As part of its Women’s Month activities, AXA Philippines, one of the country’s leading insurance providers, was a major sponsor for this year’s She Talks Asia Summit. This event is the flagship program by She Talks Asia, which celebrates women and focuses on empowerment, diversity, and inclusion. This year’s theme, Feel Seen, highlights the value of embracing one’s self-worth and achieving one’s full potential in order to create the change we want to see in the world.
The virtual summit was attended by women from diverse backgrounds, all with a unique story to tell. AXA Philippines Head of Emerging Customers Meek Villanueva sat down for the “Stand Up, Feel Seen” forum and discussed how to navigate one’s personal and professional life and become empowered while finding your own voice and purpose.
“Everybody has their own journey. You don’t have to go the same way because others follow a similar path. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. It’s not going to be easy, but as long as we have the courage to follow our heart and intuition, we will find our purpose and the path that will lead us to success,” Villanueva shared.
With 19 years of experience in various companies in the financial sector in Singapore and the Philippines, Villanueva also shared how working with AXA Philippines, a company that values and promotes diversity and inclusion, has helped her achieve professional success.
“It is also very important and helpful to have a very welcoming workspace like AXA in which all employees, especially women, are treated with value, dignity, and respect, where individual differences are encouraged and celebrated. Aside from building my trust in my own capabilities, having a supportive space in AXA also really helped me to take risks and seize more opportunities,” Villanueva said.
Apart from creating a diverse and inclusive work culture, AXA’s purpose is to act for human progress by protecting what matters. With protection and health being the core of its business, AXA not only helps individuals, businesses, and societies to thrive as a partner they can rely on, but is also committed to acting as a force for the collective good. The company also aims to promote inclusive insurance for vulnerable populations, which was why its Emerging Customers unit was created. Villanueva shared that AXA Emerging Customers’ vision is to make insurance accessible, affordable, and relevant to 4 billion low income individuals around the world who remain vulnerable to unforeseen events.
Two other notable and empowered women also joined the discussion to share their stories, namely Natasha Mañosa-Tanjutco, designer and co-founder of Kids for Kids Philippines and TAYO Design Studio, and Mela Habijan, the first-ever Miss Trans Global and an active voice of the Trans Filipina community.
Iza Calzado, She Talks Asia co-founder and wellness advocate, hosted the event and offered attendees meaningful insights centered on the event theme.
“We get so lost in living our lives, pleasing other people that we often forget to pay attention to the first thing that we are responsible for and that is ourselves, our identity… It’s so important to let ourselves be seen and heard and focus on the things that make us the happiest version of ourselves,” said Calzado.
AXA Philippines continues to partner with various women-led organizations like She Talks Asia to highlight the importance of empowering women and fighting discrimination and biases.
Even beyond Women’s Month, AXA continues to support gender equality, helping empower women to continue to defy stereotypes and #BreakTheBias. AXA Philippines supports women empowerment as evidenced by its workforce made up of 62% women.
For more updates and information, visit https://www.axa.com.ph.