MANILA — Global Ferronickel Holdings President Dante Bravo said he quit a lucrative accounting job and traded balance sheets for nickel ore because he couldn’t say no to his father-in-law.
Bravo said his father-in-law, former Agusan del Sur governor Ceferino Paredes Jr, asked him to help his good friend Joseph Cue Sy run Global Ferronickel. Paredes had conceded that he was more of a politician, while his son-in-law is the businessman.
“How can you say no to your father in law? It’s like saying no to your wife?” Bravo said in an exclusive interview with The Boss for ANC.
Bravo has a 10-year-old son, Dante Carmelo, with wife Grace Carmel Paredes.
Bravo worked with the Sy family in acquiring shares in Platinum Group Metals Corp and after 10 years with accounting firm SGV, he said he was ready for a change.
“You have to trust your guts. You have to trust your instincts,” Bravo said.
Bravo said he took on his new job with much encouragement from the Sy patriarch. “I take it from the man. These are the things I learned from Joseph. You cannot just decide.”
Bravo served as CFO and corporate finance secretary before assuming as president of Global Ferronickel. He said one of his first concerns was winning the trust of employees and the management team.
“You have to be in charge but it’s not the position, it’s whether you have the right elements with you,” he said.