Nasdaq taps youth in expansion plan

Financial technology analytics firm Nasdaq Philippines is striving to engage with the Filipino youth as it seeks to scale up its employee base in Manila and fulfill its goal of becoming the “primary destination employer in the Philippines.”

In a press conference at the Nasdaq headquarters on Wednesday, Oct. 24, Nasdaq Philippine Site Lead Marie Christine Joy Comia-Lansangan said that the company’s expansion plans primarily involve “partnering with top universities, tapping all the good talent in the market.”

“We are ramping up a lot of things in that area – doing road shows, attending a lot of career fairs with the branding team and talent acquisition. We recently had an open house where we invited people who were interested to learn more about Nasdaq and inviting them,” said Comia-Lansangan.

She added that they received many positive responses online from those who registered to their activities and conversed with the company’s leaders, and managers were able to showcase the services that the company offers.

Comia-Lansangan noted that since they are investing in many new roles in the company, aside from financial analysts, such as data analysts and engineers, Nasdaq is also looking to expand its reach to other universities in the country.

Nasdaq Capital Access Platforms Vice President and Advisory & Head of Location Strategy Yasir Fattah said the company just launched its “Employee Ambassador Program” in Manila, wherein employees are able to share their experiences in the company through social media or by conducting career talks at their alma maters.

Nasdaq Capital Access Platforms President Nelson Griggs added that the company is also looking into offering internships in Manila that can guarantee employment in the company or grant experience in the corporate world for young people.

Griggs said Nasdaq has gradually developed a long-term relationship and observed a recent business acceleration of growth in its employee base in the company for 10 years. From 100 employees since it began, it now has around 300 all Filipino staff.

He said the company is aiming to double the amount of hires in the company to 400 as it continues to develop and diversify its skill sets and prioritize career growth for employees.

Fattah remarked that there is a “perfect talent pool for different jobs” in Manila due to the “real diversification of talent in the local market.”

While Nasdaq is focusing on sourcing talent in the National Capital Region, it is still open to the opportunities to widen its talent pool to include potential workers from Visayas and Mindanao.

“We’re still seeing the possibility of finding that talent here in Manila, but we can build on that if it’s truly advantageous and makes sense. The only caveat is you have to make sure its meaningful enough to have a culture,” said Griggs.

As a firm that has powered the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) for nine years, Griggs emphasized that the company aims to draw “purpose to advance economic progress for all and a mission to be a trusted fabric of the financial ecosystem.”

The company is continuously offering consulting services to bring the latest technologies to business units such as cloud solutions that can be customized and adaptable, depending on the needs of the local market to modernize and digitalize.