Scholar Spotlight - Genevieve Esguerra

Genevieve Esguerra, a Laidlaw Scholar at IE Business School, is driving change by providing a network for women in the professional field.
Scholar Spotlight - Genevieve Esguerra
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Genevieve Esguerra, Laidlaw Scholar at IE Business School, is driving change by providing a network for women in the professional field. 

I have always wanted to take up further studies, I know that education will allow me to propel my career further and be equipped on how a business can survive in the ever-changing landscape. Outside work I have been very involved and took on leadership roles in women network and even co-founded my own, in general women are well represented in the managerial roles and below, but as we move up you see less and less women represented. That is why I have used my women network platform to share best practices and provide a network for women in the professional field learn to use our voices in the board room that will “break the glass ceiling.” The network I co-founded not only celebrated women’s contribution in leadership but as well as in corporate social responsibility initiatives, providing opportunity for women to be mentored by executives from top corporations in the Philippines and of course giving back to the community. A favorite event is bringing in lawyers to talk about women’s rights during our annual Anti-Violence Against Women & Children month, to create awareness and how employers can support victims.

The Women in Business Laidlaw Scholarship is very much aligned to my values – to equip future women leaders and be represented in the C-suite roles, that education is a game changer.

I very much appreciate the opportunity to take up my Executive MBA with IE University and be supported by Laidlaw Scholarship, rest assured that this journey will once again equip to share best practices with my network in Asia but also find opportunities to make a difference in my community.

What is the biggest life challenge you have overcome and what did you learn from it?

I have shared in my application letter that I come from a family of humble means and that because of the economic circumstance, my mother had to work abroad when I was in my late teens, a very typical story in the Philippines where one of the parents work elsewhere and causes disruption in the family. It also causes an emotional imbalance for those left behind and may result to children being wayward.

I credit my parents for teaching me mental toughness and just pushing forward with challenges faced. While classmates in college were out partying, I know that money is very hard to earn so I need to keep my focus and was able to graduate on time.

Being exposed to life challenges early in my life equipped me to always stay on course in my career and the mindset I can overtake any challenges also allowed me to develop empathy with others and be an ethical leader.

What is the most useful/impactful piece of advice you have been given in your life?

When you are given a task, project or a job opportunity you are not very knowledgeable of – just say YES, I will take it! This challenging experience will allow you to learn, move out of your comfort zone and push you to find ways to succeed, and that will differentiate you from the crowd!

 

Conversely, what is the WORST piece of advice you have been given?

Women should always help with coffee ordering, note taking and thinking of team bondings. This is the complete opposite of challenging yourself to do big, a very sexist remark I must say that will not enable women to move up in their careers.

What are your top 3 leadership tips?

  1. Listen to understand
  2. Share the spot light
  3. Push people to become the best version of themselves, they will hate you initially but will thank you forever

What does it mean for you to be a Laidlaw Scholar?

It is such a huge privilege to be part of this prestigious scholarship, I don’t want to waste this opportunity so in school I really put in the extra hours to study, to always add value in class discussions and posts uploaded in IE forums. Ultimately to be a good and effective person in general because I carry the brand of Laidlaw.

Which leaders inspire you the most and why?

Indra Nooyi, former CEO of Pepsi. As a woman of color like me, she was able to rise from the ranks because of her brilliance and empathy. As the head of Pepsi she incorparated design thinking into strategy which allowed the business to further thrive. Because of her status, she used her voice to ask other senior leaders to a call for action in providing “care ecosystem” to their employees especially those with young families. She’s known to be hard working and offers practical steps for women on the million dollar question “how to do work life balance?”.  Indra is a great model that other women like me can also be on the top.

Describe a scene from the future you are striving to create.

In Asia there two excellent professional women network Women in Finance Asia (WIFA) and The Women’s Foundation and are interestingly both based in Hong Kong. Though I have co-founded my women network Women Inter-indusry Network (WIN) it is a volunteer group and not an actual company. After graduating, I would like to institutionalize WIN and go beyond celebrating women or sharing best practices but provide research and data for companies across Asia to push for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, formalizing leadership programs to truly equip both men and women be ethical leaders. It is always great to give back to the community, I would like part of the company’s earnings provide scholarship to brilliant young women so they will be equipped like how Laidlaw is helping me with my Executive MBA.

 


Quick-fire Questions

📚 My top book recommendation: 

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

🎶 My anthem: 

Raise Your Glass - Pink

🎧 Current Audiobook Obsession:

The End of the World Is Just the Beginning - Peter Zeihan

🌈 Something that made me feel joy recently:

I only had 2 math subjects in college so taking up Financial Accounting has been tough BUT I ended up passing anyway so I am very pleased

Connect with Genevieve on LinkedIn!  


 

Genevieve Esguerra is a Laidlaw Scholar at IE Business School. You can find Genevieve on LinkedIn.

The Laidlaw Women's Business Education Scholarship aims to help build a pipeline of future women leaders through access to best-in-class education, resources and global networks by providing full and half scholarships to women who would not otherwise be in a position to reap the benefits of attending an outstanding school. 

🔦 Discover more Scholar Spotlights: 

⚡️ Patrícia Gonçalves, a Laidlaw Scholar at Oxford University's Saïd Business School, on navigating the crossroads of public and private sectors and championing a sustainable, equitable future.

⚡️ Lucy Nyamaah, a Laidlaw Scholar at Oxford University's Saïd Business School, on pushing past gender norms and envisioning a female-led future in the Energy sector.

⚡️ Juliana Ruseva, a Laidlaw Scholar at London Business School, on volunteering, helping women break the glass ceiling and tackling issues step by step.

⚡️ Adebusola Adegbuyi, a Laidlaw Scholar at Saïd Business School, on facing challenges with optimism and empowering young women to begin careers in technology.

⚡️ Aya Hammad, a University of York Laidlaw Scholar, on understanding the origins of cancer, promoting equality in healthcare, and learning to be adaptable.

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