The Filipina leader in a male-dominated industry
MANILA, Philippines — “You have to be really clear on what it is that you want. It’s your choice and whatever it is, own it.”
This is the advice of Karen Co-Elmido, RMC category director at JTI Philippines, to women. She speaks from experience. After giving birth to her daughter, she made the decision to stop working to focus on her family. It was the first break she took from the corporate world in 12 years since she graduated from college.
For the next two years, Karen was a full-time mother and wife. “For a time, I was worried it was going to be hard to go back to the corporate world,” she reveals.
Recruiters told her that it would be a challenge finding job opportunities because of the two-year gap in her resume. “If I had listened to them, I wouldn’t have tried to re-enter the corporate world.”
She sought employment opportunities herself and after a chance encounter with a former colleague, she was back in the office.
Shifting industries
Her pre- and post-break employers couldn’t be more different from each other in terms of products and consumer profiles. The first was skewed towards women and children, while the current is an established name in the male-oriented tobacco industry.
The scopes of work, however, are generally the same. A lot of math, crunching numbers, data analysis and problem-solving. The BS Management Engineering graduate from Ateneo de Manila University is still firmly in her element.
“I'm a bit of a nerd,” she candidly shares. “I really enjoy math, analytics, and all things logical.”
How her job in JTI differs is on the commercial side. “Aside from the creative side of marketing, brand management here is also heavy on commercial and financial operations; for example, you’re also involved in discussions on pricing and taxation which help shape the category.”
The job also involves going out a lot, and this is a bit of a challenge for her as a working mother. “Part of this job is sometimes you have to go out at night,” she states. “There are events, bars, and clubs that you need to visit because these are places where your consumers go.”
Karen does not join all; only when and where she can, “so that I’m able to spend time with my family.” And it's perfectly fine in JTI. She says, “I never felt pressured to always be there all the time. We take turns within the team because we recognize that people also needed to be home.”
A culture of support and trust
Karen recognizes the value of the very supportive and nurturing environment in the company, and how open and inclusive it is. She is especially appreciative of the culture of mentorship.
“It speaks a lot about JTI and how they treat their employees,” she reflects. “There are a lot of initiatives specifically meant to support women, including mentorship programs and fostering strong allies within the team. And the company is focused in creating and giving opportunities for women, because they recognize that the work women do is valuable. The culture is very supportive, allowing women to advance their careers while also respecting their need to achieve work-life harmony.”
She attributes her personal and professional growth to this culture of mentorship and support. She admits to not having the highest level of self-confidence when she joined the company in 2018.
In fact, when asked to rate it on a scale of 1 to 100, she rates it even below passing grade. “When I started, I would have probably rated myself 50 or 60,” she shares. “I really felt I knew nothing about this category and I wasn’t sure how I could contribute and add value.”
That she has thrived and moved up the corporate ladder is a testament to the highly evolved corporate environment in JTI, which has recently been named No. 2 Top Employer in the Philippines by the Top Employers Institute and the first company in the country to earn EY’s Global Equality Standard certificate.
Furthermore, it points to how Karen has effectively managed her team. One of the keys to their shared success is trust. “I trust them,” she says. “I avoid micromanaging. We align on key directions. There are a couple of things that I'm clear that I want to be able to see. Once we're aligned, they can proceed and just do regular check-ins with me. I try to be more like a teacher or consultant than someone who looks over everyone’s shoulders.”
She adds, “Of course, you still need to make sure you drive certain accountabilities and continue to coach a few things. But as a whole, I let the team be and we operate on the basis of mutual trust and respect.”
Karen is modest to acknowledge any specific achievement to herself or her team. What she celebrates are company-wide milestones such as JTI becoming the fastest growing tobacco company in the country. She recounts, “In a span of like five, six years, we almost doubled the business’ market share,” and adds, “Everybody within the organization contributed to this. So this is a big achievement for all of us.”
Looking into the future, she would like to see members of her team, a lot of whom are females, “shine and move up, take on bigger roles in the organization.”
If Karen were to give them advice, it applies to all women scaling the corporate world: “Believe in yourself—your skills, your value, your worth—and stay authentic. Don’t be afraid to define what success means to you and pursue it with a purpose.”
Editor’s Note: This press release is sponsored by JTI Philippines. It is published by the Advertising Content Team that is independent from our Editorial Newsroom.
