OUTSTANDING CATEGORY
Stephen James Reilly
COO
There is an Englishman in Manila who has so fallen in love with his adoptive country and its people, that he has taken every opportunity he can to champion the Filipino. A keen runner and sports fan, this family man and business executive delights in sharing his personal passions with the people around him and channeling them for the greater good.
Stephen “Steve” Reilly was born on February 10, 1966, in Luton, England. After finishing his studies, he spent seven years working in the gaming industry within the United Kingdom, predominantly in London from 1988 to 1995.
Steve began his foray into Asia in 1995 when he joined Genting Hong Kong where he served as Director of Corporate Surveillance until 2007. From 2007 to 2009, Steve served as Vice President of Genting Hong Kong and then as Philippine Country Head & Senior Vice President of Genting Hong Kong from 2009 to 2010.
Steve is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Resorts World Manila (RWM), a post he has held since 2010. He considers joining the Genting Group and ultimately Travellers International Hotel Group, Inc. (TIHGI), which owns and operates RWM as a definite career highlight, because it let him be a part of the pioneering team that set up the Philippines’ first integrated resort.
When RWM first opened its doors, the concept of integrated resorts was virtually unheard of in the Philippines. The RWM team introduced an entirely new business model to the country and the excitement around the project was palpable.
With RWM now on its ninth year in business, the team’s gamble on jumpstarting the integrated resort industry in the Philippines proved to be an excellently calculated and executed one, with RWM experiencing near-instant success with both local and foreign gamers. Recognizing the viability of the industry, the Philippine government has since opened Entertainment City where three other large-scale integrated resorts are now operating.
“In the years following RWM’s success, newer integrated resort brands started to arrive which had the luxury of following the trail we blazed and being able to bring in newer, bigger attractions, which would of course result in a stretched-out market,” Steve said. “While this definitely poses a challenge, we are overcoming this by not resting on our laurels and making sure that we will also make our mark in the Entertainment City complex.”
TIHGI’s Entertainment City property, which will be called Resorts World Westside City – will be open by 2021 and will be the last licensee for the Entertainment City, with the promise to live up to the line about ‘saving the best for last.’ The Group’s original development, RWM, has not stopped growing and improving. Just recently, it opened the Hilton Manila – marking the return of the group’s flagship hotel brand to the city. This will be followed by the Sheraton Manila Hotel, The Hotel Okura Manila – which marks the premium Japanese hotelier’s first foray in the Philippines, and then by the Ritz-Carlton – the pinnacle of luxury accommodations.
In addition to hotels, RWM is set to complete its Grand Wing which is designed to cater to the VIP market, and comes complete with the latest in gaming, entertainment, and dining. “Aside from our constant drive to keep the business growing and building more facilities to accommodate the continuously growing and maturing market, I believe we made a particular investment early on that sets us apart from other industry players,” Reilly says. “We’ve invested in our people, and I’m not just talking about paychecks, but rather on developing their potential as professionals and as individuals. This has resulted in a team of ‘Thrillmakers’ that consistently deliver the best customer experience to everyone who walks through our doors.” The company, which has expressed its commitment to delivering world-class thrills with a Filipino touch, works to maintain a loyal and motivated team – many of whom are returning overseas Filipino workers from the cruise and hospitality industries who have been with the company since RWM gave them an opportunity to work in the Philippines and be with their families.
“I am a firm believer in the principle that those have been given much, have the moral obligation to use their privilege to benefit those who have less,” Reilly mused. “Large, successful corporations have so much opportunity to create a huge positive impact on so many lives. It’s just a matter of finding how your corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs can be done sustainably.”
To keep employee skills sharp while also honing leadership and personal character traits, RWM has instituted an internal talent development system for employees at every level of the organization. The course options cover trainings for work efficiency, skills, critical thinking, leadership, and personal character for rankand-file up to senior management positions.
Working in the Philippines has heightened Steve’s instincts for social justice and responsibility. Having grown up in a country of relative prosperity that had functioning safety nets for its less fortunate members of society, Steve saw an opportunity for corporations to help fill social gaps in the Philippines. Under his direction and guidance, RWM has developed a finely-tuned Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) vision with clearly defined commitments that both meet communities’ immediate needs and play on RWM’s core strengths.
Working on the philosophy of using what you’re good at to serve the greater good, RWM’s advocacies lean towards promoting Philippine culture and tourism, creating job opportunities for less fortunate individuals through training and employment, nurturing the arts, and volunteerism. It is also committed to sustainable corporate citizenship by seeking innovative ways to protect the environment and assist calamity victims.
“I am a firm believer in the principle that those have been given much, have the moral obligation to use their privilege to benefit those who have less,” Reilly mused. “Large, successful corporations have so much opportunity to create a huge positive impact on so many lives. It’s just a matter of finding how your corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs can be done sustainably.” One of RWM’s core programs for job creation is called the Livelihood Employment Assistant Program (LEAP). Through LEAP, individuals endorsed by the Pasay City Social Welfare Department receive skills training and personality enhancement workshops to prime them for employment. While RWM may not be able to directly hire all LEAP beneficiaries, each one of them is given the necessary skills to find gainful employment.
With over 5,000 employees, RWM’s true strength lies in its people. Thus, the League of Volunteer Employees (LOVE) program was created; enabling RWM employees to receive funding and logistical support from the company for the implementation of charitable programs that are close to their hearts.
“I think you’ve got to have something you truly believe in. There has to be a goal, and that goal can’t always be just about the resort or yourself. You have to look outside as well as in. What is our purpose and how do we achieve that?” continued Steve. “CSR is something which is close to my heart, and I think I’ve made that the same for many, many others throughout the company.”
OUTSTANDING CATEGORY
Stephen James Reilly
COO
There is an Englishman in Manila who has so fallen in love with his adoptive country and its people, that he has taken every opportunity he can to champion the Filipino. A keen runner and sports fan, this family man and business executive delights in sharing his personal passions with the people around him and channeling them for the greater good.
Stephen “Steve” Reilly was born on February 10, 1966, in Luton, England. After finishing his studies, he spent seven years working in the gaming industry within the United Kingdom, predominantly in London from 1988 to 1995.
Steve began his foray into Asia in 1995 when he joined Genting Hong Kong where he served as Director of Corporate Surveillance until 2007. From 2007 to 2009, Steve served as Vice President of Genting Hong Kong and then as Philippine Country Head & Senior Vice President of Genting Hong Kong from 2009 to 2010.
Steve is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Resorts World Manila (RWM), a post he has held since 2010. He considers joining the Genting Group and ultimately Travellers International Hotel Group, Inc. (TIHGI), which owns and operates RWM as a definite career highlight, because it let him be a part of the pioneering team that set up the Philippines’ first integrated resort.
When RWM first opened its doors, the concept of integrated resorts was virtually unheard of in the Philippines. The RWM team introduced an entirely new business model to the country and the excitement around the project was palpable.
With RWM now on its ninth year in business, the team’s gamble on jumpstarting the integrated resort industry in the Philippines proved to be an excellently calculated and executed one, with RWM experiencing near-instant success with both local and foreign gamers. Recognizing the viability of the industry, the Philippine government has since opened Entertainment City where three other large-scale integrated resorts are now operating.
“In the years following RWM’s success, newer integrated resort brands started to arrive which had the luxury of following the trail we blazed and being able to bring in newer, bigger attractions, which would of course result in a stretched-out market,” Steve said. “While this definitely poses a challenge, we are overcoming this by not resting on our laurels and making sure that we will also make our mark in the Entertainment City complex.”
TIHGI’s Entertainment City property, which will be called Resorts World Westside City – will be open by 2021 and will be the last licensee for the Entertainment City, with the promise to live up to the line about ‘saving the best for last.’ The Group’s original development, RWM, has not stopped growing and improving. Just recently, it opened the Hilton Manila – marking the return of the group’s flagship hotel brand to the city. This will be followed by the Sheraton Manila Hotel, The Hotel Okura Manila – which marks the premium Japanese hotelier’s first foray in the Philippines, and then by the Ritz-Carlton – the pinnacle of luxury accommodations.
In addition to hotels, RWM is set to complete its Grand Wing which is designed to cater to the VIP market, and comes complete with the latest in gaming, entertainment, and dining. “Aside from our constant drive to keep the business growing and building more facilities to accommodate the continuously growing and maturing market, I believe we made a particular investment early on that sets us apart from other industry players,” Reilly says. “We’ve invested in our people, and I’m not just talking about paychecks, but rather on developing their potential as professionals and as individuals. This has resulted in a team of ‘Thrillmakers’ that consistently deliver the best customer experience to everyone who walks through our doors.” The company, which has expressed its commitment to delivering world-class thrills with a Filipino touch, works to maintain a loyal and motivated team – many of whom are returning overseas Filipino workers from the cruise and hospitality industries who have been with the company since RWM gave them an opportunity to work in the Philippines and be with their families.
“I am a firm believer in the principle that those have been given much, have the moral obligation to use their privilege to benefit those who have less,” Reilly mused. “Large, successful corporations have so much opportunity to create a huge positive impact on so many lives. It’s just a matter of finding how your corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs can be done sustainably.”
To keep employee skills sharp while also honing leadership and personal character traits, RWM has instituted an internal talent development system for employees at every level of the organization. The course options cover trainings for work efficiency, skills, critical thinking, leadership, and personal character for rankand-file up to senior management positions.
Working in the Philippines has heightened Steve’s instincts for social justice and responsibility. Having grown up in a country of relative prosperity that had functioning safety nets for its less fortunate members of society, Steve saw an opportunity for corporations to help fill social gaps in the Philippines. Under his direction and guidance, RWM has developed a finely-tuned Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) vision with clearly defined commitments that both meet communities’ immediate needs and play on RWM’s core strengths.
Working on the philosophy of using what you’re good at to serve the greater good, RWM’s advocacies lean towards promoting Philippine culture and tourism, creating job opportunities for less fortunate individuals through training and employment, nurturing the arts, and volunteerism. It is also committed to sustainable corporate citizenship by seeking innovative ways to protect the environment and assist calamity victims.
“I am a firm believer in the principle that those have been given much, have the moral obligation to use their privilege to benefit those who have less,” Reilly mused. “Large, successful corporations have so much opportunity to create a huge positive impact on so many lives. It’s just a matter of finding how your corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs can be done sustainably.” One of RWM’s core programs for job creation is called the Livelihood Employment Assistant Program (LEAP). Through LEAP, individuals endorsed by the Pasay City Social Welfare Department receive skills training and personality enhancement workshops to prime them for employment. While RWM may not be able to directly hire all LEAP beneficiaries, each one of them is given the necessary skills to find gainful employment.
With over 5,000 employees, RWM’s true strength lies in its people. Thus, the League of Volunteer Employees (LOVE) program was created; enabling RWM employees to receive funding and logistical support from the company for the implementation of charitable programs that are close to their hearts.
“I think you’ve got to have something you truly believe in. There has to be a goal, and that goal can’t always be just about the resort or yourself. You have to look outside as well as in. What is our purpose and how do we achieve that?” continued Steve. “CSR is something which is close to my heart, and I think I’ve made that the same for many, many others throughout the company.”