Remembering Venus Navalta, media industry icon and gracious woman leader

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MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Philippine advertising and media industries were saddened this weekend by the news of the passing of Venus Reyes-Navalta, who had served as Chief Executive Officer of IPG Mediabrands Philippines since it was established in 2015. Venus succumbed to her battle with cancer on July 31 after a long professional career spanning over 30 years where she was most renowned for her expertise in media.

Venus served as Media Director at Dentsu, Young, and Rubicam Singapore from 1990 to 1992. She then served as Executive Vice-President at McCann Worldgroup Philippines for 17 years from 1992 until 2009. That was followed by a stint as Chairman at Zenith Optimedia Philippines from 2010 to 2014. She then left that position to serve as CEO of the startup that was IPG Mediabrands Philippines beginning in 2015.

Venus Navalta returns to IPG Mediabrands as Philippine CEO
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Sincerest condolences to her husband of 40 years, Egay Navalta, their son Carlo, her mother who is her role model, her nine siblings, her family, friends, and colleagues in the industry.

Upon the news of her passing, various tributes began pouring out on social media for the perpetually smiling, soft-spoken Venus, a driving force behind the establishment of the MSAP Media Congress in 2017 where she served as Overall Organizing Chairman and as Marketing Director of the Ms. Universe Philippines pageant in 2019 as well as serving as president of the 4As in 2006. Under her leadership, IPG Mediabrands amassed several awards including winning the AOY Media Agency of the Year 2017.

MSAP, with the Philippine advertising and media industries, extends its sincerest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Venus Navalta.

Venus was locally and globally renowned for her expertise and innovative thinking. In a career spanning more than three decades, she was responsible for bringing honor to her own agency as well as the entire industry with regional awards and international recognition from award-giving bodies such as the Spikes and Cannes.

Her colleagues fondly referred to her as ‘Mother Venus.’ An amazing and nurturing leader who will continue to be a source of inspiration to all those who knew her.

Tributes

Leigh Terry, CEO Mediabrands APAC also recalls, “When I first joined Mediabrands and visited Manila, Venus beamed with pride as she welcomed me and told me I’d meet lots of people, but when I left if I remembered only ‘the three Bs’ I’d be ok. The Philippines is known for Beauty Pageants, Boxing and Basketball.” Terry continues, “I can’t speak to the basketball, but Venus had one of the most beautiful selfless souls of anyone I’ve had the pleasure to know. She was a fighter, not just in her last battle, but always for what was right. For her team – who she considered her family – and for those who were without, or with voices unheard. Heaven is all the richer for our loss, but her contribution here was immense.”

A mentor, leader, and source of inspiration to all those who knew her, Venus would regularly draw upon her own life experiences and learned personal wisdom to connect and inspire the next generation of talent.

“’Silent waters run deep.’ This aptly describes Venus’ character and her unique style of leadership,” said Patricia Arches, former President and CEO of McCann Worldgroup. “Her calm demeanor and soft-spoken ways belie the passion she felt for the people she loved and the principles she fought for. She was brilliant but unassuming, a consummate professional who inspired respect and admiration from everyone she dealt with. On a personal level, she loved unconditionally, shared her blessings selflessly, and lived life to the full until the very end. I am privileged to have been her friend and colleague in McCann.”

Linda Gamboa, Executive Director of the Ad Foundation, said, “Sad news. Venus Reyes-Navalta, a renowned industry leader & a professional media specialist, rejoined our Maker recently due to leukemia. Let us offer our special prayers for her eternal repose. And let us console with Egay Navalta, former Board member & treasurer of Ad Foundation and former Chairman of the board of ASAP, and Carlo, a special event and a young business entrepreneur on the untimely demise of their beloved Venus, a loving wife, and an ever-doting Mom. Let us celebrate the eternal life of Venus, nestled now in the loving bosom of our Creator.”

Among her accolades, Venus had been honored as Ad Foundation Honorary Life Member, served as Ways and Means Committee Chairperson of the foundation in 2008, and as 6th ARAW Values Awards -Sponsorships and Marketing Organizing Committee Head in 2008.

Veteran ad woman Matec Villanueva also paid tribute: “Other than work (and rivalry) Venus and I share a special bond because we were both blessed with sons who belonged to the autism spectrum. Venus has Carlo, and I have Ibarra. And since she had Carlo a couple of years ahead of me when I had Ibarra, she gave me tips on how to raise a child with special needs. Venus shared with me her pains and joys of raising Carlo. Venus encouraged me to be brave and not to be distracted by what people say about my special son. Venus inspired me to not to give up on Ibarra’s potentials. Now that I look at things from where I am, I am convinced that God sent me the gift of Venus, to nudge me to trust, and not to despair, to accept and love my Ibarra unconditionally. Let us pray for the repose of her soul, and for Egay and Carlo that they remain strong in this time of sadness.”

Venus herself shared her experience with the Miss Universe pageant previously: “In 2016, one-year-old, struggling MediaBrands, was tapped to be overall consultant of the Miss Universe event to be hosted by the Philippines. It was extremely challenging given the very short lead times and the lack of budget. But we delivered. By harnessing the power of millions of passionate fans. The global event was watched live by hundreds of millions around the world, with an unprecedented 97% audience share in the Philippines, broke global twitter records, stopped the legendary Manila traffic, made Filipinos happy. All at ZERO media costs.”

“The Miss Universe event exposed me to Hollywood royalty, allowed us to work closely with leaders like Richelle Singson, Jonas Gaffud, Albert Andrada, and many more brainy and beautiful people, created new friendships, educated me on the business of beauty pageants, opened new doors of possibilities,” she went on to say. “This success story helped us build our credentials and grow to where we are now, ranked #1 by RECMA. I will forever be grateful to the Miss Universe Organization. You have made my life richer. And yes, I am one of the judges in the 2020 Miss Universe Philippines. Grateful and thankful for showing the world, rather the universe that we are all confidently beautiful.”

Entrepreneur Rachel Renucci-Tan, president at TAN-EU Capital, Chen Yi Agventures, and RENUCCI Land, honored someone who she looked up to: “It is with deep sadness that I would like to share the return of my mentor, my best friend, and my love, Venus Navalta to the embrace of our loving God today. Venus was my first boss way back in 1992 and until her passage to heaven today, she has been the most ardent supporter and defender of Renucci Rice. Venus gave us the most extensive resources of IPG Mediabrands to build and market the Dalisay and Dinorado Heirloom brands, not collecting payment until years after, waiting patiently for our business to take off.”

“Venus has certainly shaped who I am today,” she continues. “She taught me never to give up, as a woman, to prevail always against adversity, and to trust only those who can give back that same trust. When I lost faith in God, I would call Venus and she would restore that faith. When I stopped believing in myself, I would call Venus and she would restore that belief. When blessings would come, I would call Venus and she would jump up with joy for me. Without Venus, I feel desperately unmoored and lost, like losing a mom.”

Prashant Kumar, former IPG Mediabrands Asia (World Markets) Head, also shared his own memories of Venus in a long post; “I first met Venus back in 2004 at one of the IPG regional conferences as a young director and immediately fell in love with her. She was already one of the most successful CEOs among the peer country heads – with UM Manila a dominant player in the market and a star office in the region. She was sort of a head of the sisterhood and travelled to regional dos with her posse of 5-6 leading ladies Cookie Salvador-Bartolome, Maita Consulta, and a few others. Manila office was clearly a matriarchal fortress and Venus ruled the bastion with a smile and a glint in the eyes that combined the best of grace, warmth, power, and excellence in equal measures. Whenever I have tried to imagine a world ruled by women, she is an important and positive reference.

“She epitomized how women could lead the world while staying essentially feminine – without copying male stereotypes of leadership,” he added. “Over the years she went through a series of changes, and I somehow encountered her in every avatar. Her leaving IPG after 25 odd years with the company, I can still recall she seemed somewhat tired and wanted to do social entrepreneurship. But guess the pace and intensity wasn’t enough for her and soon she was back in Zenith. I recall seeing her then and how hers became a touch of Venus Gold to the company.”

For her part, adobo magazine President, Founder, and Editor-in-Chief Angel Guerrero also sent her own condolences on the passing of one of her contemporaries and friends: “adobo magazine sends our sincerest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Venus Navalta. Venus passed away recently due to leukemia. Venus is a friend, a colleague in the ad industry, an exemplary leader, a gracious woman, a beacon of the media industry, and an icon. May she rest in peace.”

Venus visiting the adobo magazine office

IPG Mediabrands on adobo magazine Issue 75 feature

The legacy of Venus

Apart from her work as a leader of several agencies, Venus Navalta also had advocacies that she championed. Among these was transforming a garbage dump in front of their home in Baguio into what is now known as Venus Garden. It now houses 20-foot-tall pine trees and an Ifugao house, giving the semblance of a mini-forest or a small park in the middle of a small village.

Venus Garden is open to the public as Venus hoped it would inspire others to create their own gardens or their own sanctuaries especially in light of the pandemic. Prior to her passing, Navalta had begun to gift 3- to 5-year-old pine trees to friends in Baguio with the hope to grow 1,000 trees around “the Summer Capital of the Philippines” and to restore the clean and green environment around the city.

When Andre A. Yap connected Navalta with mental wellness advocate Ari Verzosa, she was taken by the stories of struggles and success of Ari and Raquel Verzosa. Their collaboration led to Venus Garden x Forest House, which led to national media attention without the use of any of Venus’s many connections.

Her pro-bono advocacies and consultancies include a position in Board Director to the Baguio Arts and Crafts Collective and the iDance Foundation as well as a regular mentor and speaker for the Ignite Founders.

In December of 2020, Venus also bared that Matec Villanueva had asked her to write an article on new media directions for Ateneo’s innovation hub, Areté. Believing her writing skills were limited to business and communication plans, award entries, and professional speeches, and not for a wider audience, Venus took some time to finish the piece. It was good enough, however, that adobo magazine picked it up. The Philippine Star then asked her to write for their anniversary issue, then OneMega tapped her to write regularly on business and career targeted for millennials and Gen Zs.

Insight: “Media — Disruption, Dynamism and New Directions” by Venus Navalta

Venus Navalta, in her own words

As the outpouring of messages of condolences and sympathy continue to be shared on social media on Venus Venus’ passing, perhaps it is best to honor the extraordinary woman by letting her speak for herself. In 2018, adobo magazine featured Venus as one of the exceptional Women Leaders in the Philippine advertising and media industries. She looked back at her career and reflected on where she had come from to reach the heights she eventually did.

“When I was starting with my career, I wasn’t really conscious that I was going through a journey,” Venus said. “So I just started like most anyone else from the very bottom, and I worked myself to this position. To me, (my) career was always secondary. I was more of a mom and a wife, and I never dreamt of reaching this position throughout my journey. So, it came naturally. I worked hard, my bosses noticed me, and they gave me promotions as I went through this but really, I was never conscious that I wanted to reach the very top. I’m very shy as a person and really my only dream was to have a happy family life. That was my dream. I want to be a good housewife, to be a good mother and (my) career was secondary.

“Being a leader, I think my journey now is what I’m most proud of because I came from an establishment background with the biggest advertising agency, McCann Worldgroup,” she continued. “I thought that I’d already reached the peak of my career, but when I was put outside of the industry and did a start-up, I think the past three years would be to me, my proudest moments for my career. Coming from an establishment background, and then I started this company. I was the first employee. I was the founder of it and I thought that my experience and knowing a lot of people and my reputation in the industry was enough for me to start this company but I was wrong. Suddenly, I found myself outside looking in, and because of that journey, I discovered new aspects of myself; that I’m very brave, that I had a lot of initiative and I saw a new aspect of myself that wasn’t there in the past 30-plus years.

“So to me, the past three year’s learning a lot from the Millennials from the young, people learning about the digital is to me a very exciting journey and I’m just starting. When I took this job, I was 57 years old and I started from scratch. And now, in just three short years after, we’re the fastest-growing agency in the Philippines. And also, for our Network, the fastest-growing agency. And from one person, we’re now 150 people in the agency. We grew so fast and to me, embracing change and being relevant, that’s what’s most important as a leader, in 2018. Because I’ve had a very long journey.

“I should be retired by now but I’m not,” she concluded. ”Life is a marathon, it’s not a sprint. And I think longevity is very important, and for you to achieve that you have to continuously be relevant to learn, to change. Don’t rely on what happened in the past. I mean, even if I had all of those achievements, it was nothing when I started this new company. So, the last three years were for me a very enjoyable Journey.”