STAR Rtn. Antonilo “Anton” Mauricio: The Man Who Has Done It All but Isn’t Done Yet

STAR Rtn. Antonilo “Anton” Mauricio has done it all—directed a class play, taught acting, performed in theater, did movies (and was even nominated for Best New Actor at the Star Awards for his role), and had a stint in ramp and commercial modeling. He also has a professional background in marketing, public relations and business development. Now a finance and strategy expert, STAR Rtn. Anton acts as a moderator, panelist and speaker in business events, including his own channel, Finance Education Series (FEdTalks). He also conducts, facilitates and hosts seminars, and writes articles on relevant business issues.

A C-level Consultant, he transitions easily into different sectors and settings—banking and finance, technology, agriculture, trading, plastics manufacturing, engineering, ICT, property, telecoms, energy, water and start-ups. As a management consultant for business strategy and finance, his core areas include investment strategy, risk and compliance, and financial management advisory. His private consultancy includes innovation management, transaction advisory, sustainability, ICT, technology in finance (fintech), digital transformation, organizational development and training, executive coaching, confidential recruitment and outplacement, and outsourced CFO services for various business sectors.

A man of many hats, STAR Rtn. Anton is currently the Chief Finance Officer of Multidisciplinary Innovative Technologies, Inc., a tech start-up, and Managing Director of Netcore Development Ltd., a representation company registered in Hong Kong with headquarters in the Philippines.

Indeed, he has done it all. And along the way, he has tasted successes and had experienced failures. Get to know more about STAR Rtn. Anton and the interesting path he took to get to where he is today. He also shares his advocacies on financial inclusion, sustainability, competitiveness, integrity and continuing professional development. On a lighter note, he also shares his interests and hobbies, as well as his inspiration who shaped him to become who he is today.

Rhea Vitto Tabora (RVT): What do you like most about your work as a Financial Consultant?

Anton Mauricio (AM): The best part is that I get to be as truthful (honest, open, transparent and fair) as possible to the client, which is not what they usually get. I like the autonomy and creativity that consulting allows, for me to be able to find innovative solutions to strategic concerns, beyond the restriction of being employed or beholden to the company in any way.

RVT: What was the path you took to get to where you are today?

AM: My path is riddled with failure after failure. Whatever marginal success I have right now is owed largely to my partner of almost 17 years, my family, my friends, my faith, and a large amount of luck. I am under no illusion that I possess any sterling quality that sets me apart from others. My quixotic drive to try to change the world for the better has taken me to my current path of forsaking financial opportunities just to be able to live a life where I can sleep better at night with my conscience clear.

RVT: Please describe your advocacies on financial inclusion, sustainability, competitiveness, integrity and continuing professional development.

AM: I founded the Financial Literacy Partners (FLP) which is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly, on financial inclusion (to advance financial education for economic empowerment, especially for the underprivileged). The FLP, started in 2006, has the largest network of finance students, teachers, and professionals in the country, covering more than 200 educational organizations and 40,000 individuals.

The idea is that the mindset of consumerism runs contrary to savings and investment. Changing these mindsets in order to inculcate savings and investment, linking them into a framework of knowledge (events, training, testing, certification, continuing professional development), and practical intervention (financial institutions/cooperatives, insurance, investment, asset management, estate planning, etc.) is a long-term vision, and I have invested millions of my personal funds over the past decades (the progenitor of FLP was iTraining which gave corporate finance training in the late 1990s). It is only starting to bear fruit and we expect this movement to achieve sustainability within five more years. One of my current projects (Adopt-A-Farmer) is something that I think maybe RCM may be interested in.

RVT: What is the best part of leading a team or organization?

AM: Leadership is a sacrifice, so I think the best part would be that if each team member would have the ability, willingness and mindset to be able to take over as the leader at a moment’s notice. I generally try to avoid being the leader unless (1) there is no one else capable; (2) a vacuum would ruin the organization; and (3) my participation would make a drastic positive difference. That is premised on how much I care for the organization, which, in turn, would be anchored on how relevant the organization is to both my life and the world in general.

RVT: You were once a movie actor. How would you describe the experience?

AM: Enriching, rewarding, and memorable. I started in Ateneo grade school directing a class play, then again teaching acting to Tulong Dunong kids in high school, and finally doing theater with Dulaang UP, where I did four plays and narrated for an opera. I went through a bit of ramp and commercial modeling in college and some time after, where I met a friend during a fashion show in Los Angeles. She became my manager and during my brief time as a professional actor, I was able to do six movies, one of which was awarded Best Picture at the Urian (critics award). I myself was nominated for Best New Actor at the Star Awards for the supporting role in the same movie. I was trying to do too many things at the same time, since I was also studying law during that period. I eventually ended up quitting both acting and law and started my professional career that led me to this point as a strategy and finance consultant.

RVT: What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?

AM: In business, my greatest accomplishment is also my greatest failure. I put up a livelihood cooperative and was able to provide small business loans, insurance, medical and legal assistance, to ten areas in Luzon. We helped so many people with their personal and business lives. My business naivete led me to trust people who absconded with funds, basically tanking the company. I was so disillusioned (how people could steal from a social enterprise) that I almost lost faith in people in general. This is partly why I am a big animal lover.

RVT: Who inspired you to become who you are today? How did this person influence your life?

AM: My parents. My father was a banker and my mom was a teacher. Now, I am in both areas in my consulting business and my social enterprise — Finance Education Center.

RVT: What’s the most important thing that people should know about you?

AM: I do not judge people by what other people say about them. I will decide on my own.

RVT: What’s the best thing about joining the Rotary Club of Manila? How has the Rotary journey changed you?

AM: I think the best thing about joining the RCM is its potential. Despite its being the oldest Rotary Club in Asia, I view RCM as just scratching the surface of what it can actually achieve. My Rotary journey has just started, but I think that I have been living the ideals of Rotary long before I became a Rotarian (well, STAR Rotarian). I am humbled by my acceptance into RCM, and have much to learn from my fellow members.

RVT: What are your interests and hobbies? What do you do when you are not at work?

AM: I have been trying to get into a healthy lifestyle. That means watching what I eat, trying to get the proper amount of sleep, and getting my steps in. I have my bicycle, run a couple of times a week, and plan to get back into the pool, which I stopped when the pandemic started. I am a big TV and movie fan, which is part of the reason why I went into acting for a time.