Anti-corruption NGO founder named among ‘Asia 21 Young Leaders’

NEW YORK CITY— A young French-Filipino co-founder of an anti-corruption NGO in the Philippines was named among Asia Society’s Asia 21 Young Leaders Class of 2015, becoming one of the newest members of the network of outstanding young leaders from across the Asia-Pacific, representing the private, public and nonprofit sectors.

Henry Motte-Muñoz is the co-founder of Bantay.ph, an anti-corruption NGO in the Philippines which, since its founding in 2011, has grown to a budget of US$150,000.  In 2013, he founded Edukasyon.ph, a comprehensive online database of higher education courses and scholarships, which will launch in the Philippines soon.

Bantay.ph’s Henry Motte-Munoz. LINKEDIN PHOTO

Now in its 10th year, the Asia 21 Young Leaders Initiative has become a network of more than 800 young leaders from 30 nations, who are in ther own ways focused on shaping a brighter future for the Asia-Pacific region, and confronting tough challenges facing the region today. Asia 21 Young Leaders are selected through “a highly competitive process based on outstanding achievement, commitment to public service and a proven ability to make the world a better place,” according to Asia Society.

Motte-Muñoz was born in Paris to a Filipina mother and a French father, and was raised between Paris, London and Zurich, with yearly multi-month trips back to the Philippines. He earned his BSc in Economics and Economic History at the London School of Economics, after which he joined Goldman Sachs in their Investment Banking Division, covering healthcare from London. Subsequently, he joined Bain Capital’s Private Equity team, investing in a firm with strong strategy consultant roots. After two years, he was sent to Harvard Business School on a company scholarship and graduated with distinction in 2013.

“An effective leader needs to be unwavering in his objective, but pragmatic and flexible in how this can be achieved,” says Motte-Muñoz. “I aspire to these qualities – but it takes years to develop them fully, and I hope Asia 21 will help me in working towards these qualities.”

The 32 young leaders who make up this year’s class represent 22 countries and are divided almost evenly between men and women. Half of them work in the private sector, 44 percent in the nonprofit sector, and six percent in the public sector.

“The new class of Asia 21 Young Leaders is a remarkable group. We are excited to introduce these leaders of the Asia-Pacific region to the Asia 21 Network, where they will find mentors, potential collaborators, and, we hope, new friends,” said Asia Society President and CEO Josette Sheeran. “We welcome this passionate group to the Asia 21 family, and look forward to the contributions they make to the public good in the coming years.”

Asia 21 alumni from the Philippines include Paolo Benigno ‘Bam’ Aquino IV, Philippine Senator; Arnel Casanova, President and CEO of Bases Conversion and Development Authority; Lesley Cordero, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist at World Bank; Natalie Jorge, Chairperson, LCF Board of Trustees, and Executive Director, Bato-Balani Foundation, Inc.; Reese Fernandez-Ruiz, Co-founder and President of Rags2Riches, Inc.; and Mark Ruiz, Co-founder and President of MicroVentures/Hapinoy Inc., to name a few.

For more information about Asia 21 and complete profiles of the 2015 Class of Asia 21 Young Leaders, visit www.AsiaSociety.org/Asia21.

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