We're Inspired By Our Customers.

PNB Savings Bank President Jovencio Hernandez Believes Understanding The Customer Is The Secret To Success.

Jovencio Hernandez’s foray into banking is something he likes to call a “happy accident”. Fresh out of university, the Filipino started his career in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies, starting with a five-year stint in marketing at Unilever Philippines. “I was then hired by a local conglomerate named CFC Corporation, which was at the time fighting Nestlé’s Nescafé to promote their two coffee brands, Great Taste and Blend 45,” Jovencio explains.

Over the next two years, Jovencio fought hard to wrestle the market leadership from Nestlé, before moving to FMCG competitor, Colgate Palmolive. There, he worked in departments ranging from marketing to product management, before becoming commercial director in charge of supply chain.

“I fell into the banking industry by chance in 1991, when Citibank Philippines decided to experiment in hiring non-bankers in their senior management. I was one of the three experiments and I like to think they were pleased with their investment,” he laughs. “From Citibank, I had an opportunity to work with local banks including Union Bank and Security Bank, before coming to Philippine National Bank (PNB) in 2006.”

In October of 2015, Jovencio became President of PNB’s consumer arm, PNB Savings Bank – a subsidiary that carries with it the stability, expertise and capabilities of its 103-year-old parent bank. A strategist at heart, Jovencio immediately set about building a five-year plan to ensure the bank’s future success. “The results speak for themselves. First, we decided that we wanted to be number five across a range of industry categories and we wanted to get our net income to at least PHP1 billion by 2020,” he explains.