
This month I hosted a virtual Coffee & Selfie with Vanessa "Van" Ma David, Senior Operations Manager for RCI in Clark, Philippines. She has been with the company for six months, and is loving her new job!
– Olivier Chavy, President of Panorama
The location is very near my hometown in Clark. I started working in the call center industry, but I always worked in Manila, which is far away, or other regions. But once the pandemic started, I decided I wanted to go home after being away for almost 15 years. So I was very fortunate to find this opportunity so close to home!
When I learned that the role had to do with travel and servicing our members, it definitely fit because I love traveling so much. I started traveling a lot in 2006.
I think I mostly enjoy positively influencing our members and associates.
Not all Filipino people are privileged in traveling like I have been, so I’m fortunate to be able to share my travel experiences and help educate our team. Maybe half of our team have actually traveled, and it’s sometimes a challenge to sell and service our members when you haven’t experience travel yourself. So I try to educate and inspire our associates every day.
We all have different talents and skills, but I’m proud that I can bring my experiences to my job.
I think I learned that not everyone is prepared. It’s definitely been a wakeup call. I realized during the pandemic that many people needed help. My neighbors were having some challenging situations — I had a lot of groceries stocked up, so I began sharing with my neighbors and grocery shopping for them.
I also learned that there is no limit to kindness — it’s about giving away things without expecting anything in return.
The reason is this. When my mom passed away because of cancer, everything fell apart. I had to give up working in Manila because I needed to go home to help my family. I couldn’t find a job in Clark for maybe five months, and was very discouraged. I had to work at the public markets selling dried fish, and borrowing money from friends.
I finally got a job, and then my dad had a stroke and sadly passed away. After all of that, I had many things to manage personally, so I think that is the perfect song that motivated me to stay strong.