A 2019 study in Harvard Business Review reveals that women in executive positions who support other women end up more successful. So, when social impact startup Connected Women introduced a new CEO, the future seems a little brighter for many Filipinas looking for location-independent employment opportunities. 

Agnes Gervacio has over 3 decades of experience in the IT and telecommunications industries, working in local and international organizations, such as NEC, Eastern Telecoms, and Pacnet. Her more recent role was as the CEO of MDI Novare, a tech company that specializes in leading corporations toward digital transformation.

Former CEO Gina Romero will stay on as Founder, along with Co-founder Ruth Yu-Owen. Romero will head up special projects, focusing on driving inclusive innovation and developing community-as-a-service solutions.

“Agnes has an impressive track record in leading and scaling technology businesses and I am thrilled to hand over the day-to-day operations and strategic execution to take Connected Women to the next level,” says Romero. “Expanding our Socially Responsible AI and Digital Tasks Outsourcing under [Gervacio’s] leadership is a critical next step.”

Yu-Owen believes that Gervacio will accelerate the organization’s growth and impact. “Creating location-independent and flexible jobs for our community of women is core to Connected Women’s mission. We look forward to working with [Gervacio] to bring more opportunities home for Filipino women.”

Gervacio’s topline plan is to build on Connected Women’s foundations. “There has been fantastic groundwork and opportunities already developed by the founders and the current management team. My immediate goal is to ensure that these are executed efficiently with the goal of scalability and global expansion.”

While Connected Women has raised the professional prospects of Filipinas, Gervacio wants to scratch beyond the surface. “Women make up roughly half of the population. Allowing them to find meaningful online work translates into an opportunity to keep female talent in the workforce,” she adds.

Gervacio emphasizes the significance of narrowing the digital and economic divide between the sexes, saying: “There is a real positive economic impact to the country and, more importantly, to the women by arming them with skills that allow them to be part of technology space.”

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Connected Women is a Philippines based, socially responsible AI and Digital Task outsourcing company. They have received global recognition for creating meaningful progress toward achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals.

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