President Bongbong Marcos Jr. has appointed entrepreneur Famida “Fam” Alonto as an Executive Member of the National Innovation Council (NIC), bringing a private-sector venture builder into the country’s highest policy-making body on innovation.
Alonto confirmed that she has taken her oath before Cabinet Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, who serves as vice chair of the council. She is expected to reaffirm her appointment before the President in the coming weeks.
The NIC is tasked with setting the Philippines’ innovation agenda and long-term strategic direction, placing Alonto among officials shaping how the country develops its startup ecosystem, digital economy, and emerging technologies.
Before entering government, Alonto built her career at the intersection of venture building, digital transformation, and ecosystem development. She is a founding partner of Embiggen Group, an AI and digital transformation firm operating across the Philippines, Singapore, and Switzerland, with clients that include Lufthansa, Aboitiz, Etiqa, and government agencies such as the Department of Science and Technology and the National Development Company.
She also leads entrepreneur experience initiatives at Endeavor Philippines, where she works with high-impact founders and contributes to scaling the country’s startup ecosystem through a global network of operators, investors, and mentors.
Earlier in her career, Alonto served as a senior venture builder at 917Ventures, the venture arm of Globe Group, where she helped launch and scale startups, including KodeGo, an education platform designed to help Filipinos transition into the digital workforce. At 22, she became head of innovation at Insular Life, where she led programs focused on financial inclusion and digital modernization.
Her work has earned industry recognition, including the Ayala Innovation Excellence Award in 2022 and Globe Group’s Employee of the Year in 2023, representing more than 16,000 employees. She has also been recognized in regional circles, including being named among Asia’s thought leaders in finance and insurance and receiving the Mansmith Young Market Masters Award for technology and innovation.
Alonto has represented the Philippines in international innovation platforms, including the Asia New Zealand Foundation’s Young Business Leaders Initiative, and has spoken at regional and global forums on digital transformation, venture building, and startup ecosystems.
Alongside her industry work, she teaches entrepreneurship, innovation, and strategic management at the Asian Institute of Management and Ateneo de Manila University, while mentoring communities outside Metro Manila.
In a personal statement, Alonto said her transition into public service was not planned, noting that she had spent the past decade focused on building within the private sector.
On a personal note, she said she kept her nomination private even from close family and friends, underscoring her intent for the appointment to stand on its own. “I wanted it to be evaluated on credibility and merit alone. No calls made and no strings pulled,” she said.
Alonto said her focus in the council will be to ensure that innovation policy reflects the realities faced by builders, founders, and operators. She pointed to the need for stronger coordination between government and the private sector, expanded support for startups beyond Metro Manila, and policies on artificial intelligence and digital transformation grounded in actual use.
Her appointment places a private-sector operator inside a policy body traditionally shaped by institutional and academic perspectives, as the government moves to align innovation policy more closely with execution on the ground.
