Jaime T. Azurin believes that a valuable leader must be both innovative and inspiring – one that can spot opportunities out of difficulties and inspire the people around him to do the same.  When he became president of Global Business Power (GBP), he reinforced the company’s mantra, ‘work hard, work fast, work smart and work together’ by adding ‘work with a heart’ to the organization’s work philosophy, for he believes that the best comes out when working with both passion and purpose. 

Azurin has been with GBP when it started with only 15 employees in 2003 and struggled through a $14 million loan default. By grit and grace, the company has successfully overcome its challenges and is now a leading power producer in the Visayas, with operations in Mindanao and Mindoro islands, through the help of its 954 employees. GBP, through subsidiaries Cebu Energy Development Corporation, Toledo Power Co., Panay Energy Development Corporation, Panay Power Corporation, GBH Power Resources Inc. and affiliate Alsons Thermal Energy Corporation, has a total gross capacity of 1,091 MW. 

Azurin’s love for numbers and critical thinking led him to obtain a bachelor’s degree in economics from Ateneo de Manila University and a master’s degree candidacy in business administration. Besides his academic achievements, the young Azurin was also an athlete at school. Sports taught him important life skills such as discipline, time management, and the ability to perform under pressure. He has since incorporated these elements into his management and mentoring style as a business executive.

In his early career as an assistant to the president of a mining company, he plumbed the depths of business management with his exposure to the different facets of business operations. In his second job as an investment banker specializing in energy projects, he gained the invaluable insight that it is not enough for projects to be profitable; they  had to be sustainable too.

What makes a good leader? Azurin strongly believes that good leaders think strategically and innovatively – knowing how to adapt to changes and spot opportunities in a changing landscape. Most importantly, he emphasizes that a good leader has the foresight of how he plans to move the organization forward.

Azurin further believes that an effective leader should be doing two things. First is to challenge people, make them do something outside of their comfort zones, and help them find opportunities out of the difficulties they face. Second is to inspire people, to encourage them to give their best and to always put into practice the GBP mantra in their work.