BDO’s Nestor V. Tan inspired November 2013 Graduates
FULL TEXT OF NESTOR V. TAN’S SPEECH
Dr. Tan, president of APC, faculty and administrators of APC, graduates, special guests, ladies and
gentlemen, good afternoon. When Tata was telling me about the write-up that she put together for my
introduction, I had some scared moments then, because I didn’t know what impression I left with her.
Because in one of our discussions, she called me a nerd and yes, that’s true because I am more of an
introvert than an extrovert. I wanted to share with you some of the nuggets of wisdom that I’ve learned
over the years and that we have applied in BDO. But before I do that, I would like to admit that I have
some apprehensions on whether I would be a good person to share these things with you. First of all,
I’ve done a lot of public speaking but always in the context of a bank and what we’ve done. I have never
seen myself as an adviser or a mentor to young students. Tata did assure me that all I have to do is be
myself and just share some of the things that we apply in the bank and some of the things that I take on
as my principles in life. So I would like to assure you that this is not a long speech nor it is formal
speech. What I did is I jotted down a few things that I’d like to share with you. But before I start, I would
like to congratulate three groups of individuals here. First the graduates, for finally receiving your
diploma and as your fellow graduate did say, this is just a beginning of your life. It’s the first stage, but
congratulations for getting to this stage. Second is congratulations to the faculty and administrators of
APC. They have created another batch of graduates ready to face the real world. You know, I have a soft
heart for educators. Both my parents were educators. So over the years, believe it or not, I’ve kept in
touch with my primary, secondary, collegiate and graduate school professors, whenever I can. Lastly, I
would like to congratulate the very people who really should deserve the congratulations – the parents
and the relatives who have supported the graduates here. And I can relate to this as a father. It’s not
that easy raising an adolescent. Isn’t it true? And you’re always at lost whether you’re pushing too hard
or not enough. And where is the edge? Some of us try to make end sweet and believe it or not in the
Filipino culture, is that education always comes first. In the farms people will sell their carabaos to pay
for the tuition fee. So congratulations to the real people that made sacrifices in making this a success.
So without much ado, I’m going to go into what advice I can give you. Well, I’ll share with you what has
been successful for me. And I think generally, these are universal. First, there is no substitute for hard
work. And I think you know that. Moving on from primary school to high school, you work harder. From
high school to collegiate level, you work harder. But each time, you cope. Let me tell you the bad news.
It doesn’t get any easier. Ok? You will have to work harder going forward. I thought I had it easy, when I
moved from one job to the other, getting promoted or coming back to the Philippines... But no, it just
gets harder and we just have to work harder. But what’s the good news? Just like running, your system
gets used to it and your system looks for it, and you develop the capacity for hard work. So better start
now, because I do believe that there is no substitute for hard work. Hard work beats talent every time
and the good news is that we see a lot of talent here. So with hard work, you are going to be hard to
beat.
The second advice I’ll give you, is to strive for excellence in anything you do. Now, I will share with you
why I describe my career as the road less travelled. Some of you have already decided what you want to
do. Some of you are still deciding. Some of you have a desire to be in a specific role. Well the reality is
some of you will get the chance to do what you want. The others won’t. Don’t despair; I am one of those
that did not get what I wanted to do. I started my career as an accountant, I was with SGV and during
that time SGV was ran by Wash SyCip, Bobby Ongpin, Roy Navarro, Allan Dy. If you recall those names,
those were stalwarts of the industry. So I did my MBA, and I wanted to be like them. I wanted to join an
accounting firm in the US to gain experience and exposure. But, I didn’t have that option. The only
people or the only industry hiring then were the banks for their international department and I have one
drawback, I didn’t have the papers to work in the US. I’m you might call an OFW with a potential to be
TNT. But I was lucky enough that a bank took me… They put me in their training program and I was quite
happy. And I ended up enjoying the work which is not the mainstream career track for a bank head. So I
went through more into the product development, product management side of the business. Getting
involved in technology and operations until eventually I ended up in management and I ended up ending
where the others have also ended, but happier. Now, why am I sharing this with you? Because most of
us, myself included, will not get a chance to do what we really wanted to do coming out of College. But,
I advice you to value every opportunity you get and strive for excellence in whatever you do. Only then
will you have options later on in life. Don’t put down an opportunity just because you don’t like it. Look
at it as a stepping stone for you to have the option to move on to other better and bigger things.
Let me share with you now my third advice, which is patience. A wise man once said, a journey of a
thousand miles begins with the first step. And I’ll share with you what philosophy we have in the bank.
When Tata asked me what was the secret in building the bank from where it was to where it is now?
And I said, one transaction, one client, one product at a time. So build your skills, build your
achievements one step at a time. While it may not be apparent all of these things will serve you on good
stead later on.
Share with you a few things. Some of the things that apply now, I have learned 20 years ago and I
thought they were a waste. Some of the good words that I receive now where from colleagues of mine
that I’ve worked with 25 years ago. And when somebody gives a good word for you, to a client to a
potential partner it does matter. So be patient, one step at a time will get you there. I have this saying
that I keep to heart. “Take care of today and tomorrow will take care of itself.” If you have an
opportunity, you work hard, you strive for excellence, tomorrow will take care of itself.
I now go to the 4th advice that I will share with you and this is more personal than anything else. Take
pride in your career and in what you do. It is a very important possession especially in this changing
world. Most of us judge others or judge ourselves based on what others say. I want to be an investment
banker. I want to be a lawyer. I want to be a consultant. I want to be that. Why? Because my neighbor
says so and he’s successful. Because I saw my cousin and he drives BMW. Unfortunately it doesn’t work
that way. It all starts with you. You are your biggest critic and unfortunately, you live with yourself 24
hours a day. What are you happy with? As long as it’s not illegal, immoral or against public policy, take
pride in what you do, in what you have, because you are your own standard. And of course the material
element of any career will have to come in. Believe me, if you do well in what you do, material wealth
will follow. But you have to strive for excellence.
And lastly, I would like to ask you to pay particular attention to your integrity. Integrity is not negotiable.
All of us will only have one chance. We cannot be dishonest now and change and be honest tomorrow.
We may, somebody gives us a chance but it will take a while before we’re be able to build that
reputation. I don’t know if you know but in our industry, or atleast let’s start with our bank an integrity
issue is grounds or are grounds for termination. And you will never have a chance to work in the banking
industry again because the Central Bank maintains a blacklist of people who have integrity issues. Of all
of the assets, the qualities and achievements you build up over time, integrity has the longest shelf life.
Most people will forget what you’ve done, most people will forget your boo boos but they will never
forget the fact that they can trust you. So pay particular attention to that. I would like to end with a
prayer that I would like to share with you. Most of you believe in God or whatever concept of God you
have. And I would like to pray to God that he or she may give you courage to face the challenges that
you face ahead. That he or she may give you the drive and ambition to strive for excellence in everything
you do. That he or she may give you the strength or character to withstand the failures, setbacks and
disappointment so that you may come back stronger, better determined and more prepared next time.
Graduates, welcome to the world and take advantage of all the opportunities ahead of you. Good
afternoon and good luck.