Shaping Future Filipino Tech Leaders with Shopee’s Global Leaders Program

The rapid growth and development of the tech industry over the last decade calls for a new way of molding future tech leaders. In order to keep up with the fast-paced industry, there is a need to equip future leaders with a global perspective and a constant desire to learn. Part of equipping them with such skills includes expanding their scope of work to enable them to gain new competencies and exposure to different peers, colleagues, business functions, teams, markets, and more—all of which are crucial in training future tech leaders.  

This is exactly how Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, develops young leaders in tech. The Global Leaders Program (GLP) is Shopee’s 2-year flagship graduate program open to final year students and young professionals with up to two years of work experience. The program consists of 4 rotations among Shopee’s different departments, 2 of which are overseas. Throughout the duration of the training, participants are given the chance to receive mentorship from senior management, work on the end-to-end processes of highly impactful projects, and gain exposure from the various departments of both local and international Shopee markets. 

Recently, Shopee Philippines welcomed its newest and biggest batch of GLP associates through a casual mixer to get to know one another, meet their senior management mentors, and heed advice from GLP alumni. The event introduced participants to the vibrant and collaborative culture at Shopee, and gave them a better understanding of what to expect as they begin their journey. 

Karen Perez, Head of People at Shopee PH, shared “We are thrilled to welcome our largest batch of Global Leaders Program associates to date. As they embark on their journey at Shopee, it is our privilege to provide them with mentorship, a dynamic work environment, and meaningful work experiences. We are deeply committed to honing the skills of local talent and we look forward to delivering even more opportunities to help young Filipino professionals reach their full potential.”

This year’s batch of GLP associates is a diverse mix of fresh university graduates as well as previous Shopee Apprentices and interns. Included in the batch is Graciel, a GLP associate currently assigned to Shopee Xpress. She was a 2021 graduate of the Apprentice Program, Shopee’s flagship internship program. As an Apprentice, she worked under the Seller Operations and SeaMoney Credit team. Likewise, Neal and Lovella, were participants of Shopee’s year-round internship program under the Marketing and Consumer Insights teams, respectively. A year later, they are now GLP associates and will begin their first rotation under Business Development. On the other hand, Alyana had extensive internship experience in the fields of e-commerce and marketing. She was able to successfully channel her knowledge and skills to begin her journey as a GLP associate under the Marketing team.

Alyana, one of this year’s GLP associates currently completing her first rotation under the Marketing department, shared “There is no better place for me to build my career in tech than at Shopee. As an avid user of the app, I am excited to gain a new perspective on e-commerce through this experience. I am confident that the collaborative work environment and the mentorship that I receive from industry leaders will help me grow as a professional and further my career in tech.” 

For Luca, another associate who started the first part of his GLP journey under the platform’s integrated mobile wallet ShopeePay, the overseas rotation aspect of the program appealed to him the most. He shared “The GLP offers participants such a unique learning experience. I am looking forward to completing my rotations abroad and gaining regional exposure from the different Shopee markets at such an early stage in my career. I believe there’s so much that I can learn from immersing myself in different cultures and working under different departments and hopefully apply in our local context.”

Meanwhile, Graciel, who was previously a Shopee Apprentice, begins her GLP journey with Shopee Xpress. “With the many processes and initiatives that we take on as GLP associates, it’s important to remember that it’s okay to ask for help. I’m grateful that Shopee fosters such a strong culture of collaboration and teamwork because I learn a great deal from asking questions and seeking advice from my mentors,” she shared on her experience navigating the workspace.

Shopee is always on the lookout for local talent keen on becoming drivers of growth. Those looking to challenge themselves and build a career in tech may visit https://careers.shopee.ph/.