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November 28, 2010
Since establishing his firm, Medardo was able to cement well-built partnerships in different parts of the world. His ties to Dubai started when the company worked on the renovation of Al Ghurair Centre and the building of BurJuman (Tower 1).
However, when Singapore was hit with the Asian crisis in 1998 he had to rethink operations. He said, “We needed to retreat and rebuilt. That tested my character – to stand up again and strategize better.” For almost two years the company lay low and cut back employment, then eventually relocated to the Philippines.
Strengthening operations in Manila paved the way for projects in his international offices in the US (Seattle) and Australia (Brisbane). In 2006, riding on the construction boom in Dubai, Cadiz International moved to the emirates gaining not only clients in the UAE, but also around the world.
Now, despite the current global economic crisis and the local construction slowdown, Cadiz International is still working for a number of projects across 14 countries. Medardo says, “Because of the lessons we learned from 1998, we are surviving this downturn very well.”
Medardo explains the company’s secret to surviving the crisis, “The very first element is flexibility. The second important thing is to be able to create strategies and, as we have learned during the Asian crisis, client relationship is also very important. You should be able to nurture clients in a way that when crisis happens they don’t look upon you as a vendor; they look at you as a friend, a partner to help each other.”
As an extraordinary Filipino owning and leading an international architectural firm Medardo says that nationality was never a hindrance to his success, “In the US, I learned that competence is based on ability, not nationality. When we came to Dubai we were able to exceed clients’ expectations, which I think is the foreground, so being a Filipino is not an issue.”
However, Medardo also recalls an event during his early days in Asia, where his first time to represent his own firm became a learning experience. He recounts, “I arrived in Jakarta with three of my staff; two were Australian and one American. As we walked through to the clients, I noticed that they were focusing on the towering Caucasians with me. I thought to myself that they would have presumed that they were the principals and I was just the support. I did not even mind when they offered to carry their bags but not mine. But, when we exchanged business cards inside the car, they realized they made a huge mistake when they read the words CEO on my card. They did not say anything to save face but shifted the focus of discussion to me the entire night. The following day, their secretary sent a message of apology.”
Medardo certainly acquired a more global perspective and his quiet confidence prevails with his ability to shrug off such occurrences. He professes national pride but says he did not believe in labeling himself or his company Filipino. Moreso, Medardo encourages Filipinos here in the UAE “to professionally bear with other nationalities and socially surround yourself with other nationalities – that is how you can evolve as international people”.
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Good day,
I’m currently doing my research on Mr. Cadiz for my term paper.
May I know what issue of Illustrado is this article published on?
Thanks!