In a fast-moving city like Cebu, where industries rise and opportunities multiply, it is easy to measure success in titles, numbers, and growth. But for Hazel Aguisanda, leadership has always been found in the lives she chooses to lift, especially those who cannot speak for themselves.

“I really love animals,” she said simply.

Behind that simplicity is a life shaped by purpose, compassion, and the courage to build something meaningful for the most vulnerable.

Born and raised in Cebu, Aguisanda’s journey began far from boardrooms and advocacy work. She started as a teacher in a local university, later moving to the United States where she studied and worked, immersing herself in a different culture. When she returned to the Philippines, she carried with her both global perspective and a deep understanding of people.

With a background in English and Psychology, she worked with abused women and children under an international NGO.

Her path into leadership more of intentional, rather than being linear.

When the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry began to take root in Cebu in the early 2000s, Aguisanda saw purpose beside opportunity.

“I was really curious, what kind of industry is this?” she recalled.

That curiosity led her to become the first employee of a major BPO company in Cebu, helping build its foundation from the ground up. Over the years, she rose through the ranks, eventually taking on leadership roles that required not just skill, but trust, adaptability, and vision.

Yet even as her corporate career flourished, another calling took shape quietly.

Six years ago, alongside friends who shared the same compassion, she co-founded Happy Tails Animal Welfare Organization, Inc., a non-profit dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating stray and neglected animals in Cebu City.

“So I said, if you want to grow, we have to have a legal entity… So we will be recognized and we can work with LGUs,” she said.

Today, the organization has rescued over 220 dogs and cares for dozens of cats across multiple shelters. But for Aguisanda, the work is not about numbers. It is about the quiet, often unseen transformation that happens when compassion is put into action.

“What inspires me is the difference that you make in the lives of animals who cannot repay you… the help is very unconditional,” she said.

In a world that often values reciprocity, she hopes that her advocacy stands as a reminder that some of the most meaningful acts are those given freely.

Leadership, for her, follows the same principle.

“Leadership for me simply is being a good role model to your team. You walk your talk,” she said.

She believes in servant leadership, guiding without overpowering, leading without losing empathy. Like an orchestra conductor, she sees her role as bringing together different strengths into one harmonious outcome.

“You have to be a very good orchestra conductor. Each musician plays a different instrument… and yet the outcome should be a very harmonious melody,” she said.

Balancing a demanding career with an advocacy organization is no easy task. For Aguisanda, the challenges are not defined by gender, but by time, resources, and the realities of sustaining a cause that relies largely on personal commitment.

“The challenge is really more on the advocacy side. We have to continuously have funds… and there’s still some instances of cruelty and neglect,” she said.

Still, she presses on not out of obligation, but out of conviction. Her fulfillment, she says, comes from impact, and less from recognition.

Among the many animals she has helped, none stands above the rest. Each story, whether of neglect or survival, carries equal weight.

“They’re all the same to me because they’re all victims,” she said.

That sense of equality, of seeing value in every life, is perhaps what defines her most as a leader.

Now in her 60s, Aguisanda believes that leadership is not bound by age, but by purpose. In an industry driven largely by younger professionals, she has built meaningful relationships across generations, earning not just respect, but affection. To them, she is called fondly “Madam Chair.”

“I’m proud that I am able to work well with really intelligent employees from different generations,” she said.

As a woman, she does not frame her journey through struggle, but through balance.

“I’m very happy because I love my job and I love my advocacy,” she said.

And perhaps that is her quiet message this Women’s Month, not just to succeed, but to live fully and meaningfully.

To young women finding their place in the world, her advice is, “Don’t be afraid to fail. It doesn’t make you a failure.”

In a society that often demands certainty, she offers something far more powerful, the freedom to try, to learn, and to grow without fear.

And if there is one small act she hopes people can carry forward, it is that “If you don’t like animals, that’s fine… Just don’t hurt [them].”

Because in the end, leadership is not only about guiding people or building careers. Sometimes, it is as simple — and as profound — as choosing kindness, even when nothing is expected in return.

SHE MATTERS is a special project of GMA Regional TV to celebrate Women's Month.