WOMAN ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
VIVIAN QUE-AZCONA
PRESIDENT
Mercury Drug Corporation
7 Mercury Ave. cor. C.P. Garcia Ave. Bagumbayan,
Quezon City, Philippines 1110
(632) 911 5071 to 87
www.mercurydrug.com
Ms Vivian Que-Azcona is the president of Mercury Drug Corporation, the Philippines’ leading pharmacy retail business. The eldest daughter of the founder of Mercury Drug, Dr Mariano Que, Vivian pursued a BS Pharmacy degree at the University of Santo Tomas, where she graduated cum laude.
Vivian passed the pharmacy licensure examination at the same time that she was learning the ropes of pharmacy retailing. Under the direct tutelage of Dr Que, she learned the business and worked her way up – from warehousing to distribution, from inventory and stock control to store operations, from merchandising to marketing, from HR development and training to research, finance and overall management – to prepare her for her eventual assumption of the top post in the company. She was appointed Assistant General Manager in 1980, then Vice President and General Manager in 1984, and finally President in 1998. Under her leadership, Mercury Drug has grown into a network of more than 1,000 stores nationwide. Altogether, the Mercury Drug network now employs the largest number of pharmacists nationwide and absorbs the largest number of pharmacy student interns.
All of Mercury Drug’s over 12,000 employees enjoy a superior package of benefits. Every one is a happy Mercurian and justly compensated not only while employed but for the rest of their lives after retirement. Continuing education is also provided to employees. Vivian put in place a highly-competent training team and a modern training facility for the year-round training of pharmacists and store front liners to ensure exceptional customer service.
Weekly, Vivian meets with her management team, to enable sharing of ideas, concerns and best practices to further improve Mercury Drug’s services. Through these meetings, the company
has initiated various customer value-added services, which are now well in place and well-known among the pharmacy’s customers.
These include Gamot Padala options of Call Order Pick-Up, Order Online and Order Anywhere Pick-Up Anywhere to serve customers’ orders at their convenience; Drive-Thru service, a first in pharmacy retailing in the Philippines; Pharmacy Counseling service to help customers with medication queries; mercuryTV in-store health education service; Suki Card customer value card rewarding members with good-as-cash points and discounts; and Gising 24 Oras 24/7 service in over 100 strategically-located stores.
For Filipinos, the name Mercury Drug has become a byword for medicines. Its slogan, Nakasisiguro Gamot ay Laging Bago, is a guarantee of fresh and high-quality medicines sold in Mercury Drug, whether branded or generic. Customers will always find what they need in Mercury Drug, and if the medicine they need is not available in the branch they visit, Mercury Drug will only be glad to find it in its other stores to ensure customer satisfaction. When the laws granting medicine discounts to senior citizens and persons with disability were enacted, Mercury Drug readily implemented them, granting the mandated 20% privilege discount, and exemption from the 12% VAT to all senior citizens. With its millions of senior citizen customers, Mercury Drug could easily be one of the largest providers of this privilege in the Philippines.
Because of its exceptional customer service, Mercury Drug has kept a solid customer base, making it one of the Top 10 Companies of the Philippines. It has also been cited as Top Taxpayer in the communities where it operates. Vivian herself has been cited as the Philippines’ Top Individual Taxpayer in 2012.
Vivian strives to be a good citizen and a good corporate citizen. For her, there is no meaning to success if she is not able to give back to those who have contributed to Mercury Drug’s success.
That is why Vivian and her management team never run out of ideas to make Mercury Drug’s customers happy. Every Saturday, Mercury Drug offers Suki Sabado Special products at special mark-down prices. Every month, it also offers Suki Extra Points on top of regular Suki points to reward Suki Card members; and in selected Mercury Drug stores Bantay Kalusugan free clinics are offered, providing various free medical services.
Mercury Drug also initiates nationwide promotions that offer huge prizes as a way of giving back to its customers. In celebration of its 70th anniversary last March 1, 2015, Mercury Drug gave away more than Php70 million in its Suki Panalo promo to 15,127 customers, with 70 customers winning Php1 million cash each, 217 customers winning Php7,000 worth of Mercury Drug gift certificates each and 14,840 customers winning Php20 E-load each. This turned out to be the largest promotional program in the Philippines retail industry, with a record-breaking customer participation of more than 3 million entries. Still, in Qtr 4 2015, part II of this promo will award 12 lucky customers with one Toyota Vios car each.
Vivian strives to be a good citizen and a good corporate citizen. For her, there is no meaning to success if she is not able to give back to those who have contributed to mercury drug’s success.
On Vivian’s assumption of Mercury Drug’s presidency, the company embarked on a large-scale medical outreach as a way of celebrating its anniversary. Conducted through Mercury Drug Foundation, which she heads, Vivian has seen through the yearly conduct of this outreach called Operation Bigay Lunas. Offering free medical consultations and medicines, this program reaches out to 70 underserved communities all over the country in a simultaneous all-day activity.
In partnership with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), the foundation has also made safe, potable water accessible to waterless communities, through its Operation Pa-Tubig program, to help improve health and sanitation, uplift living conditions and quality of life in these communities. With the emergence of chronic, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the foundation started conducting free health profiling, NCD screening, medical-nutritional counseling and lectures in urban poor communities, to aid in early detection, reduce the number of cases and promote healthy lifestyles.
Vivian also supports educational efforts. A scholarship program is in place in Mercury Drug to assist employees needing help with their children’s education. The foundation also grants full scholarships to deserving but financially challenged pharmacy students, academic recognition to public and private high school students excelling in Mathematics and Science, and due recognition to gifted Filipino children and youth – all to help build a new generation of future leaders.
In times of calamity, Vivian ensures that disaster relief assistance – medicines or hygiene packs – are sent immediately to those most in need.
Outside of Mercury Drug, Vivian also serves the country through various professional organizations. Her father was a co- founder of PBSP, which seeks to end poverty in the Philippines through projects funded by the collective financial support of its members. Vivian has seen through the non-stop fulfilment of this commitment and yearly, she never fails to remit a fixed percentage of Mercury Drug’s earnings before tax to PBSP.
In spite of all the work she or Mercury Drug has done for the country, Vivian has kept a low profile, much like her father. For her, “recognition or publicity is not important. What matters is that we are able to use our resources to extend a hand wherever we can, in the best and most expeditious way possible.”
For her work in community service and service to the pharmacy profession, Vivian has been the recipient of numerous awards, the most recent being the 2013 Philippine Pharmacists Association Bowl of Hygeia Award and the 2010 Outstanding Thomasian Alumni Business Leader Award given by her alma mater.
Mercury Drug has likewise been cited many times, the latest being the 2015 FAPRA Award for exceptional customer service, given by the Federation of Asia-Pacific Retailers Association; and the “Best-of-the-Best” Award for the second consecutive year at the 2015 Retail Asia-Pacific Top 500 ranking covering 14 key economies and 10 retail formats.
WOMAN ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
VIVIAN QUE-AZCONA
PRESIDENT
Ms Vivian Que-Azcona is the president of Mercury Drug Corporation, the Philippines’ leading pharmacy retail business. The eldest daughter of the founder of Mercury Drug, Dr Mariano Que, Vivian pursued a BS Pharmacy degree at the University of Santo Tomas, where she graduated cum laude.
Vivian passed the pharmacy licensure examination at the same time that she was learning the ropes of pharmacy retailing. Under the direct tutelage of Dr Que, she learned the business and worked her way up – from warehousing to distribution, from inventory and stock control to store operations, from merchandising to marketing, from HR development and training to research, finance and overall management – to prepare her for her eventual assumption of the top post in the company. She was appointed Assistant General Manager in 1980, then Vice President and General Manager in 1984, and finally President in 1998. Under her leadership, Mercury Drug has grown into a network of more than 1,000 stores nationwide. Altogether, the Mercury Drug network now employs the largest number of pharmacists nationwide and absorbs the largest number of pharmacy student interns.
All of Mercury Drug’s over 12,000 employees enjoy a superior package of benefits. Every one is a happy Mercurian and justly compensated not only while employed but for the rest of their lives after retirement. Continuing education is also provided to employees. Vivian put in place a highly-competent training team and a modern training facility for the year-round training of pharmacists and store front liners to ensure exceptional customer service.
Weekly, Vivian meets with her management team, to enable sharing of ideas, concerns and best practices to further improve Mercury Drug’s services. Through these meetings, the company
has initiated various customer value-added services, which are now well in place and well-known among the pharmacy’s customers.
These include Gamot Padala options of Call Order Pick-Up, Order Online and Order Anywhere Pick-Up Anywhere to serve customers’ orders at their convenience; Drive-Thru service, a first in pharmacy retailing in the Philippines; Pharmacy Counseling service to help customers with medication queries; mercuryTV in-store health education service; Suki Card customer value card rewarding members with good-as-cash points and discounts; and Gising 24 Oras 24/7 service in over 100 strategically-located stores.
For Filipinos, the name Mercury Drug has become a byword for medicines. Its slogan, Nakasisiguro Gamot ay Laging Bago, is a guarantee of fresh and high-quality medicines sold in Mercury Drug, whether branded or generic. Customers will always find what they need in Mercury Drug, and if the medicine they need is not available in the branch they visit, Mercury Drug will only be glad to find it in its other stores to ensure customer satisfaction. When the laws granting medicine discounts to senior citizens and persons with disability were enacted, Mercury Drug readily implemented them, granting the mandated 20% privilege discount, and exemption from the 12% VAT to all senior citizens. With its millions of senior citizen customers, Mercury Drug could easily be one of the largest providers of this privilege in the Philippines.
Because of its exceptional customer service, Mercury Drug has kept a solid customer base, making it one of the Top 10 Companies of the Philippines. It has also been cited as Top Taxpayer in the communities where it operates. Vivian herself has been cited as the Philippines’ Top Individual Taxpayer in 2012.
Vivian strives to be a good citizen and a good corporate citizen. For her, there is no meaning to success if she is not able to give back to those who have contributed to Mercury Drug’s success.
That is why Vivian and her management team never run out of ideas to make Mercury Drug’s customers happy. Every Saturday, Mercury Drug offers Suki Sabado Special products at special mark-down prices. Every month, it also offers Suki Extra Points on top of regular Suki points to reward Suki Card members; and in selected Mercury Drug stores Bantay Kalusugan free clinics are offered, providing various free medical services.
Mercury Drug also initiates nationwide promotions that offer huge prizes as a way of giving back to its customers. In celebration of its 70th anniversary last March 1, 2015, Mercury Drug gave away more than Php70 million in its Suki Panalo promo to 15,127 customers, with 70 customers winning Php1 million cash each, 217 customers winning Php7,000 worth of Mercury Drug gift certificates each and 14,840 customers winning Php20 E-load each. This turned out to be the largest promotional program in the Philippines retail industry, with a record-breaking customer participation of more than 3 million entries. Still, in Qtr 4 2015, part II of this promo will award 12 lucky customers with one Toyota Vios car each.
Mercury Drug Corporation
7 Mercury Ave. cor. C.P. Garcia Ave. Bagumbayan,
Quezon City, Philippines 1110
(632) 911 5071 to 87
www.mercurydrug.com
Vivian strives to be a good citizen and a good corporate citizen. For her, there is no meaning to success if she is not able to give back to those who have contributed to mercury drug’s success.
On Vivian’s assumption of Mercury Drug’s presidency, the company embarked on a large-scale medical outreach as a way of celebrating its anniversary. Conducted through Mercury Drug Foundation, which she heads, Vivian has seen through the yearly conduct of this outreach called Operation Bigay Lunas. Offering free medical consultations and medicines, this program reaches out to 70 underserved communities all over the country in a simultaneous all-day activity.
In partnership with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), the foundation has also made safe, potable water accessible to waterless communities, through its Operation Pa-Tubig program, to help improve health and sanitation, uplift living conditions and quality of life in these communities. With the emergence of chronic, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the foundation started conducting free health profiling, NCD screening, medical-nutritional counseling and lectures in urban poor communities, to aid in early detection, reduce the number of cases and promote healthy lifestyles.
Vivian also supports educational efforts. A scholarship program is in place in Mercury Drug to assist employees needing help with their children’s education. The foundation also grants full scholarships to deserving but financially challenged pharmacy students, academic recognition to public and private high school students excelling in Mathematics and Science, and due recognition to gifted Filipino children and youth – all to help build a new generation of future leaders.
In times of calamity, Vivian ensures that disaster relief assistance – medicines or hygiene packs – are sent immediately to those most in need.
Outside of Mercury Drug, Vivian also serves the country through various professional organizations. Her father was a co- founder of PBSP, which seeks to end poverty in the Philippines through projects funded by the collective financial support of its members. Vivian has seen through the non-stop fulfilment of this commitment and yearly, she never fails to remit a fixed percentage of Mercury Drug’s earnings before tax to PBSP.
In spite of all the work she or Mercury Drug has done for the country, Vivian has kept a low profile, much like her father. For her, “recognition or publicity is not important. What matters is that we are able to use our resources to extend a hand wherever we can, in the best and most expeditious way possible.”
For her work in community service and service to the pharmacy profession, Vivian has been the recipient of numerous awards, the most recent being the 2013 Philippine Pharmacists Association Bowl of Hygeia Award and the 2010 Outstanding Thomasian Alumni Business Leader Award given by her alma mater.
Mercury Drug has likewise been cited many times, the latest being the 2015 FAPRA Award for exceptional customer service, given by the Federation of Asia-Pacific Retailers Association; and the “Best-of-the-Best” Award for the second consecutive year at the 2015 Retail Asia-Pacific Top 500 ranking covering 14 key economies and 10 retail formats.
WOMAN ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
VIVIAN QUE-AZCONA
PRESIDENT
Ms Vivian Que-Azcona is the president of Mercury Drug Corporation, the Philippines’ leading pharmacy retail business. The eldest daughter of the founder of Mercury Drug, Dr Mariano Que, Vivian pursued a BS Pharmacy degree at the University of Santo Tomas, where she graduated cum laude.
Vivian passed the pharmacy licensure examination at the same time that she was learning the ropes of pharmacy retailing. Under the direct tutelage of Dr Que, she learned the business and worked her way up – from warehousing to distribution, from inventory and stock control to store operations, from merchandising to marketing, from HR development and training to research, finance and overall management – to prepare her for her eventual assumption of the top post in the company. She was appointed Assistant General Manager in 1980, then Vice President and General Manager in 1984, and finally President in 1998. Under her leadership, Mercury Drug has grown into a network of more than 1,000 stores nationwide. Altogether, the Mercury Drug network now employs the largest number of pharmacists nationwide and absorbs the largest number of pharmacy student interns.
All of Mercury Drug’s over 12,000 employees enjoy a superior package of benefits. Every one is a happy Mercurian and justly compensated not only while employed but for the rest of their lives after retirement. Continuing education is also provided to employees. Vivian put in place a highly-competent training team and a modern training facility for the year-round training of pharmacists and store front liners to ensure exceptional customer service.
Weekly, Vivian meets with her management team, to enable sharing of ideas, concerns and best practices to further improve Mercury Drug’s services. Through these meetings, the company
has initiated various customer value-added services, which are now well in place and well-known among the pharmacy’s customers.
These include Gamot Padala options of Call Order Pick-Up, Order Online and Order Anywhere Pick-Up Anywhere to serve customers’ orders at their convenience; Drive-Thru service, a first in pharmacy retailing in the Philippines; Pharmacy Counseling service to help customers with medication queries; mercuryTV in-store health education service; Suki Card customer value card rewarding members with good-as-cash points and discounts; and Gising 24 Oras 24/7 service in over 100 strategically-located stores.
For Filipinos, the name Mercury Drug has become a byword for medicines. Its slogan, Nakasisiguro Gamot ay Laging Bago, is a guarantee of fresh and high-quality medicines sold in Mercury Drug, whether branded or generic. Customers will always find what they need in Mercury Drug, and if the medicine they need is not available in the branch they visit, Mercury Drug will only be glad to find it in its other stores to ensure customer satisfaction. When the laws granting medicine discounts to senior citizens and persons with disability were enacted, Mercury Drug readily implemented them, granting the mandated 20% privilege discount, and exemption from the 12% VAT to all senior citizens. With its millions of senior citizen customers, Mercury Drug could easily be one of the largest providers of this privilege in the Philippines.
Because of its exceptional customer service, Mercury Drug has kept a solid customer base, making it one of the Top 10 Companies of the Philippines. It has also been cited as Top Taxpayer in the communities where it operates. Vivian herself has been cited as the Philippines’ Top Individual Taxpayer in 2012.
Vivian strives to be a good citizen and a good corporate citizen. For her, there is no meaning to success if she is not able to give back to those who have contributed to Mercury Drug’s success.
That is why Vivian and her management team never run out of ideas to make Mercury Drug’s customers happy. Every Saturday, Mercury Drug offers Suki Sabado Special products at special mark-down prices. Every month, it also offers Suki Extra Points on top of regular Suki points to reward Suki Card members; and in selected Mercury Drug stores Bantay Kalusugan free clinics are offered, providing various free medical services.
Mercury Drug also initiates nationwide promotions that offer huge prizes as a way of giving back to its customers. In celebration of its 70th anniversary last March 1, 2015, Mercury Drug gave away more than Php70 million in its Suki Panalo promo to 15,127 customers, with 70 customers winning Php1 million cash each, 217 customers winning Php7,000 worth of Mercury Drug gift certificates each and 14,840 customers winning Php20 E-load each. This turned out to be the largest promotional program in the Philippines retail industry, with a record-breaking customer participation of more than 3 million entries. Still, in Qtr 4 2015, part II of this promo will award 12 lucky customers with one Toyota Vios car each.
Mercury Drug Corporation
7 Mercury Ave. cor. C.P. Garcia Ave. Bagumbayan,
Quezon City, Philippines 1110
(632) 911 5071 to 87
www.mercurydrug.com
Vivian strives to be a good citizen and a good corporate citizen. For her, there is no meaning to success if she is not able to give back to those who have contributed to mercury drug’s success.
On Vivian’s assumption of Mercury Drug’s presidency, the company embarked on a large-scale medical outreach as a way of celebrating its anniversary. Conducted through Mercury Drug Foundation, which she heads, Vivian has seen through the yearly conduct of this outreach called Operation Bigay Lunas. Offering free medical consultations and medicines, this program reaches out to 70 underserved communities all over the country in a simultaneous all-day activity.
In partnership with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), the foundation has also made safe, potable water accessible to waterless communities, through its Operation Pa-Tubig program, to help improve health and sanitation, uplift living conditions and quality of life in these communities. With the emergence of chronic, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the foundation started conducting free health profiling, NCD screening, medical-nutritional counseling and lectures in urban poor communities, to aid in early detection, reduce the number of cases and promote healthy lifestyles.
Vivian also supports educational efforts. A scholarship program is in place in Mercury Drug to assist employees needing help with their children’s education. The foundation also grants full scholarships to deserving but financially challenged pharmacy students, academic recognition to public and private high school students excelling in Mathematics and Science, and due recognition to gifted Filipino children and youth – all to help build a new generation of future leaders.
In times of calamity, Vivian ensures that disaster relief assistance – medicines or hygiene packs – are sent immediately to those most in need.
Outside of Mercury Drug, Vivian also serves the country through various professional organizations. Her father was a co- founder of PBSP, which seeks to end poverty in the Philippines through projects funded by the collective financial support of its members. Vivian has seen through the non-stop fulfilment of this commitment and yearly, she never fails to remit a fixed percentage of Mercury Drug’s earnings before tax to PBSP.
In spite of all the work she or Mercury Drug has done for the country, Vivian has kept a low profile, much like her father. For her, “recognition or publicity is not important. What matters is that we are able to use our resources to extend a hand wherever we can, in the best and most expeditious way possible.”
For her work in community service and service to the pharmacy profession, Vivian has been the recipient of numerous awards, the most recent being the 2013 Philippine Pharmacists Association Bowl of Hygeia Award and the 2010 Outstanding Thomasian Alumni Business Leader Award given by her alma mater.
Mercury Drug has likewise been cited many times, the latest being the 2015 FAPRA Award for exceptional customer service, given by the Federation of Asia-Pacific Retailers Association; and the “Best-of-the-Best” Award for the second consecutive year at the 2015 Retail Asia-Pacific Top 500 ranking covering 14 key economies and 10 retail formats.