Seventeen years ago, Miriam Villareal-Lagdameo was already juggling a myriad of responsibilities, from working as a supervisor at TeleTech Philippines to being a wife and a mother.
But she wanted more, and craved new challenges and career growth. When an opportunity came up to join the QI Group as the Executive Assistant to a Board member in 2006, she jumped at the opportunity. During her initial stint, Miriam wore many hats.
Though her primary focus was serving as the Executive Assistant to Mr. TG Kintanar, the QI Group’s Director of Network Affairs and IT, she also dabbled in various other roles, including business development, sales and marketing, finance, and technical support.
After three years with QI, her personal circumstances changed, and she needed to move to Canada to join
her husband and bid the company adieu.
However, she was back in the Philippines in 2011, and her strong bond with QI brought her
back into the fold to take on fresh challenges.
As a Business Development Manager, she played a crucial part in developing ‘Invoice’, a successful technology product for our direct selling subsidiary, QNET. Miriam vividly recalls the exciting times during QNET’s annual flagship conventions back then when her team was responsible for setting up the product booth for Invoice from where they provided training, customer support, helped burn CDs (yes, it existed back then!) for distribution—all in a day’s work. It was gruelling, but the reward lay in seeing the success of the QNET distributors who were using the product and promoting it!
She admits that balancing her professional life and personal responsibilities as a wife and mother are not easy. What gets her through is her determination to prove herself, which has allowed her to grow through the ranks over the years.
What differentiates QI for Miriam is the striking similarity she sees between the corporate culture and her family’s heritage of values and service. “It feels like home,” she says, emphasising the significance of QI in her life. “My workplace is my second home, and my colleagues are my family.” For her, QI represents a place where she can fulfil her life’s purpose of doing purposeful work, guided by the company’s core philosophy of RYTHM – Raise Yourself to Help Mankind.
Miriam’s journey with us has been a continuous learning curve, but she thrives on the challenges, always seeking out problems and turning over stones to solve them.
She feels that this mindset has kept her engaged, motivated, and innovative.
She highlights that one of the unique aspects of QI is the freedom to pursue your passions. She is grateful that the company has provided the canvas for her to paint her career the way she desired with guidance from experienced colleagues and mentors, allowing her to carve her path.
“If I stop growing, I will stop living,” she believes, echoing our Founder, Vijay Eswaran’s mantra.
Now helming our Philippines office as its General Manager, Miriam cherishes her free time with her family despite her demanding role. Precious moments at home are what rejuvenates her. When time permits, she enjoys travelling with loved ones and creating lasting memories.
Miriam’s journey with QI is a testament to the fact that women can have it all if they have the right support system and are given the relevant opportunities.
Miriam Villareal-Lagdameo is the General Manager of the QI Group’s operations in the Philippines.