AS I step into my new role as executive member of the National Innovation Council of the Philippines, representing the entire business sector, I will take my oath in front of the President and the public on June 30, 2023. Many asked me why I accepted the post, and all I can say is that I don't want to wait until I am retired to have a chance to help uplift the lives of 100 million people through what I know best — building innovation ecosystems.

As many of you know, I have been blessed to have an amazing career — growing up in Manila but having the chance to study at great academic institutions such as UP, Boston U, Cornell and Stanford, working in the heart of Silicon Valley and the New York tech ecosystems, and now having a chance to live my dream of being a co-founder of an AI and fintech startup with the Philippines as the pilot country. I wouldn't have imagined my life turning this way.