Consulate General Joins Filipino Business and Professionals Chamber’s Inaugural Forum for 2021

Consul General Ignacio: “Filipinos abroad are our best foot forward, showing the best of our people”. Also in photo (foreground, L-R): speakers advertising exec Lylah Juinio, F5 founder Adams Fan and Brut Cake’s Nicole Teng.

24 April 2021, Shanghai – Officials of the Consulate General of the Philippines came out in force to support the Philippine Chamber of Business and Professionals in Shanghai (PhilChamSH)’s first event for 2021.
The forum, “The Philippine Diaspora: Making the Best of Who You Are, Where You Are”, marked the resumption of PhilChamSH’s activities for the Filipino Community after a two-year hiatus, as restrictions gradually eased in Shanghai.
New Philippine Consul General Josel F. Ignacio addressed the event, his first major engagement with the Filipino Community since taking up his post. Hewing to the Greek etymological roots of “diaspora”, the Consul General paid tribute to the growth of the Filipino community in Shanghai, its adjacent areas, and globally as “sowing the seeds of Philippine identity, culture and talent wherever they are.”
The forum’s three featured speakers, drawn from the fields of marketing, entrepreneurship and advertising, shared their formulae and personal experiences building successful careers, business ventures and partnerships in China.
Adams Fan, founder of leading boutique creative and advertising agency F5 Shanghai, offered his take on building “guanxi” – the unique Chinese concept of relationships and networks crucial to success in the country

Shanghai-based multimedia artist and designer Nicole Teng, meanwhile, traced her journey from corporate marketing work, art gallery owner, artist-designer and later, founder of an expanding café business, providing an inspiring lesson in building and growing a brand that has attracted major F&B investors and partners in the hospitality business.
Rounding off the forum was veteran marketing director Lylah Juinio, who shared her perspectives on cultural traits and finding success in foreign settings.
The event, attended by over 60 people, closed with an open forum and the introduction of PhilChamSH’s newly inducted officers and board members. The event was sponsored by Oishi, led by its Shanghai-based executives, Mr. Larry Chan and Mr. Archie Chan. END

PhilChamSH’s first event after two years drew a sizeable and enthusiastic audience of Shanghai-based Filipinos.