By Tom S. Noda
Published in the CWP October 2009 issue

Applying technology solutions to businesses and seeing them work positively has always fascinated Ergie Ong. And for 20 years in the IT profession, employing the right solutions has become his motivation in pursuing further his IT career.

Currently the chief information officer (CIO) of PJ Lhuillier Group, Ong notes major businesses are “highly dependent” on ICT solutions.

“I enjoyed implementing IT solutions that have significant business impacts and solutions that make life easier for our internal and external customers,” he says, adding there are still a lot of things to explore in IT and so it remains as an exciting profession.

All throughout his career, Ong only had two words to describe most of the IT projects he handled, and these are: “successfully implemented.” And for two decades, Ong only worked with four companies – Software Ventures International, Far East Bank and Trust Corp., Equitable PCI Bank (now Banco de Oro or BDO), and PJ Lhuillier Group.

But long before he graduated in college, Ong says he already handled various roles and functions in IT using different platforms, such as PC-based system, midrange and mainframe systems.

Ong’s career in IT started in 1989 when, as a fresh graduate of BS Statistics in UP Los Baños, he joined Software as a project manager/senior systems designer handling several major projects for local and foreign customers.

Five years later, Ong went to Far East Bank and became project manager and head of electronic banking systems development. After two years, he moved to Equitable Bank where he rose from the ranks as senior manager and head of systems development unit (1996 to 1999); vice president and head of data center division (1999 to 2007); and vice president and IT development unit head of BDO (2007 to 2008).

Ong recalls that when he was VP and data center division head at Equitable, he played a major IT role in the implementation of core systems and the successful merging of two major banks – Equitable and PCI. “I handled systems development and technical support functions concurrently during the merger,” he says.

In his present post as CIO of PJ Lhuillier, Ong shares that the PayAnywhere Remittance module of the company served as one of the major projects he implemented last year.

“Right now the challenging tasks for me are to implement new systems and enable new business solutions through implementation of cost-effective ICT solutions in over 1,200 Cebuana Lhuillier branches nationwide and also in our affiliate companies,” he says. “The new customer-centric core system of our company is currently being deployed in our branches and this will be completed by October 2009.”

As a proven solutions guy or “key master,” Ong teaches not to apply technology for technology’s sake alone, noting ICT solutions should always be aligned with business objectives.

And for an IT team to succeed, Ong says an IT staff should have open communication lines with one another. This means being transparent about what each is doing, which includes the admitting of mistakes and learning from such mistakes, and by being objective in resolving critical problems.

“An IT boss should encourage his staff to learn more about new technology solutions by discussing solutions with peers, attending IT conferences, meeting with partners, vendors, also by reading books and browsing the Internet,” Ong says. “But more importantly, he or she should encourage them to understand the business impact of IT solutions.”

Tidbits
Age: 40
Civil Status: Married
Children: Two, ages 10 and 7
Favorite Technologies: Internet
Philosophy in a nutshell: “Bloom where you are planted. If you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”
Hobbies and Interests: Bowling
What people don’t know about you: “I was a DOST scholar during college.”

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• Harnessing Excellence

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