Her success in technology not only enhances and expands the IT landscape of the Philippines but also celebrates woman's empowerment in a male-dominated industry. Myla Crespo-Villanueva, chairman of local tech giant MDI and Novare Technologies, is responsible for over three decades of digital transformation in the country.

Villanueva returned to the Philippines in 1988 after attending college in Santa Clara Valley in the United States and founded MDI as the first local network systems integrator in the country. Barely a year later, MDI won a Php120 million contract to re-engineer the Social Security System networks, the company's first big project. In 1995, Villanueva co-founded technology distributor Microwarehouse; soon after came Wolfpac, then the country's largest independent mobile applications and content developer, which was acquired by Smart Communications in 2003.

Meridian was founded in 2000 to compete with the major telco players, and was successful enough to be acquired once again by Smart in 2006. Novare Technologies, Villanueva's fifth startup, was born in 2007 as the software development arm of the systems integrator veteran Micro-D International. In the meantime, MDI celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2018, still among the industry leaders when it comes to technology solutions in the Philippines.

Villanueva is also passionate about community service, serving as the national chairperson of the Philippine Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), the accredited citizen’s arm of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). At a hotly contested national elections in 2022, Villanueva stood as a pillar for transparency and community. “I was bone-tired every day,” Villanueva has admitted. “But when I see our volunteers across the country, when they send me pictures of the work they're doing on the ground, I'm incredibly humbled to be their chair,” she says.