Mylene Abiva is her father’s daughter. She was born in the same year that the family corporation was founded and Felipe Abiva must have noted the auspicious coincidence as he would later hand over the reins of the business to his middle child. She became FELTA Multi-media Inc.’s president in 1989, not only inheriting the family business but also her father’s tireless vision to help improve the quality of education in the Philippines.
However, Ms. Abiva’s entrepreneurial journey did not start with FELTA. She began her professional career in the United States in the 1980s, working as a sales director for a manufacturing firm in Detroit. “I did not have it easy,” she narrates. “Here I was, a little Filipina woman, working with men who were hostile from the start! I had to fight tooth and nail to show them I couldn’t be pushed around.” Proving that the Filipino can, Ms. Abiva earned the respect of her colleagues. Her experience proved to be excellent training for her eventual leadership of FELTA, equipping her with the structured professionalism she brought to the company.
FELTA Multi-media Inc. was the brainchild of Felipe and Teresita Abiva. The company started small by importing visual aids, books and other simple educational materials, but the Abivas knew that academic institutions would have to adopt new instructional techniques to improve the quality of education. Read full story.
