Global Scale-up Specialist
The dynamic Pamela Ann Baluyo became one of ‘Philippines Top 30 Leaders on LinkedIn 2022’ by helping entrepreneurs scale their businesses through cost-effective solutions provided by her prestigious global firm – Scale Experts Inc.
Pamela, or Pam as she is fondly called, was born in Sta. Ana, Manila to Constantino P. Mariano, an engineer and Yolinda B. Candelario, a schoolteacher. She took up BS Mathematics at the University of Santo Tomas but had to stop as she settled for early motherhood. She worked in the packaging industry from 1994 until 2000 when she resumed her studies and took up Business Management, majoring in Management Information Systems at AMA Computer University. By 2002, she joined the Business Process Outsourcing industry, joining the BPO giants at that time – ACS, e-Telecare and Teletech, to name a few. She led teams and won various recognitions in her work to increase Customer Satisfaction Rating for a leading computer company by 87%, while leading a team of CSAT-challenged and English Proficiency outliers, besting 4 other sites in e-Telecare at that time – an experiment in improving Customer Service that hailed her as one of the Top Team Leads of the year.
In 2011, she formed VKW Phils, Inc. with a German-American business partner. In 2016, her business partner died of a heart attack, leaving her in-charge. After much thought, she revamped the whole company. Together with her husband Emman, a fellow Rotarian and two more friends, Pamela formed Scale Experts Inc. in 2018 – an Outsourcing and Virtual Assistance company that specializes in scaling small and medium-sized businesses in their operations, processes and needs.
Its specialities are Startup processes, Customer Service Support, and Virtual Assistance. Currently, their teams cater to one of the leading online and mobile food ordering and delivery marketplace with the largest and most comprehensive network of 300,000 restaurant partners. They are also catering to a network of recruiting firms in the US, and have just acquired a new account for Robot Delivery, catering to companies in Seoul, Dubai and Michigan.
“My passion is to help friends, or others who are talented but were denied the proper education, to pursue their interests. When companies grow, it helps generate more jobs, provide alternative work, and a safer place for people who want to be out of a toxic work environment.”
Pamela’s biggest challenge was being invalidated for her decisions, all because she was a woman. There were some instances in her life where her opinion or ideas were dismissed. However, she never let that stop her from pursuing what she most loved.
Today, her firm comprises a female workforce of 65%! Pamela strongly believes that companies should have definitive guidelines on diversity, equality and inclusion in the workplace. On the other hand, women too must have a mindset of continuous improvement to learn new things and discover new pursuits.
Is it then possible to achieve work-life balance, we ask her? “I balance home and work by allotting time for each task that I need to do. I also spend me-time by gardening, reading, knitting, or online gaming. Spending too much time at work would be meaningless if you have no family member to celebrate with. Thus, I spend quality time with them doing things we all love, like eating out, watching a movie, or just spending an hour talking to each other.”
Pamela is blissfully married to Emmanuel Baluyo and has three children – Patrice, a voice actress who also works as her Recruiting Specialist at Scale Experts, Louie – who is in the same BPO industry, and Yman Xavier – currently in Grade 10 and a champion JiuJitsu Fighter and MMA enthusiast.
Pamela is also a Rotarian since 2014, and in 2020, she was elected as a Club President for the Rotary Club of Rodriguez. She is currently the District Chair for Membership Engagement of Rotary District 3800, and an incoming Assistant Governor for the Rotary Year 2023-2024. She is currently in the process of establishing the first corporate Rotary E-club in the Philippines.
Where does she find the inspiration to manage it all so successfully? “When it comes to managing people, the best role model I can think of is Michelle Obama. She still runs a tight ship, but she runs it with kindness.”
The same can be said for Pamela, who’s renowned for her kindness and generosity. “They say I am generous and kind, but for me, it’s more the ability to identify opportunities and take calculated risks that helps me scale businesses. That said, the corporate jungle may not have room for being kind, generous or nice. However, these traits and virtues are the ones that make your company human, and successful.”