THE story of Dr. Mary Jane Alvero Mahadi is, in her own words, one of “riches to rags and rags to riches.” One would not have guessed that this articulate, accomplished group CEO of Prime Group Global, based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and with branches in the Philippines, Japan, and India, had to confront numerous obstacles to finally find her place in the world.
That place includes heading the multimillion-dollar Geoscience Testing Laboratory, the only laboratory authorized to inspect and assess the construction materials used for building what has now become sparkling Downtown Dubai, site of such globally renowned structures as the Burj Khalifa, the Dubai landmark that is the tallest building in the world; the Burj Al Arab; and many more prestigious projects in the UAE.
Mary Jane’s father belonged to the wealthy Alvero clan of San Pablo City, who owned vast coconut plantations. He was also a personnel manager, while running a heavy equipment and machinery enterprise as well as a trading company on the side.Things went downhill, however, after her father and his brother partnered in a new business, but ended up inadvertently buying stolen property.
Mary Jane had grown up in Olongapo, where she studied until high school, and it was there that she experienced the change in fortunes that affected her entire family. “My dad got depressed, got sick, and became bedridden. We were strapped for cash because every day we needed oxygen for him, and P1,000 at that time was too much for us. There were five of us siblings and we were all studying.” That awakened the drive in Mary Jane to strive to be successful: “I wanted to become wealthy to help my family.”
Mary Jane recalls how her father was a principled disciplinarian who greatly valued education—which, Mary Jane believes, is how she managed to achieve so much. Those achievements came with a lot of hard work, however. Although she begged an aunt to help her finish her chemical engineering course, Mary Jane needed additional money for her laboratory expenses and transportation. Despite the demands of classes, she worked on the crew of fast-food chain Jollibee, where she cleaned floors and tables and fried the food, and the boiling oil left a permanent scar on Mary Jane’s skin that always reminds her of those days: “Whatever I have now, I didn’t get it easily.” The young girl’s potential was already evident, however, so she was soon promoted to management trainee.
Already thinking of working abroad, she transferred to a textile company, and in 1992, landed a job in the UAE that paid $300—almost all of which she always sent to her family. “I took the chance because I thought that once I was abroad, I would find different opportunities.”
Spiritual
She was bullied in the industry in the beginning, being a woman as well as a foreigner, a Filipina. She recounts a time when a superior actually ordered her, a chemical engineer, to fetch him some table utensils. Instead, she threw a bunch of boxes at him. Yet, when the offending superior asked the company chairman to terminate Mary Jane, the chairman, quite aware that she was an asset, sided with her—and promoted her to manager.
“Everyone I met along the way, when they saw what I had been through, were very happy for me,” Mary Jane recounts. “I faced many challenges as a woman and a business leader, but thank God—perhaps because I am also spiritual, I always pray before I do anything. I always ask for signs and advice from people who have experience.”
Mary Jane also relied on her own insight. “I am educated enough to understand their culture, their behavior, their ethics, and emotional intelligence. It is very important for a person, especially if you are a leader, to have strong emotional intelligence. It is better than IQ because if you are only intelligent and you don’t use your heart, it’s no use.”
Her company started in the UAE as a laboratory for construction materials, and from there they moved into certification, as well as food laboratories. “As a chemical engineer, I applied what I learned in school, the international standards. I love to read, I love to study, and I don’t stop studying.” In fact, Mary Jane, who would meet her husband in the UAE, would go on to earn an MBA and a Ph.D.
“Women’s leadership in business, based on my experience, is stronger, and involves empathy,” she says. “When you get angry, you have a reason; when you forgive, you have a reason. Sometimes female leaders are very detail-oriented, but the ones who are truly successful focus more on the bigger picture and deliver more.”
Still, in spite of making her mark in her adopted country and becoming an inspiration to fellow Filipinas and other women to go ahead and break barriers, Mary Jane continues to hold the Philippines close to her heart. “I still have great hope for this country. We are more than capable of rising up, and it all depends on the youth. That’s why I say, the hope of the country lies in the youth.” They have to contend with a lot more, as well, though: Children nowadays need to be empowered, well-informed, properly educated, and updated on trends, she emphasizes.
Dr. Mary Jane Alvero Mahadi succeeded because she welcomed life’s challenges and refused to limit herself. “You cannot remain stagnant; you have to always dream big. But merely dreaming big without taking action is not enough. You have to be super hardworking; you have to know what you are doing and love what you are doing. The passion should be there, to find ways to grow, develop further, and improve your life.”
