Commitment and Empowerment - Metro Him Magazine

David Nugent sees success in doing right.

Although he's half German-American and lived most of his life abroad, David Nugent is firmly committed to staying in the Philippines. Asked why he returned, he says simply: "It's home."

"Whether you're one or 100 percent Filipino, you have a duty to come home and try to make things work, suffer like the rest of us," he says. "Otherwise we should just write the country off."


In society photographs he's often identified as with Philippine Long Distance Company, but he is actually vice president for media and corporate communications for Metro Pacific Corp., a holdings company, founded and chaired by Manny V. Pangilinan, who also heads PLDT, a sister company. It is likely Nugent's close work with MVP (whose office is just down the hall) that's linked him with the more commonly known company.

His job requires him to do "a lot of things, including overseeing our financial reporting, maintaining relationships with the media and financial community, our shareholders, and so on." He also does some work in the conglomerate's head office in Hong Kong at First Pacific, which controls PLDT and Metro Pacific, and which MVP founded in 1981.

His many tasks include buying DVDs and books for the business legend, a voracious reader and cineaste. "What people don't know about him," Nugent reveals, "is he's got a great sense of humor. He loves practical jokes, green jokes."

Nugent is also frequently photographed and seen sharply dressed. "I don't know if I have a particular sense of style," he demurs, "but I try to be decently groomed, and I veer towards well-tailored clothes, which last throughout seasons. Despite the propensity for designer T-shirts and distressed jeans, I still think a guy looks great in a superbly fitting jacket and tie."

His pleasures are keeping fit, travel and reading (the Metro group has also discovered he's a writer with flair.) He likes Godard and Almodovar; at the moment he's reading the first new translation in 50 years of War and Peace.

Although Tom Valderrama (opposite) works for another sister company, the two have no official relationship with one another. And yet they are great friends.

"I like Tom for a lot of reasons," he adds, "but most of all because we never have to explain each other to ourselves, and that's an important quality in a good friend.

"One thing many people don't know about Tom is that he's one hell of a poker shark -- you don't want to be opposite him with a deck of cards."

Asked what his style is as a manager, he responds: "The best thing about being a manager is being able to train people to take your place. You have to give people tools. It's about empowerment."

By Carlo Tadiar
Photographs by Sara Black
Styling by Rey R. Ilagan
Grooming by Ria Gamboa
Clothing by Hugo Boss

SOURCE: http://metrozines.com/mhim.php?articleID=9dfb47a7fac33c504e153895b075daa9