Following a long period of vacancy, the University’s Finance and Accounting Office is once again under the leadership of an official Vice President for Finance. A veteran of the finance industry with Lasallian and Atenean roots, Ramon Trajano officially joined the University’s management cadre last July 5 as the department’s new chief.
Trajano graduated from DLSU with a double degree in Accountancy and Economics and later obtained a Master of Business Administration degree from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of De La Salle Philippines (DLSP) alongside his new post.
Also known as “Mon”, The LaSallian sits down with Trajano to discover more about his life as a Lasallian, his work in finance, and his role in DLSU’s mission.
You obtained an undergraduate degree in Accountancy and Economics from DLSU. As a fellow Lasallian, how would you want the community to know you? Tell us more about yourself.
I’ll go right ahead in saying that I came from Ateneo, [spending] 12 years [there until] high school. But I moved to La Salle because, one, I [wanted] a change in environment; [and] two, I wanted to take accounting. I heard about the LIA-COM program of La Salle. To me, that’s the best preparation for [a] career in business and management, because I believe until now that you become a better person and a better professional if you have a strong liberal arts background.
I consider myself as both [a Lasallian and an Atenean], but I [will] tell you that I am a rabid fan of La Salle teams. When I was here in La Salle [as an] undergraduate, I was in the Ateneo gallery during Ateneo-La Salle games. It was only when I had staff from La Salle who convinced me to start watching La Salle games [that I became] a rabid La Salle sports follower.
How did your Lasallian education help shape you as a professional?
I would not have become a professional accountant if I did not go to La Salle. I would not have been able to go to graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania if I did not come to this school. And that was the foundation of a higher level of business education. In a way, I owe all of my professional preparation to the school (DLSU).
After DLSU, you took an MBA at Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. How did your time in Wharton influence your outlook?
It gave me basically a higher sense of business and financial acumen. [Getting a] Lasallian education and [going abroad to] a notable university for graduate studies, to me, is the culmination of a good education. Of course, I would not have gotten there if it were not for my education here in La Salle. It also gave me more of an international outlook, because I had classmates from very competent [backgrounds] from around the world.
In all your years working for the financial sector, what are the highlights of your corporate career and how did these help prepare you for your current role?
Until 1995, I was in the banking [sector]. I worked in banks here in the Philippines and then in Toronto. Then in 1996, I shifted to working in a finance environment in corporations. A key date there is 1999 when I became part of the Ayala Corporation’s CFO system; [first in] Ayala Healthcare, then Ayala Life. Since then, I’ve occupied CFO positions in [other] corporations. I actually retired in 2015 and became a consultant since.
How were you appointed to the role? Did you apply for the position or were you approached by DLSU?
More of the latter. I did not apply for the position, although I was hoping [for] an opportunity [to] come serve the school again. In DLSP, I [was] the first person [they approached] for that position (CFO).
You will concurrently serve as CFO of DLSP even after being appointed to your new role. How do you plan on balancing these two commitments?
Actually, it’s hard to say that now because I just came on board. I am still trying to familiarize myself with the system although I will find out soon. Certainly, I think there’s actually time and space [to know the demands of the role] because DLSP is more of a coordinating body. [Being Vice President] is basically occupying a line position. [I’m] certainly confident that I’ll be able to fulfill my roles for both positions.
It is not unusual because in companies, there are a lot of instances where senior officials occupy positions [in different companies]. You do not micromanage everybody. You manage them through a certain amount of people.
The position of Vice President for Finance was previously vacant. Can you provide a brief background of your role in the University?
The [Accounting Office] is a big finance organization, so it essentially needs permanent oversight. There is a consultant here, Ms. Tess Baes, who [lends] her expertise in Finance. I think the [Lasallian] Brothers also came to decide that it’s good to go back to the old system where the position was actually occupied. You must [have] somebody, a professional, who will manage the place and will be accountable for deliverables.
Based on the University’s organizational structure, the Accounting Office is currently under your remit. What issues regarding the office do you plan to address?
Whatever [the issues] are, I will try my best to address them.
One thing about financial organizations, particularly accounting [departments], is that they are the back end of the process. Example, if you request for a check payment, accounting waits for the check preparation and checks for the supporting documents, and [only] then [does] the check [come].
In procurement, the responsibility of accounting there is to ensure that before it (purchase) is paid, it is actually delivered. But I am not saying that there is no delay that comes from accounting. [If] the delay is on our part, then the bottleneck is said to be in accounting.
What key initiatives do you plan to implement as the Vice President for Finance?
I can’t say yet. This is actually my fourth working day because when I came aboard, the [Lasallian] Brothers knew that I have my responsibilities to fulfill with DLSP. Now, I will be here [in Accounting] a lot of times, but I have to look at DLSP also. I have to [manage my] time for now. I need to study the organizational [structure] because this is a huge organization. There are 45 people here, including in Laguna [Campus]. It’s a big organization.
Outside of work, how do you spend your free time?
I have a young family. I am very family oriented. In fact, I have a son here. He is 19, [and] I have a younger one [who is] 14. I have three sons, so [they keep] me busy. [But] if you think about it, I find that I just have enough time. I like reading for one—even if I am an accountant, I have always liked history. [Up to] this day, I read a lot of history.
