V.Group inaugurates office in Manila
Friday, May 29 - 2015
V.Group celebrated the grand inauguration of its new Manila office with a special
celebration event attended by V.Group executives, partners and
other key figures in the shipping industry on Thursday 14th
May.
The newly opened office is located in the burgeoning Aseana City
district which is set to become the next business capital of the
Philippines. Occupying 6,700sq meters over five floors of the
impressive new Aseana II building, the state of the art facility is
the single biggest investment by V.Group in its history and is
intended to become a centre of excellence for the Group.
Selected PMMA students in full maritime uniform lined the red
carpet entrance providing an official entrance of honour for
guests, including Philippines celebrity Tessa Prieto-Valdes,
through to the welcoming area decorated with colourful banderitas
(traditional bunting) and origami paper boats. V.Group Manila
employees wore celebratory traditional dress of either Filipiniana
or Barong Tagalog for the occasion.
Guests were escorted to the 12th floor of Aseana II which had been
completely repurposed for the celebrations. A historic time line of
V.Group and its operations in Manila ushered attendees into a
specially created landscape of iconic Filipino monuments and sights
which guests could be photographed with.
Filipino delicacies were served by V.Ships Oceanic Catering,
prepared in their state of the art catering facilities on the 8th
floor. During the meal POMI General Manager Engr. Elmer Pulumbarit
hosted a presentation of speeches and videos. Elmer invited to the
stage V.Group in the Philippines Representative Jamie Stewart and
Capt. Nikolaos Skinitis, representative from long time 3rd party
agent Costamare who have become V.Group's newest neighbours after
they took over the 10th floor of Aseana II.
Group Director, Marine Operations Matt Dunlop spoke to the
attendees of the organisation's origins and Alexandre Vlasov who
put the V in V.Ships and V.Group in 1934. Matt also gave the office
a traditional maritime themed launch by spraying champagne on a
mock-up ship's bow next to the stage. Guests then were given a full
scale interactive tour of the new facilities including the new
state-of-the-art culinary and hospitality training centre and the
seafarer bridge and engine room training simulator.
Jamie said: "I think anyone that comes here can see that this is a
world class facility and we have world class office space. It's a
fantastic operation. We are now able to offer a service facility
which is second to none and includes recruitment, technical
training, culinary training, operations, commercial, purchasing,
technical support and IT which positions the Group at the heart of
not only Asia, but the global shipping community."
Elmer added: "The reaction from staff and seafarers has been very
good. For our staff they are motivated each day coming into the
office. Not only does this expansion give them a sense of security
for them and their families, it also means that more Filipinos will
be given a job - this enlightens their day and gives them further
motivation to help the company to grow."
In the evening a dinner was held for local Group employees and
international representatives who were entertained by a live band
as well as traditional performers. The diners were also treated to
'V.Group's Got Talent' showcasing the best traditional and
contemporary song and dance routines performance by Manila teams
and a special dance routine by OJTs and Cadets.
To see videos from the event please follow the links below -
Induction and office tour
Interview with Elmer & Jamie
V.Group Manila at work
Morning Ceremony Inauguration Event
For more information about the new facilities and operations see
the full V.Group Press Release here.