Get to know Anna Abola, Lenovo Philippines’ Commercial Marketing Manager and CSR Initiatives Lead

The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digitalization in many areas of our lives. Schooling, work, payments—these and many more have been rerouted to online means. But even before the pandemic hit, Lenovo Philippines has done its part in helping groups and communities adapt to a digital environment. This is why we talked to Ms. Anna Abola, Commercial Marketing Manager and CSR Initiatives Lead for Lenovo Philippines regarding the efforts they’ve done to help Filipinos in this digital world. 

1. We found out you had your own event management business before going to Lenovo Philippines. How did that help you in working for Lenovo?

Having a background in events management has helped me to develop skills that I still use in my professional life. From collaborative ideation of campaigns to the detail-oriented planning of a project and up to its smooth execution, these are things that I carry with me going into Lenovo. Additionally, flexibility, communication, and problem solving are just some of the skills that I continually exercise and refine in my current position since we have a very team-oriented approach and welcome ideas from every member. My background allows me to provide the best customer experience to our consumers while providing my team with a platform to tackle issues together.

The world is evolving fast and we have to adapt as fast as we can. Just as Lenovo has moved from being a product-centric organization into a customer-centric one, I have been able to adapt and apply my skills from my previous work to what I do now with Lenovo. 

2. Once at Lenovo, where did you set your sights for growth and why? 

Eventually, I landed in the Commercial segment of Lenovo handling SMEs, big businesses, and education. Running this part of the business has given me plenty of opportunity to apply and further develop my skills while also working on diversity and inclusion initiatives. Planning and executing projects that help to improve the education sector and promote awareness and inclusion of different groups both within and without the company are one of the most enjoyable aspects of my career. I’ve led multiple internal activities to promote D&I in the company and always look forward to more opportunities to do so in the future with the possibility of extending it outside the company as well.

3. How did the pandemic affect the company? Laptops were reportedly sold out once online classes became the norm. Is it really all rainbows and butterflies?

Generally speaking, COVID-19 is driving the acceleration of digital and intelligent transformation. We see a clear trend of upgrades in smart devices, ICT infrastructure, and applications, creating significant new opportunities. And with Lenovo’s clear 3S strategy and strong execution, we have delivered a record quarter with significant year-on-year profitability improvement and we are confident to continue capturing these opportunities to achieve further long-term, profitable, and sustainable growth. 

While we welcome looking on the bright side of things, we also keep ourselves grounded by looking at what more we can do to improve user experience and how Lenovo can help our consumers adjust and adapt to the rapidly changing digital world. Part of our approach to this is to double our R&D investments over 3 years and develop more core technology along our New IT structure. This will help us further drive our internal digital and intelligent transformation to improve efficiency.

4. Lenovo globally goes by the ethos of “Smarter Technology for All.” How does Lenovo Philippines apply that to the local setting?

Technology can and should be a positive catalyst for change. Through smarter technology, we can bring people together and create a more diverse and dynamic world that enhances the human experience. We believe that in our shared digital future, no one should be left behind. As such, we’ve launched the EdVision program in 2020 to enable us to work closely with educational institutions to raise the level of digital literacy and skills among students and provide training resources and support to teachers to build their skills and capabilities in the modern classroom.

To better share our educational solutions and programs with relevant stakeholders, we also participated in EduTech Asia 2021. We hosted a panel discussion about improving productivity for online learning titled “Leveraging on Smart Technology to Boost Productivity in a Virtual Learning Environment”. We had spokespersons from Lenovo and our industry partner Microsoft to present the devices and solutions we provide, and an Ed Tech advocate to better communicate the importance of embracing technology and integrating it smoothly into our education system.

This year, we’ll be participating in the EduTech Philippines 2022 as a title sponsor. We’ll be doing a keynote presentation and panel discussion on upgrading the learning experience with technology and the importance of digital innovation in higher education, respectively. Lastly, we’ll have a showcase of Lenovo Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and Lanschool Air, a cloud-based classroom management software that helps teachers guide learning on digital devices and improve student engagement all while maximizing teaching time.

Additionally, the Lenovo Foundation invests in advancing STEM Education programs to increase access to opportunity for diverse populations. On the local level, we recently collaborated with different foundations during September, which is Lenovo’s Global Month of Service. One of the organizations we partnered up with was Cribs Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides a safe environment for abandoned, neglected, or surrendered babies and female minor survivors of sexual abuse. The Lenovo Foundation supported Cribs by conducting activities and providing STEM-related instructional videos for children from the primary level to junior high school to provide additional resources and aid them in their online and distance learning journey. To further encourage young students’ love for reading, we also provided read-aloud videos for the primary level.

5. How does Lenovo address the generational technology gap that exists among people? Some older teachers, especially now that online classes are the norm, are not as well-versed with laptops as their students.

Part of our EdVision program provides teachers with resources, training, and support in order for them to better navigate the evolving educational landscape. Under the program, educators from our partner schools have the opportunity to train and be certified through workshops with our trade partners such as Microsoft. Additionally, the network of schools we build with the program allows us and educators themselves to have a community where they can discuss, consult, and collaborate with each other to design a better classroom experience for their students.

Our EdVision Facebook community group also provides educators with resources and connections to help them understand and troubleshoot technological issues, among other things. By creating a network for teachers, we help them connect with each other and exchange ideas and solutions as we navigate through an evolving educational landscape.

We’ve conducted quarterly webinars through the EdVision Learning Series where we discuss different topics aimed to help both learners and educators on how to navigate the virtual classroom and make the most out of the tools and technology we have. Topics include how to make great and impactful presentations, study tips for online learning, and how to take care of students and teachers’ mental health during online learning among other things. Through these webinars, we provided insight and resources to both students and teachers by partnering with leaders from different industries to share their expertise on how to navigate and approach virtual learning so that participants would be able to maximize their learning and teaching experiences as we continue with remote learning. 

6. What else has Lenovo Philippines done to help our kababayans? Including those done before the pandemic hit.

As part of Lenovo’s social mission to empower underserved and underprivileged communities with technology and opportunity, we have initiated outreach programs in local communities and organizations. 

In 2018, we adopted the Alno Kadoorie Elementary School in Benguet when Typhoon Mangkhut hit the Philippines. Lenovo supplied the students with school kits and donated laptops to the educators. We also provided them with training to enhance their digital skills and supplied them with their own library to reignite their love for reading.

Lenovo Philippines has also partnered with the Down Syndrome Association, a non-profit organization that supports families who have children with Down Syndrome, and Best Buddies Philippines (BBP), a non-profit organization that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These partnerships not only help us to promote awareness and inclusion within the Lenovo organization but also provide learning opportunities and access to technology to disadvantaged groups. 

On a personal level, I’m a volunteer at Humanitarian and Rescue Team (HART), a rescue and disaster team that focuses on providing immediate relief during disasters. I’ve been a volunteer since 2016.

7. We live in a progressive time where people realize they can go outside the box that society put them in. How do you promote or encourage diversity and inclusivity not just in your workplace but in other projects as well.

Our employees are our most valuable strategic resource which is why we are committed to providing them with a supportive environment that values their wellbeing, including the provision of an inclusive and safe environment, competitive compensation, employee benefits, training, and career development.

Through Lenovo’s 2019/2020 Diversity & Inclusion Report, we found that diversity and inclusion are the important factors in the workplace that allow people to perform their best. As such, we make it a priority to ensure that we cultivate a work environment that supports and encourages people from diverse backgrounds and different identities to authentically show their true selves so that we as a company can set an example that a diverse workforce can offer more for the consumers.

For example, the Lenovo Product Diversity Office was formed in 2020 to ensure that Lenovo solutions are easily accessible and reflect the diversity needs of our worldwide customer base. Under this, we completed the Lenovo Voice where D&I are embedded into the product design and development process so that it offers real-time translation assistance, subtitle assistance, voice input, and voice assistant capabilities.

We previously mentioned our partnership with BBP and the Down Syndrome Association, which we’ve partnered with for the past four years. We also have an ongoing partnership with Hemophilia Advocates Philippines (HAP), a non-profit organization that advocates for people with hemophilia and related bleeding disorders. Through these partnerships, our employees are able to have a more nuanced understanding of the different stories and struggles of people in our society and how we can be more considerate and inclusive by creating spaces and opportunities for them.

Beyond starting a conversation and raising awareness, we also support our partner organizations by arranging various engaging virtual activities such as bath bomb making and cookie dough making to help us nurture our connections.

8. Once the country hits zero—no more active COVID cases, all clear—what’s the first order for Lenovo Philippines?

Once this happens, it will be a cause for celebration but it doesn’t mean that we will be dropping safety protocols or any support that we’ve provided for our employees. We’ll ensure to stay in operation and make the proper adjustments as we are likely to continue with a hybrid work setup and improve our methods with less restrictions in place.