At this time of year, we are reminded of a story from two millennia ago about wise men who were guided by a star. I’d like to tell you about a different star, the North Star that guides all that we do at John Clements Consultants.
Illuminating Our North Star’s Legacy
That North Star was created fifty years ago by my father, Leocadio Dominguez, and an Australian, Mr. John Clements. Their vision was to bring world-class human resources services to the Philippines and other countries in Southeast Asia.
Over the more than two decades that I have been at the helm of John Clements Consultants, we have continued to be guided by that North Star of providing our clients with high quality, high integrity, world-class service.
A Personal Journey to Uplift the Nation
There is another feature of that North Star that has burned brightly within me personally: elevate the Philippines. Prior to my return to the Philippines in 2002, I had lived and worked in New York, London, and Milan. What I saw there was that foreigners did not perceive Filipinos as being an advanced people. We were appreciated for our service mindset and for our willingness to perform menial tasks, but otherwise many regarded us as second-rate. Seeing that instilled in me a burning desire to change my country for the better.
That burning desire to elevate my country led me to add to the original vision of my father and Mr. Clements by building a leadership development practice. We have been aided in this initiative by our relationships with Harvard University and Harvard Business School. We have also benefited from our exclusive relationship with the U.S.-based assessment and leadership consulting firm of Zenger Folkman and by our relationship with the European-based leadership services of CrossKnowledge.
Advancing Through Global Partnerships
From our co-founding by an Australian to our more recent partnerships with top-tier U.S. and European organizations, we have had an international perspective that has enabled us to indeed elevate the image of the Philippines: we have been called upon to offer our leadership development services in other parts of Asia, including Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
Continuing with the theme of being international, I never cease to be impressed with the enduring relationships our EDI-Staffbuilders company has with its international clients. Closer to home but still with an international bent, we have been fortunate to have Persol Holdings Inc., one of Japan’s largest recruitment firms, as a partner in supporting Japanese firms that have invested in the Philippines.
Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence
So, our North Star has glowed brightly for fifty years fueled by an emphasis on quality, integrity, elevating the country, and looking beyond Philippine shores for partners and clients.
In celebration of our fiftieth anniversary, we took a moment this November to throw a bash—and what a bash it was! We flew in an opera singer from Paris, Rebecca Moeller, had a string quartet from the Manila Symphony Orchestra, thrilled to a knockout performance by Philippine singing star Ogie Alcasid, and capped off the night with fireworks on Manila Bay. In the middle of the celebrations, we honored thirty companies and their leaders for their extraordinary contributions to human resources management. Wow! What a wonderful night!
Honoring Achievements and Partnerships
Recognition for our having followed our North Star has come to me personally in ways that I find a bit embarrassing to talk about, but bear with me. In October of this year, I was one of six honorees (and one of two from Asia) for extraordinary service to the Harvard Alumni Association. Then, in December, the University of the Philippines bestowed a similar honor on me. Let me be quick to state that these personal honors are really collective ones. There is no way that I could remotely be worthy of these awards if it were not for the rock-solid support of my colleagues at John Clements Consultants and for the extraordinary support I received from fellow Harvard alumni and from friends from various walks of life. Thank you all! Those awards are yours!
Looking Ahead to the Future
As we at John Clements Consultants look to the future, we have every intention of continuing to follow our North Star of quality, integrity, elevating the country, and maintaining an international perspective. But to stay relevant, we’ve added another dimension to our North Star: we are doubling down on our commitment to artificial intelligence. That commitment, along with having put our operations on the cloud, enabled us to thrive during the challenges of the past half-decade. We are taking this as an additional step forward by offering advanced AI services to our clients. We’ll be talking with many of you about those services in the year to come.
Gratitude and Warm Wishes
I’ll close with a return to the spirit of the season, which most importantly includes gratitude. I am grateful to my colleagues at John Clements Consultants. You have stepped up to challenges that have made me proud and that have enabled us to have our North Star burn more brightly. I am grateful to our clients who have treated us as true partners and who have allowed us to work hand-in-hand with them to build stronger organizations. I am grateful to our international partners who have enabled us to offer world-class services.
With gratitude in my heart and a commitment to have our North Star continue burning brightly, I offer you and your families my warmest best wishes for the holiday season and for the year ahead.
Maria Carolina V. Dominguez
President and CEO
John Clements Consultants, Inc.
