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"At ING Hubs Philippines, we believe that when people belong, are recognised, and empowered to ‘Do Your Thing’, they don't simply prepare for the future, they help shape it," Rei Aparicio, LEAD for Talent and Learning CoE, reflects.
An employee’s experience of an organisation is rarely defined by one big HR moment. It is built gradually: in the welcome they receive as a new joiner, the opportunities they have to learn and progress, the communities where they find connection, and the recognition that tells them their contribution matters.
At ING Hubs Philippines, this insight became the foundation for a more integrated people strategy. Instead of treating culture, career development, diversity & inclusion, wellbeing, rewards, and employer branding as separate priorities, the organisation set out to connect them into a single, meaningful employee experience.
Guided by its ambition to empower employees to “Do Your Thing”, the organisation is creating the conditions for people to grow professionally and personally, while helping shape a workplace that is inclusive, adaptable, and ready for the future.
This approach earned the team the following accolades at the HR Excellence Awards 2026, Philippines:
- Gold for ‘Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’, and
- Silver for ‘Excellence in Employer Branding’.
At the heart of this approach is the belief that people initiatives deliver greater impact when they work together. Rei Aparicio, LEAD for Talent and Learning CoE at ING Hubs Philippines, explains how the organisation is putting that belief into practice.
Q What was the 'lightbulb moment' behind your HR initiative?
The turning point came when we realised that employees don't experience HR through separate programmes. They experience it as one journey. Whether someone is applying for a role, onboarding, joining an Employee Resource Group, learning a new skill, pursuing a career move, or being recognised for their contributions, every touchpoint shapes how they feel about their workplace. We saw an opportunity to move beyond standalone initiatives and build a connected ecosystem where culture, development, inclusion, wellbeing, and employer branding work together.
That mindset helped us align our people strategy around a common goal: unlock our people’s potential by empowering them to "Do Your Thing" and thrive both professionally and personally. When people feel seen, supported, and equipped for the future, they don't just perform better, they become advocates who help shape an even stronger workplace for others.
Q Innovation rarely comes without obstacles. What was the biggest challenge your team faced along the way, and how did you overcome it?
One of our biggest challenges was sustaining a strong sense of belonging, growth, and connection while scaling rapidly in an increasingly competitive and fast-changing environment. As technology, AI, and workforce expectations evolved, employees wanted clarity about their future and opportunities to continue growing. At the same time, this created an opportunity for us to further strengthen our employer branding and continue attracting highly specialised talent by showing what makes our employee experience distinct.
We formalised Employee Resource Groups, expanded leadership development, strengthened our employer branding operating model, enhanced rewards and mobility programmes, and embedded future-readiness into our culture.
“By connecting these initiatives, we created an employee experience that is both scalable and human, enabling people to grow, thrive, and actively shape the future together.”
Q How has this initiative influenced your people and organisation - and what conversation do you hope it sparks across the HR community?
The most meaningful impact has been the shift from participation to ownership. Our people are not simply attending programmes, they are helping shape culture, mentoring future talent, championing inclusion, sharing their stories, and driving change across the organisation. We've seen stronger employee advocacy, high engagement, continued trust in our workplace culture, increased participation in employee communities, stronger leadership pipelines, and improved attraction and retention outcomes.
More importantly, employees have greater confidence that they can grow, belong, and build long-term careers with us. We hope this sparks a broader conversation in the HR community about the power of integration. Culture, learning, employer branding, inclusion, wellbeing, and rewards should not compete for attention. When they work together as a connected ecosystem, they create a workplace where both people and business can thrive.
Q What's next - how are you planning to build on your progress and keep the momentum going?
Our focus now is on deepening impact and preparing our workforce for the future. We are investing further in leadership capability, AI and digital fluency, internal mobility, accessibility, inclusion, and employee experience. We want to move from strong engagement to long-term organisational resilience by embedding these principles into everyday ways of working. This includes strengthening skills-based learning pathways, expanding opportunities for career growth, enhancing accessibility and neuroinclusion, and using data more deliberately to improve decision-making.
We also want our employees to play an even bigger role as culture builders and ambassadors for ING Hubs Philippines. While recognition is encouraging, our goal has never been awards. Success for us means creating a workplace where people are continuously learning, adapting, and succeeding in a rapidly changing world.
Q As the HR landscape continues to evolve, what do you believe will be the next big opportunity for HR leaders, and how is your organisation preparing for it?
We believe the next major opportunity for HR leaders is helping people navigate transformation with confidence.
“As AI, automation, and changing workforce expectations reshape jobs and careers, organisations will need to balance innovation with a deeply human employee experience.”
The challenge is no longer simply attracting talent. It is creating an environment where people can continuously reinvent themselves, develop new capabilities, and adapt to change without losing their sense of belonging. At ING Hubs Philippines, we are preparing for this by investing in future-ready skills, leadership development, internal mobility, inclusive workplaces, and data-informed decision making.
Our role as HR leaders is not just to manage change, but to create the conditions where people can grow through it and emerge stronger because of it.
Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices - head over to our Winning Secrets section!
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