Atty. Agnes VST Devanadera

“Clark stands for efficiency, things and processes that actually work, convenience for its inhabitants, and ease of doing business for all locators. This is, essentially, the inspiration for Clark's tagline, ‘It Works. Like A Dream.’” Behind this bold statement is a team, currently led by proactive leaders, relentlessly pursuing the vision for Clark to be a modern and sustainable aerotropolis. A carefully planned metropolitan subregion, such as Clark, that showcases the best practices in business incentivization, livability, and tourism development, among others, is exactly what the country needs to leapfrog the economy, accelerate growth, and serve as model for other special zones scattered across the archipelago.

Responding to a pressing call to serve the public anew after her fruitful stint as Chairperson of the Energy Regulatory Commission, she was installed as the First Woman President and Chief Executive Officer of Clark Development Corporation (CDC) which manages the Clark Freeport Zone, one of the Government's major economic catalysts and socio-economic exponents. Recently, under her leadership, the Governance Commission for Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GCG) recognized CDC as a top-ranking GOCC, awarding it a score of 99% in the 2022 Corporate Governance Scorecard (CGS). Moreover, she was named “Woman of the Year” at the Asia Leaders Awards 2023 in recognition of her exemplary achievements as a public servant, earning her the title "Woman of Many Firsts."

An exponent of women empowerment and excellent public service, she is known to have served under several Philippine presidents wearing different hats. She is a trailblazer for women empowerment, being the “Woman of Many Firsts." She is --

1. The First Woman Mayor of Sampaloc, Quezon;

2. First Woman President of the Quezon Mayor's League;

3. First Woman National President of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines;

4. The first woman lawyer from Quezon Province to be admitted to the New York Bar, United States of America;

5. First Woman Government Corporate Counsel;

6. First Woman Solicitor General;

7. The first woman to be a full-pledged Secretary of Justice, and lately,

8. The first woman President and Chief Executive Officer of Clark Development Corporation

In all the offices she has held, she has passionately displayed excellence and dedication in public service. She has proven to be an advocate for employees' continuous training and development. In the Energy Regulatory Commission, despite the perils of the COVID-19 pandemic, she diligently pursued efficient delivery of public service by instituting the business continuity program through the launch of electronic transactions.

She is a catalyst for change—an innovator who tells people to come up with something novel. A woman whose focus and aim are to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of every agency entrusted to her and who is always determined to have a zero backlog in terms of performance and ease of doing business. As CDC President, her work ethics have always been “putting people first” and “putting the locators first”.

In 2023, she was honored as a distinguished recipient of the University of the Philippines (UP) Gawad Oblation Award, recognized for her invaluable contributions and unwavering support to the university. Additionally, in that same year, she was acknowledged as one of the Captains of Industries Awardees and Asia Influential Leaders Awardees.