[Press release]
Participants reflected on shared challenges, exchanged insights, and identified opportunities to accelerate progress on gender equality. Photo: Philippine Business for Social Progress
Manila, Philippines — Moving from commitment to targeted, sustained action is key to advancing gender equality in the private sector. Ten companies from the Philippines' technology and tech-enabled sectors were recognized this month as the country’s first ‘WEPs Changemakers’ after completing the inaugural Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Corporate Action Lab. Conducted from August 2025 to May 2026, the innovation and peer-learning programme enables companies to design, pilot, refine and track initiatives that advance women’s leadership and help create more inclusive, gender-responsive organizations.
At the culmination event, participating companies presented their progress, sharing lessons from implementation and receiving recognition as the first generation of ‘WEPs Changemakers’ in the Philippines.
Using a human-centered approach, participants explored challenges and generated actionable ideas grounded in the realities of their organizations. Photo: Philippines Business for Social Progress
The 10 WEPs Changemakers are:
- ACCIONA Construction Philippines, Inc.
- Airspeed International Corporation
- CoWorq Business Support Services
- Genpact Services LLC (Philippines)
- Infosys BPM Philippines
- Manila Water Company, Inc.
- Petsure Services, Inc.
- PSG Global Solutions, Inc.
- Stratpoint Technologies
- Upgrade Energy Philippines, Inc.
Participating companies identified challenges, developed and tested company-specific solutions, and exchanged insights with peers addressing similar gender equality challenges. They explored practical approaches to strengthening women’s leadership pathways, supporting caregiving and work-life needs, improving internal company policies, and embedding greater accountability for gender-responsive business practices.
“Advancing women’s leadership is not the result of a single action – it is driven by sustained commitment, innovation, and the courage to challenge long-standing norms. Let us build on our progress and work together to make gender equality a lived reality in our workplaces, our communities, and beyond”, said Arnaud Peral, Resident Coordinator, UN in the Philippines.
(From left) Commissioner Geraldine Marie Berbarabe-Martinez, Governance Commission for GOCCs; Mr. Daniel Simson, First Secretary (Economic), Australian Embassy in the Philippines; Mr. Arnaud Peral, Resident Coordinator, United Nations in the Philippines; Ms. Antoinette Santos, Programme Analyst (Gender Action Lab), UN Women Philippines; and Mr. Elvin Ivan Uy, Executive Director, Philippine Business for Social Progress.
The culmination event featured a showcase of emerging lessons and promising practices from the first implementation of the WEPs Corporate Action Lab in the Philippines. These insights will be captured in a learning compendium released in coming weeks. The publication will document the cohort’s journey, innovations, key lessons and practical approaches for advancing women’s leadership in the technology and tech-enabled sectors.
“The completion of this first cohort is not only milestone for the participating companies, but also for the broader private sector as we look to their increasing contribution to promoting gender equality in businesses and communities”, said Ma. Rosalyn Mesina, Country Programme Coordinator, UN Women Philippines.
This inaugural Lab, which was co-implemented with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), forms part of the UN Women Gender Action Lab: Innovation and Impact for Gender Equality in Asia and the Pacific supported by the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). It is being implemented for an initial period of four years, with a particular focus on the Philippines, as well as Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia.
“Australia congratulates the ten pioneering companies that participated in the Philippines’ first WEPs Corporate Action Lab. By moving beyond commitments and taking practical action to address barriers to women’s participation and leadership in the technology sector, these companies have demonstrated the kind of leadership needed to advance workplace gender equality and create more inclusive workplaces”, said Daniel Simson, First Secretary (Economic), Australian Embassy in the Philippines.
For participating companies, graduation from the programme marks the beginning of a broader role as WEPs Changemakers: organizations that can help inspire and influence other businesses to advance gender equality through practical and inclusive action.
Scaling Up
Building on the momentum of the inaugural cohort, preparations are already underway for the next series of WEPs Corporate Action Labs in the Philippines. In partnership with the Governance Commission for GOCCs, a new Lab will launch shortly, focusing on strengthening inclusive workplaces and gender and development initiatives across government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs).
“GCG is proud to stand alongside UN Women as partners in advancing the WEPs in the public governance sector. This is a historic achievement for GCG and the GOCC sector as it reflects our shared commitment to building workplaces where women are empowered to participate fully and where gender equality is at the heart of public service”, said Commissioner Geraldine Marie Berberabe-Martinez of the Governance Commission for GOCCs. To our future GOCC-focused WEPs Corporate Action Lab cohort, we look forward to walking this journey with you. Together, we hope to strengthen public institutions where women can contribute and lead,” she added.
A parallel Lab focused on the theme ‘Business Action for Gender-responsive and Inclusive Skills Development’ will launch in September with support from GIZ through the Germany-ASEAN cooperation project ‘Regional Cooperation on Labour Market Policy and Technical and Vocational Education and Training for a Twin Transition in ASEAN (RECOTwin)’.
