Glenda dela Cruz completes Harvard Business School program
MANILA, Philippines — Beauty entrepreneur Glenda Dela Cruz has completed a six-day program at Harvard Business School, describing the experience as a personal milestone and an opportunity to learn more about business leadership.
Dela Cruz took part in the Strategic Marketing for Driving Growth program, where she worked on 19 business cases alongside entrepreneurs and business leaders from different countries and industries.
“Hindi lang ako uuwi na may certificate, umuwi ako with a deeper perspective on business, leadership, and growth. Finally, no more sleepless nights!” she said in a Facebook post.
After completing the program, Dela Cruz said she was looking forward to applying her learnings to her business.
“Excited nako para kay Brilliant Skin Essentials. Sa totoo lang, sa dami kong NOTES, excited na akong i-execute ang mga natutunan ko,” she said.
The businesswoman also described the experience as a personal achievement, particularly because she did not finish college and had long dreamed of studying at Harvard Business School.
“Harvard Business School, you’ve been a dream come true. And I hope, this will serve as an inspiration sa mga katulad ko na hindi nakatapos ng pag-aaral. Na may pag-asa at pwede pang matuto through this kind of program,” she said.
The program covered business cases involving strategic marketing, customer behavior, pricing, competition, leadership, decision-making and artificial intelligence (AI).
Dela Cruz said she appreciated the program's emphasis on analyzing real-world business situations rather than simply listening to lectures.
“What I loved most was that we weren’t just listening to lectures. We were given real business situations and asked to think, analyze, challenge assumptions, and make decisions,” she said.
The experience also reinforced her view that business owners need to continue learning as AI changes how companies operate.
“And with AI evolving so quickly, one thing became even clearer to me: business owners can’t afford to stop learning. AI is changing how we create, market, understand customers, make decisions, and scale businesses. But technology is only one part of the equation. How we think, how we lead, and how we use these tools will matter just as much,” she said.
Dela Cruz heads Brilliant Skin Essentials, a Filipino-owned company with more than 1,000 employees. The company employs 11 persons with disabilities (PWDs), according to actress and content creator Ivana Alawi, who recently visited one of its production facilities.
Alawi praised the company for providing employment opportunities to PWDs, saying they were treated as part of the workforce.
“Mas gusto kong suportahan yung mga business talaga na lahat welcome. Eleven ang PWD nila dito sa Brilliant Skin,” Alawi said.
