Connecting SMEs to the world – Mourese Soriano
By: Neil Nepomuceno
Apart from his indelible mark on the lives of countless SME owners, Mourese Soriano played a huge role in UnionBank’s successful digital transformation.
But before he became the Marketing and PR Head for Transaction Banking in Corporate Product Management, Mourese started his career back in 2013 as a sales and marketing professional in the IT industry.
In search of career growth, he seized his opportunity in UnionBank in 2016, which is his first banking stint. His decision paid off because he was given the opportunity to be involved in developing UnionBank’s SME platform Global Linker. He was also part of one of the “Genesis Squads” for UnionBank’s Agile ways of working.
“In UnionBank, I started with EON Banking Group where I did marketing for acquisitions. A year later, I transferred to Transaction Banking to spearhed and take part of the team who initiated the SME journey of UnionBank through Global Linker,” said Mourese.
“Apart from handling UnionBank Global Linker, (2018) we were also blessed to be the first squads to do the Agile ways of working. We were one of two Pilot squads that tested thnew ways of working which was the kick-off to Agile.” He added.
Kickstarting UnionBank’s Digital Transformation
As part of the squad, Mourese worked with the team led by Dino Velasco to constantly challenge the norm and explore how to embed UnionBank’s presence into the customers’ lives.
Mourese explained, “with UnionBank Global Linker, we started with only 5,000 users upon our media launch in March 2018. After a year, we were able to acquire 40,000 users who were business owners at the time.”
From having a 40,000 base in the Philippines, (which today, have already surpassed the milestone) at the time, we were also hooked up with other countries in SEA, particularly from India, Singapore, Thailand who are the main proponents of each country,” he ended.
Global Linker was a huge success. It became a community of sellers, buyers, and those looking to make the jump to becoming a sole proprietor and even for established businesses finding the right partners inside the platform.
An innovator with a heart for SMEs
Due to the ever-growing platform, Mourese was tasked to reward GlobalLinker users with “Trade Connect,” an offline platform version. The success of this project was showcased at the Singapore Fintech Festival together with other UnionBank products and services. Mourese was also able to meet various SMEs from India, Singapore & Thailand.
“What’s cool about UnionBank is they give you those opportunities, and it’s really up to the person on how you are going to maximize it.”
Continuous learning from his mentors and peers
When asked about his greatest accomplishment, he told PHENOM that it was the opportunity to work with his mentors, various teams, and their williongness to impart knowledge to him.
“Two individuals who gave me a chance and appreciate where I am right now. They made me realise my potential. Dino Velasco and Jaypee Soliman. I had the chance to work with them and when the opportunity came to start and initiate the move for SMEs, I was more than lucky to have worked closely with this two gentlemen.”
“In terms of how I was able to cultivate my career in terms of understanding the context of corporate space (Kasi coming from a retail background, with EON, he went to SMEs and how he’s in the corporate space) I appreciate the guidance from Sir Edwin Bautista.” He added.
“Now as part of Transcation Banking, I get the sense of how important it is to take a step back and appreciate the essence of why you do what you do and I am thankful to Mon Duarte for giving me the opportunity.” He ended.
“UnionBank is an organization wherein open doors ang mga executives natin. You can approach anyone and you can talk to them.”
Transaction Banking products and services
After the success of Global Linker, Mourese is now handling marketing of transaction banking products and services. He also Handles the bookings of their leaders’ bookings and prepares if they have to guest (news, shows, or other events).
Mourese and his team are continuously working on how UnionBank can maintain the lead in delivering one of the best customer experience in banking, as he explained:
“When I joined in 2016, that was already the roadmap because we had to find ourselves in a position where we think we can sustain our growth, especially when you think of other countries such as Singapore and the US wherein Banking is embedded in their lives.”
“We were already able to set our eyes on the prize even before the pandemic. We had to accelerate.”
For all the young professionals out there, here is Mourese’s Advise:
1.) “Be open to challenges and see how you would deal with them.”
2.) “Take a step back, analyze and execute.”
3.) “Accept that you are never in control of everything. When you do that, you won’t be frustrated and accept things as they are. By then, you can roll in the flow of things, and everything else will fall into its rightful place.”