Filipinas around the world continue to show that they too are capable of leading industries heavily dominated by men. In the case of Agnes Pagaduan of Philippine Airlines, she managed to rise through the ranks: From starting out as an Office Clerk for the Philippine Airlines back home, she is now the Country Manager in the UAE for the Philippine carrier.
Being in the airline industry for several decades, Pagaduan had to go through several challenges and trials as everything was an experiential task in her work for the airline.
“I had to experience everything firsthand for me to realize the heart of the matter. With the experience I gained, I managed to work closely with my team to come up with efficient solutions aimed at striking a good balance between uplifting the image of the airline while maintaining optimal customer satisfaction,” said Pagaduan.
Heart of Service
Pagaduan managed to form strategic partnerships with key Filipino and expat communities as she promoted the airline by living its values and ideals through the work that she does. But more than her duty as a leader, she has a heart of service especially for OFWs – especially as she worked closely with the Philippine government and was instrumental in the recent repatriation efforts during the UAE’s amnesty period.
“Serving hundreds of thousands of OFWs in the UAE and listening to their life stories made me realize that I can’t just simply hear them out – our company can pave the path to help them reach their families back home again,” shares Pagaduan.
Inspiring fellow Filipinas
During her leadership, she managed to steer her team towards excellence, gaining recognition from award giving bodies such as the recently concluded Arabian Travel Awards where the Philippine Airlines was hailed as the Best Airline for South East Asia.
Pagaduan advises fellow Filipinas that they shouldn’t hesitate to take up the helm and be leaders themselves for them to soar towards new heights: “They (Filipinas) need to have the courage to stand up on their own two feet, the resilience to push through peaks that seem too high to reach, and to practice humility to keep their feet grounded as they aim for the skies.”
