OUTSTANDING CATEGORY
CARLO MATA
DIRECTOR
White & Case Global Operations Center
7Th Floor Tower 2, The Enterprise Center 6766
Ayala Avenue Corner Paseo De Roxas Makati City 1226
+632 479 5888
www.whitecase.com
“I’m nation building. One home at a time.” This was Carlo Mata’s response to the question “What do you do?” Other people would shy away from making such a bold statement, but Carlo is quick to explain why this is how he describes his job; “The people who work for me are breadwinners of their homes, and if I can raise their standard of living as a result of the success that they achieve with the organization, then I am able to impact not just their lives, but those of their families as well.” It is this ability to look at the bigger picture and put his trust in his people that has helped Carlo make a name for himself in the highly competitive business services industry.
As the head of the White & Case Global Operations Center in Manila, he ensures that the team is aligned to the needs of the Firm (White & Case) and the objectives of the different business functions in the fields of human resources, conflict searches, knowledge management, creative services, finance, technology, customized executive assistance and document services among others. Carlo builds collaborative relationships with other leaders in the different regions and offices so that he can create the right environment to deliver world class business services for the Firm.
Prior to joining White & Case, Carlo spent over a decade managing high performance teams that delivered high value services for Fortune 500 companies. During that time, he specialized in process improvement and innovation, quality management and helped focus organizations on delivering outstanding customer service. When Carlo joined White & Case GOC Manila, the office was still trying to find its footing after unexpectedly losing its former director. Undaunted by the challenges before him, he then set out to get the organization back on track. The first step was to address the spike in attrition; from a high of 22.6% in 2015 when he first joined the Firm, today the Manila office has an attrition rate of 9.34%. Carlo believes that
the key to success for any organization lies in its people, so it is important that as a leader, you are able to take care of them so that they can continue to excel. “I believe that there is no one without a single gift or talent. You don’t have to be concerned about the talents that you lack, but continue to focus and improve on what you already have.” This approach has helped the organization grow its business and expand operations to two additional office spaces at The Enterprise Center this year, the Manila office currently exclusively occupies the sixth and seventh floors and shares space on the eighth, sixteenth and twenty-third floors.
“Over time, I have come to realize that one of my passions is igniting people’s passion. I find so much fulfilment in being able to inspire people to find their ‘why’—so much so that it is actually hardwired into my own ‘why’—I was given a gift to speak, so now I embrace every opportunity to motivate others.”
Manila has also been able to innovate its corporate social responsibility programs by partnering with organizations such as World Vision, Team Asia (My Dream in a Shoebox), Up Mountaineers (Green is Good) and Bahay Aruga, which allows them to be able to initiate positive changes in the lives of others that is sustainable and creates impact. This change in direction is part of Carlo’s plan to be able to alter the
way the employees view engagement. Other initiatives that were created include the organization’s first university tie-up (PUP) and a customized wellness program for the employees that included a portal for tracking activities and health goals, inhouse fitness sessions, among others (Livewell).
His youth is definitely one of the first things that you will notice upon meeting Carlo for the first time. Throughout his career, he has been placed in positions and situations that are normally reserved for those who are five, ten or even fifteen years older than him. According to him, there is no easy way to explain his success, but he believes that in order to succeed you must be able to cultivate two very important traits; resilience and fortitude. “It’s ok to fail, but you have to get up and keep moving forward. Your story isn’t over until you say it’s over.”
“We sometimes spend so much time waiting for those wow moments, when in fact what defines us is consistency.” Another thing that Carlo values in himself and others is consistency, “People don’t look at someone who patiently waits thirty minutes to get a bus or jeepney ride just to get to work as signs of success—but the truth is, it is already the seed of success, this habit helps build character.”
He further explains why he doesn’t believe in placing too much importance on the ‘big moments.’ “A defining moment is not when you all of a sudden become great or a failure, a defining moment will show who you truly are. It is like a magnifying glass that will amplify what has been there all this time.”
Seeing Carlo today as he addresses the crowd in Manila as well as those in the different White & Case offices during the recently concluded Business Services Strategy Forum, it is hard to imagine that he used to be afraid of public speaking when he was growing up. Like many successful people, he was able to turn this fear into something positive. “I can clearly remember the turning point in my life when I started the journey of being bold enough to speak,” he shares during an interview for one of the office’s projects. Carlo then goes on to recount the story of how he was asked to come up and address the congregation (his father was a minister) at Makati Shangri-la as a young boy and share what he learned during an episode of NatGeo.
“It made me realize how vast the universe is and how when you think your problem is so big, but then you realize there are worlds out there so much bigger than you are—and it sort of puts things into perspective.” After his speech, people came up to congratulate him and say how much they enjoyed his talk—it was then that he realized that it felt good to be able to touch and inspire people through his words.
“Over time, I have come to realize that one of my passions is igniting people’s passion. I find so much fulfilment in being able to inspire people to find their ‘why’—so much so that it is actually hardwired into my own ‘why’—I was given a gift to speak, so now I embrace every opportunity to motivate others.”
Carlo Mata’s vision and mission for the future of White & Case Manila GOC can be summed up in the organization’s Mission Statement: World Class for White Case.
Simply put, this means continuously striving for excellence and being able to look for ways to do things better in order to support the Firm’s strategy to achieve success.
OUTSTANDING CATEGORY
CARLO MATA
DIRECTOR
“I’m nation building. One home at a time.” This was Carlo Mata’s response to the question “What do you do?” Other people would shy away from making such a bold statement, but Carlo is quick to explain why this is how he describes his job; “The people who work for me are breadwinners of their homes, and if I can raise their standard of living as a result of the success that they achieve with the organization, then I am able to impact not just their lives, but those of their families as well.” It is this ability to look at the bigger picture and put his trust in his people that has helped Carlo make a name for himself in the highly competitive business services industry.
As the head of the White & Case Global Operations Center in Manila, he ensures that the team is aligned to the needs of the Firm (White & Case) and the objectives of the different business functions in the fields of human resources, conflict searches, knowledge management, creative services, finance, technology, customized executive assistance and document services among others. Carlo builds collaborative relationships with other leaders in the different regions and offices so that he can create the right environment to deliver world class business services for the Firm.
Prior to joining White & Case, Carlo spent over a decade managing high performance teams that delivered high value services for Fortune 500 companies. During that time, he specialized in process improvement and innovation, quality management and helped focus organizations on delivering outstanding customer service. When Carlo joined White & Case GOC Manila, the office was still trying to find its footing after unexpectedly losing its former director. Undaunted by the challenges before him, he then set out to get the organization back on track. The first step was to address the spike in attrition; from a high of 22.6% in 2015 when he first joined the Firm, today the Manila office has an attrition rate of 9.34%. Carlo believes that
the key to success for any organization lies in its people, so it is important that as a leader, you are able to take care of them so that they can continue to excel. “I believe that there is no one without a single gift or talent. You don’t have to be concerned about the talents that you lack, but continue to focus and improve on what you already have.” This approach has helped the organization grow its business and expand operations to two additional office spaces at The Enterprise Center this year, the Manila office currently exclusively occupies the sixth and seventh floors and shares space on the eighth, sixteenth and twenty-third floors.
White & Case Global Operations Center
7Th Floor Tower 2, The Enterprise Center 6766
Ayala Avenue Corner Paseo De Roxas Makati City 1226
+632 479 5888
www.whitecase.com
“Over time, I have come to realize that one of my passions is igniting people’s passion. I find so much fulfilment in being able to inspire people to find their ‘why’—so much so that it is actually hardwired into my own ‘why’—I was given a gift to speak, so now I embrace every opportunity to motivate others.”
Manila has also been able to innovate its corporate social responsibility programs by partnering with organizations such as World Vision, Team Asia (My Dream in a Shoebox), Up Mountaineers (Green is Good) and Bahay Aruga, which allows them to be able to initiate positive changes in the lives of others that is sustainable and creates impact. This change in direction is part of Carlo’s plan to be able to alter the
way the employees view engagement. Other initiatives that were created include the organization’s first university tie-up (PUP) and a customized wellness program for the employees that included a portal for tracking activities and health goals, inhouse fitness sessions, among others (Livewell).
His youth is definitely one of the first things that you will notice upon meeting Carlo for the first time. Throughout his career, he has been placed in positions and situations that are normally reserved for those who are five, ten or even fifteen years older than him. According to him, there is no easy way to explain his success, but he believes that in order to succeed you must be able to cultivate two very important traits; resilience and fortitude. “It’s ok to fail, but you have to get up and keep moving forward. Your story isn’t over until you say it’s over.”
“We sometimes spend so much time waiting for those wow moments, when in fact what defines us is consistency.” Another thing that Carlo values in himself and others is consistency, “People don’t look at someone who patiently waits thirty minutes to get a bus or jeepney ride just to get to work as signs of success—but the truth is, it is already the seed of success, this habit helps build character.”
He further explains why he doesn’t believe in placing too much importance on the ‘big moments.’ “A defining moment is not when you all of a sudden become great or a failure, a defining moment will show who you truly are. It is like a magnifying glass that will amplify what has been there all this time.”
Seeing Carlo today as he addresses the crowd in Manila as well as those in the different White & Case offices during the recently concluded Business Services Strategy Forum, it is hard to imagine that he used to be afraid of public speaking when he was growing up. Like many successful people, he was able to turn this fear into something positive. “I can clearly remember the turning point in my life when I started the journey of being bold enough to speak,” he shares during an interview for one of the office’s projects. Carlo then goes on to recount the story of how he was asked to come up and address the congregation (his father was a minister) at Makati Shangri-la as a young boy and share what he learned during an episode of NatGeo.
“It made me realize how vast the universe is and how when you think your problem is so big, but then you realize there are worlds out there so much bigger than you are—and it sort of puts things into perspective.” After his speech, people came up to congratulate him and say how much they enjoyed his talk—it was then that he realized that it felt good to be able to touch and inspire people through his words.
“Over time, I have come to realize that one of my passions is igniting people’s passion. I find so much fulfilment in being able to inspire people to find their ‘why’—so much so that it is actually hardwired into my own ‘why’—I was given a gift to speak, so now I embrace every opportunity to motivate others.”
Carlo Mata’s vision and mission for the future of White & Case Manila GOC can be summed up in the organization’s Mission Statement: World Class for White Case.
Simply put, this means continuously striving for excellence and being able to look for ways to do things better in order to support the Firm’s strategy to achieve success.