SM Prime Holdings Inc. on Wednesday said it signed an expansion lease with Visa Inc. to double its office footprint at the SM Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay as it grows its Philippine operations.
Visa is relocating from approximately 4,000 square meters at Five E-com Center to a 9,000-square-meter facility at Four E-com Center, where it has established its Visa Philippines Solution Center.
The new facility integrates administrative, financial and technology functions under a 24/7 operating model, while providing room to scale operations and enhance the employee experience.
‘Today’s workplace plays a far more strategic role in organizational performance. Large companies are increasingly looking for spaces that can bring more of their operations together while giving them the flexibility to grow over time,’ Alexis Ortiga, vice president and business unit head for SM Offices, said.
Visa’s expansion also reflects sustained demand from multinational companies for high-quality office space that can support larger and increasingly integrated operations in the Philippines.
‘Expanding to Four E-com Center was a natural decision as we continue to grow our business and support our people,’ Chari Dela Cruz, vice president, global managed services and Visa Philippines solution center site lead, said.
‘The E-com campus offers a strategic, well-connected location with the accessibility and amenities that make it an ideal environment for our growing team.’
Four E-com Center is a LEED Gold-certified premium office development. It has three crystalline towers with an all-glass façade.
Designed by global architecture firm Arquitectonica, it also features a fifth-level open-air sky garden that provides employees and guests with a refreshing outdoor amenity.
Four E-com Center is part of the E-com campus directly connected to SM Mall of Asia through an all-weather bridgeway and is just a few steps from Lanson Place, a premium hotel and serviced residence with meeting and event facilities.
Awards
Meanwhile, the SM Group of Companies announced that it received 15 Philippine Quill Awards for its communications programs spanning community engagement, customer service, financial education, investor relations and digital communications.
The awards went to holding firm SM Investments Corp. and also to other businesses across the group, including SM Foundation Inc., SM Supermalls under Shopping Center Management Corp. BDO Unibank, Inc., China Banking Corp. and Signature Series by SM Residences under Signatures Development Corp.
‘Good communication helps people understand what our businesses do and why it matters to them,’ Frederic C. DyBuncio, president and CEO of SMIC, said.
‘These awards reflect the work across the group to communicate clearly with the customers, investors, partners and communities we serve.’
SM Foundation received four awards, including three excellence awards, including its campaign on utilizing social good as a force for transformation, which bagged the high award community relations and corporate social responsibility.
The foundation’s spreading social good stories online: transforming lives through heartfelt storytelling also received an excellence award for social media.
‘Communication is an important part of strengthening the impact of development programs,’ Debbie Sy, executive director of SM Foundation, said.
‘It helps communities understand the opportunities available to them, gives people a voice, and brings partners closer to our mission. That is what spreading social good means to us, using communication to help social good initiatives reach and engage more people.’
Organized by the International Association of Business Communicators Philippines, the Philippine Quill Awards recognize communication programs and practices across organizations in the country. This year’s winners were selected from more than 800 entries evaluated against IABC standards.