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HEADLINERS RCBC’s Araneta Believes in Loose Setups to Get Things Done For RCBC President and COO Valentin Araneta, managing one’s temper is part of management. To him, a calm approach even to the most complex issues is often more effective. This unflappable disposition should work well for a guy tasked to stoke the fires of RCBC as it embarks on new ventures. The country’s 9th largest lender, with assets of over P100 billion, is girding for tougher competition by venturing into exercises like Internet banking and acquisitions. Araneta was promoted as President and COO of RCBC in mid-2000. A seasoned banker, he has worked in various financial institutions over the decades. "I believe it is easier to delegate if you have been through a lot of sectors. You would readily sense if something is wrong," he says. Araneta started his career in the financial sector as an economist of the Private Development Corp. of the Philippines in the early ‘70s. He then moved to Bancom Development Corp. and later on joined the Banque Nationale de Paris as chief foreign exchange dealer. After, he joined the Philippine National Bank where he stayed for more than a decade, moving from AVP for the overseas offices in 1981 and to become Senior Executive Vice President and COO in 1998. Araneta says an executive has to delegate more as he goes up the corporate ladder. He wants the management setup in RCBC be "as flat as possible." Such a setup entails a weekly senior management meeting, endless e-mails and occasional surprise visits to different departments. "We want to make the setup as loose as possible because the important thing is getting things done," he says. Though democracy and empowerment are edicts he observes, this executive is not completely averse to calling the crucial shots. He says this comes with the territory. Araneta’s door, even in the new building, is always open. "We try to break down the hierarchy in that respect. When I have a free time, I go to different departments for a ‘pleasant surprise visit’," he says. The executive boasts that the new building, several floors of which will be occupied by the bank, will offer Intranet access to strategic locations to enable the employees to interact with management.

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