#NextGen Champs Take the Spotlight: Unveiling Breakthrough Solutions Across the Bank
By: Neil Nepomuceno, TJ David, and Kay Doromal
The Mission
Any UnionBanker can reimagine banking to uplift lives. This is the core belief of the NextGen Champ Program wherein engaged and influential Middle Managers are called upon to be at the forefront of continuous improvement. These NextGen Champs were nominated by their Senior Leaders earlier this year as key proponents of the Bank’s Purpose, Vision & Values.
Last August, the NextGen Champs embarked on their first mission: resolving pressing issues that their internal or external customers face. For three months, the Champs participated in co-creation sessions wherein they zoned in on process gaps and proposed resolutions for implementation.
The Showcase
On November 21, 2025, UnionBank’s NextGen Champs took center stage at UB Plaza in showcasing their output through interactive booths, virtual demos, or hands-on experiences. A total of 17 booths from client-facing, operations, and support teams were set up, each highlighting creativity and innovation from different departments.
Amongst the frontline groups, the Sales and Distribution Team maximized their space with a colorful, visually engaging booth, emphasizing the importance of client engagement and cross-selling among other booths.
Meanwhile, Treasury’s NextGen Champ, Cheeno Roque, together with Investor Sales Officer Philip Rutaquio, are among the NextGen Champs who showcased a project focused on improving the efficiency of client profiling and investment information submission—reducing the turnaround time from 1–2 weeks to just 48 hours.
Support teams like Human Resources’ team, Data Science and Analytics, and Corporate Governance teams delighted visitors with interactive video playbacks, hands-on consultations and sweet treats.
Operations groups showcased simplifying and transforming processes through fun and engaging approaches. Core Operations chose the theme “From Manual to Magical”, presenting a mini game alongside useful information about UnionBank and client agreements. Corporate & Digital Operations stood out and was recognized as the “Best Dressed Booth” with their cafe inspired station complete with barista outfits, served coffee and great insights for the NextGen Project.
NextGen Champ and Product Fulfillment Head, Kristel Delos Santos, shared how her team brought their concept to life during Mission 1. She explained that the theme naturally reflected their daily workflow. “In a café, customers receive their orders through clear, step-by-step processes—and that’s exactly how our operations work. If one stage is skipped, errors will happen. The café setup made it easy for us to show that.”
She also shared that serving coffee while explaining their solution turned out to be a fun and effective approach.
Reflecting on her NextGen Champ journey, Kristel described it as both challenging and fulfilling. Coming from a back-office team, presenting large groups and senior leaders was initially intimidating, but the experience pushed them to prepare, adapt, and step outside their comfort zone. “We gained confidence, improved our communication skills, and expanded our network,” she said. “It motivated us to take on more opportunities to grow.”
Branch Channel Management livened up the space with the BCM Card Replacement Booth. NextGen Champ Elena Sismaet, along with her fellow RSOOs, lead the charge and were recognized as a crowd favorite.
“Since card replacements comprise a huge portion of branch transactions that remain manual, we proposed this solution—to integrate card replacements into our mobile banking services,” said Elena. “We believe this solution will make clients happier by giving them more options while strengthening UnionBank’s identity as a digital bank,” she added.
Her fellow RSOO, Mary Jane, also highlighted the positive “ripple effect” of this solution, which ranges from fewer calls to UBP’s call centers to more positive reviews for the Bank.
The Feedback
UnionBank Chief Human Resource Officer Michelle Rubio and Deputy Transaction Banking Head Erika Dizon, Corporate and Digital Operations Head, Magz Magbanua, Global Market Sales Head, Jeannette Zagala and other Senior Leaders were also present, showed their support and interest in both the projects and the people behind them.
UnionBank Chief Transformation Officer Dennis Omila commended the booths that featured interactive games such as ball drops, dice games, color roulette, challenging Q&As. “It really warms my heart because I can see their passion when it comes to what they do, and the showcases they presented on their creative booths,” Said Dennis.
“There are problems that they were able to resolve and of course they are proud about it, and I can feel their energy.” He ended.
On the other hand, UnionBank Retail Banking Center Head, Pearlie Lontoc, was also present, actively engaging with the NextGen Champs. “Upon seeing the booths and talking with them, I saw that every business unit understood their function and bigger purpose.”
“They understand the challenges they face, and it’s really good to see that they have a solution to it. I’m really happy about that.”
What’s Next
This is just the beginning. Coming in 2026, ‘Mission 2’ of the NextGen Showcase will give our NextGen Champs the chance to present their bigger and bolder process improvements and innovative solutions as we continue to reimagine banking to uplift lives.
As we look ahead, we challenge you to reflect: how will your team drive meaningful change in the way we work and interact with our clients?