot take sole credit for the achievements. Many shoulders lifted me up so that I can lead effectively, to be seen and heard and not to forget it is what got me here. My measure of success is whenever I see those who worked with me and for me become their own.

FMAG: What would you have to say to your 16-year old self?

NDA: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart (Proverbs 3:5)” and live fully.