The adobo SheCreative Network Conference 2026 brought together a formidable lineup of women leaders across industries, not simply to talk about creativity, but to interrogate its expanding role in shaping how businesses grow, adapt, and lead.
Held on Tuesday, March 24, at Shangri-La The Fort in Taguig City, the conference gathered professionals from marketing, media, technology, design, and enterprise to explore a defining idea: creativity is no longer just about execution — it is becoming a core driver of strategy and transformation.”
Hosted by voice artist, content creator, and staunch women empowerment advocate Inka Magnaye, the event, anchored on the theme “The Future is Creative: Designing Growth Through Creative Intelligence,” explored how ideas, when connected in culture and sharpened by insight, can influence decisions at every level of an organization.
Organized by adobo Magazine through its SheCreative Network, the conference reflects the publication’s continued investment in building platforms that champion women and elevate creative thinking as a business imperative. Across keynote talks and panel discussions, speakers unpacked how creative intelligence allows organizations to navigate complexity — bridging human insight, technological change, and evolving consumer behavior.
“It’s a privilege to gather in a room filled with such extraordinary women; leaders whose work continues to shape industries, communities, and conversations in meaningful ways. Today is about more than inspiration; it’s about igniting a deeper sense of purpose. Through the stories and insights of our speakers, we hope to empower women to lead with creativity, confidence, and conviction — values that sit at the heart of what SheCreative stands for,” adobo Magazine Founder, President and Editor-in-Chief Angel Guerrero said during her welcome speech.
She continued, “At its core, adobo SheCreative is about building spaces where women can thrive, where ideas are exchanged, achievements are celebrated, and support is freely given. We remain committed to amplifying the voices and talents of women, and to nurturing a network that uplifts Filipina leaders while contributing to a broader, global movement for women in creativity.
Angel also emphasized that creativity must now be understood as foundational rather than ornamental.
“At adobo, we see the Creative Future as one where creativity becomes an operating system — where imagination informs strategy, and cultural intelligence fuels growth, resilience, and leadership.”
Creative strategies for business growth
The day kicked off with the first set of sessions, demonstrating how creativity operates not just in campaigns, but within the very structure of organizations.
Belo Medical Group Chief Executive Officer Gina Lorenzana offered a perspective from healthcare. She illustrated how Belo has evolved into a brand defined by trust, experience, and narrative, showing that even in regulated environments, creativity can shape perception, guide innovation, and strengthen long-term equity.
“In medical aesthetics, creativity is really about going beyond what is there and what is obvious,” she said, adding that “creativity is how you solve problems, create alignment, and foster empathy.”
From the agency world, Publicis Groupe Thailand CEO Sorada Sonprasit discussed the importance of turning cultural understanding into a clear, actionable direction. For her, insight only becomes meaningful when it informs decisions where creativity, data, and technology converge to produce work that is both relevant and effective.
“People don’t behave like segments anymore. They behave like communities. If we don’t truly understand the culture, we will never really connect with the people. And without the connections, there will be no real impact,” she noted.
Sorada added, “Today it’s not about targeting segments, but about how we understand the consumers, the community.”
Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer Candice Iyog spoke about harnessing creativity within operationally intensive systems. In aviation, where efficiency often dominates, she highlighted how thoughtful, human-centered ideas can redefine customer experience and reposition brands in competitive markets.
“We are a nation of dreamers, because we believe that flying should be for everyone, not just a privileged few. When flights are within reach, dreams take flight, and when everyone can fly, the sky is no longer the limit,” Candice said.
Bringing these perspectives together, a panel discussion featuring Gina, Sorada, Candice, and Designer, Social Entrepreneur, Founder, and Creative Director Zarah Juan explored how creativity can be sustained as organizations grow.
For Zarah, whose work is deeply rooted in culture and sustainability, the challenge lies in scaling without losing authenticity. As her brands expand, maintaining a clear point of view becomes essential.
Per Zarah, creativity has “power” that can recognize ideas, stories, and creative solutions, which can influence how people think, feel, and act.
“As a creative person, I have realized that being a creative person, or creativity, in general, has power, and that power can translate to community development.”
“I realized and learned that when we replicate or teach the process of creativity to communities, you give power to the communities, and that’s how I started doing what I do now, as a fashion accessory designer, bag designer, a social entrepreneur, and as a creative person,” she continued.
Moreover, the idea that creativity becomes more impactful when embedded into how a company operates, rather than confined to marketing or communications, also stood out across the discussion. For the panelists, creativity influences product development, customer experience, and even internal decision-making.
“I’m inspired by how creativity can really come from everywhere. It’s really about connecting the dots. Rather than be specialists, I think this is the time to be generalists. The more we know about things from all over the world, then that’s creating those opportunities for connecting the dots,” Gina said.
This also rings true for Candice.
“Creativity is about timing and balance and mastery as well, because it’s difficult to be creative if you have a shallow toolkit. Creativity is simply a new way of solving a problem or a new way of looking at something.”
At the same time, panelists acknowledged the pressures brought by speed, technology, and shifting expectations. Yet despite these changes, the ability to interpret human behavior and cultural nuance remains a distinctly human advantage.
Media, audience, and cultural intelligence
The afternoon sessions shifted focus to how ideas travel and how they gain meaning in an increasingly fragmented landscape.
WARC Asia Managing Editor Rica Facundo explored how cultural insight underpins effective strategy, emphasizing that understanding context is key to creating work that resonates beyond surface-level engagement.
“Our industry is obsessed with culture, but for marketing leaders, I want to bring another definition of cultural intelligence, which is that culture is a social operating system for people within an organization,” she said.
Rica added, “We should not just think of cultural intelligence as understanding culture. We should take an inside‑out approach, which is expanding how we think across multiple contexts.”
This perspective was also reinforced by ABS-CBN Head of Integrated News Francis Toral, who addressed the challenges facing news organizations today. With trust becoming harder to earn and attention more difficult to sustain, she highlighted the need for systems that balance speed with responsibility, ensuring that storytelling remains both relevant and credible.
“Information equips, it empowers, it emboldens. But let me make that specific: the right information equips, empowers, and emboldens,” Francis said.
In the final panel, Google Philippines Country Manager Prep Palacios joined Rica and Francis. They brought together their perspectives to define what creative intelligence looks like today.
From a technology standpoint, Prep examined how digital platforms are enabling creativity to scale at unprecedented levels. However, she noted that access to tools alone is not enough — the real differentiator lies in how thoughtfully they are used to create meaningful experiences.
“Creative intelligence is the intersection between data and intuition. It’s really the ability to use all of this information and numbers and turn it into something meaningful.”
Prep continued, “It’s also the ability to shift from being reactive to being predictive — using AI-driven insights to predict a story that will really resonate with your audience even before they realize it. Creative intelligence, in my world, should be something that will help grow the businesses. It should be a growth driver.”
Rather than existing in silos, the discussion also delved into how creativity operates at the intersection of disciplines where cultural understanding, technological capability, and strategic thinking inform one another. Growth, in this sense, is no longer driven by isolated ideas, but by systems that allow those ideas to evolve and adapt.
“What is the secret that could make your message come across? I think it’s consistency and perseverance. We never faltered, despite all the attacks and the bashing, we just persisted. And how do we balance innovation, creativity, and being true journalists? We just keep to one, our code of ethics, and two, our core mission, which is to be in the service of the Filipino,” Francis said.
The idea was also lauded by Rica, saying that “a strong message comes from understanding who you are as a brand and having that clarity of purpose.”
“I think at the heart of creativity is conviction. You can care, but do you have the conviction to actually do something about it?” she added.
In the end, for these leaders, particularly women navigating these spaces, the conversation pointed to the importance of curiosity, adaptability, and clarity of thought. As industries become more complex, the ability to connect dots across data, culture, and business becomes an essential skill.
The adobo SheCreative Network Conference 2026 ultimately reinforced a clear direction, emphasizing that creativity, when applied with intention and insight, becomes a powerful force for growth and transformation. In an environment defined by rapid change, it is not just technology or scale that determines success, but the ability to create meaning, including how to understand people, interpret culture, and design experiences that resonate with the audience in mind.
The conference was made possible through the support of its partners.
Supporting Partners
- Belo Medical Group
- UL Skin Sciences
- SM Supermalls
Swag Partners
- Mondelēz International (Cadbury)
Spirits Partners
- GSM 1834 Premium Distilled Gin
Airline Partner
- Cebu Pacific Air
Wellness Partner
- Kindred Health
Organization Partners
- Asean SOGIE Caucus
- Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA)
- Asia Society Philippines
Media Partners
- ABS-CBN News
- Metro.style
Style Partner
- Zalora
