Editor’s note: You can imagine how busy Reynaldo P. Abilo (pictured), Vice President for Finance, Treasurer and Chief Risk Officer as well as Executive Director at Shell Pilipinas Corporation is in a typical work day. While he’s passionate about his work, he told us in a recent A Day in the Life interview that has learned a lot from golf, which he started playing about a year ago.
FutureCFO: What does a typical day look like for you?
Reynaldo Abilo (RA): Dynamic and wide-ranging—these are the two words that best describe a day for me.
While I do not have a “typical” day in the strictest sense, it is usually packed with a series of internal (board, management, project teams, townhalls) and external meetings (investors, banks, government agencies, business partners).
My day may also include reviewing financial performance, evaluating investment and financing proposals, scanning the external environment, managing risks, or mentoring teams.
I dedicate my time and efforts on where I can provide the greatest impact in terms of creating value or managing risks, both in managing the company’s financial health and shaping its strategic direction.
I’m a planner by nature so I start off in the morning by reviewing my calendar for the day and going through the materials for each meeting. I make sure that I come prepared to these engagements so I can drive the desired outcomes.
Having said that, I recognise that incidents and issues may arise which will require my immediate attention during the day. I make sure that I remain flexible and composed in responding to unexpected circumstances.
Whenever available, I spend time in the following:
- Collaborating with colleagues in management to talk about how we can improve business performance, providing insights and recommendations to support timely decision-making
- Engaging my teams in addressing risks and improving our processes to enhance our reputation and societal license to operate, and
- Coaching and developing teams and individuals.
I end my day by catching up on emails, reflecting on the day, and preparing for yet another and challenging day tomorrow.
In golf, you play mainly against yourself. It’s a test of self -mastery, managing your emotions and controlling every aspect of your body.
FutureCFO: What excites you the most in your work?
RA: There are three main things that excite me in my work:
Being part of a global organisation that actively develops the energy solutions of today and tomorrow. The supply of affordable, reliable and sustainable energy is crucial for addressing global challenges, including those related to poverty and inequality.
By working in Shell, I get to be part of powering progress here in the Philippines by providing secure energy needed for transport, businesses, and homes. I’m also able to contribute to transforming the company into a net zero emissions business by 2050 and decarbonising the industry as we embrace the energy transition.
Driving business outcomes to deliver a compelling investment case to shareholders. The CFO plays a very important role in shaping the present and future value of the organisation.
I find it both challenging and rewarding, the opportunity to design and implement a financial framework that enables the company to generate healthy cash flows to fund capital investments for future growth while maintaining a strong balance sheet and rewarding shareholder with attractive dividends.
I thrive in dealing with these evolving challenges and complexities in my role. With curiosity and a learner’s mindset, I find pleasure in working closely with management and external stakeholders, devising innovative strategies to drive topline growth, optimise cost and capital, and build future capabilities.
Developing the future generation of leaders. As CFO, I find it very rewarding honing and mentoring the next generation of leaders in our company.
Financial management is a domain not exclusive to finance teams. Future leaders need to have a good command of finance concepts and principles to be effective business executives.
FutureCFO: Can you share an experience which was key to your professional growth?
RA: As a young finance advisor seconded in Singapore many years ago, I was tasked to lead the consolidation and presentation of the 10-year operating plan of a global downstream business division in Shell.
I remember I was on my second month in the role and the business division was totally new to me, having handled a different business in the Philippines before.
It was one of my most challenging assignments—shifting from local to global, being in a different country, working with a new team, dealing with an unfamiliar business, and managing very senior global stakeholders.
It was a daunting task ahead, but I did not let these worries get the best of me.
I chose to embrace the new role and the challenges that came with it, with humility—knowing that not only will it be a great learning opportunity, but also a chance to prove that Filipino talents can grow, excel and deliver wherever in the globe they are planted.
I invested a considerable amount of time developing rapport with my new team and establishing clear ways of working. In parallel, I had to speed up my learning curve and understand the foundations of the business together with the nuances per country or operating unit.
One day, I was called by the Global EVP in his office to inquire why the returns profile of the business was declining after year 3 of the plan.
I attempted to make an educated guess, but he easily spotted a flaw in my answer. It was clear that he knows the business much more than I do.
There were wins and setbacks during that experience, but what defined success for me was how I learned from past mistakes, refined my approach along the way, and adapted to changing circumstances or stakeholder demand.
In the end, I managed to present a credible plan built upon solid understanding of the business strategy and anticipating stakeholder needs.
There were wins and setbacks during that experience, but what defined success for me was how I learned from past mistakes, refined my approach along the way, and adapted to changing circumstances or stakeholder demand.
FutureCFO: Is there anything outside work—such as a travel experience, a book, participation in a sport event or any volunteering experience—that serves as an important inspiration to your work or life? Can you tell us more about it?
RA: I started playing golf since last year and so far, I’m liking it very much.
Other than being a good stress reliever, it has also taught me a lot of valuable lessons that I can take with me in my work or life in general.
Firstly, in golf, you play mainly against yourself. It’s a test of self-mastery, managing your emotions and controlling every aspect of your body.
You measure your success based on your individual achievement—the number of strokes it takes you to complete a hole—regardless of what the other players are doing.
This resonates very much about my own personal philosophy of pursuing my fullest potential. I work towards becoming the best version of myself. I believe that by realising my potential, I can create more positive impact to family, my team, organization, and wider community.
Second, golf does not merely entail swinging of the clubs. Every swing demands focus, concentration and coordination. I must ensure I get the correct hand placement, take on the right stance and be in the right headspace.
It calls for being present and fully engaged in the moment. Similarly in work, particularly for high-stake activities, I need to be able to filter the noise and distractions and take on the right approach to resolve the issues at hand.
Lastly, golf has taught me humility.
No matter how many times I practice, play, and perfect my swing, I know I will miss a shot. I know that I am not always in control, and I know I will make mistakes. But I also know that for every missed shot or swing, there is a lesson to be learned and an opportunity to make the next shot a great one.
