CEO Insights Magazine

Over t he y ears, t he r ole o f P roject Management consultants have evolved. The days of technical,scheduling, budgeting, assigning resources, and delivering projects on time have changed to including business management skills such as conflict resolution, leadership, business modelling, and strategic analysis. While many organizations have started adopting these skills in the last decade, SP Castro, a globally reputed Program, Project, and Construction Management Companyhas been offering these present-day specialized services since 1986.

A pioneer in offering Project Management in constructionin the Philippines, SP Castro is the brainchild of Salvador Sr Castro P and Salvador Jr Castro P (Founders, SP Castro). Salvador Jr Castro P, over the last 37 years, has been spearheading landmark projects with an efficient, proactive approach to project management by world-class standards and making a benchmark across Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines – East Asean Growth Area, and the Middle East. However, the journey wasn’t easy; it was tumultuous. He had to paddle his own canoe to reach this success. His father’s training helped him in learning western concepts of project management which gave him an edge over his competitors and shaped him as a structural engineer, designer, and contractor.

Such advanced knowledge enabled him to start working with a leading Philippine conglomerate Ayala Group of Companies, which became the turning point of his career as with this opportunity, he was able to carve a niche in the global construction industry. Salvador Jr was eventually made the Country Manager of the Ayala Group in Thailand and Brunei with operations in Singapore, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. Soon he was assigned overseas to lead 5000 people from 30 nations to build the biggest  palace in the world, the Istana Nurul Iman of the Sultan Negara Brunei Darussalam. This extensive experience built his self-confidence and prepared him to establish SP Castro and embark on the journey of entrepreneurship.SalvadorJr’s contemporary mindset helped him to becomean expert in Project Management and global engineering consulting and achieve great milestones internationally while building versatile trophy projects ranging from world-class hospitals accredited by Joint Commission International to upscale hotels, institutional projects, and special projects for His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam. Apart from being a business tycoon, Salvador Jr indulges in sharing his learned knowledge & experiences with the next generation by hiring fresh graduates, training them, teaching them the values of integrity, and preparing them to be global leaders in the future. Let’s hear it from him.

Your mentors have played a significant role in your professional journey. Could you share with us some of their ideologies and their contribution to shaping you as a successful global business leader?

My father has been my first mentor under whose wings I was carefully educated & trained in project management. He always asked me to work hard, be honest and maintain integrity in my job. When I started venturing out on my own, I was allowed to work with a real estate developer, who became my second mentor, and under whom I learned significant details of housing construction and entrepreneurship.

After some time, I started working with another entrepreneur involved in big projects, and as a mentor again, he helped me to understand the politics of the industry, and human relationships, and think innovatively as an engineer. Finally, I was hired by Enrique Zobel who was at that time leading Ayala Corporation. He exposed me to the international corporate forum and gave me the opportunity to shake hands with some of the richest men in the world. Zobel was my fourth mentor who also gave me my biggest break to lead the project of building the biggest palace in the world, the Istana Nurul Iman of the Sultan Negara Brunei Darussalam.

Throughout your journey, what has been your success mantra?

I have a very simple mantra that was once shared by one of my team members, which says— no guts, no glory! This means that success is not possible unless one takes risks.

How do you ensure that the team of SP Castro is future-ready?

We as a team have been fortunate because, for the last couple of years, we have been studying contracts and their effects very well. Moreover, I believe if we are willing to survive, we must change our mindset. I am also preparing my team for the same while conducting sessions with young engineers and offering them scholarships so that they are always a step ahead. And I can proudly say that our company has the greatest number of Asean-accredited professional engineers and FIDIC-certified consulting practitioners. We are training our people to be able to solve disputes with a collaborative approach while my international accreditation helps me to keep my team ready to face the future.

Going forward, what are the changes in marketbehaviour that you anticipate, and what are the opportunities that you foresee?

For the past couple of years, I have been an affiliated member of the International Federation of Consulting Engineering and have been involved in contracts on a global level. This has enabled me to have a more foreign vision. So, I could see what is happening outside and from that perspective, I have been preparing my team & organization. We have come to the understanding that what we learned in the last 10 years cannot be used in the present scenario. We have to make sure that we are always abreast of the challenges.

I have realized that 2023 beyond would be different. We will have to make changes to the approaches to manage projects. As digitalization has started to spin off faster than it should have because of the pandemic. The pandemic has enabled us to communicate faster which has automatically made competition rigid. Therefore, to survive even in their own country, businesses have to be ready for the changes. It is also crucial for the industry to be morecollaborative while understanding and convincing the clients about the changes and together we have to make the necessary adjustments for the future.

What advice would you give to budding industry leaders?

I believe there is no end to learning. Hence, emerging leaders must always look for opportunities to learn and grow. And most importantly, do not be afraid of making mistakes but make sure to not make the same mistake twice.

Salvador Jr Castro P, Founder, SP Castro

Having BS in Civil Engineering from Mapua Institute of Technology Philippines, and a Master’s degree in Project Management from Hawksmere Ltd in the UK, Salvador Jr is leveraging his 35+ years of industry experience and building landmark projects through integrity, quality, and sustainability.

•Awards & Recognition:

Recognized as ‘The Outstanding Mapúan’ by the University of Mapua (his alma mater), Mana Filipino Award presented by the President of the Philippines for his contribution to international project management,The FIDIC Contracts Trainer of the Year Award