Chief finance and sustainability officer of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation Chaye Cabal-Revilla sits down with Tatler to discuss sustainable living and practices
Long ago, women were limited to doing handwork and housework. Today, they are given the same rights as men—women can now vote, study and lead. This significance for the women of today has not gone unnoticed by Chaye Cabal-Revilla, executive vice president and chief finance, risk and sustainability officer of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC). “Women are assertive and competent,” she says of all women in general, yet she is describing herself perfectly.
According to Cabal-Revilla, building her confidence was a priority for her from the beginning, given her role as a female leader in the business world and in a male-dominated industry. “You must try to understand all the functions that work with you. That’s how you become a better leader, a better person. When you understand the business, you can give better input. You also get to do your part much better because you understand everybody else,” she says, stressing that confidence and hard work are essential to become a good and effective woman leader.
Cabal-Revilla, however, takes her leadership beyond commerce and its technicalities. She always seeks something much more meaningful—something wrapped in compassion and passion, not just for the self but the entire world. This makes her more than a business leader but a changemaker, taking necessary steps for a healthier environment and a more breathable world.
Fostering change
As a forward-thinking visionary, Cabal-Revilla is keen on dedicating her career to implementing innovative solutions to ensure a sustainable future for the next generations. She shares, “I do sustainability because I’m a mother. It’s beneficial for me, our children and all parents. We work for our kids—to put them in a good home and school.”
While she continues to practice sustainability, she is also wary of the environment’s central role in all this. She shares that helping reduce carbon emissions—such as lessening energy consumption and taking public transport instead of a private vehicle—is one of many ways to make the environment conducive to future generations. Other approaches include recycling and reusing materials, avoiding disposable items, and reducing food waste by buying only what your household can consume.
