SEC chairperson named first-ever Public Sector Innovator in Mansmith Innovation Awards

MANILA, Philippines — Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairperson Emilio Aquino has been named as the first ever Public Sector Innovator Awardee in the 2023 Mansmith Innovation Awards, in recognition of his pioneering digital transformation efforts in the government.

Aquino was recognized alongside five other top innovators for their contributions in microlending, product innovation in food supplements, product innovation as a non-governmental organization, online stock trading and innovative business model during the awarding ceremony held on November 17 at The Podium in Mandaluyong City.

“I am honored to be the first-ever recipient of the Public Sector Innovator Award, a recognition that affirms the positive impact of the innovations that we at the Securities and Exchange Commission have advanced over the last few years,” Aquino said in a message during the awarding ceremony.

“More than that, I hope that this recognition will also inspire future innovators both in the public and private sectors, who can contribute more to the realization of our shared aspirations as a nation, that is, a strongly rooted, comfortable and secure life for every Filipino.”

Now on its third year, the Mansmith Innovation Awards is organized by training and consultancy firm Mansmith and Fielders Inc. to support initiatives toward innovation, improve the Philippines’ global innovation ranking and address the low number of patents in the country.

Since taking on the helm as SEC chairperson and CEO in 2018, Aquino has incorporated digital transformation and innovation into his plans and programs for the commission.

Guided by the Digital Transformation and Technology Modernization Roadmap under his SuperVision 2028, the SEC embarked on a journey to automate 26 key process of the SEC and establish a unified and integrated database for the commission and its stakeholders.

The first wave of its digital transformation roadmap included the launch of the online company registration system called Electronic Simplified Processing of Application for Registration of Company (eSPARC) and its subsystem, One-day Submission and E-registration of Companies (OneSEC).

Thanks to eSPARC, the SEC