Effective leadership is a critical factor for organizational success in the 21st century that cannot be overemphasized. PHILUSA Corporation, a 100% Filipino company that has been around for more than six decades, is a testimony to this. The company competes in both multinational and local arenas. PHILUSA Corporation was established in 1957 and has achieved market leadership in the categories of cotton and cotton buds (Cleene and Babyflo), wound management (MEDIPLAST), petroleum jelly (Apollo), and household deodorizer (ALBATROSS).
Neogin A. Evangelista is the President and General Manager of said company. He prides himself most in contributing to the social development of Filipino lives. He has directly influenced the health and well-being of Filipinos, including the protection of children from vaccine-preventable diseases when he was with GSK and now with Philusa, in making world-class quality and affordable medicines accessible. Under his distinct management, PHILUSA Corporation was recognized for the following feats: Asia’s Best Performing Companies Awardee, Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability Awards (ACES) 2019, Corporate Excellence Category Awardee, Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2019, Excellence in Marketing Innovation Awardee for RHEA Generics, PANAta Awards 2018, and Business Model Innovation Awardee for RHEA Generics, Mansmith Innovation Awards 2020.
Delving deeper into his management style on the home front, Neogin believes in “Helping People Succeed” as his guiding principle to make an organization achieve its goals. He sees to it that people progress and become successful in their professional careers and personal life. For him, unless an employee understands his significant role in the greater scheme of the plan and achieves balance in his personal life, he will not excel in his job. He enables them by providing a conducive environment for growth and development.
On a wider scale, his leadership was crucial in the development of Stiefel Laboratories as a leading local dermatology company, and a top subsidiary globally. PHILUSA Corporation successfully launched RHEA Generics, a uni-brand of generic medicines developed in partnership with global leaders in the pharmaceutical industry, initially with Pfizer in 2014, and then followed by Sanofi, GSK, Otsuka, Merck, Fresenius Kabi, Astra, Lundbeck, OEP Philippines, and Boehringer Ingelheim. These game-changing and noble partnerships help Filipino patients access world-class quality and affordably priced generic medicines.
Asked about the company’s secret to the longevity of its brands, Neogin says that there is really none except that it is consistent with its value proposition of providing high-quality products at affordable prices and working just as hard as their competitors. He continually enjoins his people to this purpose ingraining in them the value of ‘malasakit’. From the root word ‘sakit’ which means pain, the Philusans (as they call themselves) share the pain points of the public they serve. They work with empathy towards each other and their markets, devoting their time, effort, resources, and even going beyond their responsibilities because they take to heart their mission and purpose. They are willing to sacrifice to serve the best interest of their colleagues, the company, their customers, and the community.
Neogin’s big dream is for more families to have access to world-class quality Filipino products at affordable prices that they could access anywhere they are – whether here or abroad. “I want Filipino products to be in the global limelight. We, as a culture, have the resources and the passion for excellence. The hardships we have experienced as a nation have taught us to be resilient. We can, with the right leadership. That truly will be the day”.
