Elena Palacios, Lexmark Cebu President and CEO, was named an Outstanding Leader in Asia for the 2020 Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability (ACES) Awards.
Organised by the MORS Group, ACES Awards recognise successful companies and individuals in Asia in two main domains: leadership and corporate social responsibility. As described by the MORS Group, the Outstanding Leader in Asia is presented to “exceptional leaders who have demonstrated sound leadership and successfully apply it to spearhead growth and prominence for the company. These individuals exhibit the ideal blend of business acumen, professionalism, entrepreneurial calibre, and astuteness.”
Palacios was among the leaders selected and asked by the MORS Group to provide an account of the company’s growth journey since she was appointed to her post in Lexmark Cebu.
Lexmark is a recognised world leader in innovative imaging, output technology solutions and managed print services. In 2018, Lexmark Research and Development Corporation (Lexmark Cebu) underwent a consolidation that merged the Cebu and Budapest shared service centres into one Global Business Services (GBS) unit. The new Cebu Competence Centre (CCC) was tasked to manage process requests and global end-to-end processes.
Lexmark said, leading this charge, Palacios displayed exemplary leadership by successfully raising innovative productivity by achieving 162 closed continuous improvement projects and a cost savings of almost US$224,900 (€190,612) in 2019, while achieving the industry’s lowest staff attrition rates through employee development and internal hiring and succession.
She attributes her success to her world-class team but acknowledges that ability to adapt and respond quickly to change, keeping regular and consistent communication with her team, leadership integrity and unerring commitment were key stabilizing factors through the turbulent times.
Palacios said: “In a still very hyper masculine world, being a woman leader means we need to work harder to make our voice heard. But through the years, I have looked into this as an opportunity to promote strengths of female leadership, diversity and inclusion. I believe that when you can be yourself at work, you can be more productive. In the twenty-first century, a good leader should promote diversity and equality, while constantly building relationships and taking smart risks.”
