Driven To Victory

With Fierce Determination And An Eye For Excellence, Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. President And CEO Maria Fe Perez-Agudo Has Helped Bring The Automaker Out Of Obscurity In The Philippines.

- Sharon Masige

When you’re the head of the distributorship of a top global car brand, picking your favourite vehicle isn’t always easy. “It’s like asking who’s my favourite daughter or who’s my favourite employee,” says Maria Fe Perez-Agudo (Fe), President and CEO of Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI). Fe has, of course, driven all of Hyundai’s vehicles and has a different one for each day of the week. “On Monday, I might use the Starex, then on Tuesday I’ll try the Santa Fe and on Wednesday I could go for my Tucson,” she says. “All these Hyundai vehicles must be ready – the driver doesn’t know which one I will choose for which day.”

While Hyundai is now among the leading brands on Philippine roads, this wasn’t the case when Fe joined the company in 2001. “It was an unknown brand back then,” Fe says. It couldn’t have been a more challenging time for her to take up a position at HARI. Not only was Hyundai – a South Korean brand – non-existent in the Philippines but two months after Fe signed on, the September 11 attack happened in New York City. “I woke up and everything was frozen,” Fe says. “The business mood was so down.”